Hey friends, I know that just a very small percentage of you reading this can actually be with us on Sunday to explore the Bible teaching – but the reality is that 100% of you have at some time or another desperately wanted a “do – over” – another chance to do better, to get it right. Whether it is the famously frustrating game of golf, a career choice, a moment of angry confrontation with a family member, a marriage, a speech, or an attempt to be a faithful follower of Jesus – we all have some part of our life that weighs us down, holds us back, and cries out for a new beginning. 

God is into “new”. The Bible speaks about new life, new hope, new birth, new mercies, a new earth and heaven, a new Jerusalem, new creation …. 

God clearly offers new opportunities and 2nd chances. This good news should lower the level of stress your perfectionist pursuit places on you; this good news should release you from the oppression of dissatisfaction that overwhelms you when the year-end report card reveals “room for improvement”. It is a new year – a time to begin again with God! 

God is an expert when it comes to new starts. Genesis 12 tells of a family that sets out on a new adventure, one that would be life changing, world changing. And 2 Corinthians 5:17 speaks of the radical change that begins when God moves into our lives. It is in his nature to bless, and bless again. In Luke 15 Jesus tells the story of a rebellious son who is festively welcomed back to the family. Peter, famous for his 3-fold denial of Christ, is subsequently re-deployed for ministry by the Lord he so recently refused to acknowledge.

 A few days ago I ‘archived’ years of unread and unanswered emails. The refreshing ‘new start feeling’ of an empty inbox was similar to the relief and expectation I feel when I start a new ministry or return from a restful vacation. I think God works at a much higher level. Have you experienced something similar on a spiritual level, when God is involved in transforming your heart, leading you into new blessings and growth? The new “lease on life” thing does not come from self-imposed resolutions; it comes from God-initiated “resets” in our life. 

I wish you a Happy New Year for sure. Even more, I wish you a blessed divine reset!

 – Doug 

The Reset Button – Sunday morning January 6 2013 at 10:30

Scriptures to get my soul primed = Genesis 12:1-9, Ecclesiates 3:1-14, 2 Corinthians 5:17