Say goodbye to your mistakes

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, behold, the new has come!”
2 Cor 5:17

Did you read that properly?!If you are a Christian, did you know that you are LITERALLY a NEW creation?! That word ‘creation’ means ‘a new species of being that never existed before’. God didn’t just give you a bit of a make-over when you asked Jesus into your life. He also didn’t just ‘patch up’ the old you, to make you a slightly better version of your old self. No, He quite literally recreated you into an entirely new being on the inside, where the real you dwells. This verse is not metaphorical or hermeneutical or theolophical, or whatever you want to call it – it’s literal – it’s real. God took your old nature and replaced it with a new one – a wonderful union between you and Him. You are now ‘born of God’ – that is ‘of’ His very own substance, His nature, His righteousness. (2 Cor 5:21; 1 Jn 5:4).

Notice also in this verse it says ‘BEHOLD, the new has come’ – did you know that word ‘behold’ means ‘to look upon’? That means God is telling you to ‘look upon’ – ie focus – on the NEW, not on the old! How many of us do that successfully? We rehash all of our mistakes, beat ourselves over the head, and tell ourselves how rubbish we are. Well, you’ve been commanded to focus on the new you – not the old one. And it’s not about your behaviour – how well you did at work today, how much time you spent praying, whether you accomplished something awesome, or just simply went about your day – it’s about who you are on the inside, and who He made you.

So, as you say goodbye to 2013 – and as we all do, review the year that’s about to end and think about what went wrong, what you didn’t do that you wish you did, and how it turned out – don’t dwell on your mistakes and over-think it, reminding yourself how you messed up and what a failure you must be. NO!! We’re not to dwell on the past, or even dwell on our accomplishments. We’re to dwell on God, on the greatness of the One who lives inside us, and on how His mercies are new every morning.

If you want to review what you could have done better – sure, go ahead. Take a look at what you accomplished and how you’d like to build on it in 2014 and what you’d like to improve – but don’t turn your mistakes over and over in your head – that is just counterproductive – and not what God intended. So, however you feel you ‘blew it’ in 2013, say goodbye to your mistakes, look forward, and realise that He is still with you, still for you and still very much believes in you!

Have an incredible 2014!