You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 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. (Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV)
This is the fourth and final week in our four-part blog series. We have looked at the topics; “He Made ALL the Difference,” “He Made YOU His Child,” “He Makes YOU Great,” and our topic this week is, “He Makes YOU New!” In these blogs, we have discovered some things about the work of each person of the Holy Trinity; God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit, in our lives.
Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. Through His Death and Resurrection, He made it possible for all of humanity to be Saved and adopted as children of God the Father. Once we receive Jesus into our lives, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us. Through the help of God’s Spirit living within us, the process of renewal and transformation into Christ’s likeness, can begin in our lives.
Just before Jesus died, when He was still on the Cross, He spoke the words, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) Therefore, we can accept that because of Him, our Salvation, and our adoption as God’s children has already been guaranteed, once and for all. It is completed…the only requirement is that we receive Him, and accept the free gift that He offers to us.
Our heavenly Father created us in His image, and as Psalm 145:3 (NIV) reminds us, “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom,” so we know that He created us for greatness. He placed that capacity within us, but we need to “grow into it” as we mature spiritually. As we do that, the change will gradually become evident to others.
The first step to renewal in our lives, after we have received the free gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ, is that our minds are changed. We begin to think differently as confirmed for us through 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NIV), in the words, “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
Over time, the Lord’s work in our lives continues. The journey of being refined, and becoming the people that our heavenly Father created us to be is a gradual one. With the Holy Spirit working within us, through prayer, feasting on God’s Word and allowing it to permeate our hearts, our transformation into Christ’s likeness will progress. It begins with the renewal of our minds, and that will lead into a change in our actions. Then, we will begin to walk in newness of life – as new creations in Christ.
As this is taking place in my own life, I am realizing that “the old me,” was wounded along life’s way. After my journey with Jesus began, it didn’t automatically mean that things would stop causing me to be hurt. Through the years, it has been somewhat natural for me to feel that I didn’t measure up somehow, that I had to work a little harder to stay in God’s “good books” – much less please Him, or that I had to “earn” His love and acceptance. Friends, NONE of that is true, not for me or anyone else. My own thinking had to be renewed so that I would truly know that I am Saved, loved, adopted, and accepted by my heavenly Father because of His undeserved favor, His grace. I could never possibly earn all that He freely gives to me, but the good news is that He doesn’t expect that of me. It’s a gift – FREELY given because of His love for me.
With the help of God’s Spirit working within me, I am breaking free of the grip of those bondages, which have kept me down far too long. They have kept me from becoming the woman that God created me to be. By His grace, my restoration is an ongoing process. It’s an exciting journey…if you haven’t already started yours, will you join me? God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit await the opportunity to give you a new life as well.
My prayer is, “Heavenly Father, thank you for Your Son, Jesus. I welcome you into my life, and I ask you to forgive me for all my sins. Please give me a fresh start. I know that only You can make me new. I want to be Your child, and part of your family. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.
