‘if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!’ (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)
The round £1 coin was launched on 21 April 1983 to replace the £1 note, and since that time the Royal Mint has produced more than two billion of these coins. Last Sunday, 15th October 2017, was the final day shoppers could spend them before they were officially withdrawn and replaced by the new shaped coin.
The old has gone and the new has come – well almost. It is estimated that up to 450 million of these coins are still in the public’s hands despite the new 12-sided coin entering circulation in March, and so some shops will still accept them for a while.
The Apostle Paul tells us that for Christians ‘the old has gone, the new is here’ (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)
, by which he means: Love should now be the controlling motive in place of hate (v.14)
; serving the one who died for humanity should take the place of selfishness (v.15)
; and a true understanding of Jesus’ identity and achievement should replace a wrong view of him (v.16)
.
This is the new currency, which comes from God, (v.18)
and should shape the life of the believer. May the Holy Spirit empower and equip us (V.5) to be good stewards of this kingdom currency, rather than continuing to use the world’s currency which is no longer legal tender for the Christian.
Have a good week spending God’s new currency.
Pastor Barry