Dropping the Curtain

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

— 2 Corinthians 5:17 

In 2008 Usain Bolt became the world’s fastest man, winning three gold medals at the Olympics. He went on to win many more medals and set records for nearly a decade. In 2017 the sprinter announced his retirement. The curtain has been lowered on an amazing era for track and field.

But we don’t mourn the passing of an athlete’s prime. Somewhere someone stronger and faster is poised to take his place. This is expected.

The fast becoming slow. The strong becoming weak. The new becoming old. These are life cycles we accept in sports, fashion and technology. We even see the decline of our own bodies.

According to the Apostle Paul, the natural order of things is reversed for followers of Christ. For Christians what was old becomes new. What was dead is now alive. How does this work? The saving blood of Jesus Christ is like a curtain dropped between us and our shortcomings. Past failures are not just retired, they’re forever buried. As Christians, we step back onto the track of life as if we’re athletes in our prime. Without the weight of sin, we race toward a finish line where there’s more than gold for the winner . . . there’s an eternity with God.

If you feel like your past is catching up with you, right now is a good time to let the curtain drop on past failings. Embrace the new you that God has made you to be.  

Today’s One Thing

Read all of 2 Corinthians 5. With heaven as your goal, confess your sins and begin to truly live as a new creation.

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