by Jamie Pantastico | Jun 10, 2024 | Forgetting the Past |
Isaiah 65:17
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.”
God promises a glorious future for Israel, where their Messiah, God the Son, will rule and reign for a thousand years in Jerusalem. During this millennium, Israel will be the top nation above all others. Additionally, this promise extends to the end of the thousand-year reign, when God will establish a new heaven and new earth that will go into eternity. In this final renewal, God will forget all that came before, and a brand new kingdom will descend from heaven resting on a brand new earth.
This assurance encourages us to look forward to the new creation God has prepared both the nation of Israel and the body of Christ. The power of the gospel assures us of this new beginning and everlasting life with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In Christ, we have the hope of eternal life and a future where all things are made new. Our past sins and failures are forgotten, and we are to live in the reality of God’s transformative power.
The apostle Paul echoes this message in his second letter to the Corinthians. He emphasizes that in Christ, we become a new creation:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
Paul’s words remind us that our life as believers in Christ involves becoming a new creation, leaving the old behind, and embracing the new life God has for us. This resonates deeply with the promise in Isaiah, as we are called to embrace the new creation and the transformative power of God’s grace.
Let’s embrace this hope and move forward, trusting in God’s promise of a new creation. As ambassadors for Christ, we have the privilege of sharing this hope with a world in need.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for the promise of a new creation. Help me to forget the former things and live in the hope of Your transformative power. Use me to share this hope with others. Amen.
by Jamie Pantastico | Jun 4, 2024 | Forgetting the Past |
Micah 7:19
“He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
God’s compassion is demonstrated in His willingness to cast our sins into the depths of the sea. This powerful image assures us that our sins are completely forgiven and forgotten. The power of the gospel gives us this assurance, allowing us to move forward without the burden of past sins.
As believers, we can live in the freedom of God’s forgiveness, knowing that our sins are no longer held against us. This freedom enables us to serve as ambassadors for Christ, sharing the gospel, the amazing message of forgiveness and grace.
Let’s embrace God’s forgiveness and move forward with confidence. May our lives reflect the compassion and grace we have received.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for casting my sins into the depths of the sea. Help me to live in the freedom of Your forgiveness and to share Your message of grace with others. Amen.
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by Jamie Pantastico | Jun 3, 2024 | Forgetting the Past |
Philippians 3:13-14
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
As believers, we often struggle with our past—mistakes, failures, and sins that weigh us down. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, reminds us of a crucial spiritual discipline: forgetting what lies behind and pressing forward. This act of moving forward isn’t about ignoring our past but about choosing to live in the present power of the gospel.
Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are forgiven—past, present, and future. The gospel gives us the power to move forward, leaving behind the chains that once bound us. Our identity in Christ means we are new creations, no longer defined by past failures but by the hope and future we have in Him.
As believers we are a new creation our ambassadors for Christ, we have a purpose in this dark world. Let us embrace this truth, knowing that our past does not determine our future. Instead, we press on, empowered by His grace and love, towards the upward calling He has set before us.
Prayer: Lord, help me to forget, to not dwell on my past, forgetting those things which are behind me and reach forward to the future You have for me. Thank You for the power of the gospel that forgives and transforms. Empower me to live as Your ambassador as a light in this dark world. Amen.
Forget, do not dwell on your past failures, mistakes or sins because God has forgiven you of it all. Rejoice, rejoice in this truth, and move forward with joy.