2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Whenever a person repents and turns to Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sin, he or she becomes a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). That is what is known as the new birth, or being born again (John 3:3-7).
With that new birth, we can say that we are now under new management. Formerly self-ruled, we are now under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. All of our lives are now found “in Him”. Thus, our human relationships are now to be subject to God’s “House Rules” and not those of our flawed and fallen society.
For the child of God, there is only one Operator’s Manual from which we find instructions for godly relationships. In this Operator’s Manual (The Holy Bible), we discover that God is a God of order and design, and we find that order laid out for us in the realms of marriage, parenting, and work. This God-ordained order or design is not politically correct, to say the least. This God-ordained order supersedes the order as is found in every culture, custom, or race of people. In other words, there isn’t a different Italian or Indian or American structure or design for order in the home or family. There is God’s way as found in Scripture to which any culture or family must adapt. Likewise, parenting is to be done God’s way and children are called upon to honor that way. The way that an individual works or runs a business is to be done God’s way. In every area of life, God has an ordained order that makes that relationship function properly. But when that order or design is neglected or ignored in any way, shape, or form, the net result is the breakdown of harmony within the marriage, the family, or the workplace.
As we look at God’s Operator’s Manual regarding the realms of marriage, parenting, and work, my prayer is that The Spirit of God would minister to our hearts and give us ears to hear afresh these timeless truths and apply them to our lives. “Except The Lord build the house” – the marriage, the family, our vocations and the workplace – we labor in vain (Psalm 127:1). Years ago a dear saint said something to my wife Elizabeth that I will never forget: “The Christian life is only hard when you kick against the goads.” If you are kicking in any area that we cover this morning, give that over to God and start walking again Under New Management. Selah
