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Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we
also believe that we have all died to the old life we used to live. He died for
everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please
themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised
for them. So we have stopped evaluating others by what the world thinks about
them. Once I mistakenly thought of Christ that way, as though he were merely a
human being. How differently I think about him now! What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons.
They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!
All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through
what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. For
God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's
sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.
We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you,
as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, "Be reconciled to
God!" For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our
sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:14-21 NLV). The worst
part of writing any letter or report is the first few words. It is difficult to
know how to get started. It's that blank, empty document that is hard to
overcome. Most word processing programs have solved that problem for us! As soon
as you begin you may choose one of the many preprogrammed templates. Templates
come in many forms. Some are completed documents that you simply revise to meet
your needs. Others are the "shell" of a document allowing you to fill
in the blanks. Others will step you through the process of completing a
document. They provide a jump-start on your work, and are a whole lot better
than starting with nothing! In the
account of the creation, Moses writes, "Now the earth was formless and
empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was
hovering over the waters." (cf.: Genesis 1:2). While it
might be difficult for us to start with nothing, God does not seem to have the
same trouble. For God, nothingness is not a hindrance, but rather a starting
point for limitless creativity: From nothing, He created a universe so vast that
we still only understand a small fraction of what He has done. From nothing, He
created a world so detailed that we are still yet to identify all the parts of
His creation. From nothing, He created the human body so complex that we can
only stand in awe of One who could assemble such a creation. This is the impact of our reading this morning. God is still in the business of creating. He still sees limitless possibilities in the world around us. The power He used to create the universe He now uses to recreate the hearts of those who place themselves in His hands. He still takes nothing and creates more than we can know or imagine. Have you let Him begin that work in you? You can today! Trust Him. |
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