The New Creation Has Come

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! — 2 Corinthians 5:17

When we are in Christ, we are born again.

We become new creations.

Saying goodbye to our old selves.

And saying hello to the new.

Our new creation has come.

There Will Be No More Death

I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” — Revelation 21:2-4 

What a beautiful picture of heaven.

No more death or mourning.

No more crying or pain.

The old order of things will have passed away.

And God's Holy city will be the new Jerusalem.

God's dwelling place will be among the people.

God will be with us and will be our God.

He will wipe every tear from our. eyes.

What a wonderful, loving Father!

Love One Another As I Have Loved You

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” — John 13:34-35 

God gives us a new command.

To love one another.

And to do it in the same way that He shows love to me.

Impossible, right?

It would be, if not for the amazing God we serve.

My coworker decorated this Valentine's tree for our office.

A perfect depiction of this verse.

Love one another.

This is how we show that we are disciples of Jesus.

In the ways we show His love to others.

Sing to the Lord

Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people. — Psalm 149:1 

I love to sing.

And to sing to the Lord.

To shout His praise in the assembly of His people.

Sing to the Lord a new song.

In the assembly of His faithful people.

Here we are in the chapel at Versailles.

A beautiful tribute to God.

And the majesty of His greatness.

He Has Given Us New Birth

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  — 1 Peter 1:3 

Last week Abby and I went to the zoo.

We saw several baby animals.

And we saw lots of active animals.

Here's the new baby giraffe.

He was just four weeks old.

He was enjoying being with the other giraffes as they were eating.

We also saw a baby hippo swimming with his mom.

A fun mother-daughter day to see the animal families.

Put on Love

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. — Colossians 3:14 The Message

God asks us to put on love every day, just as we put on clothes for the day ahead.

When we put on His Fruit of the Spirit, He helps us get through the day with contentment.

God chose us for this new life of love.

He gives us the wardrobe we need to succeed at life.

Kindness, quiet strength, self-disciplines, humility.

These are not easy to come by.

It is only with God's help that we can get dressed and ready to face the day ahead.

Great Is God's Faithfulness

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. — Lamentations 3:22-23

Saturday night, Judith led the orchestra in our annual hymn sing.

This time it was held on our church courtyard so we could socially distance.

Everyone wore masks.

And only 50 people were admitted to sing along.

It was a beautiful evening.

One of the songs she chose was, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness."

The words of the first verse say, 

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father.
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto Thee.

What a powerful testimony to God's greatness.

He is faithful to me, even when I lose my way.

His compassions never go away.

Instead, they are new every morning.

Great is your faithfulness, O Lord!

The New Creation Has Come

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  — 2 Corinthians 5:17

Now that I follow Christ, my old sinful and dirty self is being put aside.

The old has gone. 

The new is here!

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation!

Sunday I made strawberry sorbet. 

It turned out a bit soft so it's now hardening in the freezer.

Even so, it was very tasty. 

I topped it with a sprig of mint from our garden.

My next recipe will use coconut cream.

We'll see which version we like best with a taste test.

Just as the strawberries became new when I made them into sorbet, how much more is God transforming me into a new creation!

New Birth Into a Living Hope

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. — 1 Peter 1:3

Today is Friday the 13th.

For me, those dates are usually blessed rather than unlucky.

Next week we will celebrate St. Patrick's Day and the luck 'o the Irish.

Kirk has ancestors from Ireland. 

This month we can search for them for free on Ancestry.com.

Our friend Laurie has her birthday on St. Patrick's Day.

A New Commandment — Love

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. — John 13:34

God loved me so much that He sent his only Son.

Now he asks me to love others.

It would be much easier if I could choose the ones I want to love.

But that's not what God asks of me.

The sun came out today even though it was a bit chilly.

But the sky was blue, and God granted us a beautiful day.

One more chance to love our enemies, just as He commands us.

Sing a New Song

I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpers playing on their harps, and they sing a new song before the throne. — Revelation 14:2-3

Saturday our choir came over to our house for a potluck.

The sun was out, and the day was gorgeous. 

We left our tree up for one last party.

The choir members brought amazingly tasty food.

And we had a fun time of fellowship.

Between 30 and 40 people squeezed into our home.

After we ate, we had a chance to sing together, practicing our songs for next week's church service.

Kirk turned on the firepit, and some sat around it, enjoying the beautiful flames. 

We sang praises to God.

One day we will sing before him in heaven.

The harpers play on their harps and sing a new song before God's throne.

The Peaceful Kingdom

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. — Isaiah 11:6

In this new year of 2020, we are thanking God for His promises.

We look forward to the time when God's peaceable kingdom will come to fruition.

The wolf will dwell with the lamb.

The leopard will lie down with the kid.

The calf, the lion and the fatling together.

And a little child will lead them.

While people often are unable to keep their promises, God always keeps His promises.

He never failed me yet.

Thank you, Lord, for the new year!

The New Creation Has Come

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! — 2 Corinthians 5:17

Now that we are in Christ, we are a new creation.

Our old lives have gone.

The new life in Christ has come.

God has given us His Holy Spirit to breathe new life in us.

As a result, we no longer need to take out our frustrations on each other.

We can live as God's servants.

And as ambassadors for Jesus.

A new day is breaking.

The old has gone; the new is here!