Pastor John D Jakes

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Today we think of the power of God’s grace. I don’t know about you, but the power of grace is both extremely encouraging and convicting.  The encouragement of grace is that God promises to transform us.  God has created us for a purpose.  Sin mars and corrupts that purpose.  Sin makes us feel hopeless and purposeless. God’s promise is that grace will transform what sin has twisted.  Grace will take a life of no purpose and fill it with purpose.  Grace will transform what is marred and make it whole.  That is quite a promise.  You and I can have purpose and be restored!

Now for the conviction – how often do I continue to wallow it my brokenness?  How often do I stay with my destructive patterns and habits?  How often do I fight God for something I don’t really want than take from His grace the thing that I know I need?  How often do I stay with the comfortable counterfeit life when God offers real life?  This convicting, of course, comes to those of us who are believers.  Sometimes, I think, we start believing that the transforming power of grace is only for the young believer.  We start believing that once you are an older Christian you kind of get set in your ways – just like the stereotype about older people.  Have you bought into that lie?

My scripture for this week’s thought is most appropriate here.  If we are in Christ, we are a new creation.  New!  That newness is the secret to the transforming power of God’s grace.  We aren’t just recycled.  We aren’t just redone.  We are new!  Christian, may that be more than just a convicting statement for you.  May this also encourage you.  If you have felt that your growth in Christ is somehow limited by your life history or habits, know that God has made you completely new.  It can now be your joy to discover what that will mean for you in your life.  Look for it.  Discover it.  Rejoice in it.

Something to think about,
Pastor John