The new has come!

(2Corinthians 5:17) “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

It is that time again and spring is in the air, the clock has just barely passed 4am and I hear the birds twittering in the distance, a pleasant sound echoing through the still of the night. If I was asked to describe it in a word, what word would I cherry-pick? Tranquility, serenity or peacefulness, which all has similar meanings, would be high on the list. Apart from Senora’s (my Siberian husky) heavy breathing which in itself confirms life although death is prominent as she is nearing 15 and even with that noise included I am at peace, thank you Father God for moments like these.

The bible encourages us to exhort one another while it is call today; “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13)

It is important for us to take a stroll along the banks of God’s river, or to wade in the shallows of the stream, to sit still and listen to the sounds that filter through the Holy Scriptures. If we listen carefully we may just pick up a new fresh note, not that there is anything new to Scripture, but it may be new for us, it may help us find grace in time of need. It may give us sustenance just for “today” and so we have been encouraged to find strength to pursue our heavenly calling, chew off more than a day at a time and before long you will be caught up with the deceitfulness of sin. It has a way of impregnating our carnal natures. But we are no longer under its master, if we indeed have been born again and have Christ Spirit guiding us along the way; “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6) - Therefore we need to remind one another that we must set time aside to commune with our Lord and Saviour, without this fellowship we once again begin to walk as we once did when we groped in the dark.

The truth of the matter is that if we are new creatures in Christ then all things old have passed away whether we want to believe it or not. We have a new standing in Christ and this is what the Apostle Paul teachers; “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2Corinthians 5:17) – What I find intriguing is that he needed to teach this truth to the Corinthian Church, those who seem to struggle the most with their old carnal natures. Those who seemed to want to use grace as a licence to sin! I also once erred on that side of their error in understanding. It seemed too hard to have to walk as a sinless man, or so I was tricked to believe. Now if we say we are without sin we deceive ourselves. This is not what I am claiming, but now because of Christ’s perfect sacrifice and because of what He was able to utter while still nailed to the cross, “it is finished”, we all now are no longer viewed as sinners in that sense but saints, and children of God! The new has come and we must remind each other of this truth, we must exhort one another and so I now reassure you of this truth…

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2Corinthians 5:17-21)

Because of what He achieved on our behalf we have now been covered by His righteousness, let us therefore remember to find the joy of the Lord, to be thankful in all our trials and tribulations as they are working together for our own good. Let us be slow with anger as our God is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, praise His glorious name! We all deserved death but instead of what should have been our punishment, hell and all its eternal torment, we have find life in and through our great risen King, the Lord Jesus Christ has saved our souls.

I would encourage you today to draw aside and to thank Him for all things that are now new. When we learn to focus on Him the trials of life will disappear into the distance, not that we shouldn’t be hard pressed any longer by the trials of life as they are very needful for our training up in righteousness but they will not have such a hold on us. We will eventually learn to be content wherever we find ourselves. I pray Father God that you would write these truths deep within our hearts and help us to walk as new creatures in Christ, for to this we have been called, if we indeed have Your Spirit.

Set time aside to wade in the streams of righteousness and it will be well with our souls!

Signing off

Tyrone