FRESH STARTS

Have you ever stopped to think about and maybe even make a list of all the times that God positively interceded in the affairs of your life?  I found myself reflecting on all the “FRESH STARTS” that I have had over the years that were clearly enabled through my trust in the Lord, while Fiver and I took our morning walks both yesterday and today.

As I hung onto my favorite 45^th Anniversary Mustang hat for dear life, while the 23 mph winds swirled around us this morning, I had to laugh while talking to my four-footed walking partner, mentioning that most of the “FRESH STARTS” that I or Piper and I experienced together over the years, put us in a better position than where we were when the need arose!  After all, that is who God is!  It is just the way that He operates! 

If you remember, the Apostle Paul told us in Ephesians 3:20 that God “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” (KJV) And from what I have plainly seen throughout the pages of my Bible, God is an over-the-top kind of God, to us His children!  That excites me and makes me want to trust in Him and the truth of His Word even more… wouldn’t you agree?

The scripture verses that got me to thinking about the “FRESH STARTS” of God came out of my continued study of a Christian’s personal relationship with God, while reading I Corinthians 1:30-31.  Here Paul tells us that,

“Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a FRESH START—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.  And this fulfills what is written: If anyone boasts, let him only boast in all that the Lord has done!” (MSG/TPT) 

As I meandered through this statement of Paul’s, it suddenly dawned on me that I firmly believe that these “Clean Slates” and “FRESH STARTS” can happen continuously throughout the course of our lives… when we ASK for and then EXPECT the truth of God’s Word to work in us, when we fall short, make mistakes or fail in any activity that we pursue.  And John, the Apostle of Love, seemed to confirm this when he declared in I John 1:9 that,

“God is faithful and reliable. (for) If we confess our sins, He forgives them and cleanses us from EVERYTHING we've done wrong.” (God’s Word ©)

You see, that is the LOVE of God in action!  And that is when and where the “Clean Slate” and our “FRESH STARTS” begin… each and every time… it is NOT just a one-time event!  The Passion Translation states I Corinthians 1:30 as,

“For it is not from man that we draw our life but from God as we are being joined (that’s in the current active tense) to Jesus, the Anointed One.  And now He is our God-given wisdom, our virtue, our holiness, and our redemption.” 

Our “FRESH STARTS” come from and are enabled through our child-like trust in and faith-filled dependence on God and the truth of His Word and NOT… on the opinions of men.  Paul, in his renown and definitive treatise on the subject of the functioning of Godly LOVE in our daily lives, declared that God’s

“LOVE is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. (and that includes you and me!) LOVE never takes FAILURE as DEFEAT, for it never gives up.” (I Corinthians 13:7 - TPT) 

And that my friends, is all driven by our intimate and deeply personal relationship with Jesus Christ as foretold by Paul in Ephesians 3:19 when he prayed that, “You will (intimately) know Christ's LOVE, which goes far beyond any knowledge.  (&) I am praying this so that you may be completely filled with God.” (God’s Word ©) 

So… when was the last time that you personally experienced a “Clean Slate” and/or a “FRESH START” from God in your life?  I betcha that it wasn’t that long ago… and when you start making a list, I bet that you’ll also discover that it is only one of the many, many times in which He interceded for you in the midst of a sticky… and maybe even a seemingly hopeless or failed endeavor.

Isn’t God Good!

Have a terrific weekend, and as you do… keep ASKING and EXPECTING the good and gracious Lord to intercede in the events of your daily life!