new

If you’re like a lot of other people, the beginning of the year signifies NEW things and NEW opportunities in life; perhaps a new routine, new goals, or simply a chance for a fresh start. Regardless of whether or not you chose a Resolution for 2007, the New Year gives us hope for better things to come.

The word “new” is actually very symbolic and meaningful in Scripture. It’s a word connected to God’s creational activity throughout the Bible. In the beginning, God created everything new. It was perfect, flawless, glorious…and it included humans. But something happened, and it continues to happen today. Sin corrupted not only humankind, but all creation as well. As a result, we are a broken, imperfect people living in a fractured, fallen world. So what was once ‘new,’ became scarred, flawed and filthy.

But here’s another great meaning behind the word “new” that we find in Scripture. In Revelation 21:5, Jesus (the One sitting on the throne) says, “Look, I am making all things new!” The amazing work of God in our lives is found in the hope that He has a plan for restoring what was once lost. Jesus comes to take what was once new and to “renew” it back to its original intent.

So may you be encouraged in the knowledge of the hope that God IS restoring the flaws, the brokenness and the imperfections in your life, and that the process will graciously continue in 2007.