When Jesus entered our world, it wasn’t the peaceful, Christmas card scene we imagine. He came to a people weary from being crushed by 1,500 years of military oppression. They desperately longed for the promised Messiah to rescue them, but their hope was slipping away. Sadly, when Jesus did arrive, they rejected Him because they wanted a king to overthrow Rome, not a servant preaching forgiveness. They wanted political freedom, not heart transformation. Their attitude exposes our own: we ask God to fix our circumstances, while refusing to surrender to His control. But Jesus didn’t come to improve our lifestyle—He came to redeem us from sin and reign as our Lord. Are you resisting the true Savior because you prefer a “savior” of your own making?
Put on the New Self
To be born again is to become a new creation. The old has gone, and the new has come. But the process of this transformation can take a lifetime to complete. A process to which we must remain committed until we are properly clothed for the wedding God is planning for His Son. The end result is that we will actually bear the image of Christ, the One to whom we have joined and with whom we have been raised to new life. Listen as we take a quick look at a few practical instructions concerning this process of transformation.
