It’s often a good thing to talk about something New. Whether it’s at the end of the calendar year, when you have given or received a few New gifts at Christmas or at the outset of the New calendar year with hopes set high for the months ahead in your journey. Or maybe your favorite movie or tv series is Newly released on vhs...no wait dvd...no wait again Blu-ray...or finally re-released in theaters in 3-d...hmmm.
And even recently, a New Super-Bowl champion team was named as they reached their goal that they had set out to accomplish.
It’s not often a good thing though to make New things our life’s focus. Strange isn’t it, that although that we know things, emotions, events, accomplishments, or even circumstances don’t last, we may quickly find that the temporary is all we have been emptily pursuing.
It’s always a great thing to set ones affections on the Eternal things of Christ. Often our focus can be re-evaluated and cleansed out by the simplest truths. In recently re-reading the devotional based upon the adventures of The Hobbit, Walking with Bilbo, I came across the chapter entitled “True Identity” that highlights this search for the “New” ingrained in the dna of the human race. The author Sarah Arthur wonderfully concludes the chapter by stating that “when we surrender our false identity to God--the identity we’ve allowed the world to give us--He gives us a NEW identity that is more truly who we really are, who we were always meant to be”.
It’s definitely a truth Bilbo Baggins or any one of us in this journey of faith would attest to. An even more, it’s an eternal truth that the Word of God speaks plainly on. Since it is always timely (and Fun) to speak about NEW things, here are a few Eternal thoughts on NEW for the NEW year. Listen closely to whatever NEW thing God wants to do in your journey ...
Gen 17:1-6 ( Abram’s New name) & 35:9-15 (Jacob’s New name)
Isaiah 62:2-4 (Israel told to Repent & get a New Heart / Name from God)
Ezekiel 18:30-32 (Zion’s New name)
Matthew 16:13-19 (New naming of Simon Peter)
2 Corinth 5:14-17 (New creation in Christ)
Ephesians 4:21-24 (put on the New self in Christ)
Or as C.S. Lewis once explained:
“Until you have given up your self to Him you will not have a real self..your real, New self (which is Christ’s and also yours, and yours just because it is His) will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for HIM”
