New Creation

Friday August 16, 2013

Friday is a hard day to think about “new”.

It’s the end of the work week…winding down…waiting for the punch-out, sweet release!  But for every wind-down there is a new start.  I love new starts!

I was privileged to meet Dr. Vance Havner during our last year in seminary.  He had been

invited to conduct a series of lectures, and I was like the other 1200 students who wouldn’t miss the opportunity to listen to this wonderful man who communicated Gospel truth in “plain speak”!  I took plenty of notes that week!

One of those notes is dated April 23, 1981.  Speaking on ministry and ministers who burn-out, Dr. Havner said we all face three choices (probably every Monday morning after a hard weekend):

·        Resign – You can give up; just quit.

·        Resign yourself to it – You can just accept Friday as the way it is; ho-hum, yawn…same ol’, same ol’.

·        Re-Sign – Let God put a fresh stamp of His mark on you…let Him re-sign you inside and out.

God has used that bit of advice the past 32 years to keep me going at times.  But mostly it has been that kind of thought that keeps me focused on believing there’s a fresh start with God. 

That’s what being a new creation in Christ is all about.  God can take a person who is used up, broken down, stale and wasted, and, in Christ there is new life and a new beginning as he re-signs your ministry and life.

Today

So this Friday can be a beginning, and not just another weekend to play or simply get the chores done around the house. 

Our Jewish friends begin the Sabbath at sundown this evening.  Physical rest brings renewal of the body.  Sabbath resting in Christ brings regeneration of the spirit!  

So…happy Friday; it’s the start of something new!