August 11, 2924
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17. (NASB)
“But as many as receive Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12.(NASB)
“I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20. (NASB)
Yesterday morning, I spent some time working in my yard. As I was pulling weeds and tending to the flowers, I couldn’t help but notice how much effort it took. The soil around some of the flowers was hard and needed to be worked. The process required more patience and attention than I honestly had the time or commitment to give.
However, any real gardener knows that the rewards are worth the effort when it comes to the beauty of blooming flowers and the satisfaction of a fruitful harvest.
This brief experience in my yard made me think about the Believer’s new life in Christ. Just as my flowers required intentional care and cultivation, so does our life in Christ. When we accept Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord, we are given a fresh start – a new beginning, like seeds planted in fertile soil. But for those seeds of faith to grow and bear fruit, they must be nurtured, tended, and cultivated.
The journey of a new life in Christ is to put to death certain things taking radical action against that which is not holy in our lives. We are to cultivate our new life in Christ. The third chapter of Colossians reminds us that we must be renewed, strengthened, built up, and renovated. This must occur daily in our lives by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus uses the metaphor of a vine and branches to describe this process in John 15:1-5.He says “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (NASB)
Before we believed in Christ, our nature was evil. We were disobedient, rebellious, and ignored God (even at our best, we did not love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind). However, the Believer in Christ/Christian has a new nature. God has crucified the old, defiant nature noted in Romans 6:6 and replaced it with a new, loving nature in Romans 3:9-10. The penalty of sin died with Christ on the cross. God has declared us not guilty, and we need no longer live under sin’s power. God does not take us out of the world or make us robots, we will still feel like sinning, and sometimes we will sin. The difference is that before we were saved, we were slaves to our sinful nature; but now we are free to live for Christ noted in Galatians 2:20 which says, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (NASB)
Praise God! Being united with Him, our evil desires, our bondage, and our love of sin died with Him. Now, united by faith with Him in His resurrection life, we have an unbroken relationship with God and freedom from sins hold on us. Thank You, Jesus! Before Christ, we were dead because of our sins and because our sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made us alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross. Hallelujah!
How can we enjoy a new life in Christ? The hope of a new life in Christ is guaranteed by Jesus’ resurrection. We can only have and enjoy a new life in Christ by
being united with Him, in His death and resurrection. The Apostle Paul penned 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (NKJV) Paul further says in Colossians 2:13-14 ”When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” (NASB)
The Believer in Christ Must Be Renewed
- We are to be renewed by the Word of God. Colossians 3:10-11 reminds us to “Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.” (NLT) God’s Word transformed our lives.
- We are to be Renewed in view of the Character of God. Colossians 3:12-14 says “Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. (NLT)
- The Purpose and Process of Renewal. Colossians 3:17. “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” (NLT)
~ We are to represent Christ well, doing everything in the Name of Jesus! REMEMBER we are a representative of Jesus.
~ You must represent Christ by being His representative
~ You must represent Christ and not ourselves.
HEART 
CHALLENGE: Jesus means “the lord saves.” Jesus came to earth to save us because we can’t save ourselves from sin and its consequences. No matter how good we are, we can’t eliminate the sinful nature present in all of us. only Jesus can do that. Jesus didn’t come to help people save themselves; he came to be their savior from the power and penalty of sin. thank Christ for his death on the cross for your sin, and then ask him to take control of your life. your new life begins at that moment.
AN WELL-CULTIVATED 
HEART: Cultivating a new life in Christ means staying connected to Him, allowing the Holy Spirit to work in you, and being willing to undergo the pruning that leads to spiritual growth. It’s about being intentional in your walk with God, spending time in His Word, in prayer, and in fellowship with other Believers in Christ. Just as I worked today in my yard and flower beds to allow them to flourish, so must we care for our spiritual lives to experience the abundant life Christ promises us.
The Christian life is not about living our best for God. It’s about dying to self and about Christ living in us. Our great weakness in serving Christ is self-confidence. The choice is simple: either we deny self or we deny Christ.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for Your Word, which provides us with clear instructions on cultivating a new life in You. Help our lives to represent a well-tended garden. Help us to be a good representation of a life nurtured in You that brings spiritual fulfillment, love, peace, and the joy of Your presence. Father, help us to always represent You well in the Precious, Powerful, and Preeminent name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, Amen.