SEPTEMBER 16

2 Corinthians 5:17

                               A NEW CREATION

Paul had written so many comforting promises in this epistle to the church of Corinth. But these promises cannot be theirs if they are not ‘a new creation’.

Anyone who receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour becomes a new person and the old things are history. The new heart within you wants to do right and honor God.

However, Christians can be drawn to sin. As a Christian, your old sinful nature fights your new nature in Christ every day. Even though you are a new person in Christ, Satan still wants to pull you down and make you think you will always be a failure and unable to overcome certain temptations.

The apostle Paul talks about this kind of struggle in Romans 7:18-19. “For I know that in __________ (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no __________ thing: for to __________ is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find __________. For the good that I would I do __________: but the evil which I would not, that I __________.”

Paul wanted to do good but kept finding himself doing poorly and sinning. This kind of struggle goes on inside every Christian. Are you surprised to learn that you have this kind of struggle? As a human, you are still vulnerable to sin, even though the new heart within you wants to do right and honour God.

Do you let the sinful part of you take control of you? The first step is to know your weakness and correct it. For example, you are easily jealous of your friend’s abilities. To overcome this, you can put Romans 12:15 into practice. God wants us to rejoice with those who rejoice. For your friend’s success, you show genuine happiness for him and encourage him. In this way, you can overcome envy.

Remember that when you became a Christian, God put a new heart inside you. You are a changed person. God will help you resist temptations and overcome them, so that you’ll be more like Christ.

Thought: What does being a new creation mean?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for putting a new heart inside me that I would do right and honour you. Help me overcome my weaknesses so that I will always please You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.