New 2!

New 2!

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV

For all who claim to be in Christ, there are a few things that are non-negotiable, and must be in place. Firstly, it means that there had been a dying to something and a living to something different. You can't put the old nature and the new nature in the same vessel and you cannot claim God's life while holding on to the sinful nature. Both are parallel lines that can never meet. 

Secondly, it means that you have taken full and complete residence in Christ. You are not just living in church or doing the things of church; you are actually in Christ and He knows you as His own. One of the gravest dangers of our generation is the substitution of relationship with activity. Note that today's extract does not say "if a man works faithfully for Christ". It is never about activity first of all, but a personal knowledge and experience of who Jesus is. 

Thirdly, you must know the difference between what the old life was and what the new life represents. You may not have been a 'bad' person before you met Christ, but there must be a witness of an inner change that reflects on the outside. The old must pass away, like something dead, never to be revived, and the new has to be established, take root and become the new normal. Cornelius had a stellar reputation, known to be a good man, but there was something missing that God needed Peter to address. 

And it must affect all aspects of life. With devotion to Christ, there are no compartments. It is either God takes all or nothing at all. You cannot keep him out of some parts of your life and expect Him to come through for you in all aspects of your life. If I will experience the fullness of what a relationship with Christ can birth, I have to surrender all to Him and allow Him do His work. 

It is the season of new beginnings and fresh starts. When you go with God, there is no limit to the amazing things you stand to enjoy. He wants to make an amazing spectacle out of me, and the key is total surrender. Nothing less than this will work. His time of favour is here.