Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the
new has come.
It was 1:35—for years. The hands of that old clock were stuck.
It was time for a change. And Easter was the perfect season to make the switch.
I removed the clock from my living room wall and replaced it
with a beautiful handcrafted cross. I received the cross in exchange for a
donation to Teen Challenge, a program which
“provides successful recovery for women, children, young men and families with
destructive, abusive and addictive lifestyles through mentoring, education,
training and spiritual direction.”
The wood for these crosses is handpicked from old, discarded
horse fencing from the Teen Challenge Northern Virginia farm. Cut and stained
by the students, the crosses are a reflection of what happens in their lives.
They come into the program broken, but as a result of Christ’s work in their
lives, they become new.
Is it time for a change in your life? Have you found yourself in a cycle of destructive behavior? Have you been repeating the same mistakes, going ‘round and ‘round again like the hands of a clock?
Easter is the perfect season to make the switch. Jesus came to
seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10)—the oppressed, the beat-down, the
broken. He came to give hope to the hopeless.
You are not stuck. Pour out your heart to Him (Psalm 62:8).
“For God says,
‘At just the right
time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.’
Indeed, the ‘right time’ is now. Today is the day of salvation”
(2 Corinthians 6:2 NLT).
Jesus paid the penalty for our sins by His work on the cross. He
offers forgiveness and new life today if only we believe and accept this gift
of grace.
Your old life passes away and all things become new. You are a
new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), an heir of God (Romans 8:17).
“In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance
that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for
you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).
There’s a saying that scrolls along the bottom of the wall paper
beneath the cross in my living room. “There’s no place like home.”
This Easter make heaven your home—there’s no place like it. And
it’s as easy as A-B-C. Please pray with me today.
Dear Jesus, I Admit that I have sinned (Romans 3:23)
and Ask for Your forgiveness (Romans 10:13). I Believe
in You as my hope of salvation (John 3:16, John 14:6). I have Become
a child of God (John 1:12). I Confess You as my
Lord (Romans 10:9).Thank You for Your indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15)!
Although this was written four years ago, your words are as fresh now as they were then. Thank God that His mercies are "new every morning (Lamentations 3:23)."
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joe!
DeleteIt is time for a change. Let us move forward in Christ together!
ReplyDeleteAmen, Carla!
Delete