How to Begin a Completely New Life Starting Right Now
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Today is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life
Would you like to really change your life? Popular Western media both expresses and massively influences what we think, feel, and assume about life. An assumption that runs very deep is that this mortal life is all there is:
Remember those posters that said, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life?" Well, that's true of every day except one.
The day you die.
Except that's not entirely true. If you look at the bigger picture, and can imagine that there's more life for you that comes after your familiar mortal life on Earth, then today is the first day of the rest of your life. Except nothing. Nothing can take the rest of your life away from you. Not even death.
I haven't always been a Christian. For most of my life I was not. Now, it's easy for me to say I so wish I'd found Jesus earlier. In which case (as I constantly imagine) I wouldn't have to spend what felt like nearly all my time and effort making up for the mistakes I made originally. I'd heard about Jesus, and probably heard more than most people have today who haven't had Christianity in their family (or otherwise in their background).
I remember being six years old and feeling so happy and safe, praying to Jesus before bed. I remember going to a "youth" service where everyone seemed so old (again when I was six) — it had such an exciting, happy energy that I never forgot it. But what belief I had faded away as I grew older. By primary school I considered myself a nonbeliever.
So what went wrong?
My story, which is the same story as many, many others, is that I was completely lost, and now I am found.
It Really is a Completely New Life
I really think that very few non-Christians today have any idea how vastly different, and so much better, it is to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Even when you begin to learn about Christianity it can take a while to realise this. Many of the benefits are not immediately obvious, but take a while to realise and absorb.
So the first real point to absorb from this page is that living as a disciple of Christ really is completely different (and better) to living as an non-believer. And, most likely, it's a lot different to anything you've previously thought or heard about Christianity.
Some people are converted to Christianity in an instant flash of supernatural inspiration. (The best example of this I can think of right now is that of the Apostle Paul a.k.a. Saul in Acts 9:1-19). However most people don't have that level of intense, instantly recognisable, and powerful supernatural experience. For many it's a quick realisation that they really want to follow Jesus and become a Christian — and then a much slower progression (over many months and years) of learning how to follow Jesus. For others, their interest in Christianity, and their desire to follow Jesus itself is something that appears gradually. That's how it was for me.
Next page: What is Christianity About?
Cover image of Sicily, Italy by Aci Castello. The Apostle Paul stayed three days in Syracuse, Sicily, on his way to Rome. Acts 28:11-13. Paul's trip to Rome shows the perils and high adventure of ancient sea navigation in Acts 27-28.
