New Creation

And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

~ 2 Corinthians 5:15-21

If you are a Solid Rocker going on the mission trip, you will hear this verse a lot over the coming months! This is our mission trip theme verse for 2011. We are gearing up for this trip, the money is rolling in, our Golf Tournament is weeks away, the planning as begun, the adults are being trained. Before you know it we will be loading up the bus and hitting the open road to Knoxville, TN! As we head to this beautiful area of the country, surrounded by mountains majesty, glorious trees, and nature all around you can't help but think of creation!

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul writes that if we are in Christ we are in the new creation that Christ has brought to us! This is the amazing and gracious truth about Jesus! We are all in Christ. And when Jesus died on the cross and rose up from the grave he washed away our sins which brought ALL of us into new life, a new creation! This new creation where we are not held captive to sin and death! We live because Jesus lived. We are invited into this community of Christ and get to live now in the present in this new creation!

The new creation is not something that will come in later times, it is not something we have to wait around for. It is here, now! We just have to live our lives in Christ. When we do that we get a taste of the new creation because we are like Jesus, we can be like him and see his glory in this world, now and today!

So how are you enjoying this new creation that you are in today? How are you working in and for Christ to show others this new creation? This is what we will be doing in Knoxville this summer, but why wait till then to be created new and enjoy the new life that has been so graciously given to you?!

May your week be filled with new creations and new life of Jesus. May you see him in all you do and show others the creation that he created, pure, true, and beautiful. May you enjoy this new creation gift!