Made New by Allison Myers
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17
I didn't become a Christian until I was twenty-six years old. Thus, I spent my childhood, college years, and early adult years of getting my first job and living on my own as an unbeliever, and those years were filled with all sorts of activities that you'd expect from someone who didn't know the Lord. Then, praise God, when I was twenty-five, I met someone who was on fire for Jesus. Truth be told, I found him quite strange at first, and yet, at the same time, I was curious. So, I asked him questions—lots of questions—and for a period of about nine months, I slowly found myself pondering the things of God, learning about Jesus, and thinking about my eternal state. That's when it happened: I realized I, too, would be going to hell without Jesus and recognized that I needed His forgiveness for my mountainous pile of sins.
I became a believer.
Suddenly, I couldn't get Jesus off my mind, and He changed me. He changed the way I spoke, He gave me a love for others I'd never had before, and He provided a brand-new outlook on life, on everything, really. In some small way, I identified with Paul who'd walked along the road to Damascus as Saul and, through the power and might of the Lord, became the saved Paul. His new name reflected Paul's new life. I, too, did an about-face and started living a completely different life. I had been made new.
While I am eternally grateful for the salvation of the Lord and for the work He did in my life, it wasn't without a bit of heartache. People and friends whom I'd known for years and years suddenly found this new person I'd become strange and unappealing, and I found myself uninvited to gatherings I'd have been at in the past. Over time, those old acquaintances and I never crossed paths anymore, and they were gone from my life, relegated to a shadow and accompanied by a slight ache.
What caused our parting? Why didn't they desire my company anymore? I was no longer radiating my old, sinful self who loved the ways of the world and embraced and even justified her sin. All of a sudden, I was changed, I was new, and the Holy Spirit was conforming me more and more into the image of Jesus. I was radiating something else for the first time.
While I mourned my old friends, there was beauty as I found new friends who also radiated Jesus, who were different from the world, and who loved God and His ways. In the end, to know Jesus is to be changed by Him and to radiate His ways to our broken world. His ways are often puzzling or strange to the world, but there is no mistaking that He stands out and changes those who love Him by making them new.
Prayer:
Dear God, thank You for changing me, for giving me Your Spirit, and for making me new. Lord, I pray that I would radiate Your goodness in our dark world. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Dig Deeper: Read Ezekiel 11:19-20.
Discussion Questions:
When you first became a Christian, what are some things you noticed that God changed about you?
When you meet another believer, what is it about him or her that indicates the person has been made new by God?
About Allison Myers
Writer & Editor
Allison Myers is a worship pastor's wife and mom to three delightful children. She earned her B.A. in English and Master's degree in English Education before going on to teach High School English for many years. Allison currently serves on the Writing Team at her church, is a women's small group leader, and writes for Lifeway's Journey magazine. She has created two Bible study tools, In the Word: Walking through the Book of James and In the Word: Walking through Colossians in order to help people slow down and read the Scriptures in a stress-free way.
