Last week, we started this journey to memorize 52 Bible verses this year, with the most well known verse, John 3:16. The application of this verse is simply to see and begin to understand the depths of God’s Love for “the world”…that includes you and me, my Friends! Because God so loves us, we can receive Jesus and have eternal Life, starting the moment we surrender our lives to Him. It is with this foundation of God’s Love that everything else that is good and perfect, is now available to us. God’s Love makes us New Creations in Christ. Here’s this week’s verse 2Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2Co 5:17 ESV
If anyone is in Christ… “If” is a powerful little word because it indicates the opposite too. If you are NOT in Christ, then whatever else is said in this verse does not apply to you. This lovely promise, as well as all the rest of them in Scripture, only apply to those who belong to God. This makes perfect sense doesn’t it? I mean my neighbor cannot expect me to pay for their children’s college expenses, right? They are not my children so I am not obligated to do such a thing. Now I can, if I have the resources and God puts it on my heart, but to expect this, when they are not mine, is kind of silly. It is the same idea here. If you are not in Christ, then you are still the old, sinful, prideful, dead person you have always been. Sure your body is animated and your mind can think, but to have true life? Where you can have a steady stream of peace and joy, no matter what is going on? And then to be able to enter Heaven when your time here is done? Nope. This promise is only for those how are IN Christ.
Oh but if you are, listen to this fabulous news: you are a New Creation! This means the things that used to make you mad or sad, they do not have to have that effect on you anymore. Difficult situations and people do not have to control you anymore. They don’t have to, but do we, way too often, still let them? Let’s explore this great verse this week as we memorize, and implement it, into our lives.
Join me in memorizing 52 verses this year:
1- Jn 3:16
2- 2Co 5:17
<>< Peace, Diane
