A blessed New Year
In the Gospel of Luke we read these words, “Those who are well don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (5:31-32, NET). How does this tie in with a blessed new year exactly?
We are indeed blessed, not only in the newest year of 2022, but daily since the mercies of the LORD are new every morning (see Lamentations 3:22-23), we are not consumed, and as long as we draw breath, we have life, and Jesus has come that we may have life and have it fully (see John 10:10).
We are blessed even in our traumatic exposures and suffering since He came to bring us not only life, but as the Great and eternally existing One (Jesus the Name above every other name as Philippians 2:9-11 declares) has stated in Luke 5:31-32 illustrates He came for those who are broken, sinners, sick, longing and needing hope! Jesus came to give us life and restoration, hope and a future, peace not like the false sense of peace from the world - but true and lasting peace. He came for you and for me!
He does not want anyone to perish eternally in hell, but that we would come to Him now, since this day is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). He came as the Great Physician, the Doctor from heaven who desires to bring you hope and healing for all eternity. He is able and willing. Do you need the Great Physician today in your life? I sure do, and not only for PTSD, but for my attitudes, my anxious nature, my lust and all of my sins, for without the Great Physician, I am lost, broken, and would die in my sins.
Beloved this is not all there is to life! We have things we cannot see which are eternally calling out to us through the crucified Christ of the cross of Calvary - who beckons with you and I to come to Him, not merely follow Him, but be at peace with Him and through Him, to sit by His feet and glean from Him, to call out to Him and know He will hear us.
This year brings such great hope and expectations, and if we recognize the truth of the Cross, we can glimpse the eternal One named Jesus - ‘He will save His people from their sin’ (see Matthew 1:21 for the meaning of the Name Jesus).
We have such a living Hope in Jesus and are born again and into this Living Hope (see 1 Peter 1:3-5). We can have a blessed new year here in 2022 no matter what may come.
What if my PTSD flares up and I have a flashback into the past? We have a living hope in Christ who has invited us into His presence!
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest” (see Matthew 11:28). He wants to bring peace and rest into your heaviness of cares.
What if I bring some of my old stuff into the new year?
You have an urgent invitation from Jesus to come to Him, not only for rest, or hope but for an eternal salvation through His finished work and shed blood. How can we bring our past into this new hope of eternal salvation? Our past is part of why Jesus came to die on the cross. He came to erase our past, present, and future sins, and the Bible exclaims that all who will call upon Him - will be saved (Romans 10:13).
It may feel normal to bring some of our past into the new year, and on some level we are humans and cannot leave it behind. I am asking you to consider the implications of bringing past stuff into our new self, into the new year and how it may impact the journey?
How do we leave it behind?
Proverbs has some insight, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV).
We must learn to trust in the holy and precious Lord of all and with our all. He cares for us, He knows us intimately and is familiar with all our ways (see Psalm 139:1-3). If He knows us better than we know ourselves, don’t you believe He wants us to trust Him with our stuff, good and bad? He sure does.
We can be blessed this new year as we recall who He is, what He came to do, and how much He loves us.
He is calling out to you, even now. If you have never trusted Him for your salvation - I promise you that the only regret you will have is not answering His plea for you before now. If you want to know more about Him, please reach out to me here at this web-blog, or through a Gospel preaching church.
Have a blessed new year, trust the Lord, give Him your hopes and dreams, fears and failures and let Him turn them into something beautiful and amazing as only He can.