All the Old Baggage

So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation.
The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived!
(2 Corinthians 5:17 CEB)

We come to the cross carrying heavy bags of sin, should haves, hurts, and judgements…God wants us to put those down

The people around us can make us believe many things that aren’t truth. I hope by now you are starting to realize how God sees you, and how much he loves you.

God sees you through the lens of the blood of Jesus shed for you on the cross. Jesus brings us a new life. Through him our past is forgiven (completely) and our futures are designed by God.

This is part of what Paul means when he says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that we are a new creation in Christ. Not only are we a new creation, Paul says, “The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived!”

Let’s look deeper into how this applies to our lives.

When we first believe in Jesus, we come to him with a lot of baggage.

• A suitcase full of The lies I believe about myself
• A backpack full of The ways I’ve been hurt
• A shopping bags full of, Things I’ve done wrong (sin) 
• A basket load of judgements about ourselves or others
  

The list could go on. You can label your baggage any way you want. 

The point is when we first come to Jesus, we are loaded down by old habits and old thoughts. 

Jesus takes those all away (if we let him). He invites us to set down those bags, which are heavy and full. Then, he goes through each item that weighs you down. He throws those old things out and replaces them with new things. 

What are these new things?

It’s a long list. Here are some to start thinking about, but I encourage you to keep seeking Scripture to find all the gifts he offers you in exchange for the heavy burdens he wants you to leave at the cross.

• The Fruit of the Spirit - Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, Self Control (Galatians 5:22-23)
• Blessings of adoption - being a child of God and having an inheritance in heaven (Ephesians 1:5)
• Mercy, forgiveness, purpose, and oh so much more! (See the books of the New Testament, Matthew through Revelation)

2 Peter 1:3 says God has given us EVERYTHING we need for an abundant life in him. (I’m actually working on my next book about this very topic!)

So here’s my challenge to you. Take some time over the next two weeks list the baggage you are still carrying. Put that list on the left side of a piece of lined paper. Then on the opposite side of that list, write down the blessings (the new) that God gives you to replace that old thing. If you don’t know, ask God to show you in Scripture the new things he has given you. Then ask him to take away the old and replace it with the new he has shown you.

Here’s an example: 

OLD:  I carry the burden of feeling unlovable

NEW: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:14)

So when that old unlovable thought comes to mind, I release it and focus on the new truth God has shown me, “I praise you God because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; and your works are wonderful…I know that full well.”

It’s not a magic bullet, but it’s a step in the direction of believing that in Christ, you are a new creation. Let God wash away the old and show you the new he so desperately wants you to see.