If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold all things are become new 2 Cor 5:17

How can ever think we will get our heads around understanding God. Let us pause, then just to let this droplet of incredinly pure truth fall into the ocean of our experience and flavor it eternally and entirely. Let us pause and consider the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in us, let us look back to the old things.

“We were dead in trespasses and sins” Eph 2:1; physically alive but spiritually dead; we were all under condemnation for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23.) and our sin has earned us the wages of death (Romans 6:23a); we were strangers from the Covenant and without God and without hope (Eph 2:12). Having our hearts darkened and blinded (2 Cor 4:4) are the truths of the scriptures for us. We closed our hearts to God’s overtures of love to us, inviting us to leave behind our old lives, turn to Him in repentance and seek His forgiveness.
Think about this for a moment. Not as a cliché but as an incredible truth. God is rich in mercy. Think about this mercy and what it is and what it means more than 2000 years later for you and I.

He loves us with an everlasting love. Imagine, for a moment, what kind of love this is that He did not leave us to perish in our sins. He sent His Son, to take the judgement and punishment of our sins upon Himself and to die our death so that we might through His death and Resurrection die to self and live a new life in Christ.

To know Jesus fully and experience the abundant life, we must be born from above (John 3:5) and be made new by the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, we are just onlookers. By receiving the Holy Spirit we are now able to have a relationship with God in Christ Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit who leads us to repentance and to faith in Jesus. When we invite Jesus into our lives as our personal Lord and Saviour He comes in and dwells in us by the Holy Spirit.

Prayer:

Look upon us, O Lord, and let all the darkness of our souls vanish before the beams of thy brightness. Fill us with holy love, and open to us the treasures of thy wisdom. All our desire is known unto thee, therefore perfect what thou hast begun, and what thy Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer. We seek thy face, turn thy face unto us and show us thy glory. Then shall our longing be satisfied, and our peace shall be perfect. (Augustine- 430)

By Corinne Nathaniel | May 27th, 2017