With the new birth at salvation comes new life in Christ. It’s fresh. It’s raw. And it’s real.

I love seeing the “new man” develop in the heart and life of a new believer in Christ. And one of the biggest reasons is because it’s energizing and motivating to those of us who are sometimes guilty of allowing the “newness” of what we’ve been given in Christ to wear off and begin to fade a bit.

Just like the life of a newborn baby brings joy and gladness and a re-evaluation of our own life, the new birth of a Christian can have the same effect. Their passion is so obvious. Their priorities are so clear. And their perspective is so untainted.

May we always keep the fresh and passionate zeal for the things of God like we did the first day after we got saved.

I recently led a man to the Lord who has not only become a great friend, but has challenged me and reminded me of some things about the Christian life that we all need to keep in proper perspective, just like the day we first got saved. I’ve been saved for over 20 years, yet I’ve been convicted through this man’s life and testimony as my new brother in Christ.

I’m a better Christian today because of these 4 things a new believer taught me and reminded me of about the Christian life:

PURPOSE

From the day he got saved, this man has been on a passionate pursuit of reaching as many of his friends and family for Christ as he possibly can. He almost acts as if his time is limited to reach them, (Imagine that!) and that if he’s not intentional, they might actually miss receiving the life-changing message of the gospel.

The first time we met just days after having led him to the Lord, these were his words, “What are ways that I can help other people come to know Jesus too? I want others to know what I now know, and experience what I’ve experienced!”

Proverbs 11:30  The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

PRIORITIES

When I go through discipleship with new converts, the session on money and stewardship is the one that I never know for sure how people will respond to. I loved this man’s response. He said, “Money and a big house don’t matter to me anymore. They’re just stuff. There’s more important things to live for in life than what kind of car you drive or how many things you have.”

Wow! How many of us Christian’s need to have that kind of spiritual alignment? He admitted an obvious shift in his priorities the day he got saved. He used to live for the temporal, now he’s investing into the eternal. And his life is now giving clear evidence to that fact.

Psalm 49:16-17  Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.

PASSION

The passion and love this guy has for the truth of the Word of God is unbelievable. He just can’t get enough! Here are his own words… “I read the Bible all day long by listening to it on my phone. I just can’t seem to get too much.”

When’s the last time we’ve been ‘guilty’ of spending too much time in the Word of God? Rather, how often are we guilty of reading the Bible primarily out of a sense of godly duty rather than genuine desire? How often are we reading it not to go deeper, but just to get done?

Psalm 119:97  O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.

PERSPECTIVE

My friend is facing some challenging situations in his life right now, but it’s encouraging to hear him say things like this… “I trust God no matter what happens because I know He’s in control and He will only do what is right. So, I don’t worry about it anymore.”

What an amazing attitude of faith! And this man has only been saved for a couple of months. Can those of us who have been saved for a couple of years or even decades say that we have that same attitude about the challenging situations we’re facing right now?

Psalm 48:14  For this God is our God forever and ever: he will be our guide unto death.

Regardless of how long you’ve known the Lord, can you honestly say that your spiritual life measures up in these four areas?… Or has your once fiery zeal for Christ lost some of its flame? I know that I, for one, have been convicted, challenged, and even changed because of this man’s new-found zeal for the things of God.

By God’s grace, as I get older in Christ, may I more and more possess these qualities that came so naturally the day I got saved. May I never find myself weary of living the Christian life, and may I never lose sight of eternity. Because there’s truly no better life to live than the one that’s lived for Christ. May my life as a Christian be characterized by purpose, priorities, passion, and perspective.

Thank you, my friend, for reminding me of the abundant life that I’ve been called to in Christ. May we all strive towards achieving the same!

John 10:10  I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.