Out with the Old

It’s the New Year—2015. Time does fly, especially for us older folks.  With the New Year comes the expression, “Out with the old and in with the new.” Why? We just celebrated Christmas, and we wouldn’t throw that away. Christmas reminds us of the love of God that extended to us even while we were yet sinners. The joy of knowing that should carry us into the New Year and beyond. Christ never leaves us, which means we can face the coming year as a new adventure, for if Christ is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31. The Hebrews had an expression of “walking backwards into the future.” They didn’t know what lay ahead, but they could look back and see how the Lord brought them through the difficulties of the past. One of the reasons they piled stones at strategic places was to remind them what God had previously done for them. The stones also served as an encouragement to walk boldly into the unknown, knowing that God who had brought them through the past will help them face the future.

The promise of Christ is to be with us always (Matt. 28:19). So, whatever 2015 holds, we can face it because we have Jesus. We can look back over our lives and see the hand of God protecting and guiding us through our own ups and downs. Hindsight, in this regard, is a wonderful thing, for like the stone monuments in the Old Testament, we are able to view our own spiritual benchmarks and receive encouragement from them. We can face whatever 2015 holds because we walk backwards into it, holding the hand of Christ who leads us.

“Out with the old” should include all the bad stuff that keeps our focus away from Christ. Jonathan Edwards once resolved the following, “Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.” Living for God is the response of gratitude for Christ dying for us. We are rescued reprobates who but for the love of Christ would continue to live in the deadness of our sins. But we have been salvaged and whisked from darkness to walk in and with the Light who illuminates the path behind us. We don’t have to see more, for Christ knows where he is taking us; and that is what makes life worthwhile.

“In with the new” is to join in the adventure that 2015 will bring. The New Year represents the end of the Christmas season where the birth of Christ was celebrated and gifts were exchanged. It is a time to remember that the best present we received never changes. It is the gift of Christ who granted us power to live as one favored with new life. The New Year is a renewal of that life. We therefore have the power to trek the adventure of another year, knowing nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Enjoy the adventure of 2015!