Read: 2 Corinthians 5:14-21
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (v. 17)
The spring season receives a warm welcome in the Midwestern part of the United States where my family lives. When the first green grass, flowers, or even weeds pop up from the formerly frozen ground, people are prone to shed their coats and open the windows wide to usher in the fresh air. Spring brings newness, energizes the senses, and reminds us that winter really does end.
Some seasons of our lives feel like the spring, offering promise and hope. The start of a new job. Adding to our family by marriage, birth, or adoption. Joining a new community with fresh opportunities.
The Corinthian believers had only recently experienced a springlike season of new life in Christ when Paul wrote to remind them of the importance of reconciliation to God. This young church body needed to understand that being Christ followers meant living in recognition of the price Jesus paid for their redemption and eternal hope. Being God’s ambassadors to the world would result in newness of life through them, if they chose to be faithful.
In the spring seasons of your life, consider how you are being faithful to the new life God gives. How does your life reflect your life in Christ? God’s invitation for you never goes out of season. Repent of the sins you’ve been carrying, ask for forgiveness, and start living with gratitude for the promise of life in Christ!
As you pray, thank God for springlike seasons of renewal and hope.
Joy Petroelje serves as the Advancement Operations Manager for CURE International, a global nonprofit organization. Aside from work, she enjoys spending time with her family, coffee with friends, reading, and traveling local trails on foot.
