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1st January: New Leaf or New Life? New Year or new 'You'?

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end: they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-24

The New Year is traditionally regarded as a time for a new start, a herald of better things, the chance to turn over 'a new leaf'. For most of us it is not so much a question of how many and what resolutions we make, but how long any of them will last! The New Year is littered with shattered good intentions. At no time is the weakness and helplessness of our fallen human nature so revealed as on January lst.

Some of us may be starting the year with high hopes, laudable ambitions and exciting dreams, not only of professional success but of fruitful Christian service. Others perhaps face the New Year with foreboding. Maybe our cherished hopes have not materialised, we are disillusioned with our professional progress or with the quality of our spiritual lives; we can't see the way forward and there are seemingly insoluble problems in our circumstances or relationships.

But, thank God, the coming year depends not on our resolutions but on God's reliability, not on our moods and misgivings but on God's continuing mercies (La 3:22-25). He offers not merely help to turn over a new leaf, but the gift of a new life. God may not change our circumstances but he can and indeed is changing us into his likeness by his Spirit as he daily renews our inner nature (2 Cor 3:18; 4:16).

We may not be able to see far ahead, but we may be sure that he has planned the way for us, for 'we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them' (Eph 2:10).

But we have a part to play; we are commanded to 'put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness' (Eph 4:24), 'to be renewed in the spirit of your minds (Eph 4:23), 'to be transformed by the renewal of your mind' (Rom 12:2).

We can enter the New Year with confidence and assurance.

Keep thou my feet, I do not ask to see
The distant scene, one step enough for me.
J H Newman

Further reading: The references in context. Rev 21:1-7.

MC

A Greek language translation of this devotional is available on the website of the Greek Christian Medical Fellowship