REJUVENATE….”Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come…..2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB)
CONSIDER THIS: In our journey through life, is there something different now about us, which was not evident before we came into a right relationship with God? The things that we said we loved before, i.e. the fleeting pleasures of this world, do they now cause us to cringe, pause and pull back? Is there now a desire to forego the sin we see our former lusts, then not just step away from them, but one of going towards something pure, righteous and holy? If we do, and are pulled towards the Word of God and fellowship with the Father, through Jesus Christ, it is only then we can really consider ourselves “born again”.
Old things have been thrown into God’s sea of forgetfulness forever, and “new things” have come. The word “new” here – kainos in the original language – literally means to be “not found like this exactly before”! We were deep in sin and permanently cut off from God, and now we are reborn into a new “creation” which never existed in our own makeup before now. Even the word “creation” – ktisis – is exactly the type of word God used in Genesis 1:1 when He created the world. That is, something that was not, now is. In other words, the real us – our spirit man, has been rejuvenated. Baptism did not do that, going to church and/or giving $20 in the offering plate did not do that, only the Spirit of God accomplished this conversion.
ACTION: The word REJUVENATE means “to restore to original condition”. When we are born again, through repentance and belief in Christ (& the Gospels) we are restored to a state similar to the original relationship God had with Adam. Thank God for Faith and what it really means to be restored and made right with God, regardless of our current temporary condition, of living in this mortal flesh. If there are some bad habits to be corrected this year, begin towork on corrective action to cease and desist. If there are relationships to be reconnected and restored, today is the day of redemptive action.