What God Says about New Beginnings - The Crosswalk Devotional - December 30
What God Says about New Beginnings
By Aaron D’Anthony Brown
Bible Reading:
“But that is not how you came to know Christ, assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.” (Ephesians 4:20-24, CSB)
There’s plenty to appreciate about new things, like the smell of a new car or the feel of new clothes. This is all the more true of a new marriage or a newborn baby. Newness in life can be and often is good and exciting. Yet, while we can usually appreciate new material things or relationships, we don’t always show the same gratitude toward the newness found in God. The newness that is God. Perhaps that is because we don’t fully fathom what He says about new beginnings.
Scripture tells us how the Lord creates within us a “new self,” and how He offers “new mercies” every morning. He takes off the shackles of sin that once defined us and helps us become better image-bearers of His Son. The old self was corrupted, but the new self was created in His righteousness.
If our faith in Jesus Christ makes us new, then we don’t have to be like our old selves. Whatever sinful habits or unhealthy relationships or trauma that once seemed permanent can be undone. A new beginning is possible.
Chances are, on an intellectual level, we believe in the new beginning because we know that change is possible. Yet, another part of us says that change is hard. And oftentimes not just hard, but seemingly impossible.
That’s when we have to remember, “I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
If God makes us new and grants us the power to walk in that newness, then we should ask ourselves, “Why aren’t we?” Fear? Laziness? Ignorance? If we are new, then we are not stuck in the old. We can grow. We can embrace a new beginning.
After reading Scripture and understanding that God makes us new, the next step is figuring out how to apply this knowledge to our lives.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Here are a few ways you can apply God’s new beginnings to your life starting today:
1. Thank God for new mercies.
Today doesn’t have to be like yesterday, and tomorrow doesn’t have to be like today. If God grants us new mercies, we would be foolish not to accept them. That means mercy in the form of forgiveness, mercy in the form of a chance to right our wrongs, mercy in the form of seeing another day.
The average life expectancy for Americans may be around 80, but no day is guaranteed. That should caution us to make the most of each day we are given. Not using it as an opportunity to serve the flesh or our old way of being, but striving to be something better, someone new.
Thank God that His mercies are new every morning and make wise use of them.
2. Thank God for new opportunities.
With every new day comes an opportunity to do something different. Maybe yesterday brought a contentious argument with a spouse or a relapse in addiction, but today doesn’t have to follow the same pattern. Today can be different, because the past does not predict the future.
We often see new beginnings as impossible until we’re in them, but paradoxically, not believing in the new beginning prevents us from reaching it in the first place.
Recall and thank God for the new opportunities He has given you in the past, whether in relationships, jobs, or financial security. Remember those past blessings and use them to encourage yourself today.
If a new beginning was possible before, indeed it can happen again.
3. Be encouraged that you are new.
Understanding that you have been and are being made new every day will feel hard to believe some days, but we have to press forward. Newness means something to God, and He delights in His children growing in the likeness of His Son.
The sinful part of you may say that isn’t true, but if you have to ask yourself, “Do I want to believe sin, or do I want to believe God?” Which would you pick?
If you pick God, then choose to embrace your new beginning today.
Further Reading (and Listening):
Jeremiah 29:11
2 Corinthians 5:17
Isaiah 43:18-19
“God Gave Us A Future” by Marvin Winans & The Perfected Praise Choir
“Sunday is Coming” by Phil Wickham
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/SomeMeans
Get in touch with him at aarondanthony.com and check out his debut short story anthology Honey Dreams on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
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