TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• I don’t know about you, but I love a good comfort zone. A comfort zone is all cozy and warm and safe… And I don’t mean to brag, because I don’t know what your comfort zone is like, but mine has coffee. So that’s a big plus too.
But the irony of our Shelter-in-Place order is that despite being at home, many of us are being forced out of our comfort zones! People are learning how to work from home and discovering it’s not as easy as they thought… Parents are learning how to homeschool their kids and realizing how underpaid our teachers really are… People who don’t know how to cook are having to learn their way around a kitchen… People, businesses, and organizations are being forced out of their respective comfort zones and they are regrouping, adapting, and thinking differently.
And I can’t help but wonder how long will these new norms last once this is all over? Or will people retreat back to the safety of their comfort zones?
I have shared before about a Gospel-based series called “The Chosen.” I love love love this series and in one scene, Jesus calls his disciples to step out of their comfort zones. The line is “Get used to different.” I want the t-shirt! Oh goodness, I love that line and that scene!
God called His people to be set apart, so different shouldn’t be a big deal for us! As followers of Jesus, we’re already different! We’re called to think differently, act differently, speak differently, and seek God’s will instead of our own! The very act of living for Christ is designed to shove us out of our comfort zone!
2 Corinthians 5:17 reminds us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Since the new is come—our old selves dead and our new selves alive in Christ Jesus—when we became a Christian, we were immediately in the position to regroup and adapt. We should have already been prepared to “get used to different.”
Yet, old habit die hard, don’t they? Thank goodness for grace! The grace that calls us out and forgives us whenever we look back on our old ways, or even when we backslide and retreat into them.
I can’t speak for you, but when it comes to Jesus, I don’t want my previous comfort zone. His way is better. Plus, I still get to have coffee while I do different.
Today, as you pray, thank God for setting us apart and calling us to be different. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to not only step out of your comfort zone but to fully abandon it in your pursuit to follow Jesus. Ask Him to help you get used to different.
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Download a free Bible-In-A-Year Reading Plan when you subscribe! Join an online prayer group at www.facebook.com/groups/onlineandonourkneesprayergroup. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
