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Too many of us are
busy trying to repair our old nature and
make it look good, when God's in the
business of throwing out the old and
crafting something brand new. When your
car's been declared a loss in an
accident, if you're insured, you receive
a new car. But if it isn't totalled, you
get it repaired and hope it runs well.
God has declared our old nature a total
loss. He wants you to concentrate on the
new nature He has given you. If you've
spent years trying to fix up what God
says cannot be fixed up, allow the truth
of God's Word to liberate you from a
very frustrating way of life. To
understand this, think of caterpillars
and butterflies. Caterpillars are not
very pretty. But once they break free
from the cocoon of their old nature and
become butterflies, the transformation
is incredible. What was once ugly is now
beautiful. A creature that could only
crawl can now soar.
But this transformation requires a
growth process, and it isn't always
easy.
There's a lot of struggle involved. But
the result is worth the effort. A
butterfly is not just a fixed up
caterpillar, but a new creature with a
new capacity for life. And the good news
is, we don't become butterflies in our
own strength. From God's perspective,
willpower is no power. Paul writes, "For
it is God who works in you to will and
to act according to His good purpose" (Php
2:13 NIV). Our job is just to draw close
to, submit to, and cooperate with God in
this work.
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