"Yet I still DARE TO HOPE when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning." (Lamentations 3:21-23 NLT)
Everybody needs hope
In his book, Mere Christianity, C. S Lewis wrote, “The central Christian belief is that Christ’s death (and His coming to life again) has somehow put us right with God and given us a fresh start.” Starting over, getting a new beginning, or getting a fresh start is really the essence of the Scriptures. When we celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas, along with His death and resurrection at Easter; we are commemorating God’s story of new beginnings. This story is one of hope for the person with regrets, failures, and guilt—a hope for forgiveness—a hope for fresh opportunities—a hope for victory— the hope of eternal life rather than eternal death. It is a hope for starting all over again.
new Hope!
Let the past be the past. The Scriptures gives us this instruction in Isaiah 43:18-19 (NCV), “The Lord says, `Forget about what has happened before. Do not think about the past. [Instead] look at the new thing I am going to do.’”
In other words, “don’t dwell in the past, no longer be influenced by the past, don’t despair over past mistakes nor be satisfied with past successes. Instead be motivated by hope for something new. Be influenced by the hope I offer for your future, not by the despair of past failures.”
new life!
"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!"
2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (NIV)
The New Testament is filled with examples of people who needed and received new life. The adulterous woman, forcibly brought to Jesus for judgment, instead found in Him hope for a fresh start. The unscrupulous tax man, Zaccheus, had dinner with Jesus one day, and was empowered to turn his whole life around 180 degrees. Shamed by his lack of courage and true commitment, betrayed by his own selfish heart, Peter wept bitterly before the Lord in repentance, and found hope in Jesus for a new beginning. The woman at the well, Mary Magdalene, Nicodemus, and so many more all discovered new life when they met Jesus.
No matter what there may be in your bag of “old things” from your past, Jesus is still offering you the hope of a fresh start.
