Verse of the Day 4/28

Verse of the Day 4/28

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things^[a] have come.  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Sometimes I hate to admit it, but I am a Chicago Bears fan, they've had more ups than downs in the past few years and this off season they decided to part ways with their quarterback which left a void at that position.  They signed a free agent quarterback to a multi year, multi million dollar contract and most thought that they were set for the coming year.  Last night, the NFL draft began and the Bears had the third pick.  At the last minute, they "traded up" to the second position and chose a quarterback who they hope will be their future, their "franchise" quarterback.  The Bears gave up a lot for that pick in hopes of filling that void and only time will tell if they made a wise decision or if it will be a "bust".

I would say that everyone has felt a void in their lives that they are looking to fill.  Everyone who hears the gospel message has a chance to "trade up" in live, exchanging their old life for something new.  Many decide to do so, while others turn away, rejecting the offer that would bring a transformation, a life of meaning and a hope for eternity.

In his devotional this morning, Pastor Greg Laurie writes, "God Almighty says, "I will give you eternal life.  I will give you forgiveness of sin.  I will fill the void in your  life."   You say, what's the catch?  (Jesus says) "Give me your life."

Have you made that trade up?  Have you traded in your old life for something new, a transformed life?  If so, rejoice and be glad in it.  If not, perhaps today is the day to fill that void in your life and trade up. You won't have to wait and see  on the results of that trade, it is a lock.

"The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins." (V. 17 -18 The Message)

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

2 Corinthians 5:17-20The Message (MSG)

^16-20 Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We're Christ's representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God's work of making things right between them. We're speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he's already a friend with you.