If you are an HGTV fan (and even of you aren’t), you have probably seen those house flipping shows. They purchase an old, rundown or old style house, and they transform it into something new, fresh, and modern. We love watching these shows because we love watching the transformation. We love to see something be remade into something beautiful. This is the same thing that happens with us when we accept Jesus as our Savior. He takes our broken-down, dirty, old lives and transforms them into something new and amazing. “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). He goes in and cleans up our hearts and removes all of the pieces that aren’t pleasing to him.
One thing to note about these renovation shows too is that it takes a lot of time to transform these homes into something new. Jesus will take as much time as he needs to wash away your old life and bring you into the new. Christ works throughout our entire lives to make us into the creation he has always wanted us to be, so that we can enjoy life here now in his presence no matter what we walk through, and even more so when we leave this world and spend eternity with him. That is where we need to keep our focus in this new life - the reality that with our new life in Christ correlates with an eternal life in heaven. “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand” (Colossians 3:1).
So what does this new life look like? You are now drawn to things you were not before. You desire different things - things more aligned with the heart and character of God. The things you used to try to find satisfaction in no longer grab your attention. Your priorities in life will shift. You will desire to grow in the fruits of the spirit (“…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” Galatians 5:22-23a). The world around you will shift, and you will desire something greater. It will change everything.
If you are still living in that old life or are reverting back to the tendencies of the old life, run to Jesus. He will always accept you with open arms and is always ready to put on his hard hat and tool belt and get to work. He can start from scratch if you have never come to him before, or he can continue working on the foundation that has already been laid. If you have accepted him to start your renovation, you will always belong to him. “Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life” (1 Corinthians 15:22). The new life is waiting, so what are you waiting for?
Comments