All Things New

Christmas is over…I now have to wait another whole year for, “the most wonderful time of the year.”  All of the anticipation, the excitement, the gifts, the food, the family, the music – all of the effort to enjoy such a special holiday season – and then it’s over.

Sometimes, the lull after Christmas can be a bit of a let-down, and even a bit… melancholy.  Well, then there’s New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Eve day –  there’s still another occasion coming soon.   New Year’s can be a time to: make a New Year’s Resolution (or resolutions), and for some it can be a time to forget their cares (or at least try).   I am reminded of the beginning of this somber song often sung,

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And auld lang syne?”

It has a sad twang sound, doesn’t it?

Often times, disappointment may arise when resolutions or expectations are not met, “This year I will… (fill in the blank)”. That mentality may last for a day…a week…a month…But over time, it usually will fade, and the need to be filled remains once again.  Don’t get me wrong – resolutions are a great tool for establishing goals, but like most things over time –  they come and go.

However, New Year’s can also be a time for new hope in your life – a new hope that does not end, that does not disappear, that does not fade, that does not go away, that cannot be taken away, and that does not come around once a year.  Jesus can make you new again, and that new is here to stay.

1.  He can purify your heart.  Isaiah 1:18 says, ” Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”  Jesus can make this change in your life for you today.  He can purify your heart – all you have to do is confess and repent your sins to him.

“Rid yourselves of all offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit.” Ezekiel 18:31

2.  He is always with us.  Hebrews 13:5 says, ” Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  He is always with us in each passing moment in each day.

3.  He makes us new; the old is gone.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, and the new has come!” 2 Corinithians 5:17

“I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2

What are you waiting for, friend? Let’s start the New Year in Christ’s new creation.  Say goodbye to the old you, and welcome the new in him.  Start fresh, and fill your cup with his hope and joy!

4.  He gives us a new living hope.

 “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1:3-4

Rejoice!  Although we have not seen him, and because we love him, and believe in him; we are told from his word that we will be filled with

“inexpressible and glorious joy“

for receiving his salvation (1 Peter 1:8).