While reading through Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians today, there was a lot that stood out to me, so I’m going to share some of my thoughts with you.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)
One of the hardest parts of this life as a Christian is understanding that everything around us is temporary. Our aches, pains, troubles, heartaches, and everything else we see and feel is going to fade from our lives and be a distant memory one day. I believe, in the scope of eternity, we’ll only remember one thing from this life on earth. This is where we were born again into the Kingdom of God. This is where God saved us and brought us into a new life in, and with, Him.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
The best part about being in Christ is we’re born again. We’re a new creation. What does that mean? Paul writes here the old is gone and the new is here. What’s the old and what’s new? What does this look like?
I think the old that passes away consists of a lot of different things. Old ways of thinking and behaving are supplemented with better ways of thinking and behaving. Our desire for instant gratification wants everything old to be gone and replaced with the new and improved person. However, I don’t think it works that way.
Jesus said we’re like a city on a hill that can’t hide its light from those around it (Matthew 5:14). If there’s one thing I know about cities is they take some time to build. The expression, “Rome wasn’t build in a day” comes to mind. The other thing I know about towns and cities is they can take a long time to change. Although Jesus was talking about the collective body of His disciples, I can visualize being like a city more than being a single house with many rooms.
Before we were saved, our life was like a city. The buildings around us represent the things in our lives, our thoughts, and our behaviors. I know that as I grew up from childhood and into adulthood, my attitudes and thoughts changed. Each time I went through a major shift in my life, things changed as well. There were some thoughts and patterns that were completely new while others were built upon. For example, I had been depressed even as a child, and that depression just grew and grew as I got older. I’d say it was the Empire State Building in my life.
By the time I was saved, I had quite the city built. The first thing God did after I had been saved was to demolish my Empire State Building. It had been the defining characteristic of my life, and the Lord wiped it off of the map. What He built in its place was a palace of hope that’s ever in expansion. Over the years, there’s been a lot of remodeling done in the city. It doesn’t look like it once did.
I think if the city had changed drastically, I might have gotten lost in it. There have been some fires and floods over the years that have suddenly wiped out entire sections, but for the most part, it’s been a slow and positive change for the city. It’s changed so much over the years that it’s unrecognizable from the place it used to be. This is what I think becoming a new creation means.
As usual, after reading my Bible today, I am blessed, encouraged, and strengthened. I hope, as always, that, in some way, however small, that I’ve been able to be a blessing to you today.
Do you know God? God knows you, and He loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, right now, and He wants you to know Him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so we could be free of guilt, be freed from death, and live eternally with Him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.
Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.
Four-Calendar Café 
How true of what you speak………I also suffered from terrible depression’s from my childhood right through up to just a few years ago. I at one time when I was about 14 yrs of age tried to take my life with rat poison, but by the grace of God, whom I did not know, He spared me from going all the way.
My depression’s were far worse as I got older especially during my Christian life, they finally dissipated around 9 years ago. I also was quite manic in my personality, the Ups and the deep downs.
Like you and your “Empire State Building” I had since a very early age, built a “fantasy world”, which did help me to cope from all of the sexual, physical, emotional abuses, from a mother that was steeped in witchcraft, and a father who just did not care, in the manner a father should. I also was abused by my parent’s friends and other stranger’s. I so desired to escape who and what I represented I desired and wished for being a girl, right up to my early 20’s I sought help to become a girl, but again God I see now just did not allow me to go further.
Once as I prayed to give thanks to the Lord for my breakfast, I had a vision, the Lord revealed I had built a huge Horizontal solid steal fault, a fault of protection, and I dwelt on the other side, the dark side of that wall, however on the other end of the wall was a glorious illuminated light with a hand, pierced, translucent, then as I look I had allowed the allowed the vault to be open just enough to allow my hand to reach out towards the light. My little wilted hand and forearm, was grey and weak, and as I reached for that Hand, the words came to me, “I will always be here for you, waiting, no matter how many times you close that fault, I will never leave you nor forsake you, I love you. In the vision I saw that Glorious light pierce through that open space in the vault, and I knew that was my safety, but it represented death, yet the Lord was my light, and as I grew by faith and trust in Him, even if out of fear I would shut that vault door, He would always be there waiting for me. As I finished my prayer, I wept.
As the years went by I began to understand what that vault meant to me, like you, it was my security but it also represented repressed memories of the abuse, and I knew He was letting me know HE was going to tear down that Vault, as I grew to trust Him, and from Grace to Grace, step by step, precept by precept He was going to be my healer, my Father, my mother, my everything.
Many times I felt I was losing my mind, at times the perversities done against my being, my soul, my mind starting from a toddler, all had to be dealt with, and He has sanctified me step by step, and there were times I did close that vault because I was scared, confused, and my faith faltered, but HE was ALWAYS faithful, up to this day. There are still some issues, but I know He is dealing with them, and only He can do it, and give me the grace to allow it. For without HIM, I can do NOTHING!
This is confirm your story, yes we do build our own places of habitation, and we do not truly know it, and sometimes nor believe it. And He deals with each true child of His as differently as each individual is, because we each have differing experiences in this fallen world of sin.
Like David, when battling Goliath, he could not use King Saul’s armour, it was not proven, and it was just not the right fit……metaphorically speaking…..he could not utilize someone else’s “faith”. He had to fight Goliath in the manner in which He LEARNED as a Shepherd amongst the beast’s, a simple sling shot, and 5 smooth stones gathered from the brook, and his faith in the Lord to conquer that giant, and bring him down. (Goliath could be seen from a “spiritual context” representing Pride, which is one of our worse fleshly enemy.
That’s enough for now, thank you so much for bringing this truth forward, and allowing me to share my experience which confirms your spiritual findings in the Word.
The Lord bless you abundantly……
In His Love…..
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Thanks for sharing, my brother. Praise be to God for delivering you! He is faithful.
God bless you!
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