Let’s start over! Yesterday I had a former student write that she wished it was still her birthday. I couldn’t help myself but write back that “I wished it was mine too, 35 years ago”. The interesting thing here is that I think at one point or another (in each of our lives) we have wished we were able to start over. Undo what was done and start a new.

We’ve all had a longing for a new start, New Life, Fresh Beginnings. We worry about the things we have done, the things we didn’t do, jobs, friends, money, all kinds of things, driving us to grasp for new life. Jesus once told his disciples, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”[book of Luke 12:25] Jesus goes on to say “For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and all these things will be given to you as well.” [Luke 12:30-31]

Speaking of new life, I was in the delivery room when all of my children were born; I had never before experienced such joy, as watching my daughters take their first breath as they entered this world. I have recently been reminded of these moments in my life, when my eldest daughter (Allison) gave birth to my first grandbaby (Keegan)(see the attached picture). There is nothing more precious than new birth.

I have always found new life to be the greatest gift God has ever given me. Not physical, but spiritual life; Life through Christ Jesus. “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves His child as well. This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” [book of 1 John 5:1 & 4] It’s interesting that a faith in Jesus can allow us to start over with God and overcome the world.

Faith and Life

The dictionary defines it as complete trust or confidence. In the book of Hebrews it says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”. The world would tell us that the only things you can be certain of are death and taxes. The only thing you can truly trust is money. To the world you can only be confident if you look great and are sexually marvelous. So faith is not the same, for someone who follows The Way, as it is for someone who lives as those who follow the ways of the world.

In Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesis he writes, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient”. Therefore we can have faith that the ways of the world will lead to our death and destruction.

What about faith and life? Again in Hebrews, chapter 11, it says, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward”. Have faith in Christ and take comfort in His words, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”.

The picture was taken on a long outdoor mall in the middle of Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic. The man received his blue testament from me and had followed us along the mall, praising God, and telling everyone he met how blessed he was to have received God’s Word, and that I was the man with the bibles. In the picture he is thanking Chazy our young interpreter, while asking her to tell us how thankful he was. Oh, that we could have the faith of a child, and accept the Word of God with such open and thankful hearts.