A New Way

Hebrews 8:7-13

I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Hebrews 8:10)

IMAGINE A WORLD IN WHICH those who know their God simply act according to his character because it comes naturally to them. They are guided by revelation rather than ambition. They are not disciplined to live by principles and rituals; they just are who they have been created to be. In every area of society, they become influencers who have divine ideas and offer solutions that are inspired by his Spirit. They bear light and carry hope, creativity, mercy, servanthood, integrity, and purity into every corner of the world. They manifest God’s presence because it is with them, on them, even in them. They are, in essence, connecting points between heaven and earth that bridge the gap for a fallen world.

Does that seem unrealistic? Perhaps it is, based on our own experience, but not according to God’s promise. And when our experience doesn’t match his promise, one of them needs to bend to align with the other. It can’t be God’s Word; we have to adjust our expectations. The goal for God’s people really is to rise and shine his light upon them. It really is for us to have his laws—his will and his ways—so thoroughly written into our hearts that we are guided by our new nature rather than the disciplines and habits we have will-powered onto our fallen nature. We are to be people shaped not by external demands but by an internal presence, the Spirit of God himself. We influence this world by being. Only then can we do what we are led to do.

You are an ambassador of the new way. That doesn’t mean you have to become perfect in order to influence your world. But it does mean you have to embrace a new nature, to focus not on performing well but on carrying the presence of God into every situation you face. He changes lives through encounters with his Spirit, and his Spirit is in his people. Experience his presence, then let others experience it through you.

{Holy Spirit, fill me to overflowing. Manifest your presence in me and through me. Make me a catalyst for change in every situation you take me through. Amen.