A new beginning
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:4 KJV)
The crown of the Christian message is not the death of Christ, but His resurrection. If Christ did not resurrect, His death would have been of no value to humanity. 1 Corinthians 15:17 says “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins”. The death and resurrection of Christ give us the picture of what happens to us when we become saved.
The death of Christ is the picture of the death of the old man, a slave of sin. The resurrection of Christ is the picture of the beginning of a new life, the new creation. The old man and the new man are two distinct persons. The old man died with Christ, and the new man that is alive after conversion started living from the new birth and has no past.
Christianity is the life of the new man. Unfortunately, many believers spent their days struggling with the old life and never experience the beauty of the new life in Christ, that is free of sin, disease, fear, satanic oppression, but full of the life of Christ. The core of the Easter message is that man now has a new beginning. It is possible to man, no man where, and no matter their past, to be able to start again afresh. As believers, we rejoice because the old life and its shame, guilt, regrets, condemnation and associated death are passed. A new life in Christ has begun. The purpose of His death was life. The old man died so that the new man can begin living. The new man is the manifestation of the glory of God and the beauty of the Christian life. Living as a believer will become a toil and struggle daily until we discover the new life Christ came to give us. Some believers know nothing other than the struggle to overcome sin and the issues of life. They are still living on the other side of their salvation, where the cross is. But the cross was meant to lead to the empty tomb. They need to cross over to the reality of the resurrection life. The new man does not struggle with sin and satan. It expresses the life of Christ in absolute victory, every day. That’s God’s plan for you.
MEDITATE
The Word in your mind and mouth (1 Tim 4:15; Josh 1: 8)
Spend some minutes thinking about the realities of the verse and devotional above. How does it apply to you?
PRAY
Water the Seed (word) to grow. Invite the Spirit’s strength! (Isa 32:15; Zach 4:6)
Thank God for the gift of His Son. We remember that His resurrection replaces the sorrow of His gruesome death with the transcending joy of His resurrection.
APPLY THE WORD TODAY!
Your door to a blessed life today is doing God’s Word. Refuse to be a hearer or reader only! (James 1:22-26)
If you will see a new life, you will have to submit to the word of God so that the outward manifestation of the old will vanish and the new will begin to come alive. Are you surrendered to Christ, or you run your life as your own lord? Make a willful decision to surrender your decisions today to Christ. You do so by doing what He has commanded in His Word, not what you feel or want to do. Today is another day. Act on the Word.
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Must Read!: What is a Daily Devotional?