Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead. (Col 2:12)
Who I am today is not who I always was. The suicidal person, the person who drank, the person who used countless words of profanity as part of her daily language, the selfish and self centered individual who inhabited this body no longer exists, except in the memories of those who have not yet come to the realization that with the acceptance of Jesus into one's heart, comes change! I am new! These changes are not something you can attain without the power of the Holy Spirit. You cannot just "walk away" from your past and become someone you are not. Your true colors will always shine through. The demons of your past will still attempt to influence your behavior, but you can, with the help of God, be changed, transformed, re-made!
When you continue to surround yourself with those who do not fear God's hand, do not see the workings of the enemy, do not choose to worship a living God, how can you possibly expect any changes to occur? How can you even begin to hope for the gift salvation offered to you if you refuse to ask for it?
Our Lord comes to us with a promise and a gift. He offers it to us at no cost - as I've said before, it's been paid for, and we couldn't afford it anyway. We do not deserve it. We are sinners. Once we accept that gift, we become forgiven, redeemed and remade - not before. Going through life alone is hard, but not compared to an eternity of being denied a place in the kingdom of God. We only get one shot at life in this world; we are afforded many opportunities to bow down and worship our King. One day, the opportunity will have passed you by if you continue to "wait until tomorrow". There is no time like right now to ask Jesus into your life. Call out to him and he will hear and answer you. Come with a humble heart and accept him in a way your soul has longed for your to do! Be made new by the power of God! Be made whole, be made righteous and just in his eyes. Become worthy to serve, holy and accepted, beloved. Hide yourself in Christ and take on the image of the Creator...be remade, become new!
[Selected Scripture reading for January 30, 2011 - Gen 29-30]
(photo by Celia Darrigo)
