Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature old: things are passed away;
behold all things are become new. – 2 Corinthians 5:17
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a
way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. – Isaiah 43:19
Happy New Year! Welcome to my blog. I hope this can be a safe and inspiring corner of
the internet for hopes to be embraced and brokenness left behind. I’m Jessica: writer, caregiver, and your companion on this journey.
2018 was in interesting year for me, to say the least. I was recovering from a period of
brokenness from that autumn, trying to rediscover my identity after having my world shattered in a very brief period of time. There are places I go now, and places I don’t go, which remind me of these times in 2017 which I want to move past. The verses I am featuring in this blog give me comfort, and I hope they will comfort and inspire you as well.
In the first passage, Paul is writing to the Corinthian church, urging them to no longer
indulge a member who was engaged in a grievous sin. This was a new church, whose members were previously engaged in the pagan culture. They seemed to have no problem with a member
having sexual relations with his father’s wife. This passage:
1. Calls us to live above sin.
2. Calls us out from old to new, and
3. Assures us that change is possible
In the second passage, Israel has been taken captive because of their sin and idolatry. God
is calling them out, and assuring them that good things are ahead if they will seek Him.
Throughout history, we have examples of new beginnings. Whether it’s the discovery of
new territories or a change of life direction, hope and promise abound. No matter the
circumstances, one thing is clear. The old must be left behind for the new to be embraced.
The old dried up waters have to be abandoned for fresh new wells to be found.
As I sit and eat lunch at a apace that holds memories for me, I pray and let go of those
memories. Gradually,, they fall away and hopes for the future take their place, as new lives of righteousness and holiness took place for the Corinthians and for the Israelites.
What old things do you need to exchange for new today?
