Happy New Year

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

The start of a new year is a wonderful thing.  It holds hope for good things to come.  Hope that things will be better than the past.  And an opportunity for a new start on things that may have taken a backseat in the prior year.

But the reality is that most New Year’s resolutions fail.  Some research has found that over 90% of all New Year’s resolutions end in failure.  While there are likely many reasons for this, I would submit that a primary cause is that resolutions are dependent on the person’s own strength and will.

But when anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation!  He is made new.  He is new.  He is not just trying harder.  He is new.  And this is not from his own efforts, it is solely from the power of God through Jesus.

But when you are a new creation, that doesn’t mean that you don’t continue to grow.  As new creations, we grow by abiding in Christ and through obedience to His Word and Will.  Let’s make 2023 a year where we seek to know and follow Jesus better and encourage others to do the same.

“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)