In January, we get a new year, a new calendar, and a new opportunity to begin again on our annual goals. We love having the opportunity to start over, and the new year gives us the feeling that we can do that, at least in some ways.
anything is possible
There is something special about anything new. Wearing a brother or sister’s “hand-me-downs” may not be terrible, but it does not compare with having something new. The greatest selling point when someone sells something used is if it can be said that it is “just like new.” New is clean, crisp, sharp, unblemished, and unspoiled. Even better, new is filled with potential.
In the new year, things will be different. In the new year, we will lose weight, get in shape, get up early to pray and study the Word, live on a budget, learn a foreign language, and stop biting our nails. When the year is new, anything seems possible.
he is making all things new
In Revelation 21:5, the Lord says, “Behold, I am making all things new.” This has to be one of the most exciting, hopeful sentences ever uttered. The Lord, “the creator of the ends of the earth,” the One who possesses the power to do so, says that He is making all things new! It can be beyond our imagination to think of all that will be. Just think of a weak, old, worn out, diseased body, made new, strong, healthy, and vibrant. Just imagine all the horrors of the past, all the pain, all the brokenness, all the wrong choices, all the sinful actions, all the evil thoughts, all the defeats, and all the shame, somehow erased, forgotten, and gone. Think of a world without crime, without natural disasters, and without disease. Think of relationships without hatred, without greed or envy, without lusts, without animus. It all sounds too good to be true, but that is what it will be like to be new people, living in a new world. And God is making all things new. It will not simply be a new year, but a new creation.
As we ponder the wonder of redemption (for this new creation is the end product of God’s act of redemption in Jesus Christ), let’s not get lost in the joy of what awaits us and forget the cost involved. We just celebrated God divesting Himself of His glory, taking on human flesh, and dwelling with us here in this fallen world. In a few months, we will remember His crucifixion and celebrate His resurrection. The dirty stable, the bloody cross, and everything in between was the price paid for Something New. And there is nothing quite like New.
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.