2 Corinthians 5:11-19

11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are "out of our mind," as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

Questions to consider:

• How does the fact of being known by God substantiate Paul’s boldness?
• What has changed the way Paul regards (a) people and (b) Christ?
• How does Paul regard people now that he is associated with Jesus?
• What is the new creation?

Possibilities for prayer:

What does it mean for you to be a new creation? When we accept Christ, our physical selves don’t change--we don’t get new hair color, eye color--but what’s important, our inner selves, does change. We are made new through Christ’s sacrifice. We are called to live new lives, lives that diligently seek after the heart of God. Today, let’s ask God to be able to see the “newness” in our lives with clear and open eyes, and to be better able to appreciate the change the has been wrought in our hearts through Christ. Let’s pray that God would give us the boldness to act out this new direction and transformation in our lives.