Faith Expressed

"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Faith Expressed: New Beginnings!

I get very excited about new beginnings. I love opening a new book and cracking the cover for the very first time to explore what lies within. Reading something new sets my juices flowing! So does writing in a brand new journal or notebook. I used to like moving to a new place and having a fresh start, too, and would take great enjoyment in decorating a new house, meeting new people, and experiencing a different culture in a new area of the country or world. I like having a fresh new start!

Realistically, though, time passes quickly and January moves into February, a book comes to an end, and moving gets old. I make this statement after moving 22 times in 40 years of marriage! New beginnings eventually are no longer new....
There is one new beginning that does not come to an end. That most~important~of~all~new beginnings is when we accept Christ as our Savior. The Bible tells us that our old nature goes away and we are given a new nature. A new nature that gives us the desire to live a life as God's child. As a child of God, His love, forgiveness, and grace is available for us each and every day giving us a fresh start when we come before Him desiring His will, or bowing before Him in repentance. Through His love, forgiveness, and grace ~every day is a new beginning.

We may find ourselves on a journey today that is not one of great joy. Circumstances may have come into play and we may be dealing with the loss of a loved one, an illness, a financial crisis, unemployment, or more. We don't know what 2009 holds for us and we may be looking ahead with fear instead of excitement. What will the new pages of 2009 bring? Who can we turn to if things are tough?
We can turn to our Lord, the Creator of this world...Creator of new beginnings and of old endings, the Creator of hope.

When Christ is our Savior we can live in HOPE for a new beginning...a new day...for this day! We can open the pages of 2009 with HOPE. We can have HOPE for what God will do in our lives to bring us new beginnings.