Daily Devotional | A New You

American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “It’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be...and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start over again.” Over the past year, our lives have changed in countless ways. We learned to shop differently, socialize differently, and travel differently. We were forced to try new technology and create new routines. While starting something new can be scary it can also be sacred, especially when we allow God to create something new in us.

Our text today reminds us that if anyone is in Christ, he or she is a new creation (v. 17). Notice Paul uses the word, anyone. The city of Corinth was a large trading post with people coming and going from various nations and cultures. However, Paul wants his readers to know that regardless of where each individual came from, everyone is welcome to be “in Christ” (v. 17). When we are “in Christ,” we are transformed into a new creation. Paul wants his readers to know that followers of Jesus are not just forgiven of their sins; they are made into someone completely new. Did you know that the moment you put your trust in Christ, you became a new person with a new purpose and a new future?

“What is my new purpose?” you may be asking. Paul says it is to be an ambassador of Christ (v. 20). You are to represent Him with your life. However, being a new creation and His ambassador doesn’t mean that we are perfect. Rather, it means we have been changed and we continue to be changed. Through the power of God alone, you are continually being made into a new you.

>> This New Year can give you a new start. Begin by submitting your old life to God and become someone new. Commit to being in His Word daily as a new creation and new ambassador for Christ.

Pray with Us

Dear God, we rejoice that we have been made new. Lead us in your will for our lives and give us single-minded purpose as your ambassadors. Please use the gifts you have given us to attract others to you.

BY Dr. Chris Rappazini

Dr. Chris Rappazini is Associate Professor of Pastoral Studies at Moody Bible Institute. He is the former President of the Evangelical Homiletics Society and previously served as an Associate Minister of Preaching and Teaching in Spokane, Washington. Chris and his wife, Ashley, and their children reside in Northwest Indiana.