God Speaking

“Like new born babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

(1 Peter 2: 1 – 3)

Our family has been celebrating the birth of a little new granddaughter and she has become the centre of many activities during the last three weeks. The wonder of studying her tiny little features has gripped us all. The big tough men among our relatives seem to melt as they hold this sweet bundle close to their chests.  Teenage cousins even put down their smart phones to take their turn to have a cuddle of such a tiny creature.  Aunts study her closely to see who she might resemble among our big clan. She is a brand new addition to our family.

Brand new!

I used this term lately in telling a friend we had a brand new baby granddaughter and afterwards I began to think what exactly that term meant. Scripture talks about us becoming new creatures after we have experienced and accepted the loving forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5: 17)

So what does it take to make us “brand new.”  I went to a special site that examines common phrases and sayings, and I was intrigued by the meaning of the word, “brand”. It comes from a German word that means; flame, firebrand, torch, fire and to associate it with another word can mean;

Fresh from the fire, moulded into just the right shape. Refined to just the right degree to be made perfect.

We talk about branding cattle. stamped for ownership. Cars are carefully engineered to perform and when approved the brand name is attached proudly in a prime position for all to see.

It is wonderful to find how we become new creatures in Christ. We sing a new song, no longer a dirge of complaining, no longer a list of requests, no bad mouthing of others, a song of joy displaces the old habits.

“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God….” (Psalm 40: 3)

Even our minds can be changed as we don that new self;

“to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4: 23 – 24)

Another beautiful gift we receive as we become new creatures is “hope”. Whatever is happening around us cannot ever quash that amazing gift.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” (1 Peter 1: 3 – 4)

Just as our little newborn craves milk so she can grow, we too as Peter tells us, (1Peter 2: 2) must crave to become that beautiful new creature the Heavenly Father designed us to be and when we do this the next beautiful gift we receive is this;

“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 11: 19)