January 13
"From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" -Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (NRSV)
Many of us are held hostage by the past, living with regret and fear, burdened by shame, or bowed down by guilt. Do thoughts like the following ever enter your mind? Condemning thoughts may include: "If only I could take back my harsh words! If only I could right the wrongs I did. If only I had taken a different. path." The Good News today for us is God is the God of New Beginnings! God loves you and doesn't want anyone to remain trapped in the past. Our Lord is a God of second chances!
Paul says that through Christ we can become brand-new people on the inside. When the Holy Spirit gives us new life, we aren't the same anymore. We aren't reformed or reeducated. Rather we are re-created and become a new creation. We begin a new life under a new Lord. While this is true for us individually, Paul is saying much more. Not only are we changed from within, but a whole new outpouring of creative energy and possibilities begins with Jesus. He offers us is a new covenant, new perspectives, and new bodies. This isn't a superficial partial change that will be quickly undone by changing circumstances. God offers us an entirely new order of life with new beginnings in Christ's Kingdom. God offers us new perspectives, new hopes, new possibilities, new promises and a new way of looking at ourselves and all of God's creation.
No matter what we may have done in the past or the mistakes we have made, God can and will forgive. Through the sacrifice of Jesus, God carried all of our guilt and shame to the cross. God is willing and able to create in you today a clean heart, to forgive your failures, and remember your mistakes no more. God wants you to forgive yourself also and then embrace and appreciate the new beautiful person you are in Christ. You are God's beloved!
Prayer: God, help me to put past mistakes behind me. Create in me a clean heart and a new life. Amen.
Meditation For The Day: A new life heals mistakes and past strife.
Brief Devotions For Busy Lives: Daily Winter Renewal Paperback – November 25, 2017, by Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson (Author)
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