As we enter into September, it really feels like a new chapter to me. I’m glad that God is into doing new things: it reinforces His willingness to allow us to move on from our past. Once we acknowledge our mistakes before Him and express true sorrow, He is ‘just and faithful to forgive’ and He allows us the opportunity to move forward. All of this is made possible through the power of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ! All of that is a huge part of the gospel message!
The Apostle Paul reminds us that ‘if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone the new has come’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). As one who has been on the receiving end of God’s matchless grace, I ask myself: ‘Who wouldn’t want that?’ Yet, all too often, many of us struggle to let go of our past and hang on to unhelpful aspects of the old life; perhaps because we enjoy the familiar, or we don’t want to offend the expectations of others, or we can’t quite bring ourselves to walk in newness because we feel it will cost us too much! Great news: although walking with Jesus will always mean sacrifice, the benefits in Christ will always outweigh the cost.
This morning’s challenge has to be: what do we need to leave behind to move forward as we enter into a new day?