Day 213 - Fresh New Spots
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. - II Corinthians 5:17-19
We have all heard the saying how a leopard cannot change its spots meaning that people cannot change, they all remain the same. A thief will always be a thief, a murderer cannot stop killing and a sinner cannot stop sinning. This is the world's view but it contradicts what Paul is sharing within this passage. Paul explains to us that any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. What was there before is all gone. Two things are happening when a person becomes a Christian. Firstly the old nature and habit is going away and then secondly the new nature and habit is now being expressed.
In simple terms, once a person has come into contact with Christ it does result in the changing of spots. Paul is a prime example of this spots changing experience. He was initially a persecutor of the Christians and a devoted Pharisee. He came in contact with Christ and this resulted in him becoming an apostle of God, spreading the gospel to both the Jews and Gentiles of his day. If that is not a leopard changing its spots then I do not know what is. Time and time again, we are reminded by the devil through individuals of our past practices and habits, and this can act as discouragement to press on to the mark and higher calling God has set out for us. However, this passage can serve as a reminder that the past is exactly what it is -- the past. We are going through a process of change as the old man is being rid of and the new man is becoming more evident. The passage did not stipulate a time frame as to the process, however we can all attest that since accepting the gift of salvation we have gone through changes immediately and some has happened over time. Let this devotional serve as a reminder that we are all are getting new spots each day by doing and living according to the word of God. So feel good about yourself in that new skin of yours.
