Jesus Only: Part TwoShembull

Week 6, Day 5 - Thursday As I continue to look at our four verses for this week, I’m drawn to verse 3: " For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." My old life, which focused on my own sinful desires when I lived for the world, was crucified when I gave my heart to Jesus. Now, in Jesus, I have available the power not to sin. I’m forgiven and loved by Him and I’m a new creation in Him. I think of that change much like a butterfly’s metamorphosis. The caterpillar crawls on the ground a fully developed creature. It eats and lives, and for a time all is well. But at a certain point, it builds a cocoon around itself. Inside it goes through some amazing changes. At just the right time the cocoon begins to split and the caterpillar, becoming a butterfly, must struggle to crawl out. If someone tries to help it by opening the cocoon for it, it will die. The struggle is what pushes the fluid from its swollen body into the wings which will eventually unfurl, dry, and lift the butterfly to a whole new world. In its old life it only crawled on a few branches, eating what leaves it could find. As the new creature, a butterfly can fly freely, collecting nectar from flowers with a whole way of life. We are new creatures with a new life. God hides us in Christ as He changes us to have new appetites and prepares us for a new habitat. Paul tells us in verse 4, " when Christ returns, we’ll appear with Him in glory." We will see and reflect His glory as we are completed in Him, dead to the old life and alive in Him. Reflection Question(s) Think about your life in Christ and make a list of some of the changes you’ve seen Him make. Be sure to think of the things that are no longer a part of your life and what God has put in their place. Can you name a time in your life when God allowed you to go through a struggle that ended in you receiving God’s strength and growth in your life with Him? Thank Him for the struggle and growth.