A New You
Do you feel like a new person today?
Verse of the Day
‘This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!’
Today’s Devotional
It’s the third day of the new year. And today, the Word is telling each of us that we are a new person if we belong to Jesus. Not when we accomplish our goals, or when we reach a certain point, but now. The first thing that jumps out to me about this verse is “has become”. We have been made new. We ARE new people because we belong to Jesus.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t always feel new. And that’s the problem with truly believing our God-given identity. The truth that God proclaims over us often contradicts our human emotions. God’s truth is not dependent on my ability to accept it or believe it. If God says something, then it is my responsibility to choose to accept it and believe it, regardless of how I feel.
What does this “newness” do for us? Why do we want to be new people in Jesus? Going back to where this verse comes from, there are a few descriptions of the difference between the old person and the new. First, the new person no longer lives for himself, he lives for Christ. If that does not describe me today, then I am not living out my true identity. If I am still being selfish, striving, controlling, demanding, fearful… I am living for myself. The new person who lives for Jesus would be described as loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, generous, faithful, gentle and self controlled. When my thoughts and actions don’t align with my identity, then I might need to spend more time with the Giver of this “newness”.
The next description of the news person says that he stops evaluating others from a human perspective. Instead, he sees every human on this planet as made by God, valuable to God, and worthy of respect.
Lastly, the new person spends his time bringing people back to God. All of us came from God, whether we realize it or not. Sharing God’s love with another human so that they will want to know God is how we bring others back to God. That does not mean (in my opinion) that every believer should be a missionary or minister. No matter what job you have or how you interact with others, your life can be so full of God’s love that others want to know God because of you. THAT is a new life.
I will fully admit that fully accepting my God-given identity has been (and is) hard for me. It is so much easier to believe the messages the world gives. It’s probably easier because the messages from the world are louder and easier to hear. It is much more difficult to get quiet enough and take enough time to sit with God and allow His truth to pour over me.
Today, God says you are new. Are you willing to take the time and effort to truly believe that?
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How do you feel new because of your relationship with God?
What parts of your life don’t feel new?
How do your thoughts and emotions contradict your God-given identity?
How can you allow the truth of what God says about you to sink in?
How are you still living for yourself?
How do you evaluate others?
How can you bring someone to an awareness of God’s love today?