Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Cor. 5:17, ESV)
For six weeks from early October through mid-November, the 120+ golf courses in the Coachella Valley undergo a radical transformation. During the summer months, with triple-digit heat, the vast majority of courses have Bermuda grass fairways.
Because Bermuda grass does not perform well in cooler temperatures, the courses are overseeded with rye or bluegrass seed. At the start of the process, the courses are unsightly, with light green and brown Bermuda.
At our nine courses this season, we utilized 700,000 pounds (350 tons) of Perennial Ryegrass for the fairways and 16,000 pounds (8 tons) of Poa Trivialis for the greens.
Within days of planting (with fertilizer and plenty of water), the courses were radically transformed into lush, bright, emerald-green playing surfaces. The courses began a new life!
Jesus offers us a transformative and eternal life. He declares: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die…” (John 11:25-26 ESV)
Paul put it this way: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17). Jesus is the only source of everlasting life for folks like you and me.
Scripture contains numerous stories of people whose lives experienced a radical transformation. From Abraham, Moses, and Rahab in the Old Testament to Paul, Zacchaeus, and the thief on the cross in the New Testament, we see how these “God-encounters” led to a dramatic rebirth.
In my college years, I turned away from God, thinking I could be the “Master and Commander” of my own ship. I had a plan of what I thought I needed to do to “be happy and live the good life.”
By the time I was 50, I had checked all the boxes and had (or so I thought) achieved the successes that, in my youth, defined “the good life”.
Yet, I was not happy, content, or peaceful. I felt empty and unfulfilled. I carried around a sense of anxiety and despair.
In June 2021, I surrendered my life to Jesus and embraced Him as my Lord and Savior.
In that moment of returning to the Father, I suddenly felt different. As the New Testament writers exclaim, I was a “new creation,” and I was “alive”— a true radical transformation!
Some changes were instantaneous, while others took time to develop. Still others are “in process.” I am “confident that God began a good work in [me] and will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6, NIV).
I live each day with a calm, peaceful inner being that had been absent from my life for over 30 years. The anxiety and despair that were daily visitors no longer come knocking.
My sense of gratitude for Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is profound. I started to see my earthly relationships in a different, more winsome light. And, the fire, a fire is burning inside of me to share with family, friends, and others in my sphere of influence the Good News of God’s free gift of salvation and eternal life.
If you haven’t experienced this life-changing, radical transformation through accepting Jesus as your Savior, it’s not too late. You’ll find that, contrary to the old cliché, the grass where I now live is definitely greener than where I lived 25 years ago. Come join me!
PRAYER-Heavenly Father! We give you praise and glory for your blessings and the gift of salvation.