2 Corinthians 5:16-18

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29 June, 2022

29

JUN

2 CORINTHIANS 5:16-18

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:


TO PONDER

Stuff. My generation has too much stuff. Things we don’t need. It’s true you know, one of the fastest growing businesses is storage. All over Australia, and many parts of the world, warehouses are built where you get to pay to store things. Things you don’t use and may never end up using. There are even TV shows about storage wars!  

I must admit, I don’t see the point in storage. If it is no longer used, or required, dispose of it. Give it away. If it is too old, get rid of it. 

As children of God, there are things we strive to get rid of, and they are all connected with our lives. All those things that are opposite to the fruits of the spirit. Here are the fruits of the spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Think of the opposite, and that’s what we live with every day. 

But we also get the opportunity to experience the fruits of the spirit, because as children of God, as followers of Jesus, as those baptised into his family, the old has gone, and we get to play with the new! It’s God’s gift to us. A gift he keeps on giving time after time, despite our falling back to the old ways. A great time then to thank God for that gift.        


PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you that you sent Jesus to us, to experience a little of our lives on this earth. Thank you that we can let go of the old, the old life, the old ways, the old stuff that we don’t need, and thank you for the gift of all the new stuff. Help us to use the new stuff carefully, as it helps us live our lives with you in it. Amen.    


Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping