Thursday, February 24, 2022
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20
When we become Christians, our lives should change. How should our lives look different?
What Are the Marks of a New Life?
We have talked about some of the things that change when we begin our new life in Christ but there are a few more in the list.
A New Direction – When we give our lives to Christ, we should seek His desire and His direction for our lives. Our paths may change very drastically, or only a little, but there should be change. Every step we take, every choice we make should be through the filter of our Heavenly Father and His guidance in our lives.
A New Destiny – We now have the hope and promise of eternal life. We have been chosen and adopted as His children, joint heirs with Jesus, with a reserved spot in heaven.
A Life Marked by Contrasts – We die to our “old man” – or the way we were – when we get saved. We become a new creature in Christ. What are the contrasts? Old to new, sinner to saved! We will struggle with the old man as we grow in Christ. In His power we can say no to the old man and focus on our new identity in Christ.
A New Temperament – When we have Jesus in our hearts, our actions and temperament changes. We have the “fruit of the spirit” in our lives. The fruit of the Spirit is the good stuff that comes out of our lives as a result of having Jesus in our lives. Things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control may not have been a part of your temperament before you were saved. With the Holy Spirit – a gift of God when we are saved to help us in this life – we become more Christ like in our thoughts and actions. We could never do this on our own, only with the help of the Holy Spirit.
A Life Marked by Submission – As Jesus is Lord of our life now, we submit to Him and to those in authority over us.
A Life Marked by Service to God and Others – As Christians we will be drawn to serve Christ and in serving Him we will serve others as well.
These are some ways our lives are different after we become a Christian. If we put God in first place - above everything in our lives, everything else will fall into place. We will be changed and it will be evident to those around us.
