For I’m going to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Don’t you see it? Isaiah 43:19 (TLB)
One of my favorite things about New Year’s Day is slipping a new calendar into the wooden frame on my kitchen wall. I buy the calendars from a company that makes beautiful ones illustrated by different artists representing every style, from country folk art to contemporary. The choices include every topic I could imagine, and then some. Cats, roses, the Civil War, England, snowmen, butterflies, poetry, roosters— you name it. Last year I chose the theme of primitive barns; this year it’s country churches.
I love seeing all those blank spaces just waiting to be filled. First, I’ll write in the names of loved ones on their birth dates. Later, I’ll add meetings, appointments, and special events as they come up. To me, that new calendar represents a whole year’s worth of opportunities and life experiences to come, some sweet and doubtless some bitter. Three hundred sixty-five days of possibilities.
During His last Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus announced the beginning of the new covenant, represented by His blood that would pay for the world’s sins. Once we accept the gift of forgiveness made possible by His sacrifice, we become a new creation. But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He lives inside us, helping us become more like Him and enjoy a life of meaning and fulfillment.
As we grow closer to Jesus, we come to understand Him on a new level. He offers new opportunities for us to serve Him. He may plant a new dream in our heart or show us a fresh way to use our gifts. Every year, every day represents a chance to embrace Jesus’s love, mercy, and grace in a new way.
Faith Step: Ask Jesus to show you one new thing He would like to do in your life this year. Write it down on a slip of paper to keep in your Bible so you can talk to Him about it on a regular basis.
Excerpted from Mornings with Jesus 2015.
