Today's Reading:O.T. - 1 Samuel 29 - 31
N.T. - 2 Corinthians 5:1 - 6:2
Focus Verses: 2 Cor. 5:16-20
16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Insight:
Jesus' life, sacrificial death, and resurrection cause us to regard him as more than a mere human. His wisdom, miracles, character, and victory over death demonstrate that he is clearly more than that. If we no longer regard Christ from a purely human point of view, we can also no longer regard those who are in Christ from a purely human point of view. Those who are in Christ are new creations. There are new possibilities, new resources, new perspectives, new hopes, and new directions for those who have been reconciled to God and have the Spirit of Christ at work in them.
Response and Action:
Christ died to bring reconciliation with God. Faith in Christ opens the door to reconciliation with God. I am putting my faith in Christ Jesus and trusting that, as a person of faith, I have new potential. By God's grace, I can put off old things that limit and diminish me. By the power of Christ's Spirit I can be transformed and live with new freedoms, goals, strengths, and purposes. This perspective will motivate me to persevere with hope and confidence as I follow Jesus, making every effort to mature in my faith.
O God, thank you for the new life that you promise me through Jesus. Help me to take hold of this truth and live with the hope and expectation of becoming new. Thank you for what Jesus has done to bring peace with you. Thank you for not counting my sins against me. Help me to become all that I can be with your guidance and grace. Through Christ Jesus, my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Proverbs: 2:7-8
"He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones."
Resources:
Living With Jesus Today
by Juan Ortiz
