A New Creation - Love

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

My old ways of thinking, from a fearful perspective of life, are gone. Or perhaps I should say, they can be gone. I have a choice. I would simplify this to say, I can now choose in each moment of each day to either live from the old creature - of fear, or the new creation - of love.

I no longer have to live from beliefs and thoughts of fear, or from selfishness. I am free to believe that I am safe, and loved. Making me free to love. To think and act from the core beliefs that I am safe, and I am loved.

Sin is a metaphorical term for missing the mark on a target when shooting an arrow. If someone shot an arrow or a bullet at a target, and missed the intended mark, the shooter and any witnesses would agree that, “they missed”. Or that, “they sinned.”

Many times in life we see the outcomes of actions that we commit. After evaluating our choices, words or actions we may recognize, and admit, that we missed it. We sinned.

Like someone shooting at a target, we may recognize that in our lives we are missing the target, or sinning. We try over and over again to “not sin”. However, the sin, or missing the mark will continue until we fix the reasons why we are missing it.

If the shooter is not trained in a new way of how to hold the weapon, how to stand, how to aim, etc, then the sinning will continue. No matter how desirous the shooter is on intending not to sin, if the newly taught and correct form of shooting is not learned and abided by, the sinning will continue.

When we speak and act toward others out of; fear, bitterness, resentment, envy, jealousy, selfishness, irritability, anger and pride, we often recognize that we sin. We sin with our words and actions toward others, toward ourselves and toward God.

Some of us recognize and confess these acts of sins. We say that we repent of those sins. We even have a strong emotional desire to not sin again. But if we don’t see and correct the reasons why we are missing the mark, we will continue to miss it.

The old me, the untrained me that shoots the arrow can never consistently hit the target. Because that old me has an incorrect way of handling the weapon, of aiming and firing. There needs to be a new me that holds and shoots the weapon.

The old me, in my mind and spirit, since birth has learned incorrect beliefs about life. Through experiences we learn to believe that we are not perfectly, or unconditionally, loved. We are not perfectly taken care of. And we learn to believe we are not completely safe.

This old me has created a foundation of viewing life through a perspective of fear, self protection and self preservation. When that old me reacts out of these beliefs of fear and self preservation I see that the outcome is predominantly sin.

My actions and reactions are like my arrows shooting at a target. I discover that when the arrow is shot by the old me, from the foundational beliefs of fears; being unsafe, unprotected and unloved, I miss the mark. I sin.

God is Love. Jesus is Love. Love casts out fear. The new creation that God is helping us to become is a new creation of Love. We are now able to stop living from foundational beliefs of fears and self protection, and live from a foundation of Love.

We can now shoot our arrows from love instead of fear. If our arrows, our actions and reactions, are shot by the new us, the new creation of love, then we won't sin.

Missing the mark, theoretically, occurs before we even shoot the weapon. It starts when you hold and aim the weapon incorrectly. Likewise, sinning also occurs before the act is even performed. Because the sin starts with our incorrect foundation, beliefs and fearful perspective of life.

If we miss the mark, perhaps it’s because the old fearful you was the one shooting. Don’t try and force the old you to do better. Let the new you, who is loved and who loves, shoot the weapon.

We must allow, and keep allowing, our minds to be retaught. Retaught and trained by love. Don’t let your beliefs and views of life continue to be formed by the fear-based ways of the world. Be transformed, made into a new creation, by letting your mind be renewed. (Romans 12:2)

Be renewed by the new truths of Love. Let God teach you how to see life, yourself and others through a newly created perspective of Love. Let the new creation of love live inside of you. Let love hold your weapon so that when you shoot your arrows you won’t miss the mark.