2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
I have never really been big on new year resolutions. I usually have to go with the motivation I have on board whenever change is needed versus having to wait on a specific day. That being said, there’s no harm in using the holiday to stop and evaluate where we think we are, where we think we are going and what we think we will look like when we get there. As followers of Jesus Christ, it is expected that we change from our old way of life, our old bad habits, our old sinful trappings and become the new person God created us to be.
One of the most encouraging things about this holiday is the reminder that we don’t have to stay as we are if we don’t want to. This scripture validates the premise that change really is possible. There is hope!
So I want to encourage you, just as I am encouraging myself this year, to stop and take inventory. Time management, finances, appetite, study, memorization, relationships, goals, service, anything can hold our attention but let’s base the impetus of those desired changes on Christ.
The benefit of good change is not simply to make us better people, it is to make us better representatives of Christ (which happens to also make us better people). For example, we can work to get out of debt but if we sacrifice benevolence toward others, then we’re not really better people, we’re just stingy people who are out of debt. If we work hard to be disciplined to the point that we’re not available for the opportunities God may put before us, then we’re only disciplined to ourselves and may have limited usefulness in God’s kingdom. Make sense? If we focus only on the action and don’t allow The Lord to manage that change and change us in the process, then we’ve missed the full benefit.
This verse says ALL things become new. So the Lord wants to transform every part of all of us. Today is a good day to see how well we are cooperating with Him in that endeavor. To the extent that we have set our eyes on the spiritual implications of the change we are seeking, that is the extent that the change will best represent our Lord. Make your evaluation and take your pick(s). I’ll do the same. Let’s ask Him for help. Then, when we come to the end of this year, may our desire to better represent our Lord in all areas of our life produce change in all of us that will, in turn, allow us to truly better represent Him in all we do. That is good change.
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