Top Image

Top Image

Pages

BE MADE NEW

Posted on: Wednesday, February 5, 2014




It's a time for all things NEW.


As I was thinking about things with the word new… The first thing that came to mind was new moons and newborns.  What could babies and the moon have in common? Other than children’s books…

I came to the simple conclusion that both where created by God, and both signify the end of a cycle. My boyfriend always says, "it's all about cycles, everything happens in cycles." I think there is truth to his perception, but there is a distinguishing difference between cycles that continuously retrace themselves, and cycles that act as stepping-stones for each new cycle that follows.



After a month of moving closer to the sun, the moon eventually aligns with the exact elliptical longitude as the sun. This happened a few days ago on January 30th and now the moon is cycling towards a full moon.   

In the same way, after a 9-month cycle of kickin’ it in a womb, a baby is born.

Every day babies are born, and every month a new moon hangs in the sky.    

The moon repeats the exact same cycle every month all year long. But when babies are born they begin a
new cycle, rather than going back into the oven for 9 months... 

And yet...


Isn't that what we so often do as humans?  We retrace the cycles that we know and are familiar with. The cycles of the past. We live in the past, talk about the past, dwell on the past, award the past, and decorate the past.  And yet we were made to rejoice in the
present. "For this is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24)."  I find myself often reminiscing on the past, or longing for the future.  And on the contrary, I also find myself dwelling on the past, and worried about the future.  This is not how God intended for us to live.  He told us not to worry about tomorrow cause we have enough trouble for today. Worrying is like praying for what we don't want.  He told us not to plan for tomorrow because we don't even know if we will be alive.  He told us that His mercies are made new each day, yet we still live lives that are constrained to reminiscing, longing, dwelling, and worries. Yet He calls us to be free from that and live rejoicing, content, delighting, and trusting. 

I read a quote once that said, "Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."




This is hands-down my favorite verse in the Bible 


"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being RENEWED day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

There is just too much goodness to this chunk of truth to emphasize in one blog post, but the promise of "being RENEWED day by day" is the reminder that I need to engrave on the palm of my hand. This unseen renewing is revealed to us when we fix our eyes on Christ.  My most inspiring thoughts, and faith-induced decisions, result from times spent reflecting on the Lord's refining, revealing, refreshing, and renewing

We need to tune into the renewing that is happening day by day.  The reality is that a fresh start and a clean slate are offered to us each morning. But we need to actually live in that reality!

New Year's always reigns in a refreshing start. It motivates us to reflect on our lives and set resolutions that will help us better ourselves. For many Americans this is simply an annual occurrence, much like telling people that you are thankful for them on Thanksgiving.  But what if we were a people marked by daily reflection and God-inspired resolutions? What if we told our loved ones that we are thankful for them every day?  What if we actually lived like every day was a fresh start?




The New Year is quickly followed by the season of lent (the surrendering of our dependence on things that are seemingly necessary, in order to deepen our dependence on God - our one true necessity. Although lent originated from Christian/Catholic traditions, people all over the world participate in lent as a way to break an a viscous cycle/old habit, or start a new one - aka more resolutions).  Lent is always a time where I am inspired to start, quit, or renew something.  In doing so, I have to set my lens on "high-resolution" focus.  What I mean by this is that I have to focus more on the tool used to "capture" my resolution (or accomplish it), rather than the resolution itself. In simple terms, I need to focus more on God, and trust that in doing so everything else will fall into place. Matthew 6:33 says,"Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." During this process I always learn new truths, grow in new ways, and deepen my heart for God.




After lent comes the spring, which brings forth new sounds, new smells, new skies, new flowers and (for me) always reminds me of new love.  The newness that is evident all around me in the springtime is always such a soft yet constant reminder that God is in the business of continuing to relentlessly renewing ALL things.

Getting the theme here?


Newness and renewing is all around us, and within in us! Yet we fail to live like we are
made new each day. 



The Message (a translation of the Bible) uses the word "renew" a lot:

He renews his covenants Deuteronomy 29:1
He renews our vows Deaut 26:16-17
He renews our vigor 1 Samuel 14
He renews our youth Psalm 103:3-5
He renews us by His word Psalm 119:113-120
He renews our inside Ephesians 4:23-24
He renews his promises Hebrews 4:3-7
He renews our minds Ephesians 4:23

The last verse on this list says, "to be made new in the attitude of your minds," and another version says, "and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds."

The mind is a powerful place. It can hold us captive to what it already knows, or it can persistently seek answers to insolvable mysteries. Both ways leave the mind discontent. I think that it is our innate human craving to be "all-knowing" because we were made in the image of God, and God is all-knowing. If we don't know something we are less likely to embrace it.  For example, it's easier to love the people you know, talk about the things you know, go to the places you know, and do the things that you know how to. We are hesitant, and often resistant, to making decisions that lead to unknown outcomes. And so we continue cycling around and around on an axis of familiarity.  We continue comfortably riding the ferris wheel around and around, rather than standing in line for Space Mountain. 



I want my life to be more like Space Mountain.

I want to embrace the coming cycles of life.

I want to my resolution to be set high on Christ.

I want to live like I am made new each day.

One of the devotionals that comes to my e-mail each day is called, "The Spirit of Prophecy Bulletin." As I was finishing this post, I thought to reread the devotional from January 1st to see if it had anything about resolutions or being renewed in it. 

Wow. It couldn't have pertained more...


"This will be a make-it-or-break-it year. You have all the tools you need to make it, but if you get lazy or stubborn, you will be broken and humbled. You will not move forward one inch if you refuse to let go of the past and hang on to things that are no longer relevant to where you are now. You will be challenged to progress, but you will have to provide the initiative by faith. It's up to you; your will is vitally connected to what you make of this season.

If you choose to move on, there will be plenty of grace to enable you in the process. The difficulties that you faced in the past have slowly chipped away at the foundation of your hope and faith. But, this can be a time of restoration and a time of rebuilding your faith and trust in Me, says the Lord. It all depends on where your
focus is.

The old
cycle has ended, and a new cycle is beginning. It will be like a clean and blank sheet of paper ready for you to write your destiny. Keeping your heart and soul in alignment with My purposes in righteousness will write a destiny of a close and intimate relationship with Me. But, you must keep yourself undefiled by the flesh and the world." 

Last weekend I got to watch my beautiful friend Stephanie get baptized. There is no better image of being made new than getting washed by the water.  



4 comments:

  1. I love reading your post. This one has to be my favorite. Gave me some things to think about and renewing my trust in the Lord. These past few years in my life have been hard, but the Lord has continued to show me that each day is better with Him. To me, God knew I would need this devastating experience to renew my faith and trust in him. It brought me closer to Him.
    Thanks for sharing this post! Keep blogging!! God is so good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Margarete! Thanks for your comment! I pray that the Lord brings reminds you that "His past faithfulness demand your present trust" and that he would provide overwhelmed comfort and joy in your life. I pray that He brings renewal and abundance out of your times of devastation. Keep remember that His mercies are made new each day and that His power is in you making you able to overcome anything.

      Delete
  2. Embarrassing. Embrace the joy and goodness within yourself! There can be no higher moral bar than the one you set for yourself. Answering to yourself is the hardest thing you'll ever have done. Free yourself...

    ReplyDelete
  3. This post is exactly what i needed to hear. I feel so blessed that I stumbled across this. I don't think you will know how much reading this has helped me and given me hope. Thank you so much for sharing this! May God bless you!

    ReplyDelete

Audrey Mirabella All rights reserved © Blog Milk Powered by Blogger