Posts Tagged: 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Fun, Cat Videos, and Transformation”

On December 9, 2024 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, English Standard Version)

One of my twelve-step sponsors suggested that I need more fun in my life. He knows me well, but on this one, I was determined to prove him wrong. I have lots of fun! So, I started keeping careful records.

Nada.

Heavy sigh.

So, I watched some cat videos this morning. And they were funny. But then, one came up that was more touching than funny. You can watch it for yourself (and you should!) at https://www.google.com/search?q=transformation+of+an+alien-looking+cat+video&oq=transformation+of+an+alien-looking+cat+video&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRiPAtIBCTE2ODAxajBqN6gCCLACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:e0876851,vid:a54Ie2hEOLc,st:0, accessed 12-09-24.

If you don’t have the time to watch it (but again I say, you should!), here is the summary: Someone took in a tiny, ugly-looking kitten that was at death’s door and weakly scratching at that door. The person who took in the pitiful wee little thing (it had to be a woman) chronicled the progress of her tiny alien friend.

At first, the changes were almost imperceptible. But as time went on, you could see the changes. I fast forwarded to the end, and the transformation was breath-stopping. The cat was absolutely, drop-dead beautiful.

And then the unexpected: God got a word in edgewise. “And that process is what I am doing with you, my son.”

God speaks to us in all kinds of ways, including through cats and cat videos. The question is this: Are we really listening?

I need to stop looking back at what I’ve been and where I’ve been and what I’ve done. I also need to not dwell too long on what I am right now. God takes the long view of transformation. Perhaps we can do that too. Perhaps I can too.

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“Beyond the Same Old”

On December 14, 2021 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, English Standard Version)

Do you feel like the same old so-and-so you’ve always been? I was feeling that way this morning. However, a phone call with a friend, some coffee, and Scripture helped me to realize that I am moving beyond the same old. (The coffee just helped me to wake up.)

You see, I often wonder if I’ve been forgiven. A lot of people think that the things I’ve done in the past are unforgivable. Sometimes, I’m afraid they are right. And sometimes, I don’t think that I have changed as much as I think I’ve changed. I have engaged in so much self-doubt over the decades that I have become self-doubt.

But then, there was this call from a friend. He is struggling with some anxiety over a good (but very demanding) change that is coming up in his life in the new year. I said to him that I would be excited for him. “Sometimes, we need to live vicariously, so I will be joyful for you.”

It occurred to me that perhaps I should practice this truth in my own life. There are people who know all my stuff who are quite sure I’ve been forgiven by God. They are also sure that I’ve changed and am changing for the better. I may have to be vicariously assured of my forgiveness through my friends.

And then, there is the Scripture. I felt the Holy Spirit (or my own subconscious?) guiding me to 2 Corinthians 5:17, the Scripture that leads off this post. I was especially struck by two things.

First, the word “all” caused my heart to stop beating—and then set it to beating again. “All things have become new”?! Really?!? So, I looked up the verse in the Greek, and sure enough, there was the word pan, as big as life and twice as beautiful! All! No exceptions!

And then there was the Greek word that is translated “have become”. It is in the perfect tense in the Greek. The perfect tense suggests two things at the same time: an action completed in the past with o  n  g  o  i  n  g  results.

Yes! So, no matter how much I may feel that I am still the same old person with the same old unforgiveable flaws, it is not so. I need to move beyond the same old, since, in the mind of the Almighty and Compassionate One, I have been transformed with ongoing results.

So are you, dear friends! It’s time to wake up, with or without coffee.

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