Today Daily Devotional

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
— 2 Corinthians 5:17

Chip had become an old man, and when he returned to the small town where he had grown up, hardly anyone recognized him.It wasn’t because he looked so different. No, he’d been back to visit throughout the years. He had kept up with people he’d known in high school, and they were familiar with each other’s aging appearance.What was different about Chip was that his character had changed. He had always been a “clever devil,” as some called him. He would come to town, hang out with the locals, wait for the right opportunity, and then say something political or religious or something else in a thorny way. Then he’d leave as people started bickering with one another. He seemed to enjoy stirring up disagreement.But now Chip was different. He’d learned that cancer was going to take his life soon. And he’d met Jesus through a local ministry in his neighborhood.So he came back to town a changed man. Though he was old, he was new. He was kind. Generous. Apologetic. He called himself a friend of Jesus. Everyone talked about it. What an amazing change!Chip was a new creation, even as his body was dying. He was “in Christ.”Chip was also an echo of Christ’s resurrection, the beginning of God’s big project of making a new creation where all who are “in Christ” can live with him forever!

God, we praise you for making us new in Christ and for making us a part of your new creation plan. Help us to live faithfully for you. Amen.

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
— 2 Corinthians 5:17

When Jesus came back to life, the people who saw him required new eyes to see him clearly, truly.Mary saw only a gardener until Jesus spoke her name (John 20:16). The two disciples from Emmaus saw only a clueless traveler until Jesus broke bread with them (Luke 24:30-31).Later, Saul (Paul), a leading persecutor of Jesus’ followers, had his eyes opened too. He was stopped by a blinding light from heaven, and he heard the voice of Jesus saying, “Why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:3-6). Saul received eyes of faith so that he could see Jesus truly as the Lord and Savior.In our text for today Paul, who became a missionary for Jesus, declares that we can see other people differently now too. Because of Jesus, we can see that all who are “in Christ” are a new creation. The rebirth of every believer echoes the miracle of Christ’s resurrection.And there’s more. When we see an “in Christ” person, a new creation, it’s a sign that God is up to something bigger— a glorious remaking of his whole creation. This is what other texts have described as the coming of a new heaven and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:1)!So when someone comes to faith in Christ, we see in that person a new creation. And this is a reminder of God’s continuing project of making a new creation, launched by the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection!

O God, give us eyes of faith to see your ongoing work of new creation as Paul did. May we see, rejoice, give you praise, and live in that confidence. Amen.

He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
— John 20:22

Dead people don’t breathe. And they surely don’t breathe life that flows into others!Just a few days earlier, Jesus had “breathed his last” (Luke 23:46), and everyone around him had assumed that was the end of him. But here, in John 20, we read about Jesus coming back to life, early on Sunday morning, and in the evening of that day he was breathing the life of his Holy Spirit into his disciples.Have you heard of the geyser “Old Faithful” in Yellowstone National Park (U.S.)? The water shoots 130 feet (40 meters) into the air! We can think of Jesus’ breath too as something like a geyser, a geyser of life.Have you seen pictures or watched videos of young bamboo plants in a tropical forest? In the searing heat they grow so fast that you can almost hear them stretch. As the earth provides nutrients, the bamboo plant pushes out vegetation. In some ways like that, Jesus’ breath pushes out life.Have you been to a worship service that honors the Lord and God of the universe—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Followers of Jesus, striving to live for the Savior in a fallen, broken world, come to worship the King of creation and to share Jesus’ breath with one another. He gives it, and they receive life. Renewal. Revival.The resurrection of Jesus keeps echoing as he inspires God’s people to share his love and bring hope everywhere in God’s world.

Breathe on us, Lord Jesus. Send us your Spirit. Enliven, awaken, and commission us, as you did with your disciples. Amen.

Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.
— Luke 24:31

I often wish I could see better.I wish I could see Jesus face-to-face.I wish I could see God’s will for a decision I have to make.I wish I could see God’s power so clearly that I have courage to do what is right even when the risks seem immense.The two followers of Jesus in our text for today received the gift of seeing how the Old Testament Scriptures pointed to Jesus and his resurrection—and they even saw the resurrected Jesus himself! What an amazing day for them!Ironically, just as they began to see that the person breaking the bread before them was actually the Lord himself, Jesus disappeared. So they had to continue to believe and act faithfully even when they didn’t see Jesus face to face. It’s a joy to see those two disciples respond by making a faithfilled run back to Jerusalem to report to the other disciples what they had seen and heard.Truth be told, Jesus invites all of us who don’t see him to live in his presence anyway, as if he is with us, breaking the bread. He does promise, after all, that he is with us always (Matthew 28:20). And as we live in his presence, by the power of God’s Spirit, we can testify to the reality of God’s new creation in us, launched with Jesus’ resurrection.

Without your Spirit, Lord, the news of the resurrection is just words. So pour out your Spirit on us, that we may understand the meaning of your resurrection and live with faith in you today and always. Amen.

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
— John 20:15

In Isaiah 35 God gives his people a vision of a fully restored creation. His glory will appear, and a desert will turn into a lush, blossoming garden. A “Way of Holiness” will stretch through it—a roadway for God’s people to travel into his presence. In the singing crowd of God’s people on that road, the lame are leaping, the mute tongue shouts with joy, the deaf can hear clearly, and the blind are able to see.Could those details about people’s senses and disabilities relate also to understanding and seeing the Lord in a new way—especially when the Lord gives us new life through his resurrection? I think so. When we encounter God, when we meet Jesus in an unexpected way, our eyes and ears of faith can see and hear in ways we haven’t experienced before.Notice that on the day of Jesus’ resurrection, although Mary can see and hear, her eyes are opened in a new way as Jesus speaks her name. She receives a clear, personal visit from Jesus that helps her understand what God is up to. Mary is able to see the living Jesus, and it’s like a desert blooming.When the resurrected Christ comes again, all of God’s people will be given complete sight. In the meantime, we see portions and glimpses of what God is up to—enough to have faith, hope, and love. Thank you, God!

Dear Lord, give us eyes to see and ears to hear so that we may have faith in you and serve as you call us to. May we see your glory and share about all you are doing to bring renewal. Amen.