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"Chiseled"
Week 8
Chiseled – The Work is Not Over
Hello and welcome to this week’s devotional for the Northeast Conference of the Global Methodist Church. I’m Steven Taylor, your Conference Superintendent. Easter Sunday has come and gone. The songs have been sung. The celebrations have been shared. The empty tomb has been declared. Christ is risen, indeed!
But now we find ourselves in the week after Easter.
And the question becomes: What now?
Focus Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17
“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”
From Pastor Steve
The Resurrection was never meant to be a moment we celebrate once a year. It has always meant to be a life into which we step every day. Over these past weeks, we’ve walked through a Lenten journey called Chiseled.
We’ve asked God to remove what does not belong. Sin. Distrust. Apathy. Silence. False views of God. Resistance to surrender.
Piece by piece, we have invited the Master Carver to shape us. And then we stood at the cross, where we were reminded that some things only Jesus can remove. And He did. That is what Easter declares. The stone is rolled away. Sin is defeated. Death is conquered. Grace has the final word.
But here’s the truth we cannot miss:
Resurrection is not just about what Jesus has done for us.
It is about what Jesus now wants to do in us.
Paul wrote in our verse for today: “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation…” Not “will be someday.” Not “should be eventually.” Is. Right now.
Which means the chiseling was never the end goal. Transformation is. God did not remove all those layers so we could return to old patterns. He removed them so something new could emerge. A new heart. A new trust. A new passion. A new voice. A new understanding of who He is. A new surrender. A new life. And this is where Easter becomes personal.
It is entirely possible to celebrate the resurrection, and still live as if nothing in your life has changed. You can sing, “...Christ the Lord is Risen Today…” and still be holding onto what God has already freed you from. Still returning to habits He has already exposed. Still living cautiously when He has called you to live boldly.
But the empty tomb does not invite us back to the old life. It calls us forward into a new one. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the power now at work in you.
Which means: You are not who you were. You do not have to live like you did. You are not bound to what once defined you. The chiseling continues. The cross has done its work.
Now the question is: Will you live as someone who has been made new?
For those reading this or listening, let me say this clearly: Not one of us is fully sanctified. You and I are still in the hands of the Master Carver. That doesn’t mean we give up and live as we have been. Holiness calls us deeper and deeper and deeper into the full view of God and the full weight of our sin. Jesus is the bridge. Jesus is the lamb of God. Jesus is the Son and Savior we have been celebrating and bowing before this season.
So, I ask again: Will you live as someone who has been made new? Or not?
Reflection Questions
- What has God been chiseling in your life during this Lenten season?
- Where are you tempted to return to old patterns instead of living in resurrection freedom?
- What is one clear step you can take this week to live as a “new creation” in Christ?
Prayer
Risen Lord, thank You for the work You have done. For the cross, for the empty tomb, and for the new life You offer. Help me not just to celebrate resurrection, but to live it. Give me courage to walk away from what You have already removed. Strength to live in the freedom You have secured. And faith to trust that You are still shaping me. Make me new - fully, daily, completely. Amen.
Final Thought
The stone has been rolled away. The grave is empty. And your old life does not get the final word. Keep living in the full assurance that you’ve been made new!
Blessings,
Steve
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