Under New Management

Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

“Everybody all set?” asked Dad as his family piled in the car after shopping for a new couch. “Are we all buckled in?”

“I’m ready,” said Eli. “But after trying the comfortable recliner in that store, these seats feel like stone or marble or something.”

“That’s a really nice store now,” observed Hadassah. “It used to be such a dump!”

“I know,” said Mom. “I can hardly believe how much it’s changed!”

Hadassah glanced at the store flyer in her hand. “They have a new manager,” she said, pointing to big, yellow letters on the flyer. “See! It says here, ‘Under New Management.’ Maybe that’s why things changed so much.”

“Perhaps the new manager is more experienced than the old one,” said Mom. “They certainly did a good job of getting that store back on its feet.”

“Hey, yeah!” exclaimed Dad. “Thanks, guys!”

“For what?” asked Eli, giving Dad a curious look.

Dad grinned. “For an illustration I can use in my sermon tomorrow. Talking about that store made me realize we’re under new management too.”

“We are?” asked Eli. “What does that mean?”

“Before we knew Jesus, we were controlled by sin and the devil,” Dad explained. “We were as much of a mess as that old department store—a much worse mess, in fact! When we put our trust in Jesus, He took over. So now we’re also under new management—we’re under the most experienced manager there is.”

Eli frowned. “I know the Bible says we become new, but I don’t think I’ve changed as much as that store has.”

“But you have!” said Dad. “Even though Christians still do things that are wrong, we have God’s Holy Spirit living inside us, and He’s shaping us to be more like Jesus.”

Mom nodded. “Even if you don’t notice a difference, you’ve changed. When Jesus comes into your life, the Holy Spirit gives you power to turn from sin and the desire to obey God, and He begins working to make your thoughts and actions reflect Jesus.”

“And He’ll never quit working on us,” added Hadassah. “The new manager at that store could quit, but God never will, right?”

“That’s right,” Dad said. “Jesus will stick with us through it all.”

-Dalan Decker

How About You?

Whose management are you under? If you trust in Jesus, He has made you a new person and is working in your life. If not, you’re still under the control of sin and Satan. That’s an unpleasant thought, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. Why not fire that old manager today? Trust Jesus as your Savior and let Him manage your life. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.) He’s the best manager there is, and He will take good care of you.

Today’s Key Verse:
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Today’s Key Thought:

Let Jesus manage your life