Psalm of Praise: Psalms 100:3-5
Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:16-18
So 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.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation:
The old has gone, the new has come!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
A Reflection:
It was estimated that, in 2021, the global anti-ageing market, designed to turn back tide and time when it comes to our health and our looks, was worth 60 billion US dollars.
Charlie Mackesy, in his book, ‘The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse’, which was televised over Christmas, says, “Isn’t it odd. We can only see our outsides, but nearly everything happens on the inside.”
And God sees it all.
Whilst it is honouring to God that we do our best to look after the bodies he has given us, I’m pretty sure he is more interested in what is on the inside than what is on the outside. And by inside, I don’t mean our internal organs! Rather, God is concerned about our inner life, our thoughts, attitudes and beliefs, and the words and deeds that these give rise to. And no amount of anti-ageing products will improve these.
But there is good news. What cosmetics and health foods cannot do, God has done for us in Christ. St Paul tells us that when we put our faith in Jesus, we become a whole new creation. The ‘Old You’ was crucified in the cross with Jesus and the ‘New You’ has been born.
Imagine for a minute all the things you regret in life; you failings, your bad choices, wrong priorities, broken relationships, the times you have let others down, let yourself down and let God down, the things you have thought and done in secret, the habits you have been unable to break.
All of these were nailed on the cross with Christ, and in Christ you are a New Creation.
What does it feel like to be a new creation? What does it feel like to walk free of the problems and the failings of the past? What does it feel like to make a new start with God and to discover the new blessings he has in store for you each day?
Pray:
Thank you, Father God, that in Christ I am a new creation.
Help me to live today in the light and knowledge of this amazing truth.
Amen
I am a new creation