Ah, spring! The trees bud, the flowers are blooming, shrubs are bursting forth with new floral wonders, the birds are all singing and hastily busy making their nests, making things ready for new life. There’s a new wonderland of freshness and beauty, replacing the drab, unfruitful world of winter.
Have you ever thought about becoming new? It’s not about becoming new on the outside. But have you ever considered becoming new on the inside? Look in your Bible for the exciting way you can be new.
When Jesus called His first disciples, the fishermen Peter, Andrew, James, and John, He told them, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:18-20). Jesus gave them a new purpose in life.
Another time Jesus made a difference in the life of a little man named Zaccheus. After going to his home for a meal, Zaccheus declared, “I will give half my money to the poor; and if I have cheated anyone, I will give them four times as much” (Luke 19:8).
Zaccheus was a tax collector and often took more money than what people actually owed in taxes. But that day, with Jesus in his home, Zaccheus was made new in his heart.
One dark night a member of the Sanhedrin, Nicodemus, came to speak with Jesus. He feared the wrath of his fellow Jewish leaders so he sought a meeting under the cover of darkness.
It’s in this conversation that Jesus makes the well-known statement, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Jesus also instructed Nicodemus that anyone wanting to enter the kingdom of heaven must be “born again” (John 3:3). Being “born of the water and the Spirit” is how you are made new (John 3:5).
You left God out when sin ruled your motives, thoughts, and physical choices, but now you must let God change you “by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2).
In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the apostle Paul describes what Jesus does for you when your life becomes new. He said, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
This means that on the inside you are made clean. Your sins against God no longer exist. That’s the new you!
When you belong to God you’ll discover the new joy of living in this difficult world; you’ll know peace with God through knowing Jesus; you can now look forward with confident hope to an eternity in heaven with the Lord Jesus. So, what’s the new you?