This Is What I Believed About Renewal In Christ
“Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” ~ Colossians 3:10 NIV
A Misconception of Renewal
Are you renewed in Christ? I’ve always wanted to be made new. I’d love to get rid of the old baggage and bad habits so I can be flawless. New things don’t break down or fail, but I do, so I must not be renewed yet.
Every day I’m disappointed by my inability to just simply behave. Just as Paul wrote to the Romans, I never get it right, no matter how desperately I want to or how hard I try. (Romans 7:15-20).
I’m growing in knowledge of God every day in hopes that the time will come when I finally get it right. As I learn, I hope to improve until I am renewed, just like the Bible says. Then I will finally live each day in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As a renewed child of God, I will walk out every day in love.
And therein resides my Mount Everest of lies.
Do you believe that a renewed child of God always lives in the fruit of the Spirit? Valerie did… Click To TweetA Renewed Kind of Life
A brief word study reshaped my view of renewal. Strong’s Concordance defines “renewal” as “a new kind of life, as opposed to the former corrupt state”. Do you see a message of flawlessness anywhere in that definition? In fact, have you ever found a verse that says we must strive for perfection?
Growing in the knowledge of God will not lead to a perfect, holy life – only Jesus did that. Instead, I propose that a renewed life means that our sinful, corrupt nature rejects the Son of God to live our own way, but a renewed woman welcomes Jesus into her heart and allows Him to guide her life.
A Life of Renewal
God is love and love longs to be close. God wants so much to be close to us, that He made it possible for Him to live inside of us through His Son. He lives in us because He knows we can‘t last a minute without Him, nor does He want us to.
He lives in us because He designed us to depend on Him. God’s mercies are new every morning because He knows we need it. Renewal is not an end, it’s a lifestyle. Instead of striving for perfect, holy living, I need to focus on just being His.
There are many ways to live this out, but I know that I need to go to Jesus as my first line of defense. I need to take every threatening thought and challenging emotion to Jesus. I can pray silently or journal, or but I need to ask Him questions such as:
“Jesus, what should I do with this?”
“Jesus, how can I handle this situation with love?”
“Jesus, please help me behave.”
I also need to consistently take my troubled mind and restless heart captive to scripture. Instead of stewing on indignation, I need to meditate on verses such as “Be still and know that I am God”, “I have perfect peace in Him”, “I may be angry, but I will not sin”.
Renewal isn't about your behavior. It's about depending on Jesus. Click To TweetJoin Me in Renewal
Whether you are in a new year, a new season of life, or a new day, I invite you to join me not in seeking renewal as an achievement, but as a way of life. Let us renew our longing to embrace our dependence on Jesus each morning, because renewal is about reaching for Jesus. Every. Single. Day.
What is one thing you can do to renew your dependence on Jesus every day?
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Such a beautiful piece. Yes, we are renewed in Jesus when we abide in Him and that is how we bear fruit. Staying connected to Him does not mean life will be perfect or we will ever achieve perfection this side of glory but life is sure sweeter.
Amen, Tiffany! Even as this post was active, I did not abide in Him as I know I need, and I was a nervous wreck. If only I could take my own advice and abide in Him always, life is definitely so much sweeter!
I’m not sure we will ever get it right until we are linking arms with Jesus in heaven! 🙂
That is actually very freeing, Nicki! I guess instead of trying to get it right, instead I should just focus on leaning on Jesus.