Becoming "a new creation"






The Lord isn't looking for people who change a few habits by sheer force of will; He's calling people to surrender themselves to Him. The only action God expects of a "seeker" is to believe in Jesus--that He is who He says, He will do what He says, He has the authority to forgive, and He will equip His people to live a godly life. Because of those convictions, a new Christian is empowered to turn away from his old life--in other words, to repent--and begin the process of becoming "a new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17).

We live in a fallen world, and odds are, we are going to have tough times over the years. So when the bad times come it doesn’t mean we have to dance around and be happy about it, you just have to remember that these moments won’t last forever. The bad things in our life cannot become what define us, instead, we have to trust God and remember the grace he has shown us. He will help us endure and won’t abandon us to sorrow or despair. So take a moment, whatever your situation, to be joyful. No matter how bad things get, God is with us.   

God doesn't need much from us to accomplish his plan for our lives. Focusing on our human predicament may paralyze us and the situation may appear humanly impossible. But special opportunities may come our way unexpectedly. And steps of faith can change the outlook. We shouldn't let the fear of what could happen cause us to miss an opportunity to follow God.
To the person who is not living for God, this is an unpleasant thought. “What? God is with me when I am sinning my secret sins? God is watching when I dishonor Him? God is listening when I trash His name as a curse word? God was paying attention when I spoke so cruelly to that person? God will hold me accountable even for the things that nobody else can see?”

But to the person who loves and trusts God, the thought that God is with me at all times is one of the most beautiful thoughts imaginable. God is there when nobody else notices that I am serving them. He is watching as I take care of my children. He is with me when I get bad news about my health. He walks with me through the darkness of uncertainty, reminding me that He is certain. He places His power on my ministry to other people, making it spiritually fruitful.

The credit of the Most High never was impeached, and never shall be. He is punctual to the moment: he never is before his time, but he never is behind it. Search God’s word through, and compare it with the experience of God’s people, and you shall find the two tally from the first to the last. Many a hoary patriarch has said with Joshua, “Not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass.” If you have a divine promise, you need not plead it with an “if,” you may urge it with certainty. The Lord meant to fulfill the promise, or he would not have given it. God does not give his words merely to quiet us, and to keep us hopeful for awhile with the intention of putting us off at last; but when he speaks, it is because he means to do as he has said.

The question is not whether you have come to a knowledge of doctrine, or an observance of ceremonies, or to a certain form of experience, but have you come to the blood of Jesus? The blood of Jesus is the life of all vital godliness. If you have truly come to Jesus, we know how you came-the Holy Spirit sweetly brought you there. You came to the blood of sprinkling with no merits of your own. Guilty, lost, and helpless, you came to take that blood, and that blood alone, as your everlasting hope. You came to the cross of Christ, with a trembling and an aching heart; and oh! what a precious sound it was to you to hear the voice of the blood of Jesus! The dropping of his blood is as the music of heaven to the penitent sons of earth. We are full of sin, but the Saviour bids us lift our eyes to him, and as we gaze upon his streaming wounds, each drop of blood, as it falls, cries, “It is finished; I have made an end of sin; I have brought in everlasting righteousness.”  



Blessings,

Raj Kosaraju 



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