In a recent study of Colossians, I have been repeatedly impressed with the idea of walking worthy of Jesus’ blood. Jesus has made me new, and He is calling me to live in that newness.
So many times I forget whose I am. I forget why I am here, and who I am to glorify. I can get so distracted by my work, relationships, and hobbies. I lash out in anger, forgetting that God has given me a better way of relating and showed me how. I waste time on my phone forgetting that, instead, I am called to redeem the time.
I am called to a higher standard of living. I am a child of God.
I am changed from how I used to be, selfish and rebellious. Since God has made me new, He is working in my heart, calling me to be God-focused and others-centered. When I walk in that newness, I care for those around me and I want them to be made new too. There is grace supplied for me to be polite and kind to someone who is rude or offends me. I don’t live by the standards of treating others as they treat me, because I now have different standards. Holy standards. Kind standards. Standards based on love and compassion and truth.
This doesn’t mean I am perfect in everything I do, but I am redeemed. God has given me the power to live above my brokenness. He teaches me continually to walk more like He did. These new standards don’t make me better than anyone else; they reflect that I know the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Because I claim to be one of His, He says “walk worthy of that claim”. Since He has made me new, I am committed to walking with Him in that newness.
The more time that I spend with Him, the more I become like Him. It’s a process, and it will not happen overnight. He has started the good work of making me new, and He will bring it to completion.
“…that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” -Romans 6:4
Mary Derstine
Author Bio: I’m Mary Derstine and if you would ask me where I’m from, I would tell you “I don’t know.” I was born and raised in North Carolina, spent a couple of years in both Iraq and Oregon, and am currently living in Gap, PA while I pursue counseling training. I love meeting new people and crowds, but I also enjoy a cozy evening alone reading a book or writing. You can find me at my blog right here!