Hi. I am Matt Dickinson, and I am ‘new’ to New Life Counseling Center. Each week on Monday, I will be sharing a short devotion on our website to help you turn your thoughts to the Lord at the beginning of your week. I really enjoy teaching through a book of the bible, so far the next few months, I anticipate ‘my simple thoughts’ coming from the Book of Colossians.
Since I am so ‘new’ to ‘New’ Life Counseling Center, I would like us to think about ‘newness’ today. When you read through the Book of Colossians, the first name you come in contact with is Paul – the author of the book. If you know of anything of Paul, you know he was a man that needed a ‘new’ beginning. Actually, the first person who was killed for his faith in Jesus Christ was a man named Stephen. He was stoned to death! You remember who was there giving hearty agreement to putting Stephen to death – Saul (cf. Acts 8:1) – who we know as Paul (cf. Acts 13:9). Not only was Paul at Stephen’s death, but in Acts 9, we see Saul (Paul) breathing threats and murder against the disciples of Jesus (cf. Acts 9).
So, we have a man who wanted to arrest and kill Christians, but now is the author of the Book of Colossians (and 12 other New Testament books)! How did this change or ‘newness’ happen? Well, Paul tells us in Colossians 1:13-14 “For He (God the Father) rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son (Jesus), in whom we have redemption the forgiveness of sins.” You see Paul was transferred (or giving a new life) when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus (cf. Acts 9). Paul believed in whom Jesus was and what Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection meant for him. Paul was now a ‘new’ person! And from that point on in his life, he lived from his ‘new’ position.
Let me ask you a question: are you a ‘new’ person in Christ? Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Even though Paul was a wretched man at one time, he didn’t let that define him. When he met Jesus, he became a new person. This is great news for us also. When we met Jesus, we became a new person! Our sin doesn’t define who we are. Jesus does! Rejoice in the fact this week you are no longer in the dark but now you are in the Light. You are a ‘new’ person! As God worked powerfully through Paul after he became ‘new’, God can also work powerfully through you in your ‘newness’. Take a couple of minutes and give thanks to God for giving you a new life. You may want to begin reading the book of Colossians. See you next week.