New Beginnings: 3 Scriptures

After posting such a negative sounding article, I thought I would start the New Year on a much more hopeful note. One of the most encouraging truths of the Bible is the fact that God is the God of new beginnings. Maybe for you, 2011 was a year where you fell into some serious sin. God has an answer for that. In first John 1:9 we read, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Notice that He promises to cleanse us not from some of our sin, or most of our sin, but ALL of our sin. The key is having a relationship with God and confessing our sin to Him.

Perhaps 2011 was a year when a lot of things didn't go well for you. God has a message for you as well. In Philippians 3:13-14 Paul writes, But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. You can't change the past, you can only decide to follow a better path today by renewing your commitment to Christ and seeking after Him.

As we begin a New Year, I want to share one of my favorite promises of God's word from Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope. I can think of no better way to look forward to a better New Year, confessing our sin, pressing forward to be more like Christ, and doing so with hope!

Blessings,

Dr. Paul