April 5, 2012 (Ruth 1-2; Psalm 53, 61; 2 Corinthians 5)
From the Life Journal of Adam Proux:
Scripture: “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 NLT
Observation: Anyone that has truly accepted Christ as savior, must also accept Him as Lord. One must realize that they have been purchased by the blood of Christ and no longer belong to their own lust and desires. Salvation is not simply turning over a new leaf, it’s beginning a new life. Salvation does not reform, rehabilitate or reeducate a person, it totally recreates a person from the inside out. The old life is gone and a brand new life filled with God’s Spirit begins! The old life must be nailed to the cross of Christ and crucified, so that the new life in Christ can come forth and thrive.
Application: Many want the benefits of salvation without the required commitment. They utter words from their mouth while their heart ignores what their mouth speaks. It is easy to spot these phonies. They are the ones who profess Christ with their lips, but their heart is far from Him. They go to church, listen and sing along with “christian” music, volunteer at the local soup kitchen and even put a twenty in the offering plate every now and then. But they are not saved. They are as lost as the sky is blue. Most likely they repeated a prayer after a pastor at a Easter service and believed that was all there was to it. Their lives never changed. Their old life was never nailed to the cross of Christ, and a new creature was never created. Anyone who truly belongs to Christ becomes a new person. The old life is crucified and a new Spirit filled life is revealed.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your grace and mercy that provide and protect me daily. Thank You for the new life in Christ You have given me. Thank You for the old rugged cross that I nailed and crucified my old life to. Thank You for Your Spirit that fills me, leads me, guides me, comforts me and teaches me Your ways. All of my hope and all of my trust, is in You alone. I love You Lord and need You everyday, in Jesus name, Amen!