Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17

This time of year is all about what new improvements we are going to make in our lives. Maybe you are going to hit the gym and/or try to live a healthier lifestyle. Maybe you are going to try to better yourself with more education or expand your mind with a more rigorous reading plan than usual. Maybe you are just going to try to have better habits and be more organized. There are many good endeavours for the year ahead.

But as we wrap up the Christmas season we still have a longing and a great need within ourselves.

We’ve looked at this through Advent and into the Christmas season – the anticipation and realization that Jesus – God with us – changes everything!

Whatever it is you are seeking to do this year, whether you have formal resolutions or not, one thing remains the same and it certainly is not new – you need Jesus.

You need Him to walk with you.

You need Him to guide you.

You need to know Him in a deeper way than ever before.

And just as we saw a couple of weeks ago in Isaiah 55, you need to come to Him. You need to repent and believe in Jesus every day in 2019. You need to be made new and for that you need something that is not new, but is steadfast and true.

As the hymn writer says:

Tell me the old, old story,
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory,
Of Jesus and His love;
Tell me the story simply,
As to a little child,
For I am weak and weary,
And helpless and defiled.

Tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story,
Of Jesus and His love.

You need the old, old story and so does the world around you – yes, even in 2019.

Paul also tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”

In Christ, you are a new creation and He invites you to live with Him on mission taking the message of reconciliation to a world that needs to be made new. Take the old story with you into the new year.