February 23rd

One of the reasons we set low expectations when it comes to this mission of ours is because our perspective of ourselves is stuck in the past. We know what we have done and who we are/were. It is hard to erase that, even when the enemy doesn’t throw it in our face, we often do. We really have to pray that the Lord helps us understand where we stand in Him. We are not just forgiven. We are NEW creatures. We sometimes need to be reminded of that.

2 Corinthians 5: 14-21 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 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, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Let’s unpack this passage. Why are we even doing this whole Jesus thing? Because His love compels us. He is the one that died for everyone to pay the price for our sins. It says “therefore all died”, so before you get hung up on that part of the first verse, take in the whole passage. Further down it explains that we are a new creation, the old has gone (died) and the new has come. So because Jesus died for us, our old nature dies and our new nature lives because He lives (He was resurrected.) This is the hope that we have. We are no longer enemies of God, we can be reconciled to Him because of the blood of Jesus shed for us. Because of this gift, we should no longer live for ourselves but for Him. We should not see anyone (including ourselves) from a worldly point of view anymore, now we have to see other believers (and ourselves) as the new creation covered by the blood of Jesus and resurrected with Him.

It goes on to say that Jesus not only reconciled us to God, but He also gave us the ministry of reconciliation. He doesn’t count people’s sins against them (that includes us) and so we shouldn’t count their sin against them or us. We have to understand reconciliation to God for ourselves and believe it so that we can teach others this same good news. He calls us Christ’s ambassadors “as though God were making his appeal through us.” We have to keep this whole big picture in mind and understand that we are new creatures and that we are charged with sharing this same hope with others. Look at that last verse…He became sin so that we might be come the righteousness of God. That is becoming a totally new creature, not just a little bit, not just adding on a little extra something like it is a scarf or a hat, it is a new creature, we BECOME the righteousness of God. When He looks at us, that is what HE sees, what do you see?

He is able to use us to bring this message of hope/reconciliation to others because He has already done it in us. We just need to believe it and walk in it. If we can just understand this we can walk in it. The enemy would like to keep us limited to our old nature so that we don’t feel the hope of being a new creature because if we don’t see or feel that hope, we won’t share it with others.

So let’s reach for understanding of this, let’s pray for understanding of this, let’s study for understanding of this so that we can understand it for our own peace but also so that we can share that message with others. Everyone yearns to be a new creation, EVERYONE! Let’s remember that as we meet people throughout our day, they want to hear that there is hope for them.

Jesus, thank you for dying for me so that I might live. Help me to understand and remember that I am a new creation in you. Help me to live like that and to be able to truly let go of and be free from my past, my old nature. Help me to recognize the lies of the enemy and to live in the Truth, YOUR TRUTH. Help me to be a good ambassador of your love and hope to the world around me, especially to specific people that you send my way. Help me to see myself through your eyes. Thank you for your perfect love and your perfect plan.

Ephesians 4:23-24 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.