By: Pastor Jarren Rogers

“The greatest work God ever performed was not the creation of the universe out of nothing, but is the new creation of saints out of sinners.” – Steven J. Lawson

I’ve never been a big fan of Long John Silver’s. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been.

Normally, when I see a Long John’s my eyes gloss right over it. It’s nothing new. It’s nothing that’s necessarily appealing to me, so I just ignore it.

Annie and I were traveling a few weeks ago and we were looking for a place to eat. You know how the process usually goes when you’re looking for restaurants while you’re on a road trip. You usually just drive around until you see something that looks good.

We were driving for a few minutes when something caught my eye. It was Long John Silver’s, but it was different. It was more modern. The paint was brand new. The building was renovated. The sign was updated.

It looked good!

Normally, I wouldn’t have given Long John Silver’s a second thought but there was something about this one that was appealing. It was new.

“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).

You see, when we are made new by Christ, there is something different about us. The old has passed away and the new has come. We are a new creation.

Just like the Long John Silver’s was still Long John Silver’s, you are still you, but you have been renewed by the grace of God. Because of the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross, you now have the opportunity for renewal.

In the same way that this renovated Long John Silver’s was appealing, our new life in Christ is appealing to people.

Years ago, I worked at Dairy Queen. I was the only Christian there and I stood out like a sore thumb. One day, out of the blue, a coworker approached me and simply said, “There’s something different about you. I can’t figure it out, but there’s something different about you.”

Wow! What a perfect opportunity to share with him. I was able to tell him the Good News all because he saw there was something different about me.

Our new creation lifestyle stands out from the rest. Our renewal is evident to the people around us.

This Advent season, take the time to thank God for the sending of His Son. It was because of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross that we can be made new!

If we are in Christ, we are a new creation. Let’s go and share the Good News this season.

Parents: Read your children this verse from 2 Corinthians. Ask them what they think it means to be a new creation.