The new year brings enthusiasm, hope, and the potential for change. As a pastor of a church, I am beginning a series of sermons on New Beginnings – fresh starts. Like all my sermons, it comes with tremendous thought and prayer. Before I can utter a word, I know I must hear from the Lord.
This morning I was thinking about how we start over. How we undo what has been done, regroup, and start again. I thought of spring. Over the last few weeks, it has felt like spring in Northeast Georgia – not December! And we’ve seen more rain than we’ve seen in a very long time.
But you and I both know, in order for spring to come, winter has to end. I can’t have both seasons. The fresh green grass and spring flowers could not thrive and grow in this kind of weather. No, in order to start new, something has to end.
Really, it is more about ending than beginning. We have to let go of what we are holding on to so that we can start fresh. One cannot exist when the other is around. How do we let go so that we can start new?
The words “Love Me” came clearly to my heart. When we commit our hearts and lives to God fully, the love we have for Him overshadows the grip of sin and death. When we sell out to God, like the thawing of the ice upon the ground, new life pushes through, fresh and green.
When God spoke to Moses and instructed him to go to Pharoah, Moses asked Him, “Who do I say sent me?”
God responded, “Tell him, I am.”
I am ______________ (fill in anything you wish). He is more than enough. He is the answer to every problem. He is exactly what we need. He is our portion.
Make this year the year you commit daily to a loving relationship with God. Make this the year you study His word every day. Communicate with Him throughout the day. And make Him front and center in your home. Make this the year you end your former self and begin fresh and new in the love of God.
Happy New Year! May you love God deeper and experience the wonder of a fresh new start in Him.
