HGTV

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:14-17 ESV). Watching HGTV has brought me back to a very familiar passage of Scripture for this morning’s devotional. HGTV is a cable channel dedicated to decorating homes and gardens. One particular program deals with renovating old homes. I must confess that the “before and after” of these projects are dramatic. Recently I saw them take what I would have said was good for nothing more than bulldozing and make it into a very nice home. What the architects and decorators did for that house, Jesus does for people's lives. Certainly that’s what the Apostle Paul meant in today’s reading. “A new life” is how he describes the work of Christ in our lives. It is like the amazing change that took place in that house that was going straight downhill when someone who loved it finally was allowed to have it. And I have seen that same miracle take place when a life that was getting more and more damaged, was finally turned over to Jesus Christ. And He lovingly has gone to work to repair what looked unrepairable... to fix what looked unfixable... to forgive what seemed to be unforgivable... to make it a new creation. It could be you're in the market for that kind of miracle. Whatever the damage that's accumulated during the years when you've been running things, there is Someone who has loved you all along, who's been saying all these years, "If only he/she would let Me have their life, I could do with it what they have never been able to do." Think about it, the Son of God promises to make you a new creation with the old behind you with a new beginning. But He won't force His way in. He starts the forgiving, the healing, and the re-creating the day you open the door and say, “Jesus, this place isn’t mine anymore It's Yours." That wonderful new beginning could be today. You may be saying that too much has happened for you to begin again. Kim Linehan holds the world record in the Women’s 1500-meter freestyle. According to her coach, Paul Bergen, the 18-year-old is the leading amateur woman distance swimmer in the world. Kim does endless exercises and swims 7 to 12 miles a day. The hardest part of her regimen? “Getting in the water,” she says. Perhaps you merely need to start. Begin the project today!