By: Bishop Dr. Etta Mhoon-Walker, Ph.D., D. Div.
Monday Devotion and Prayer. April 10, 2023.
“A New Life”
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:” Romans 6:3-5
Because sin brings death, we need new life through oneness with Christ. In this chapter, Paul assures his readers a second time that God has broken sin’s power. We have joined Jesus Christ in baptism (6:3) and have been united with him in his death (6:5). Paul uses relational terms in describing how we grow closer to Christ as we transfer from the old life to the new. When we were united with Christ in his death, our evil desires and slavery to sin died with him. Now, united by faith with him in his resurrection life, we have unbroken fellowship with God and freedom from sin’s hold on us.
Prior to our life in Christ, we find our lives damaged by sin. It shows up in the attitudes of our hearts, behaviors we engage in, and a worldview without God. It’s like trying to survive a winter storm without proper gear. Frostbite nips our fingers and toes impacting their usability. The wind roars and we curl into a ball with survival as our only focus. And then someone introduces us to Jesus Christ, and he brings us out of the cold and into the warmth of his presence.
He brings peace to our lives, and we rejoice. We declare His praises for how He brought us out of darkness and into His glorious light. He filled the longing for something more in our hearts, and we know his rest. But like my frozen plant, we bear the consequences of a life lived for so long in the cold. As we revel in his warmth, the damaged bits show themselves. It could be a relationship broken by interactions with your pre-Jesus self. Maybe it’s financial repercussions or physical consequences of a life lived loose and wild. When we become Jesus’ followers and enter a relationship with him, we begin a journey of sanctification. Sanctification is an ongoing process of conforming of our hearts and lives to the will of God. It’s the path we take toward spiritual growth.
Each of us will have areas of our lives where we wonder where the evidence of our “new life in Christ” is at. It discourages us and tempts us to look only at the signs of damage. But what if we looked for signs of life?
God takes our hearts and makes us new, but he also causes growth in areas of our hearts that seemed hopeless. He takes a hard heart and makes it soft. He gives us the wisdom to navigate broken relationships. His grace makes us new and the scars we carry tell the story of our new life in Christ.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for drawing me out of the cold and into the warmth of your presence. I’ve got some heart damage, but I know in your hands you can make all things new. I trust you to heal the places that need healing and I am grateful for the scars the stories tell. They tell of your faithfulness, love, grace, and mercy. Please continue to make me new. I rejoice in my new life with you. In Your son Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
“A New Life”
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:” Romans 6:3-5
Because sin brings death, we need new life through oneness with Christ. In this chapter, Paul assures his readers a second time that God has broken sin’s power. We have joined Jesus Christ in baptism (6:3) and have been united with him in his death (6:5). Paul uses relational terms in describing how we grow closer to Christ as we transfer from the old life to the new. When we were united with Christ in his death, our evil desires and slavery to sin died with him. Now, united by faith with him in his resurrection life, we have unbroken fellowship with God and freedom from sin’s hold on us.
Prior to our life in Christ, we find our lives damaged by sin. It shows up in the attitudes of our hearts, behaviors we engage in, and a worldview without God. It’s like trying to survive a winter storm without proper gear. Frostbite nips our fingers and toes impacting their usability. The wind roars and we curl into a ball with survival as our only focus. And then someone introduces us to Jesus Christ, and he brings us out of the cold and into the warmth of his presence.
He brings peace to our lives, and we rejoice. We declare His praises for how He brought us out of darkness and into His glorious light. He filled the longing for something more in our hearts, and we know his rest. But like my frozen plant, we bear the consequences of a life lived for so long in the cold. As we revel in his warmth, the damaged bits show themselves. It could be a relationship broken by interactions with your pre-Jesus self. Maybe it’s financial repercussions or physical consequences of a life lived loose and wild. When we become Jesus’ followers and enter a relationship with him, we begin a journey of sanctification. Sanctification is an ongoing process of conforming of our hearts and lives to the will of God. It’s the path we take toward spiritual growth.
Each of us will have areas of our lives where we wonder where the evidence of our “new life in Christ” is at. It discourages us and tempts us to look only at the signs of damage. But what if we looked for signs of life?
God takes our hearts and makes us new, but he also causes growth in areas of our hearts that seemed hopeless. He takes a hard heart and makes it soft. He gives us the wisdom to navigate broken relationships. His grace makes us new and the scars we carry tell the story of our new life in Christ.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for drawing me out of the cold and into the warmth of your presence. I’ve got some heart damage, but I know in your hands you can make all things new. I trust you to heal the places that need healing and I am grateful for the scars the stories tell. They tell of your faithfulness, love, grace, and mercy. Please continue to make me new. I rejoice in my new life with you. In Your son Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
