Series: Renewal
Ephesians 4:24 ESV
2 Corinthians 5:17b ESV
2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
For the longest time I struggled with scripture that contained a command that made walking the walk of faith look easy.
There were times…many times when I had every intention of doing better but I just didn’t get there. It wasn’t because I was being lazy. It was because life happens.
The busy-ness of live seemed to make impossible.
One of the elements of life that made it especially difficult was church. As a Pastor’s wife there was always so much to do. There were meetings and study groups and choir practice and even meetings about meetings.
In Ephesians 4:24 the Apostle Paul wrote, “put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”
There was a time when i was younger that I read that verse and I really really wanted to put on a new self.
I was working through my “to do” list trying to get time to put on a new self.
It wasn’t like I wasn’t trying.
I just wasn’t getting there.
Fast forward to middle age. I had just undergone major life changes and suddenly I found myself looking at everything through a new lens. I discovered the old things had passed away.
2 Corinthians. 5:17b says, “the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
That’s exactly how I felt. Nothing was the same as it was…
I wasn’t a wife. I was no longer a Pastor’s wife. For a time I didn’t even have a church and I didn’t know how to start looking for a church. A friend of mine at work asked me one day how I was doing and I ended up telling her I was struggling, especially about finding g a church.
She was really funny and she said, “Oh, alright…I’ll let you go with me.”
That was the strangest invitation I’d ever heard about when inviting someone to go to church! When I found out where she went I told her her church was way too big and too many people would see me cry. (I knew going to church would be difficult and I knew I would cry.)
She assured me that no one would think it was weird. She told me lots of people who went there would cry. Hummmm…
Well to make a long story short I did end up going with her. She was right. What I found (actually where God sent me) was a place where new people were all undergoing a radical change.
Suddenly church wasn’t about what I needed to “do” for God.
It was about what God “had” for me.
I wish I could say someone pulled out a magic wand and changed me overnight, but that’s not how it happened. It took time for me to reprogram how I think.
It took time for me to learn to do nothing.
It was hard for me to pray and wait to receive what God had for me.
Then, when God did move I was totally and completely unprepared for what happened. It was such a shock to me that I argued with God.
I was 54 years old and I was working full time to support myself.
I didn’t have extra time.
God told me to go to Seminary. My first reaction was, “say what?”
My second reaction was “NO WAY!”
But, God persisted. I finally decided to apply to a Seminary because I was sure it would take many months to be accepted.
Instead it took hours. Seriously…I faxed the application and within hours I had a letter of acceptance in my hands.
A door opened and God really really did make all things new. Suddenly it wasn’t about what I needed to do for God.
It was about God opening new doors for me.
And my oh my what a ride it has been!
I had no idea how much I would love studying…learning Hebrew, and exploring the Old and New Testaments. I found I loved learning how to unlock secrets about the text.
All things new took on a whole new meaning.
I can honestly say that one of my favorite things to do is study scripture! I love it because God is so good to teach! In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we read Paul’s words written to Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
I found that putting on my new self was a huge blessings! Of course God new that all along!
Spiritual Practice: All Things New
Today, ask God to make all things new for you!
In God, Deborah
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