Focus

Pay attention to the tension in your body. Let go of it and any expectations to do anything other than God’s will today. Prepare yourself to hear God’s word.

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Read

2 Corinthians 5:11-17 (NRSV)

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!

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Reflect

I recently had an automobile accident. As luck would have it, I had just purchased my vehicle a few weeks before the accident. After making sure everyone involved was okay, I assessed the damage. My new car was bent and broken, but the insurance adjusters did not deem it irreparable.

At the body shop where I took it to be repaired, I was assured that it would be just like it was when I drove it from the dealership—just like new. I was skeptical. After over a month of waiting on the repairs, my vehicle was ready to roll. When I saw my car I couldn’t believe my eyes. The bent, broken carcass of a car was indeed “good as new.”

Paul tells us in Second Corinthians if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. No one is irreparable; all we need to do is reach out to Christ. When we give our bent, broken lives to Christ, we are made new. Then we are “ready to roll” as his disciples!

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Pray

God, thank you for loving us even though we are bent and broken. Thank you for taking our bent, broken lives and making us new a new creation. Help us to see where you would have us serve you. Amen.

Go with God.