new

He Makes All Things New

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While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. – Genesis 8:22

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. – Genesis 1:1-31

With the creation of Earth, God instituted a cyclic measure of time. Every dark followed by light is a day, every seven of those is a Sabbath, and after several of those weeks are months, years, all expressing their circular nature by reoccurring events, seasons, and holy days. Time is cyclic, and so are we, in many ways. We wax alert with the sun, wane by the time the sun sets on the horizon. The moon’s many phases can calculate a female body’s monthly pattern. Every season brings high and low energies, and our lives can be pictured as a circle with childhood, rising maturity to physical and mental peaks, dipping once again back to the frailty of age.

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” – Revelation 21:5

Here we are, just after the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere and first day of autumn in the southern, feeling the slowly turning wheel of this world more than usual. Springtime, especially, has an atmosphere of new beginnings that inspire us to rise once again from our winter slumbers. It’s a wonderful time for the renewal of our souls.

Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. – Deuteronomy 32:2

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. – Psalm 51:10

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” – Isaiah 35:1-10

Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield. “Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. – Joel 2:22-23

It’s a time of year that reminds of us God’s constant renewal of the Earth, gift of life, and how He provides for us all to thrive in His warmth and the replenishing waters of His Word.

I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. – Deuteronomy 11:14

For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. – Song of Solomon 2:11-12

‘For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. ‘The flowers have already appeared in the land; The time has arrived for pruning the vines, And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. ‘The fig tree has ripened its figs, And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along!'” – Song of Solomon 2:11-13

He provides and is ever-present as sure as the cycles of sun and moon and seasons. In a way, the cyclic measure of time is a reminder of His constancy and His reliability in a world as chaotic as the open seas in a storm.

Why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. – Matthew 6:28-29

Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth. – Hosea 6:3

May this season bring you blessings and a reminder of God’s everlasting grace.

New Year: God’s Resolution

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“And the One seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.'” Revelation 21:5

A new year promises new beginnings, and urges us all to look to the future with hope and sometimes a little fear of the unknown. We make resolutions to help us create a better life. Did you know God has His own resolutions?

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying:

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man,
and He will live with them.
They will be His people,
and God Himself will be with them as their God.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,
and there will be no more death
or mourning or crying or pain,
for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4

“Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are faithful and true.” And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life. The one who is victorious will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.” Revelation 21:5-7

Once upon a time, when I was a child, I took it upon myself to “attempt” to read the Bible all the way through. I half-way succeeded (literally only the Old Testament) and then skipped to Revelations. What a horrible idea! I read things like:

“And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.” Revelations 6:8

And –

“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” Revelations 6:12-14

Well then. So, basically Revelations used to be like a horror film to me, full of blood and gore and hopelessness.

I HAD MISSED GOD’S PROMISES AND HOPE. I only caught on to his anger and deep sadness over the darkness of the world.

So, later, armed with greater reading comprehension and knowledge of how to research and dissect literature, I faced the Bible once again. I started at the beginning, when the world held such hope, mourned the loss of innocence, and struggled alongside the prophets, laymen, families, and God as I made my way back through the Old Testament.

Malachi.

This is the last book of the Old Testament, written by the minor prophet… Malachi, of course.

“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts.” Malachi 3:1

“See, I will send my messenger…For he will be like a refiner’s fire… He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.” Malachi 3:1-4

Malachi spoke of hope. Hope that the Israelites lived on for 400 years.

Then, I finally opened the New Testament.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:1-5

The darkness has not overcome it. After all the pain, turmoil, doubt, and silence that the Old Testament addressed, it also spoke of unrelenting faith, everlasting love for others and God for His people, and the pinprick of light that still existed far toward the end of the tunnel. Yet, after all this, that spot of light remained and only grew stronger in the world.

Through the books of the New Testament, I walked with Jesus and His disciples speaking of the love of God and His children and the hope that sinners had in Him. The darkness had not overcome the light, but the light would overcome the darkness. Though life was never easy or fair for Jesus or His followers, they grew from a handful to innumerable as the stars. I remember a resolution God had made back in the beginning.

“He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars–if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Genesis 15:5

Did you think God was speaking to Abraham of his future blood relatives back then? Abraham probably did too.

“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.” Galatians 3:29

You are one of those stars He spoke of so long ago.

When God makes promises and resolutions, He not only follows through but brings them to fruition above our very expectations and dreams.

So, when I finally made it back to Revelations, I read it with different eyes, filled with new hope. There would be terrible things in store for the world. This much was still true. But, did you not realize that we, the beloved children of God, are not the world? We may have to suffer through much, but haven’t we already through history? One thing remained the same: God stands by our side and faces it alongside us.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

“For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:17-18

This new year, remember God has His own resolutions, and they involve you.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Happy New Year to all; your future is bright.

***

Other Bible quotes about God making all things new:

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 45:18-19

“For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
and her people to be a gladness.” Isaiah 65:17-18

New Hope

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To me, this verse means time is nothing to God. He exists in our past, present, future, and beyond the confines of time itself. Yet, here we are at the cusp of a new year, according to the Gregorian calendar. Not so for most calendar types, and there are hundreds of calendar types throughout the world with variants of each one going back into ancient history. They tell dates with different methods, including solar, lunar, lunisolar, and fixed length. Oh, but it’s 2016? Yeah, that depends:

Gregorian calendar 2016
MMXVI
Ab urbe condita 2769
Armenian calendar 1465
ԹՎ ՌՆԿԵ
Assyrian calendar 6766
Bahá’í calendar 172–173
Bengali calendar 1423
Berber calendar 2966
British Regnal year 64 Eliz. 2 – 65 Eliz. 2
Buddhist calendar 2560
Burmese calendar 1378
Byzantine calendar 7524–7525
Chinese calendar 乙未年 (Wood Goat)
4712 or 4652
— to —
丙申年 (Fire Monkey)
4713 or 4653
Coptic calendar 1732–1733
Discordian calendar 3182
Ethiopian calendar 2008–2009
Hebrew calendar 5776–5777
Hindu calendars
– Vikram Samvat 2072–2073
– Shaka Samvat 1937–1938
– Kali Yuga 5116–5117
Holocene calendar 12016
Igbo calendar 1016–1017
Iranian calendar 1394–1395
Islamic calendar 1437–1438
Japanese calendar Heisei 28
(平成２８年)
Javanese calendar 1949–1950
Juche calendar 105
Julian calendar Gregorian minus 13 days
Korean calendar 4349
Minguo calendar ROC 105
民國105年
Nanakshahi calendar 548
Thai solar calendar 2559
Unix time
1451606400 – 1483228799

My personal favorite is the year of the Wood Goat.

So, if time doesn’t matter, then what’s the point of celebrating an arbitrary day?

Hope.

Humanity yearns for renewal of hope, to clean the slate, and to move onward to greater things than before. Yet, again and again, God tells us in his Book that every moment is a new beginning:

Lamentations 3:22-23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”

Isaiah 43:19 “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here!”

2016 hasn’t been the easiest year for most of us, and many are looking ahead to 2017 with hope that the world and life will be better. It all begins with you.

So, this year, if you “fail” your New Year’s resolution, remember this moment (and this one, aaaand this one too) is a good time to begin again – and celebrate the new beginnings God gives you every day.