NEW MERCIES FOR A NEW DAY
NEW MERCIES FOR A NEW DAY
Happy New Year to one and all!
I pray it will be a truly blessed year for us all.
Something struck me recently : and that is the fact that many people love new beginnings. It is an opportunity to start afresh with the advantage of hindsight of mistakes and wrong choices. And God is the Master of New beginnings, which He gives every morning.
There is an English proverb that goes “as you make your bed, so you lie on it”. This basically means that one must suffer the consequences of one’s actions. This is very true but have they never heard of the scripture that says “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8 : 28 NLT
This is not to say that people can get away with murder or any such thing. But even when we have messed up big time, God can still use it to work to our advantage as the above scripture says. Most especially people become transformed after having to go through some painful consequences of their actions.
Besides, when we have messed up in our past, we do not have to allow that mess to continue to mess us up. We must clean up the mess and not let the place of that mess ever become our identity. We must move on.
God loves us dearly and deeply and it is never His wish for us to remain battered and tattered by our past errors. And that is why He always tells us this: “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.” Isaiah 43: 18-19 NIV
You see God knows how much of a negative effect errors of our past can have on us. So He encourages us to not bother about them. He assures us that He can still bring out something beautiful out of something that has been condemned as worthless.
Absolutely nobody has the power to challenge whatever God has said about us. And we must know that all He has for us is good and never evil. We must know this and take it very seriously. When we have His assurance we should not allow the world to label us negatively. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
No you are not a failure!
No you are not a non achiever!
No you are not a flop!
Because, “Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the LORD commandeth it not?” Lamentations 3:37 NIV
Those labels will never be your identity.
So I say, You are amazing!
Created in the very image of God!
“The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.” Proverbs 24: 16 NLT
So it is alright if we trip up sometimes but we must not remain on the ground.
We have new mercies for each new day.
The year 2024 is a new year; with new opportunities, new chances and new mercies too.
No matter how bad it was last year, it is a brand NEW YEAR and we can start again trusting God.
After Jeremiah had believed the worst and thought it was all over for him, he suddenly remembered something. This is what he said:
“The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss:
Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:
The faithful love of the LORD never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
His mercies begin afresh each morning.”
Lamentations 3: 19-23 NLT
Jeremiah knew that God loves us with an everlasting love. That knowledge was enough for him to hope and trust God again. Like Jeremiah, let us dare to hope again and trust God for a great 2024.
WE CAN START AGAIN IF WE NEED TO. IT IS A NEW BEGINNING AND HIS MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY DAY!
OLUYINKA EGO-MARTINS©