The Process to Destination
- Jan 19
- 3 min read
Made New: What God Is Really Changing
Over the past several weeks in our Made New series, we’ve traced a progression that every one of us can relate to. We began with the reality that all people carry a deep longing—a hunger that goes beyond busy schedules and surface-level satisfaction. As Psalm 107:9 reminds us, “He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.”
That hunger often gets masked by daily life. We skim past it with work, relationships, and responsibilities, until something forces us to slow down and assess what’s really going on inside.
We’ve been listening to the stories of Channelle and Emilio—two very different journeys that share a common theme. They searched for answers in many places, but nothing truly satisfied. Last week we saw that God was using people, circumstances, and moments they didn’t fully understand to bring them to one place—faith in Him. As Jesus said in John 6:29, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
Their stories didn’t end at salvation. In fact, that’s where real change began.
A New Reality in Christ
One of the clearest markers of being a follower of Jesus is change—not perfection, but transformation. Scripture puts it plainly:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”—2 Corinthians 5:17
To be “in Christ” means we are joined to Him—connected like branches to a vine. We are made new from the inside out because the Holy Spirit now lives within us. The Bible calls this being born again—a new life with a new beginning and a lifelong process of growth and maturity.
God’s goal is not simply behavior modification, but heart transformation. Romans 8:29 tells us that God is shaping us to become more like Jesus—changing how we think, how we respond, and how we live.
So what does that actually look like?
A New Motivation
“For the love of Christ compels us…”—2 Corinthians 5:14
As Christians, our motivation changes. We don’t live from guilt, fear, or obligation—we are compelled by love. The reason Christ’s love is so powerful is because we have experienced it personally. Emilio summed it up simply in his story: “Because He loves us.”
Jesus died for us while we were undeserving. Because of that love, we leave behind the old way of life—anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, and slavery to sin. We don’t obey to earn God’s love; we obey because we already have it.
That love motivates us to forgive when we don’t want to, to serve when it costs us time, and to take steps of faith when fear tells us not to. The blessing of being a Christian also carries the responsibility of living like one.
A New Direction
“…that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”—2 Corinthians 5:15
Being made new also means a change in direction. Life is no longer centered on me. Jesus becomes Lord—not of part of my life, but all of it.
This doesn’t mean abandoning responsibilities; it means living with a greater awareness of God’s purpose. Our time, relationships, decisions, resources, and future plans now filter through one question: What honors Jesus?
As Hudson Taylor once said, there is no such thing as partial lordship. Jesus doesn’t settle for being 30% Lord or 60% Lord—He works to become Lord of everything.
A New Way of Seeing People
“Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh…”—2 Corinthians 5:16
Finally, being made new changes how we see others. Because Christ’s love compels us, we stop defining people by preferences, politics, past mistakes, or disagreements. Every person is created in God’s image and has eternal value.
We begin to see people as Jesus sees them—people He loves, people He died for, people who need hope. And as our understanding of Jesus deepens, so does our love and trust in Him.
Made New—Still Being Made
The stories of Channelle and Emilio remind us that change isn’t always instant or easy. Sometimes it’s dramatic; other times it’s slow and steady. But one thing remains true: when Jesus is part of your life, things begin to change.
Being made new isn’t about who you were—it’s about who God is shaping you to become.
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