Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV

But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5, NIV

If you’re anything like me, there are moments when old sins try to creep back into your thoughts—guilt, memories of past failures, and waves of shame that seem determined to pull you under. It’s easy to let those moments convince us that we’re defined by what we’ve done.

But God keeps gently reminding me: That is not who you are anymore.
In Christ, the old is gone. Completely. The new has come.

You are a new creation—chosen, redeemed, and made alive through His mercy. Shame tries to chain us to who we were, but grace pulls us forward into who we are becoming. When we linger in shame, we get stuck. But when we remember God’s grace and mercy, our hearts shift from heaviness to praise, from regret to gratitude.

Praise God, who rescued us from a life of hopelessness and replaced it with purpose, freedom, and joy!

I thank and praise You, Father, for rescuing me from sin and death and shame and lifting me up to be a new creation in Jesus Christ my Lord. I waited patiently for You, Lord; You turned and heard my cry. You lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; You set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. You put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to You, my God! 

Copyright Linda Livingston.

Linda is a Christian Educators member and teaches talented and gifted elementary students in Iowa.