Why are beginnings good for us sometimes? How do we get a new start? - Beginnings - TouchPoints

John 3:3-5Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.”

The most important beginning is the fresh start God offers us in the new birth. This doesn’t involve a visit with our mother, though our new birth is a process very much like our first birth in important ways: We are given life by another, in this case God’s Spirit. And the changes our new birth brings into our lives ought to be as significant as the changes a baby experiences between life in the womb and life out in the world. This new beginning not only affects our eternal destinies but also our daily experiences.

2 Corinthians 5:17Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

When you belong to Christ, you do not become someone else. Instead, you become a renewed version of God’s original idea of you, which was marred and deadened by sin. The new life God offers is the life he intended for you all along. Much of who you are doesn’t change when you receive new life—many of God’s original gifts to you, such as your appearance, abilities, and personality, will remain the same. But who you are at the core of your being comes alive in a new way and receives a renewed purpose for existence.

Ephesians 4:23-24Let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

We harvest what we plant. Pumpkin seeds produce pumpkins. Sunflower seeds produce sunflowers. That is exactly why we must ask the Lord to plant within us a clean heart: so that our lives will produce clean thoughts, motives, and actions. If bad desires and thoughts remain, it is evidence that some bad seeds have been planted and we need to do some weeding. This means that our complete renewal is not yet accomplished. None of us will be entirely pure in this life, but purity of mind and heart is one of the worthiest goals we can pursue. We must begin by asking God’s Spirit to do the work. Can you make that a goal for this year? What might you look like twelve months from now—inside and outside—if you diligently pursued that goal?

Nehemiah 2:17-18I said to them, . . . “Let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem . . . !” . . . They replied at once, “Yes, let’s rebuild the wall!” So they began the good work.

The task before Nehemiah and the people was daunting: to reconstruct the massive walls of Jerusalem that had been reduced to heaps of rubble. Nehemiah didn’t focus on the size of the task, but instead on the importance of getting started. Beginnings can help us create a new vision and purpose, renew our energy, and motivate us to become more involved where we may have slipped into inactivity. The lessons in Nehemiah apply to many challenges in life. The most important new beginning is to change direction and follow Jesus. Those who believe in Jesus Christ do not simply turn over a new leaf; they are re-created as people. They literally have a new life!