2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
1 John 2:6
the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
Ephesians 5:1-2
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
As this series comes to a close, today we are going to discuss what this entire series is about in the first place. It’s about our living, how we lives and does it imitate Christ. Coming to Christ means changing the way we live, and this is not a change that we can make on our own. We become a new creature when we give our lives to Christ, everything that we used to do that kept us separate from Him is gone. The life we used to live that was not pleasing to Him, yeah that’s gone too. We are a completely new creation. We are born again, we have a clean slate, and it’s like we get another chance at life, this time to do it right. It’s beautiful. I love the idea of being born again, because a newborn baby is so pure, so righteous, so clueless, and as that child grows they learn, from their parents how to live, what is right and wrong. Their parents raise them the best way they know how. However as humans we are born into sin. So when we give our lives to Christ it’s like coming into life all over again. We are so pure, so full of faith, and passion for the Lord. Through Christ we are adopted into the body of Christ. We have accepted Him as our Lord and Savior and from that point on God raises us to be more like Him every day of our lives. He raises us to live like Christ, He gives us an example, Jesus, and a guide, the Holy Spirit. He raises us like a parent raises a child from birth. The only difference is, God never stops raising us. He’s constantly pouring into us. Revealing Himself to us. Teaching us about who He is, how we are to live and love. It’s a beautiful life. God literally teaches us how to live well.
As we grow in Him, our lives begin to change to fit His will, not the other way around. Sometimes in life we will find moments where we are tempted to pick and choose what parts of the bible are “for us” and what parts are not. With that being said, some things are very hard to swallow, However, we must commit ourselves to following Christ with every part of our being. Every part of our lives must be wrapped up in Christ. There is no part of us or our lives that should be separate from Him. As Christ begins to change our hearts, He begins to weed out the things that do not need to be there. Being born again is a process of purification, elimination, healing, it’s like a detox. He’s taking things from us that we don’t need and giving and equipping us with everything we will ever need. We start to give up those things that we thought we needed and wanted and we begin to latch onto the goodness of Christ. We begin to live like Him. We begin to see the world through the eyes of Christ. That my friends is living well.
All this to say, as long as we abide in Christ and walk like Him, allowing the word of God to penetrate our hearts and take root, we are living well. (Run-on sentences for days) Life is beautiful, and when we live abiding in Christ we are overtaken by the beauty of this amazing life.
Response/Prayer Time
Take the time to respond in whatever way you feel led. Have a conversation with God, thank Him that He is a God of second chances and that He raises us to be the people He wants us to be.
I love you so much and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 290!
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