A Fresh Start in Christ!

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17

¹⁷ Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Devotion:  As most of us begin a new year, we usually tend to reflect on the past years and make resolutions for the coming ones. This desire for change or a fresh beginning shows some yearning among people, more so spiritually, as expressed by 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Being in Christ presents us with the ultimate opportunity for a fresh start. Gone is the older adult we used to be—characterized by sin, failures, and regrets; thanks to Jesus’ sacrificing himself on the cross, we don’t become better but brand new altogether. During this period, we are not expected to do anything so that our ways may be changed; instead, it is the work of God to transform us through His unmerited favor & power.

May our awareness this time round include what we mean when we say we are Christians because that is where our newness comes from. Don’t let what happened yesterday affect how you see yourself today; tomorrow’s accomplishments will never measure your significance before Him; however, intimacy falling short remains. This realization enables us to look forward each morning with confidence in His loving kindness, although everything may look dreary.

Let more seek His will and trust in His promises during this year, which is an opportunity for one to come closer to Him. He holds our future, so we must present the goals and plans you have made for us to Him. Hope is what we hold on to even when everything seems hopeless; there is a purpose behind our existence, making us believe that better days are still ahead of us.

Prayer: Lord our God, Thank You greatly for giving us another year and reminding us that we are all new creatures in Christ. Enable us to abandon everything in our past and begin walking around freely in the freedom You have granted us. And help us guard our hearts and concentrate on You so as not to deviate from Your plan. This year will mark a transformation from one level of faithfulness into another while serving humanity by giving publicity to Your name. So, we surrender this fresh start into Your hands, asking for Your assistance as we endeavor to walk uprightly in Your sight. Amen, in Jesus name!