A New Day

by Stephanie Niebarger

This Week's Verse: Isaiah 43: 18-19, “Do not remember things that have happened before. Do not think about the things of the past. See, I will do a new thing. It will begin happening now.” (NLB)

Devotion:
I read the above scripture in my daily devotion a few weeks ago and it reminded me that each day is a new day to make a fresh start. Forget about what mistake you made and go forward. One of my favorite Reba McEntire songs is “Walk On.” The chorus goes: “Walk on. Nothing ever stays wrong that long. Walk toward the light, ‘til you find the sun (or Son – my translation) and you’ll be better off in the long run.” In other words, if we endure while walking through a rough patch, we'll actually come out better on the other side. But the thing about a fresh start is, you have to let go of the past.

Joyce Meyer puts it this way: “Don’t waste your future being condemned about your past. Sooner or later, we must come to the place where we stop feeling bitter, resentful, and sorry for ourselves. There must come a time when we stop living in the past and asking why. Instead, we must learn to let God turn our scars into stars.” Our negative history, if we let God shift our perspective, can possibly begin to be viewed as positive because it's shaped us into who we now are or can be in God.

Think about a precious stone or diamond--it doesn't get that way by any easy means. It is first placed under intense heat and then chiseled away to the beautiful stone that may be on your finger right now! Do you feel like you've been through the fire, chiseled like a stone? Don't give up. God is forming you into something beautiful like a diamond.

A friend sent me one of those “forwarded emails” with this analogy: Take a cup of water and hold it out straight in front of you. Initially you hardly noticed the weight of it. But after a while, it gets heavier and heavier until you can’t hold it anymore. That’s the same as any past mistakes or failures you may be carrying around with you. Let them go. They are holding you back from being the person God intended for you to be. Treat each day as a new day. Let go of past mistakes and go forward knowing that God is there with you to help you along the way. And you can bet He's polishing you to sparkle and shine for Him.

Father thank you for seeing us through some of our most difficult times. Please Dear Father, help us to let go of the past and focus more on the future that You have for us.

Application:
Is there something in your past that you are hanging on to? Past resentment, guilt, anger? Let it go. If there is someone you need to forgive, do it. Ask Jesus to help you get past all the baggage you are carrying around with you. Don’t waste your future being condemned about your past!

Power Verses:
Revelation 21:5, "Then the one sitting on the throne said: 'I am making everything new. Write down what I have said. My words are true and can be trusted.'"(CEV)
Philippians 4:13, "Christ gives me the strength to face anything."(CEV)
1 Corinthians 1:9, "God, who started you in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that." (MSG)