A real conversion is the work of God.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

From these words of Paul about “the new creation”, we learn that a real conversion is the work of God. Drawn by the love of God and empowered by the power of God, we become a “new creation.” It is not a spiritual achievement, which we accomplish for ourselves. It is the work of God, working in our hearts and leading us to put our faith Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

We read more about this in 1 Peter 1:23, 25 – “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God… And this is the word that was preached to you.”

When we are “born again”, we are filled with the joy of the Lord: “you believe in Jesus Christ and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8).

We do not always feel that we are filled with the joy of the Lord, but God’s Word says to us that Christ has brought this joy into our hearts and lives. May God’s Spirit, working in us, bring us back, again and again, to this: “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).