A New Year by Pastor Denzel Fenn
Posted in Pastor Fenn's Corner on 12/31/2008 08:48 am by Ellen Cousart
I love a new year. It’s a time to wrap up the old and unwrap the new. It’s a time of new beginnings. I enjoy emptying my files and starting a new page with nothing written on it. There is an excitement about beginning again.
Sometimes life gets difficult and complicated and you wish you could start all over again. Many live in the regrets over past failures. The good news is that you actually can begin again. Not that one can recall the years that have fled into eternity, but one can have a fresh beginning and a new start.
The apostle Paul put it this way when he wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new” (11 Corinthians 5:17).
He is writing about a relationship with Jesus. This relationship does away with our past and launches us into a brand new life with Jesus. We become new people, with new desires and a new destination called heaven.
Jesus explained this to a good religious man named Nicodemus. Nicodemus paid a visit to Jesus because he recognized that He had been sent from God. Nicodemus essentially wanted to know what he needed to do to go to heaven. He was good but he knew that that was not enough.
Jesus surprised and astounded him when He said, “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven.” This puzzled Nicodemus because he thought in natural terms. How could he reverse time and re-enter his mother’s womb? Given if he could he would be born a sinner again.
Jesus, however, was talking about a spiritual, not physical, rebirth. He explained that that came about by placing faith in the death of Jesus on the cross. He said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
He invites us to come and begin a new life with Him. Faith opens the door to a new beginning and eternal life. It is responding to the Father’s love.
Many people in the Bible had an encounter with God that resulted in a new beginning. Abraham, the idol worshipper, was met by God and began a walk of faith. Jacob, the failure, had an encounter with God that changed his name, his character and his future. Saul, the persecutor, had an encounter with Jesus that radically changed the direction of his life. Peter, the failure was given the chance to begin again. And you, too, can start anew!
As we turn the page from the old year to the new one it’s a great time to leave the past with its failures and hurts and begin a brand new one with Jesus as your Saviour and Lord.
I encourage you to come to Jesus. Receive His love and His forgiveness. It’s there for the asking. He will come into your heart and life and you will experience a wonderful new beginning that will last you the rest of your life and this will truly be a Happy New Year.
(This was written by Pastor Fenn for a Calgary senior citizens’ newsletter.)