2 Corinthians 5:16-17
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
There is something wonderful about having a truly fresh start. It could be something as simple as the joy of a beautiful morning, or significant as the beginning of a new job. Why is a fresh start so wonderful? In many ways, it is that the past is no longer in the way. As a dreary or stormy night melts away with the bright sun of a fair weather morning, the troubles of the past melt away when the new has come.
This is what God has done for the world in His Son Jesus. Jesus, though HIs perfect life, showed us our future home in God. Through His death on the cross Jesus paid the price we could not bear and won our forgiveness. God removes the burden of our sin and gives us the ultimate fresh start, enabling us to walk in HIs presence through faith.
The old, which means our old sinful self and the sadness of the grave, has passed away. We now are a new creation in Jesus. As we confess our sins and trust in Jesus our Savior, the certainty of our standing before God is affirmed and we are strengthened to live the joy of eternal life today through faith in God and love towards one another.
Let us pray
I thank you Lord Jesus for making all things new, forgiving my sins, and raising me to experience your new life. Help me not to fear the past, for you have won my forgiveness. Be with all those who have yet to come to know you. May they too rejoice through faith in you and be made new. In your name I pray, Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come,Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.