“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
God tells us that if we are truly saved, we have become a new person with a new heart, new priorities, and a new life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!”
All of that “newness” doesn’t come as a result of us behaving ourselves and trying our best to become a better person. That newness comes as a result of a living God living within us and working on us to become more like Jesus every single day.
Following Jesus was never supposed to be a Sunday-only thing. God says your body is a living sacrifice, that it is your spiritual act of worship. In other words, we no longer belong to this world; we belong to Christ, and as His possession, God expects us to embody His character and represent His gospel in our day-to-day life.
Character is who you really are when no one else is watching. And I’m reminded that God doesn’t see what everybody else sees. He doesn’t see our persona or the person we pretend to be. He’s not following our highlight reel on Instagram. God sees our hearts. He sees when no one else is watching.
This is one of the reasons God blessed Ruth the way He did. Ruth would have never imagined that billions of people would one day read her story, and yet, she lived her private life with incredible character.
She showed honor and respect to her mother-in-law. She journeyed with her and worked hard to provide for her, and in doing so, she became known across the entire city as a “virtuous woman.”
If you want to live a life that is honored long after you pass away, if you want to reap the rewards of all that God has in store for you, begin practicing now. If you want the public blessing, it does not come before the private character. Who are you when no one else is watching?