“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 the old HAS passed away, then something has to replace it, right? Sometimes when we try to stop a bad habit, our problem is that we are not replacing it with a good habit. We cannot live in a vacuum, my Friends. Something is going to occupy our minds, which will eventually translate into actions. If we really want to stop the old things that kept us from experiencing this New Creation Life, then we have to be aware that we have options. We can fill that void with the good things the Holy Spirit brings into our lives. It is like He gives us a vault filled to the overflow with riches, but we are still scrounging for pennies!
We must replace the old with the New or we will continue to act like we used to act and this life will not be as fulfilling as it could be. Instead of allowing those old, MMI ways control what we do, we now can turn to God and learn how we should be acting. For instance, when someone comes up to me and yells in my face, I don’t have to get all upset like that old person, Jezebel, used to do. Instead, I can dignify their emotions by listening respectfully, to see if they even have a good reason to be mad. I can hold on to peace and explain my side of the story calmly. Or I can simply walk away if they are being unreasonable, and choose to forgive them. Then the next time I see that person, I can decide to treat them as if that incident never happened…oh I know. I can sense you getting angry at the very thought of this. But the truth is, that old way of acting is only hurting us. The other person has probably moved on and we are the ones still stuck in that argument. We need to choose to forgive and respect them anyway, because that is definitely a part of this New Life way. After all, is this not what God does for us every single day?
My Friends, choose to replace the old with the new because the old HAS already passed away and the new HAS already come. Shouldn’t we be wise and reap the benefits of this lovely gift from God? I hope we do, more and more.
Join me in memorizing 52 verses this year:
1- Jn 3:16
2- 2Co 5:17
<>< Peace, Diane
