Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him all His angels; praise Him all His hosts! Praise Him sun and moon; Praise Him all you shining stars! Praise Him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! (Verses 1-4)
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be nor more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And He Who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new."
Revelation 21
On Christmas day all our presents are shiny and new. Jewelry sparkles, batteries still power the toys we gave our kids, no scratches yet on the bikes and no lost Legos from the Star Wars kits. Christmas signals a new year. Gives many of us the balm we needed to soothe the difficulties of the year now ending. We hold something new in our hands, given to us by people who love us. It helps somehow. But many of us need a whole lot more than that to be able to put away 2014. It got old fast for some. Started off slow and crept along after that.
Before us, though, is a shiny bright new year. Hopefully, nothing's ruined it yet. Today I was thinking about what God thought when the universe and all He created was brand spanking new. The glory of the stars still huddled more closely together, the music of their movements filling spaces that were silent moments before. How glorious they were when God said, "This is good." They've been ever expanding since then, moving further and further into a void now filled with innumerable galaxies that creep ever more certainly outward toward the infinite vastness of space. The universe is getting old. The host that clung together when the bang responded to God's command and burst into nothingness bringing light from larger and smaller balls of fiery substance are now moving away from each other, some even dying out. Though I'm sure God still glories in the goodness of what He made, He knows it needs to be renewed. It doesn't seem to have been made for eternal existence. Because it dies. He has in His mind making all things brand new. Including us.
But He doesn't wait for a cataclysmic end in order to make people brand new. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5). In Jesus, we have a new mind, a new heart, a new spirit. We are eternal. Never to die out, though this earth isn't where we'll live forever. But while we are here, in this new year, 2015, we can live in a brand new way. God is all about polishing His "stars." (Philippians 2:15). Restoring the shine. Making us not only look brand new, but live in a brand new way: forgiven, restored, revived. The "former things" can actually be left back there in 2014, or 2013, or every other year before. We can start over as a whole new creation if we choose. We don't have to carry the junk from the past into our present, and I don't just mean we can lose weight. I mean we can live differently. That's our peculiarly amazing choice as children of God.
Vanessa asked me yesterday what my goals were for 2015. I really hadn't thought about it that specifically. Though I have things I want to accomplish this year, like finishing the book I'm writing and being competent in selling real estate, beyond that I have really one goal: be salt and light. It's a general command for those of us who know Jesus. Make people thirsty for Him, shine out in the darkness that surrounds us. But this morning, as I write this, I want a renewed mind, a refreshed spirit, enhanced joy. I want to leave behind the heartaches of this past year without their affecting my present moment. I want to join the stars and planets in exaltation of the God Who delights in their light. To sing with the angels more often than I take up the dirge that is this world's anthem. I want my God to shine me up. Buff out the scratches and make me new.
If your year has been a difficult one and you start 2015 with a certain fear that nothing will ever change, take heart. The omnipotent God Who created everything there is out of absolutely nothing can take your life...and mine...and make all things new. The old can pass away. Die. Buried forever. And 2015 can birth a brand new you.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be nor more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And He Who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new."
Revelation 21
On Christmas day all our presents are shiny and new. Jewelry sparkles, batteries still power the toys we gave our kids, no scratches yet on the bikes and no lost Legos from the Star Wars kits. Christmas signals a new year. Gives many of us the balm we needed to soothe the difficulties of the year now ending. We hold something new in our hands, given to us by people who love us. It helps somehow. But many of us need a whole lot more than that to be able to put away 2014. It got old fast for some. Started off slow and crept along after that.
Before us, though, is a shiny bright new year. Hopefully, nothing's ruined it yet. Today I was thinking about what God thought when the universe and all He created was brand spanking new. The glory of the stars still huddled more closely together, the music of their movements filling spaces that were silent moments before. How glorious they were when God said, "This is good." They've been ever expanding since then, moving further and further into a void now filled with innumerable galaxies that creep ever more certainly outward toward the infinite vastness of space. The universe is getting old. The host that clung together when the bang responded to God's command and burst into nothingness bringing light from larger and smaller balls of fiery substance are now moving away from each other, some even dying out. Though I'm sure God still glories in the goodness of what He made, He knows it needs to be renewed. It doesn't seem to have been made for eternal existence. Because it dies. He has in His mind making all things brand new. Including us.
But He doesn't wait for a cataclysmic end in order to make people brand new. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5). In Jesus, we have a new mind, a new heart, a new spirit. We are eternal. Never to die out, though this earth isn't where we'll live forever. But while we are here, in this new year, 2015, we can live in a brand new way. God is all about polishing His "stars." (Philippians 2:15). Restoring the shine. Making us not only look brand new, but live in a brand new way: forgiven, restored, revived. The "former things" can actually be left back there in 2014, or 2013, or every other year before. We can start over as a whole new creation if we choose. We don't have to carry the junk from the past into our present, and I don't just mean we can lose weight. I mean we can live differently. That's our peculiarly amazing choice as children of God.
Vanessa asked me yesterday what my goals were for 2015. I really hadn't thought about it that specifically. Though I have things I want to accomplish this year, like finishing the book I'm writing and being competent in selling real estate, beyond that I have really one goal: be salt and light. It's a general command for those of us who know Jesus. Make people thirsty for Him, shine out in the darkness that surrounds us. But this morning, as I write this, I want a renewed mind, a refreshed spirit, enhanced joy. I want to leave behind the heartaches of this past year without their affecting my present moment. I want to join the stars and planets in exaltation of the God Who delights in their light. To sing with the angels more often than I take up the dirge that is this world's anthem. I want my God to shine me up. Buff out the scratches and make me new.
If your year has been a difficult one and you start 2015 with a certain fear that nothing will ever change, take heart. The omnipotent God Who created everything there is out of absolutely nothing can take your life...and mine...and make all things new. The old can pass away. Die. Buried forever. And 2015 can birth a brand new you.
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