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\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n Lord, search us and know our hearts. We pray for your help. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\r\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today\u2019s scripture reading is 2 Corinthians 5:14-17. The apostle Paul encourages believers, \u201cif anyone is in Christ, the new…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9027,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories-for-the-soul"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/taofongshan-staging.pandawork.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/taofongshan-staging.pandawork.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/taofongshan-staging.pandawork.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taofongshan-staging.pandawork.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taofongshan-staging.pandawork.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9025"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/taofongshan-staging.pandawork.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9025\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9035,"href":"https:\/\/taofongshan-staging.pandawork.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9025\/revisions\/9035"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taofongshan-staging.pandawork.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/taofongshan-staging.pandawork.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taofongshan-staging.pandawork.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taofongshan-staging.pandawork.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Today\u2019s scripture reading is 2 Corinthians 5:14-17. The apostle Paul encourages believers, \u201cif anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!\u201d 2 Corinthians 5:17<\/span> The verses may be familiar to many new believers.
This scripture gave me comfort whenever I felt frustrated and depressed, because it seemed to me that the tough time will eventually pass and there will always be a new beginning.
<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Every person in Christ is a new creation.<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
In this scripture, Paul not only wants believers to live a new life, but he also wants them to understand the differences in their identities and behaviours after they turn to the Lord. From Paul\u2019s perspective, every person in Christ is a \u201cnew creation\u201d, and \u201cnew creation\u201d means that the old self has died. Paul recalled that he was once \u201cunspiritual, sold as a slave to sin,\u201d Romans 7:14<\/span> and \u201cgood itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature\u201d. Romans 7:18<\/span> Therefore, God sent his one and only son to die for us, and gave us the Holy Spirit to destroy the evil deeds inside our bodies. Moreover, God mentioned in the Old Testament that he will give us a \u201cnew heart\u201d to obey God\u2019s commands, so that our old sinful selves will die and our souls will be reborn, hence Paul said, \u201cI have been crucified with Christ,\u201d and described his new life as \u201cI no longer live, but Christ lives in me.\u201d Galatians 2:20<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
To be made new in the attitude of your minds.<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Paul indicated that a person who is reborn will have different behaviours compared to before. Paul reminded believers, \u201cYou must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.\u201d Ephesians 4:17<\/span> These people are ignorant, darkened in their understanding, have a stubborn heart and spirit of stupor, or indulge in every kind of impurity and full of greed. He exhorted the disciples who had received Christ\u2019s teachings, \u201cYou were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires,\u201d Ephesians 4:22<\/span> \u201cPut to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry\u201d, Colossians 3:5<\/span> and \u201cyou must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other\u201d. Colossians 3:8-9<\/span> Moreover, he taught believers \u201cto be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.\u201d Ephesians 4:23-24<\/span>, and be \u201crenewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.\u201d Colossians 3:10<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Paul believes that these changes result from \u201cChrist\u2019s love compels us\u201d 2 Corinthians 5:14<\/span> and \u201cthose who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.\u201d 2 Corinthians 5:15<\/span> Today, we are saved and became a \u201cnew creation\u201d\u2014have we put off our old selves and put on our new, holy selves, relying on the Holy Spirit to renew our minds and live for the Lord?<\/p>\r\n\r\n