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"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)
There are a number of Renovation shows, on the television, which I really enjoy. I find it both fascinating and awesome the way a good contractor can transform a poor functioning home into something totally different so that it works for the family living within. They are able to look at the existing building and see the possibilities and potential therein, then use their skills to bring about the reality of positive change. As long as the foundational structure of a home is solid, they can do just about anything in regards to redesigning the original space. In fact, by the time the renovation is completed, the transformation is so amazing that it's hard to believe it's even the same structure.
Likewise, when we come to Christ, the solid foundation, He sees and knows our potential, all that is possible within us and as we yield to the power of His Spirit's leading, we too become transformed creations. The acts of our sinful nature, the one which reigns before our commitment to Christ is described in Scripture this way: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. Committing ourselves to Christ, as Lord and Saviour, by seeking daily to lay our decisions, thoughts, speech and actions before Him however, changes everything within in us as His Holy Spirit quietly works to renew our hearts and minds, gradually bringing about our reconstruction as God's holy people.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, the fruits of the Spirit, gradually transform us from the inside out. In fact, by the time Christ is finished with someone, it may be hard to believe, they're the same person. They may look the same, but inside a totally amazing transformation will have occurred.
Renovating a house is very expensive, and may be completed in a relatively short period. God's gift to mankind, Jesus, offers the grace of His love and forgiveness freely to anyone who chooses to believe. A gift that when accepted has the power to begin a lifetime of quiet inner renovations that mold and shape us into all that God intends us to be.
How's life going for you these days? Are you perhaps in need of that inner renovation of the heart and mind that only Christ, the Master Contractor provide? If so, I urge you to take a moment and pray this prayer.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I need and believe in You. Come into my life and forgive my sins for which I am truly sorry. Help me to daily turn my life over to You that I may reach my full potential and be all that God intends for me to be. In Your name I pray. Amen.
Lynne Phipps
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada
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