Old Things Are Past Away…

Today I celebrated another birthday. It was not a milestone birthday, but it was significant nonetheless. The first reason being that every year as you age, you appreciate more and more the gift of days – certainly months, and without a doubt you appreciate the years. The second reason is that over the past couple of years I have learned so much that I approach life differently. How I wish I had known sooner the things that I have begun to grasp in the last couple of years. It gives me to know that not just once, the following scripture is true:

Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (AMP)

What I have found out on this journey called life is that there is a constant passing away of the old life – that you can experience a “spiritual awakening” bringing on a “new life” over and over. For when God’s truth penetrates the different areas of your life it can stretch you to become more and more like Him. And not just in the attitude of your mind and heart, but you can experience a liberty that frees you from the constraints that held you back in the past.

1 John 3:2 says it best:

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (KJV)

The life of a Christian does not get old, it gets better. And one day when we come face to face with our Savior, it will better than that – “for we shall see Him as He is”.

To my younger saints, don’t be discouraged if you are struggling with wondering if you will ever be an overcomer in certain areas. Keep trusting the One who “brought you out of darkness, into His marvelous light”, and keep reading and feeding on His Word. You’re building strength and stamina. One day you will be able to see how far you have come. How much you have grown.

Remember, though we will be “putting on” and “taking off” as long as we walk this earthly terrain. This is the dressing room, where we are being prepared to walk the golden streets of the new Jerusalem. While you are here, enjoy the journey, and remember you have a guide who so knows the way, because He IS the “Way, the Truth, and the Life“.

Maria