Under Construction

Written on 10/10/2022
Christian Dunn

Verse: 2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

Devotion
What an amazing promise we are given here in Scripture. In Christ we become a new creation. Our old sinful selves are not who we are anymore. We are new creations in Christ. Made new by his death and resurrection.

Of course there are times when I feel more like the old me than the new me. Do you ever feel that way?

I drove by a business the other day that was under construction but had painted on its window: "Open for Business." That's kind of what my life feels like sometimes. I am definitely under construction by the Spirit as I am becoming more like Jesus - being made new - but I'm also already proclaimed new by Jesus - so I'm open for business.

No one would say that store isn't a Starbucks. It is. Even though it's under construction. In the same way, just because I'm still a work in progress becoming the new me, doesn't mean my true identity isn't already the new me. I am made new. Already. I am not my old self. AND I am still being made new. And what God starts, he finishes (Philippians 1:6).

I think both aspects are important: When we struggle or fall, we need to remember who we really are. We need to speak this verse over our lives, even when it's hard to believe. AND we also need to be patient with ourselves because we are works in progress. God is working, and as we continue to submit to him, he will form and shape us into his image.

The enemy would love to discourage you and make you feel like a failure, and like God's work in you somehow short circuited and failed. But that's not true. Speak and believe this verse over yourself today. God is doing a great work in you!

Author: Christian Dunn