“The New Creation” Day 19: Walking as a new creation may cost you some friends.

Have you ever noticed that if someone is doing the wrong thing, they don’t want to be around people who are doing the right thing? For example, if someone has fallen off the “wagon,” they want their friends to join them. If someone is not doing well on their diet, they don’t want to be around people who are doing well on their diet. You get the gist: People want to be around other people who are doing what they’re doing. Not surprisingly, this is never more true than when someone who has been living as the world lives, commits to Jesus Christ, and begins walking in obedience to the word of God. The apostle Peter wrote about this very phenomenon:

“For the time already past is [more than] enough for doing what the [unsaved] Gentiles like to do—living [unrestrained as you have done] in a course of [shameless] sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries. In [connection with] all this, they [the unbelievers] are resentful and surprised that you do not [think like them, value their values and] run [hand in hand] with them into the same excesses of dissipation and immoral freedom, and they criticize and abuse and ridicule you and make fun of your values. But they will [have to] give an account to Him who is ready to judge and pass sentence on the living and the dead.”

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Here, Peter gives three very good points to remember:

First, as we have already discussed, we should no longer live as the world lives. As a child of God, having been made into a new creation, we must walk in obedience to the word of God.

Secondly, Peter makes the point that the friends you had while you were living in sin, will castigate you because you are no longer joining them in their debauchery.

Third, Peter makes the point that everyone will have to face the Lord for what they have done. That is to say, none of us will be able to stand before God and defend our actions by saying, “Well, so-and-so did this.” Make no mistake, we will be judged for what we have done, separate and apart from what anybody else has done or not done.

Indeed, comparing ourselves to other people, in terms of making a determination of whether we are doing wrong or not, is foolish. Hear what Paul said about people who compare themselves to others:

“Of course, we wouldn’t dare to put ourselves in the same class or compare ourselves with those who rate themselves so highly. They compare themselves to one another and make up their own standards to measure themselves by, and then they judge themselves by their own standards. What self-delusion!”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Jesus made clear, that in order to be His disciple, we must follow what He has said. We must be obedient to the cross of Christ.

“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭23‬-‭26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Christians who basically deny Christ because of intimidation by what other people think of them, are putting themselves in peril, in terms of their relationship with the Lord.

“The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;”

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ESV

Child of God, as a new creation, as a follower of Jesus Christ, please remember, what you confess in front of other people, matters.

“But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Truly, we must make clear that our loyalty, our devotion, is to our Lord, and it is our determination to be obedient to Him, no matter the cost.

Whatever grief, rejection, etc., we experience from other people in this life, will be nothing

compared to sharing the glory of our Lord for eternity in His Kingdom.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!