“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Devotion
The jacket the woman was wearing was beautiful – a soft shade of pale yellow with a hint of cream and brown swirled throughout. But what caught my eye in just seconds was a strip of masking tape on the back, just below the left shoulder. On it was written “jacket, $5.00” with the initials C.R. beside it.
Obviously the woman had purchased it at a garage sale. There is nothing wrong with that – some of my best treasures have come from those sales – but suddenly instead of seeing the beauty of the jacket, my focus was on the garage sale label that was stuck to it.
We all wear labels. They just aren’t as obvious as the one on the woman’s jacket. But they can become a part of our lives without our even realizing it.
Do any of these sound familiar? Worthless, loser, failure, unloved, neglected, afraid, defeated, depressed, broken, ashamed.
Today’s Key Scripture from II Corinthians 5:17 throws out those labels once and for all. It says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” A new creation!
That’s the label we should be wearing as Christians. But unfortunately we allow Satan to not only whisper mistakes we may have made in the past but try to stick that label on us today. And that will affect our witness to others as well as how we view ourselves as children of the Creator.
Today, this very minute, stand up and shout “I cannot change the past but I CAN change the future. I belong to Christ. He lives in me.”
And the labels? Praise God, they are transformed!
Worthless becomes Treasured!
Loser becomes Winner!
Failure becomes Success!
Unloved becomes Cherished!
Neglected becomes Nurtured!
Afraid becomes Brave!
Defeated becomes Conqueror!
Depressed becomes Comforted!
Broken becomes Whole!
Ashamed becomes Joyful!
Do not let Satan’s lies stick to you like that piece of masking tape on the beautiful jacket. Pull off that old label and throw it away! You are not mislabeled. You are a beautiful new creation in Christ!
My Prayer for Today
Father, thank you for labeling me as your child, valuable and worthy of your love, mercy and forgiveness. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Reflection Points
Have you ever felt like you have no value because of what happened in your past or how you are living now?
Application Steps
Journal a column of every label either you or someone else has tried to give you. Leave a blank space beside each one.Now read God’s Word and in the blank spaces write down the labels that God the Creator has given you. Place a huge X over each old label and remind yourself that you belong to the God of the Universe.
Power Verses
II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Galatians 2:20 (NIV) “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”Isaiah 60:3a (NIV) “. . . and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”
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