From Death to Life
Read Ephesians 2:1-10.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
For years, my lawn has had a hodge podge of different grasses-bermuda, fescue, and zoysia to name a few. In addition, I always have a great covering of clover, plenty of bare spots, and a variety of weeds, even though I have attempted to apply weed and feed every year. This fall, I sought out a lawn expert to help me know what we could do to make my front yard look more uniform with better curb appeal. After taking a look in person, my lawn care professional, also named Kyle, informed me that his advice was to start from scratch! Since he appeared to know what he was talking about, I agreed to his recommendation.
The first step in the process was to kill all existing grass and weeds. Kyle came and applied three different applications over several days. The front yard was soon brown and, well, dead.
The next step involved Kyle running an aerator over the ground. This machine created small holes in the compacted soil, which provided better seed-to-soil contact, allowing the grass seeds to germinate more effectively. Kyle then applied one seed application and fertilized. He came back and seeded one more time.
After he completed these steps, he shared that from this point on, the process was all up to me - watering. He instructed me to water every morning and evening for 2-3 weeks. I bought a new hose, a new nozzle for it, and a new sprinkler. For nine long days, I watered every morning for 30 minutes and every evening for 30 minutes with no evidence of growth. I was beginning to think the seeds were never going to germinate. Then, on day 10, I noticed the first glimpse of green. I was encouraged! I watered daily for another week and then tapered off. Kyle cautioned me not to overwater, because that would cause weeds to grow. Eventually, the grass came in as a uniform stand of beautiful green grass.
This experience made me think of our faith journey. Before knowing Christ, we were spiritually dead in our sins and separated from God, living in disobedience and under the influence of worldly ways. When we make the decision to surrender to Jesus, we must put to death our old being, our old habits, and our old ways of life, just like my old grass had to die.
Our Scripture passage in Ephesians 2 tells us that we were dead in our sins, BUT God loved us so much that He made us alive in Christ, even though we didn’t deserve it. By grace we have been saved, through faith. This salvation is a free gift.
Stop and reflect on what that means for you and me. Don’t take it for granted! We would literally be dead, never to experience forgiveness or eternal life.
Once we take the initial step of salvation, we begin our faith journey. Things do not happen overnight. The path of growing in faith is a journey called sanctification-becoming more like Christ. It is meant to be a life-giving journey, full of joy, peace, and purpose. We have to be proactive and work out our salvation but also be patient. Just like I had to put in the work of watering the grass and then wait patiently for growth to happen.
Even after we surrender and become a new creation, that does not mean that we will not sin. When we allow sins into our lives, we must stop and eradicate them, just like when we have weeds come up in our grass. We spot treat them or pull them up from the roots. We must examine our actions for habitual sins and then follow this process: confess, repent, and receive forgiveness and freedom.
Keep in mind that God is always with us through our journey. He never leaves us. He desires a deep relationship with us, and He’ll provide all we need along the way. Lean on Him, take one step at a time, and let your faith become a reflection of His love and grace.
Call to Action
If you have not fully surrendered your life to Christ, make that decision today, putting to death your old ways and putting on the new you.
If you are a believer, has your walk with Jesus become stale? Do you need some new growth in your walk? What steps can you take to grow closer to Jesus?
What habitual sins do you need to put to death? Make a list, turn them over to Jesus, repent and turn from them.
Dig Deeper
Read these additional verses: 1 Peter 2:2, Colossians 2:6-7, Philippians 1:6, 1 John 1:9, John 3:16.
Prayer
Father, thank you for your love and willingness to send your only Son to deliver me from death to life. Thanks for always being with me and never leaving me. Help me on this journey, to be the best I can be for You and for Your glory.
Key words: new, growth, life
Copyright © 2025 Kyle Cravens
