A New Life Has Begun

 2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

This morning as I was reading this passage, I was also thinking about why we do what we do. Youth ministry in itself can be a difficult thing. Teenagers deal with more today then ever before. Students literally face things on a daily basis that were unspeakable 50 years ago! Rape, pornography, drugs, alcohol, family crisis, the loss of a loved one, things that no one should go through even more so a young person of their age.

I was thinking about how in ministry, especially youth ministry, people around us like to focus on the negative side. This person did this, this person broke that rule, this person said this word, that person wasn't here, those people needed that. It seems like we like to point our finger alot at everyone else's failures and sins.

For myself I have always been a self motivator and I have always liked to go against the status quo.
I believe that it is very important that people acknowledge their own sin before our holy God. But I also believe we should acknowledge God when he is changing a persons life.

Not what happened in the past, not even what happened yesterday. Why? Because you can't go back and fix it. Instead look at what God is capable of and what he is doing today.

Earlier today I posted on twitter "To see a young person crying out to God through worship and prayer. Thats what its all about!" and for me that is what its all about. To see change in the lives of students and people who were once broken but now they have become new.

This is how we stay motivated. Find the small things that God is doing. Focus on the people who are changing, focus on the person who lifts their hands out of the norm. Focus on the ones who continuously come up for prayer, because their getting it, don't over look them.

Watch for the ones that had an old life but are becoming new, because Christ is changing them into a new creature, a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:16-20 MSG
^16-20Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons!

I love this scripture because it points out that when Christ walked this earth we looked at him and judged him, we got it all wrong and crucified him. We overlooked the messiah because we are negative people. Because our focus is in the wrong place.

Don't overlook what God is doing in your life, and in the people around you. Focus on that fresh start, focus on the ones who are a new creation. Their old life is gone and a new life has begun.

Today, don't look at others and judge them, don't be negative and look at their failures. Instead look for the positives, focus on the people who are getting it! Focus on what Christ is doing in your life and stay away from the negativity, because if we are in Christ the old life has gone and a new one has come. We have a fresh start in him, every single day!

What are you going to do with it?

Pastor Phil
onewaysm.org
philipjkeller@hotmail.com