Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17
Every human being knows what it feels like to be stuck. Stuck in repeated mistakes. Stuck in character flaws. Stuck in unfulfilling rhythms. Stuck in bad habits. Stuck in inner unrest. Stuck in habitual sin. That last one is the real problem: Sin has made it impossible for us to be who God created us to be. That’s why we get stuck. And turning to external moral codes of conduct, white-knuckle behavior modification, religious checklists and self-help practices is never going to lead to the kind of real and lasting changes in us that we long for. But God in the richness of His mercy and grace sent Jesus to get us un-stuck and offer real transformation for those who put their trust in Him as we become more like Him. The biblical concept of “believe” means that very thing: it is to be transformed by the reality of someone or something. When how we think and feel about Jesus changes, so do we. We don’t cause this transformation ourselves; God does. He initiates it. He motivates it. He cultivates it. He consummates it. This is the reality of becoming new in Christ: a change in our standing with God, a change in what makes us happy, a change in what controls our lives, and a change in what our eternity will be like. What then must we do? We must fill our minds with the promises, truths, commands, reminders and good news of the Bible and let them be the loudest voice in our lives. Change will take place when we believe more fully in more areas of our lives the things that are found there. Take heart today, you can change. If you are trusting in Jesus, God will never give up on changing you from who you used to be into who you were made to be.
