“…These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” Acts 17:6

New

A turned-upside-down world is unrecognizable. When suddenly the first are last and the last are first, when the poor are considered rich, when one must serve in order to lead—when shepherd boys become kings, when the lowly are exalted and the least are called great, when one must die in order to live…

When God becomes a man, when immortality takes on flesh… then everything changes.

In our lives, there are moments when we know that nothing will ever be the same. A different life becomes the norm. Turning points that bring permanent change can be scary yet exciting. For instance, when my parents divorced and my mom remarried, it brought massive upheaval to our way of life. When I bought my first car, I suddenly had freedom to go wherever I pleased. When my family moved far from my childhood neighborhood, I had to seek out all new friends, none of whom shared any history with me. No matter what happens, you’ll never go back to the way it was. Life has been transformed.

The riotous crowds in Paul’s day were angry about the way their world had been turned upside down by his preaching about “a new king.” They were loyal to Caesar, but Jesus called for loyalty only to Him. There could not be two masters.

When we believe on Christ as Savior, everything changes, or at least it should. Although we still live in these bodies on this earth, subject to time and decay and all other earthly realities, we have a new loyalty to a new Master. We have a new King, Ruler, and Teacher, a new heart, new eyes and ears, new ways of loving, a new life, new perspective, new priorities, new meaning of success and reputation, new reasons for living, while doing new works. We are on a new journey to a new destination. We have a new spirit, new mind, new riches in glory, new strength, new hope, new vision, new faith, new understanding, new giftings, and bear new fruit in a new calling. We see new wonders and marvels; new zeal, hunger, thirst, passion and reverence for God is developed within us. We receive new mercies, new songs, new covenant, new commandments, and a new name. We are headed for a new heaven and a new earth.

“Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5).

Which of these new things have eluded us because we have been hanging on to the old? All this has already been given to us in Christ. 

“Our great Father, Who creates all things new, grant that we may desire each unfamiliar and unique aspect of new life in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”