The New Has Come!

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

I think I need a makeover. I’m tired of the same old haircut, same old clothes, and same old face and make-up I have had for years and years. I want to see the new me with all the changes for the better! At my age, that might not be so easy!

But often it seems a lot easier to change the outside than it does the inside, doesn’t it? How many times we let past mistakes and emotional pain consume our lives. We hold on to the memories and emotions and just can’t let them go, whether they are ones of past relationships, guilt, regret, grief, or anger. Our hearts are sometimes almost filled to the brim with thoughts of what was and what could have been.

But God desires more for our lives than to live in the past. He is a God of blessings for today and tomorrow. He wants us to put our painful memories away and move forward with the plans He has for us on this day and for the future. By doing so, we are able to enjoy the moments that are now and focus on the joy, peace, and contentment that He longs to give us.

When we become a child of God and accept Christ into our lives, we become a new creation. We are promised that“the old has gone and the new has come!” Every day we have the opportunity to be made new in Christ. We don’t have to carry around all those old negative and painful memories anymore. We are forgiven and we can lay aside those things that are holding us back from being the individuals God made us to be and the life He wants us to have.

Today is a new day. It’s time to forget the past and concentrate on all the new possibilities before us – new challenges, opportunities, experiences, new and better relationships, new hopes and dreams, and a new focus on our loving God and what lies ahead for us. The future always holds the hope for something better when we trust in Him.

May we always remember this beautiful verse and its promise: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is His faithfulness.”  Lamentations 3: 22 – 23. 

How grateful we can be that when we brought Christ into our hearts, we had a new inner makeover. And because of His love and mercy, every day we are made anew! “The old has gone, the new has come! Great is His faithfulness!”

Prayer

Our most gracious God, you created us and you sustain us with your love, but even more, you give us the opportunity through your Son, Jesus Christ, to live each day as if we have a new beginning, a new opportunity to be the individual you made us to be. We give you all honor, praise and glory. Amen