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TODAY’S WORD…

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…anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.

The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

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– 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

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REFLECTION…

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Having Christ in us revolutionises our life,

changes the focus of our love,

and causes us to fling away all that we may have previously treasured for the wrong reason.

Through Christ, not only are we renewed,

but all things become new!

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Belonging to Christ implies a personal union with Him,

so that He becomes the very element, the atmosphere in which we live.

Such a union can only be brought about by faith in Him.

Faith in Christ comes through getting to know Him;

learning about Him from Scripture and the Gospels;

spending time with Him;

listening out for His voice

and absorbing all He tells us.

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Belonging to Christ gives us a new aim and centre for our lives.

The centre is shifted

and, as we constantly refer to Him, we no longer live for ourselves.

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When we truly belong to Christ,

pleasing Him becomes our priority,

and our love for Him

breaks the chains that bind us to our past

and gives us a new and mighty motive to obey Him.

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In Christ we die to our former selves

and it changes the way we see the world.

All things are changed if we are changed.

They are the same old things,

but we see them in a new light – the light of Truth.

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For those who may be thinking “I cannot mend now”,

do not give up, do not despair.

You may have tried and been defeated a thousand times,

but still victory is possible

– not without effort, sacrifice and sore conflict, but still possible.

In Christ, there is hope for all!

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Lord Jesus, You make all things new and You fill me with hope.

Teach me, renew me, lead me in my new life.

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[*] today’s reflection owes a lot to an exposition by Alexander MacLaren