Below is the next REAL Devotion, written by one of the ladies from within our church community. I pray that as you read these words, you will feel a real sense of being a new creation in Christ....
Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
2
Corinthians 5:17 NIV
We
experience the pleasure and joy of new creation when we see an apple tree heavy
with spring blossom. The tree has appeared lifeless all winter, but
the blossom appears and by autumn there will be apples. In the same way God can bring to life the
dead tree of our lives.
Life
can be like trudging across a muddy ploughed field, with the soggy ground
tugging at our wellies, every step demonstrating the hardship and broken
relationships littering our lives. There is hope. Despite the tree in winter
and the muddy field: Jesus brings joy.
One
bright sunny day, as I was hanging out the washing, I looked at the blue sky and
felt a lightness in my spirit. I had an overwhelming sense of being loved and
that I no longer had anything to worry about.
My circumstances had not changed since I took the washing into the
garden, but God made his presence known to me and filled me with joy. It is
only as I write this that the words came to describe what happened that
morning. God loves us and promises never to leave us nor forsake us.
To me,
this verse is always associated with being ‘born again’, or ‘saved,’ coming out
of the darkness and into the glorious power and light of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus himself describes this in a conversation with Nicodemus told in John 3:2-21.
Becoming born again can also be likened to stepping over a line drawn in the
sand; leaving the mess of the past behind and stepping into a brand new future,
rather like New Year’s Day but indescribably better. There are no new year’s
resolutions with which to fail yet again. Our future is secure and filled with
the promises and blessings of God.
Going back to the apple blossom in spring, by
autumn this blossom has become apples, the fruit. When we have experienced the
‘new creation’ we have a new Spirit within us, and we too produce fruit. We
have changed and demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit in our lives as described
in Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Another
fruit is brought about by the joy now within us and the desire we have for
others, particularly our family and friends, to also have this experience of a
personal relationship with our God.
Prayer:
To become a ‘new creation’, pray this simple prayer:
“Lord Jesus I repent of my
sins, come into my heart and be my Lord and Saviour.”