New Life

Day 1 – New Life

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

A new year, a fresh start. How many of us can relate to that concept?

The majority of Americans, and even in some citizens from other countries, believe that with each new year, comes a fresh start in life. It’s an opportunity to erase the past and start down a new path. That’s why we make New Year’s resolutions after all! We resolve to be more healthy. We resolve to exercise more. We resolve to find a boyfriend or girlfriend so we’re not alone. We resolve to find a better paying job. An on and on and on it goes. We desire a better life in the new year.

But, what if our fresh start started long ago, not with the passing from one year to the next? What if a fresh start doesn’t begin with each new year, but with each new day? I know those seem contradictory. How can something start in the past but also be present in the future? In a word: Jesus.

Jesus’ death and resurrection gave us a fresh start, a new beginning. He freed us from the penalty that our sins carry. (That penalty is death, by the way.) His defining moment declares that our past, present and future sins are erased because of the victory that He won on the cross and through the grave. Two thousand years ago, Jesus gave us a fresh start. He gave us a new life — a life to be lived in victory.

In addition, each new day, we continue to walk in new life. Our past mistakes? Gone. The sins we got tripped up by? Forgiven. Each breath we take, every step we move, is brand new in Jesus Christ.

We are not defined by our past. Instead, we are defined by our daily walk with Jesus, and our future glory with Him in Heaven.

Our new life has begun with Jesus. And, it is AWESOME!

So, as you begin the next phase of this life called 2017, skip all of the “me-centered” resolutions. Instead, ask God to show you how to live victoriously in this new life that He has given you.