2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Today I feel led to speak about a fantastic promise from
Scripture that is filled with hope and optimism. The promise is of fresh
starts, of new beginnings, from our Lord and God.
Isn’t it wonderful to know that our God is a God of fresh
starts? There is no life too broken, no heart too wounded, no relationship too
damaged that our God cannot heal and restore. It does not matter how dark
yesterday was or the yesterdays of last week, last month, or last year. Today
is a new day, a fresh canvas on which God wants to paint His story of
redemption and love.
Consider Isaiah 43:19, where the Lord declares, "Behold,
I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will
make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." The wilderness
and the desert symbolise life’s trials and tribulations, the dry spells of
faith, the barren areas of our lives. Our God assures us that He can and will
create a way, even in these tough terrains. If we stay firm in our faith and
put our trust in Him, He will lead us to fresh pastures, fresh hope, and a
fresh start.
In the Bible, we see numerous examples of individuals who
received a fresh start from God. Look at Peter - a simple fisherman, who denied
Jesus three times. Yet, God gave him a fresh start, made him a fisher of men,
and the cornerstone of His church. Or, consider Paul - once a persecutor of
Christians, but with God's grace, he had a new beginning and became one of
Christianity's most devoted apostles. Their stories echo the resounding promise
- our past does not define our future in God's eyes.
Beloved, we often chain ourselves to the past - past
mistakes, past hurts, past failures - and allow them to dictate our present and
future. But remember, once we confess our sins and faults, God offers His grace
and mercy, wipes our slate clean, and gives us a fresh start.
Lamentations 3:22-23 affirms this truth, "The
steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they
are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." Each morning when
we wake up, we are offered a fresh start from our Heavenly Father. His mercies
are not the leftovers of yesterday, but they are new, fresh, and abundant each
day.
Therefore, brethren, let us strive to live in the present,
the new day that God has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24).
Let us cast off the shroud of the past and put on the new self, 'created to
be like God in true righteousness and holiness' (Ephesians 4:24).
Our God is in the business of making all things new. He
transforms the ashes of our lives into beauty, the mourning into joy, the
despair into hope. Wherever you are in life right now, whatever you have gone
through, remember, God offers you a fresh start, a new beginning. So today,
embrace this opportunity, this gift of a new start, and step into the glorious
plan that God has for you.
Let us pray that of King David: "Create
in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm
51:10). And as we pray, let us have faith and be assured that our God, the God
of fresh starts, will answer us. May God's grace accompany you as you step into
your new beginnings and fresh starts, filled with optimism and hope. In Jesus'
name, Amen.