January 22 - New Creation

January 22 – New Creation

“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Sometimes life is too weird for words.  God interjects Himself into our little worlds with moments that remind us how close He is to us … even when we feel so far away.

Yesterday morning I was talking to one of my mother’s closest friends. As we talked about the transformation that occurred in her life when we lived in Sigourney, she was asking about the Greek word for repentance – metanoia.  We processed through some of the different Greek words that are translated as repentance, we talked about the word itself and as we did, she kept talking about the radical change that had happened in her life.  Jesus came in and transformed her completely.  The change He wrought in her was nothing short of miraculous and she knows that had all of that had not happened one Sunday morning at the altar, she would have no family and no friends because she was well on her way to alienating everything that meant anything to her.

I remember seeing a woman walk into church that morning – her face painted as brightly with garish lipstick and eye color that hid any beauty.  Her clothing was wild and strange and she didn’t fit in with those nice Methodist church-going folk.  But, Dad offered a chance to come to the altar and allow Jesus to come in – and something thrust her forward.

The next time I saw her, I didn’t know who she was … gone was the hardened face and eyes that had held pain and anger, gone was the desperate need to be bigger than reality.  What was left was a beautiful woman holding on to the love of Jesus.

As I talked with her yesterday, she still remembers that it was my parents who discipled her along those early years – Dad wasn’t easy on her and mom simply loved her and grew to need her in her own life.

But, then in the background, as we talked about verses relating to repentance, her husband simply said, “1 Corinthians 5:17.”  We both had our Bibles in hand and flipped to that verse, reading it aloud.  All she could do was say to me, “That’s who I am … every day because of Jesus Christ.  I am a new creation.  Everything became new.”

I hadn’t looked at the verse I had scheduled to write for today.  I process on the calendar before the month begins and then I write each day as the Spirit leads.  Today He led me to my friend and popped this little verse in tonight to remind me of its great importance.

Christ has made all things new.  The old has passed away.  Everything becomes new in Him.  That is a joy beyond words.