New Day, New Year, New Life

Guess what? If you are reading this, it means you woke up this morning. The simple act of waking up, opening your eyes, taking a breath, gaining consciousness as you lay in your bed means you experience the very blessings and mercies of God. How often do we take the time to recognize this marvelous manifestation of God’s great grace upon us? I bet for most of us, if we are honest, don’t take the time to thank him for waking us up, for giving us a new day, for allowing us to live in the world he created. If we are willing to draw back the curtain of our lives, we would probably see a lifetime of mornings, days, and nights taken for granted, not lived in their full potential, spent on selfish pursuits of temporary pleasures. But today is a new day! Today is the day when you can decide to make today count. Today you can live for Christ, shining his light into the darkness around you. 

As the days continue to accumulate in our lives we will inevitably come upon new years. We have recently rolled the calendar into 2021 and as we are now six days into the new year, we should not be surprised by the turmoil we see. Covid-19 is still in full swing, the vaccine we were promised is not rolling out as expected, and the country is still fighting about the election. If we are not careful, we can miss the wonderful opportunity God has provided us. God has granted us another year to make a difference, another year to know Jesus, another year to share Christ, and another year to be part of his church. Sure, we can go with all the naysayers and allow negativity to fill our minds. We can become numb to the world’s problems and the lostness around us. We can become complacent in our walk with Christ and simply go through the motions of religion. We can do these things, but we can also do much better things, more righteous, holier, more God honoring things. As this new year continues, I want to encourage you to choose to live for Christ. Do not allow the antagonism of the world to influence your walk with Christ. God has allowed you to be here for 2021 for a purpose. Make this year count. 

Yes, we are glad we have new days to live and we rejoice over the fact that we have a new year to be excited about, but what captivates our hearts the most, as believers, is the truth that because of Jesus, we have a brand new life. This new life in Christ has happened because of God’s great love for you. Jesus died for you. Jesus rose from the dead for you. Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father right now, praying for you! Inside you, at this very moment, you have the Holy Spirit of God living in you, empowering you to excel at conquering sin and glorifying God. I want to encourage you by reminding you that while this world will surely give us many things to frown about, nothing compares to the gospel truth that you have a new life in Christ. This new life means we do not have to consume ourselves with the affairs of this world because we know that this is not our home. Heaven is our home and glory is in our future. 

Live this new day and new year in the power of your new life in Christ. Watch how God will use you this year. Be amazed at his presence in your life. 

Blessings,

Bro. Brad