Bury the Ghosts of Your Past
2Corinthians 5: 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (NLT)
There is an old Christianism that says, "I may not be who I should be yet, but at least I am not who I was." This saying reinforces that we are on a walk with God. It is not a sprint, but a marathon. Endurance is what wins the race, not adrenaline. Our walk should be a progression. Will we slip up? Absolutely. Will we fall down? Jesus knows we will. But the secret to success is not in reducing the falls but rather, reducing the amount of time it takes us to get back up and on course again.
The key verse today is one of those that run the risk of becoming trite to us. We hear it so much that we diminish its importance in our lives. But it is critical that we stand on the promises contained in this little verse if we are to continue on in our walk with the power of God working in our lives.
The Apostle Paul is teaching us two important lessons. The first is not as obvious as the second. The first describes the correct relationship we have with Christ our Savior. We belong to Him. It is not a matter of equality. He is the leader and we are the follower. He is the teacher and we are the student. The definition of disciple is that we are an adherent or student of the doctrines of another. If God is your co-pilot then you are sitting in the wrong seat! The sad truth is that if we truly examine where we go wrong or fall in our walk, it is because we took control of the plane. We deviated from the teachings of He who we claim to follow. The nature of our relationship is one of servanthood and being obedient.
If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment. Job 36:11
So many of us are desperately seeking that contentment and entire ministries have been made out of the notion of prosperity but neither come close to the mark we should be pursuing. Prosperity doctrine leads people astray into thinking that blessings are something we need as opposed to something God has already given us. Traditional blessings are overlooked as material needs come to the forefront. We no longer consider our salvation, our health, our job, our church, or our friends as being blessings in our lives. They become taken for granted. Contentment becomes this elusive notion that is tied to something outside of ourselves such as money or a relationship with another person. Paul figured out contentment however:
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4: 11-13
Paul discovered that contentment is not based upon his circumstances but rather on Christ. Too often we attach something we do not have, or desire to possess as what we need for contentment. As long as you are seeking your contentment from the outside, it will always be elusive. We have Christ on the inside of us. The same Spirit that raised Him from the dead makes a habitation in our hearts. He who has overcome the world is always at our right hand. With truths like that working inside of us, we should never seek contentment from the outside.
