Everybody likes new things, including God. The Bible begins with the story of His creating a new world, and ends with His plans to make a new heaven and a new earth.
As 2019 stretches out before us, our heavenly Father wants to do new things in the lives of His children. He desires to teach us new truths about Himself, provide new opportunities for ministering to others, take us to higher levels of worship and deeper levels of trust.
Our faith can be kept fresh and new through a daily dose of time with God. He can give us a new understanding, fresh insights, and renewed strength.
We can drink in the Psalms to help us ?sing to the Lord a new song? (33:3 and others). We rejoice along with Paul as he declares, ?If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!? (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Studying the letters of Colossians and Ephesians reminds us that we have taken off our ?old self with its practices? (Colossians 3:9) and are to ?put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness? (Ephesians 4:24).
We can meditate on Hebrews and thank God again that the death of Jesus made ?a new and living way? for us to enter his presence (Hebrews 10:19-22). And we can also keep looking forward to our future by reading Revelation. We can find comfort in thinking about the time when God will right all wrongs, heal all hurts, and give us a new name and a new home.
Rev. Gordon