1 Minute Daily Devotions

January 1, 2008

Lasting Change

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away, behold, new things have come!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Ahh--another new year. The old one has gone. The new one has come, ready or not. Most of us will admit we have character traits or habits we would like to change. Some of us even try to modify our behavior. But just changing outward behavior is like rolling back the odometer on a car. You reduce the numbers from 200,000 to 20,000, but you still have a car with 200,000 miles on it.

However, there is hope for the person who sincerely desires to change. The power to change like that means admitting we can't do it on our own. Remember, lasting change comes from within. We need the help of the Lord.

The Bible says if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone and new has come. When we give our lives to Jesus Christ, He transforms us--changes us from the inside out. Instead of just rolling back the odometer and being the same old person inside, He gives us a spiritual heart transplant.

Now, that's a change for the better. And a change that lasts.