New beginnings and renewal
January 1 Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Fragility is the reward for not dying young. The old is passing away. When Paul was imprisoned in Rome, he knew that his physical life was coming to an end. He wrote a letter to a young man and said, “The time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. The new year begins today. For the short time in which we dance on this earth, it is full of the beautiful. It is a dance which is part of eternity. It is a dance which honors God. Sometimes we don’t understand the music, but I am renewed in remembering that is God’s music.
January 2 Isaiah 40:31
Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. (They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.)
I have not been sleeping well in the last weeks. Whether it is concern over the current political environment, or the felt pain for my children’s personal and shared struggles, I do not know. I am challenged to start the day, no matter what time it starts, and before I raise my head from my pillow to cry out to God in praise and pure joy. Renew me Father, give me the strength to soar, run and walk.
January 3 I Corinthians 16:13
Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
Writer David Roper wrote of an account in an elevator. Three men were quietly and complacently riding down from their workplaces. None of them seemed excited or even aware of their surroundings. For them, the day was done and were anxious to go home. Two floors above the lobby the elevator stopped to let on more passengers. The doors opened and a larger-than-life image of cowboy stared in. He was wearing an old and stained grey hat, a stained sheepskin coat and well scuffed boots.
This tall, rough, and lanky man looked intently through the open door at the current occupants and said, “Good, evening men.” All three men immediately straightened up and squared their shoulders. They all were making a renewed effort to live up to the name “men.”
Living up to the name. Being a Christian is more than a life not much different from everyone else. Being a Christian is not living up to an idea or an implied expectation by the world. Being a Christian is straightening up our shoulders and bearing proudly our faith.
January 4 2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here.
He was born in Boston the last of seventeen children. His parents He wanted their little boy to have a career in the church. He attended school only two years before giving up on formal school and thought being a tradesman was a better life. Working for his brother as an apprentice, he learned the printing business.
When he submitted a letter to his brother for publication he was turned down as simply to radical. Undaunted, he began writing to the paper with a false name and the identity of a middle-aged widow.
When his brother was jailed for three weeks, he was released from the constraining editorial comments. His pseudonym said, “Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom and no such thing as public liberty without the freedom of speech.” He left town and his brothers’ business as a political fugitive.
No one thought Benjamin Franklin would ever amount to much. We all need redemption!
Thought for January 5 Philippians 3:13-14
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
I heard on the news this morning that a certain election is “up for grabs” because the polls seem the indicate the election is a dead tie. But in reality, nothing is “up for grabs”. God is still in charge. What ever the world may toss at us in our present, it is the straining toward the goal of a calling greater than any election. It is all for Jesus.
Thought for January 6 Isaiah 43:18-19
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 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.
The Hebrew point of view in the time of Jesus was one of always looking backwards. They lived in the blessings of history, their special place in God’s heart and plan. They lived in their past glories and fatalistically expected nothing. But there are great things coming. God is not done with Israel, or me yet. God will make a way.
Thought for January 7 Lamentations 3:22-23
Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
2020 was a tough year. Riots, homelessness, Covid-19, businesses going down, masks, and restrictions on Christian worship created an atmosphere of fear and for some hopelessness. We struggle with the simple things. In the grocery store we slink between the isles hoping to keep the mandated distance. Masks steal the joy in the faces of our friends. I am in a “special” high risk group which restricts me much more. I am weary of it. Weary of the lack of human contact, weary of the lack of human kindness. The only rock I have to hold to and which brings an inner joy is the God’s renewal every morning. Great is His faithfulness.
Thought for January 8 Ephesians 4:22-24
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
We all have found disfavor from God. We have not lived up to the God’s glorious ideal. We seem to be fighting an inner war. A war with ourselves and as it was well said, “life is like two wolves fighting with each other; the one who wins is the one we feed.” Put on the new self, feed the righteousness and holiness of your lives.
Thought for January 9 -2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
For those who don’t know me well, I am what you might call a senior saint. My life is slowly winding down. I can’t walk more than an half a mile without hip pain. I look into my full-length mirror on my closet door and I see an old, bald, and fat man. God is slowly taking things away from me. I am no longer tempted by fast cars or running the bases in softball. Never-the-less, praise be to God when I look inward toward my spirit, I see something special. “A great fire burns within me, but no one stops and warm themselves at it, and passers-by only see a wisp of smoke.” But the new, ever growing new is here!
Thought for January 10 – Psalm 40:3
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.
When I began my spiritual walk with Jesus, the church had two books on the back of the pew in front of every attendee. One was the King James Bible and the other was something called a hymnal. That hymnal was sorted by subject and each was given a number. The hymn for each service was posted on the wall. Great songs of praise, joy, conviction, theology, hope, challenge, and God. I have memorized so many of these songs. Often my mouth is filled with one of those songs. Each time it is as if it is new again in my heart and soul. I am renewed.
Thought for January 11 – Ezekiel 11:19
I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
I am living a life that seems to be on hold. I write and I don’t know if it is being read. I make plans not knowing if they will ever happen. I cry out to God to dig deeply into my life and soften my expectations and fill recesses of my heart with a new spirit. He always answers.
Thought for January 12 – Matthew 26:27-28
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins”
I call myself Just Larry. I am a flawed person. I do not do everything perfectly. I need more than my own desires. I need God. The emblems of fruit and bread taken with a humble heart will always spring a new life in forgiveness.
Fill my cup Lord; I lift it up Lord. Let me embrace your new Kingdom.
Thought for January 13 – Isaiah 65:17
For behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.
No one seems to want to see the good in anything. We all see the world around us through exceedingly small windows. These windows dictate what we see. I hear on the news we are approaching the end of the world. Others say we live only by a herd mentality. We are judged by the company we keep. But I need to see humanity as God does. Worthy of a new heaven and a new earth. Someday we will live in a much better place and this chaotic world will never be even remembered. Even so Lord Jesus, come.
Thought for January 14 – Romans 6:4
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
In a little creek just outside of Red Bluff, California was the place we had gathered. My church had come to see the brash, loud, red headed kid be baptized. The word baptized just means to be well wetted. I was dunked for what seemed an eternity and up out of the water I came sputtering and coughing. I had forgotten to hold my nose. An outward sign of an inward change in my life. A life worth living. A life with an objective. A life with hope. A life with a goal. A new life.
Thought for January 15 – Colossians 3:9-10
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
January is about new beginnings. It is about the expected spring. It is about pressing on to bigger and better things. I am not exaggerating when I say last year was tough. Illness, civil unrest, division, hate are all symptoms of a society in decline. As I move on with my life, I often have to stop and remember to cleanse my mind from the negative and fill it with the wonder, splendor, grace, mercy that pours from the creator. Renewal in the knowledge of my image toward the image of Jesus.
Thought for January 16 – Revelation 21:5
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
The last book of the Bible can be difficult to understand. Visions of beasts, horses, fire, judgement, and images that are simply unimaginable. My friends for this day, the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad because God is still in the creation business. He is creating and making everything new.
Thought for January 17 – Acts 3:19
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,
There will be showers of refreshing for all those who are willing to stand out in them without fear of getting soaked. God’s favor is for those who have been made clean, made into new creatures, being made in His image. Refresh me again oh God.
Thought for January 18 – 2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
The only solution for our country is found in the returning to our basic foundation of faith. To find ourselves as the solution, is insanity. The nature of man is inherently filled with turmoil. Our own need to feel good and cancel everyone who impinges into our little safety bubble is cause of our downfall. We need to stop blaming everyone else for our problems and simply find God: to call on his name, to humble ourselves, to pray, to seek His solution, to turn from our own wicked ways. Then and only then will God move in our world in forgiveness and healing.
Thought for January 19 – Ezekiel 36:26
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
It is recorded that as Sir Walter Raleigh placed his neck a chopping block of his execution, the executioner asked, “Does your head lie easy, Sir Walter?” Answering the man holding the double edged axe, “It matters not, my friend, how my head lies, provided my heart is right.” The state of my heart is my decision. My soul can be a stone with an associated hardness and lifelessness, or it can be a thing of hope, caring, forgiveness, and love. My decision, God’s act of renewal.
Thought for January 20 – Isaiah 58:12
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations. You shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.
It is coming. Watch for it. Pitch in your efforts. Do not forget those who will follow your example. Our children, our posterity will inherit our current character. We are here to build up the Kingdom of God for the future. Stand in the gap, repair the destruction of values, morals, and ethics. Restore the streets of accountability. The future is in our hands. Renew our broken world with our efforts in the Lord’s strength.
Thought for January 21 – Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The Christian race is ongoing. All those who have gone before are our observers, we are required to run without the baggage of a thousand regrets. It is extremely easy to say the race is about the final checkered flag. Yet it seems so far away. I need to just concentrate on the next step, the next few feet. It is about perseverance. It is about continual action toward. And in that next step is enough to make it the next after that.
Thought for January 22 – I Peter 1:23
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
My inner nobler life, is not like my outer life. My outside moves from youth and age, vigor to frailty, red hair to baldness, eagle vision to reading glasses; always moving from the more to the less. But it is not that way for the inner me. I seem, at least to me, to enjoy godly things more: being to help when asked, to give of my dwindling resources to those who are in need, the pure joy of new insight from God’s word. These inner things, these imperishable things, are my focus now. Because they will endure forever. Renew my inner nature Oh God.
Thought for January 23 – Hebrews 4:16
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Times seem to be becoming more difficult. Cancel culture, perceived racism, homeless in the streets, the destruction of past norms. We hear from all sides this is the “new normal.” Never-the-less if this new way of seeing the world leaves out our dependance upon God, I want no part of it. Instead in our times of need, my reach is much further than my grasp. God is here and He is willing to hand out both lavishly and perfect the love of mercy and grace. I am in need, Father, forgive, and pour out mercy and grace. Renew in my heart the desire to seek you before any other solution.
Thought for January 24 – Romans 12:2
Don’t be conformed to this world but instead be transformed by the renewal of your spirit.
America is in a constant process of conforming. Whether it is conforming to a political ideology, or a vision of personal power, or even to a self-conceived place of safety. Each has its own rules and laws. The danger lays in the choice of our conformity. As a Christian, I must not conform to a picture of anything that is contrary to God’s image. Any other choice will saturate my inner spirit toward corruption. How many leap from one cause or another? Each dependent upon the excitement of well-being? Always trying to conform to the next big thing. My cause, my conformation is to God. It is this cause which will transform me and renew my spirit.
Thought for January 25 – Matthew 7:7-8
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Ask, seek, knock: each speak to ideas of want, loss and earnestness. They are drum beat of my soul. I must turn beggar at the street corner of heaven and ask for mercy and grace. I must seek diligently, turning every stone over and looking behind every tree for God revealed. I must batter the very door of God with all earnestly. Because only with the active, unrelenting, and continual will I receive, find and be welcome. It is not a part time job. It is my only job.
Thought for January 26 – John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.
I refuse to settle for second best. When I have a need for something to make my life better, I search, research, make comparisons, consider opinions, make lists of pluses and minuses. Lastly, I must ask the question, “Do I really need it?” Many fling their lives away in an effort to fill their lives with things. Yet others, try to get away from it all. I have come to the conclusion there is a minus sign with every plus. With every thing I own is another thing that owns me. The full life, the abundant life is not things it is a person: Jesus! Without Him all else is arithmetic.
Thought for January 27 – Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Within my core beliefs is knowing that there are of two worlds of which I am a citizen. The natural world and the spiritual world. Further, it is foolishness to ignore either. I can be so spiritually minded that I am no earthly good. Conversely, I can be so worldly minded that I am no heavenly good. True wisdom lies in understanding and acknowledging the nature of each and how they must be integrated, combined, merged into one. I can live my best life by the integration of the two. Who I am must be more than a birth, life, and death. God is more than a small piece of my life. God is my life. In every worldly situation I acknowledge God’s presence and that gives me peace. A peace guarded by Jesus.
Thought for January 28 – Galatians 6:14
May I never boast except in the cross of our LORD Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
The most difficult understanding of God is not what his will is for me, or even what He expects of all us. Laws, mandates, promises, direction, vengeance, rules, commandments all reveal the mind of God. The most difficult is understanding His heart. God’s immense and unbounded intelligence is revealed in the heavens. It often seems much easier to get at the mind of God than at His heart. But for His heart we struggle. Where I have found the heart of God is the giving of Jesus to me. God’s heart is love. My faith reveals a Being who, needing nothing Himself, finds His deepest happiness in perpetually giving. “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
Thought for January 29 – 1 Peter 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
What is the difference between my faith, my religion, my God and all the other religions claiming to be the most acceptable? What contrasts Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hindu, and all the others? Only one great distinction marks my belief in Christ from all others. Christianity is always pointing us forward while others are always looking wistfully backward. All the others are religions of regret and the Gospel is one of hope. Only one is filled with forgiven forgetfulness. Only one has a living savior. Only one has a empty tomb. Only one is a living hope. Only one has a new birth.
Thought for January 31 – I John 2:17
The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
We live in a world of distractions. Thousands of vain things calling to us to change our focus: to charm, seduce and dominate the lives. We have an idea that our lives must be lived to the fullest. That every moment must be crammed full. Our attention span shrinks in the onslaught of these distractions. All these things that would grab us and enthrall our minds are just fleeting. Whatever achievement, or thrill, or body enhancement will mean little 50 years from now. Our infatuation with the now is simply tragic. Look to the unseen, the invisible realities of hope and faith in Christ for true fulfillment. Do so and live not in the moment but forever.