Are You New?

“I am not the man I ought to be, I am not the man I wish to be, and I am not the man I hope to be, but by the grace of God, I am not the man I used to be.” This is a paraphrased quote from John Newton. The man was a slave trader who was saved by God’s amazing grace who later wrote a famous song to that end. His conversion to Christianity more than likely fueled his consequent abolitionist stance on slavery. Finding a renewed life in Christ changed the trajectory of his life’s work. A renewed life in Christ is what I want to look at in this short article. 

The following 2 verses are ones that come up often when I think of renewing, anything really. Paul talks about the renewed mind of the Christian. A mind not set on the things of the world but fully on the things of God. 

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.2.And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

A new year is a good time to re dedicate yourself to Christ. When I say re dedicate, I don’t mean getting baptized again if you are already a believer. I mean to say it is a good time to take an introspective look at where you are in your walk with Christ and see how you’ve grown in the past year and look at some critical areas where you need to grow, or start growing, in the coming year. This is not something one can do rightly in a vacuum. Meaning you need someone else to help you through this introspection in order to not be stymied by pride. Your significant other is the one closest to you and knows the most about you. If you don’t have a significant other- a close brother or sister in Christ would be the next place to look, then your leadership at your church. And I think it would be beneficial to you to look to your church leadership for help in this regard. Those that are called to help shepherd the flock of God should be well equipped in this area. 

I myself have looked back at this past year in amazement. Amazed at what God did through me and amazed that God even used me at all. I was fortunate enough to travel to Africa this past year and preach a couple of times and minister at an orphanage there. Lord willing I’ll be in Mexico in a couple months helping a church there. 

Who am I? Oh yes, I am a weak and needy man saved by the God that spoke all life into existence. Knowing this I look forward to the places I’ll go, and the people God has for me to meet and help. ank God I am not the man I once was!