Face To FaithSample

So, we just had Christmas. Did you get anything new? New things are fun, at least for most people. The novelty of it hasn’t worn off. It hasn’t gotten any dings or scratches yet. It’s new! It’s fun! But there’s one thing about new things— you have to leave the old behind, and this is not always as easy or fun. Consider a marriage—it’s the start of something new, but it’s also the ending of your single life. No more single life; you can’t go back that way anymore. Or how about having a baby? That’s amazing, but it is rarely easy, and not all of it is fun (labor pains and sleepless nights, anyone?). Or how about the death of a loved one? Boy, that always brings a new reality for us, but none of us have fun with that transition. New things come at the cost of the old and we need look no further than Israel’s exodus from Egypt to prove it. In an incredible story, Israel had just witnessed the ten plagues that God sent on Egypt—a raw demonstration of His power and the reality of His intent for them. Then the Lord Himself shows up to lead them out of the country, taking the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. In this appearance, He never left them, remaining as a continual, physical, right-before-their-eyes demonstration that He was with them and for them. But when they came to the Red Sea and became trapped by Pharaoh’s chariot army, they panicked, complained, and longed for their old life. Moses stood firm. He told them that they really had left the old, and that the new was bearing down upon them. At God’s direction, Moses raised his staff and the Red Sea parted. God Himself held back the Egyptians until Israel had finished crossing, and then released them to find their doom as the Sea came crashing back together. Israel crossed over the old into the new, forever leaving the old behind. Paul teaches us the same thing, saying that “old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” This means that, if you believe in Jesus, the old is gone. Have you let go of your old life and truly received your new one in Christ? I’m telling you, this new life is the original and best Christmas gift ever. Prayer Lord Jesus, Thank You for leading me into my new life! I choose today to leave my old life behind and fully embrace my new life in You, but I need Your help. Please show me what it means to live in the new life You have given me! Amen