2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
When we give our lives to Christ we desire to be different than who we are. As we grow in Christ people ought to see those changes manifested in us and strangers should look at us and know we are set apart.
THINK ON THIS…
I have always enjoyed those “Spot The Difference” puzzles. You know the ones where you have two pictures? At first glance they look identical but upon closer inspection there are at least 6 differences between the two. Some of them you have to scour the picture for; they are not all that obvious. Others just seem to pop right out at you.
So I got to wondering. If we hung up two pictures side by side, one representing our life before we were saved and one that represented our current life, would people find any differences? Would your choice of beverage be different? Would your mode of dress be different? Would the attitude being portrayed have changed? What about the look in your eyes or your smile? Would your favorite radio station have changed? Oh, how about the jokes you laugh at and find funny? Perhaps the magazines you buy? What about the crowd you hang out with?
Can you honestly find differences in your life? I have to be honest. I am amazed at the differences in my life when I stop to think about it. I would love to tell you I got in to church and everything was different. I would be lying. I had times of strong allegiance and times when I was falling out. Times when I was in church and still going to hell. I can’t be any more honest than that. I look back on those times and it greatly grieves me to know I grieved God. There came a day though when I told God I was all in. I was moving ahead with him and only him. That is when my picture changed.
Who I hung with changed. The look in my eyes, my smile, my attitude all began to change. My priorities changed. My mode of dress has changed in subtle ways. I have to admit, when I am sitting in the church and a lady walks by whose dress only comes to mid-thigh and her cleavage is hanging out I am embarrassed by her on one hand and saddened for her on the other. Saddened that she feels the need to gather attention in such a manner and embarrassed because they often tend to sit on the front row or on the end where they are right in the pastor’s face. When you are standing in the pulpit it’s hard not to get an eyeful; no matter how hard you try not to. #modesty
Their picture hasn’t changed yet. They haven’t grasped the importance of modesty. They don’t understand their mode of dress can create a real stumbling block for someone else. They haven’t learned there are better ways to draw attention to one’s self. It is simply an outward sign one can spot to see whether or not a real change has taken place.
Today, I hope you will take a good look at yourself. Can you #spotthedifferences between your old man and the new creature you have become?