NEW YEARS, NEW CREATIONS, NEW EVERY MORNING

Greetings all of you Golden Oldies...Silver Saints...Moldy Oldies...Old Creations, New Creations....Happy MOO Year.

Well...Today...is one step closer to the return of Jesus Christ...and one step into the New Year. I have experienced 57 of those lovely New Years...some I cannot remember...some I have vague memories...some I remember oh so well. There have been good years, bad years, ugly years...but collectivley...overall...it has been a good life.

I was born on August 15th, 1951...and then born again in the fall of 1970.

"Now there as a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Him (Jesus) by night, and said to Him, 'Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; fro no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said t him, Truly, truly, I say to you unless one is BORN AGAIN, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be BORN when he is OLD? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be BORN...can He? Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is BORN OF WATER (physical birth) and the Spirit (born again), he cannot ENTER into the kingdom of God. that which is BORN of the FLESH is FLESH...and that which is BORN of the Spirit...spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you...YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not KNOW where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is BORN OF THE SPIRIT." Nicodemus answered and said to Him, HOW CAN THESE THINGS BE? (John 3:1-9)

Born again...new beginnings...new creation...are words that evoke images of leaving one place and starting over in a new place. As Ed Cole points out in his book ENTERING CRISIS AND LEAVING...we are in a constant state of entering and leaving. We enter a new room and leave the old room...we enter a new job and leave the old job...we enter in new relationships...and leave old ones...we enter new lifestyles and leave old lifestyles. The first collage is one of NEW BEGINNINGS. There is a picture of Phillip being baptized...raised to walk in newness of life. Another picture is of me and Brenda holding Phillip in the beginning of our new life as a family. The lower left hand corner is old Ruminatin' Rod entering this world in 1951...and next to it are the early days of dating with Brenda Sue Williams...who then left that old life...and became Brenda Sue Boyd. Front and center is my first Bible post salvation. I bought that for myself...and wanted a honking big Bible to go along with my faith. It not only was a powerful tool for my spiritual growth...but could also be used as a weapon in case of physical attack. The upper right hand corner...is how...me...or anyone can enter into that BORN AGAIN experience...where you start a NEW LIFE. The cross...the empty cross...that Jesus allowed Himself to be "hung up for our hang ups". He became the propitiation, the substitute, the satisfaction for God...and paid the debt that I/we owed...so we could become NEW CREATIONS.

WOW....38 years ago...I was DELIVERED from the domain/authority of DARKNESS...and TRANSFERRED me to the kingdom of His (God's) beloved Son (Jesus)...in whom I have REDEMPTION...the FORGIVENESS of sins."
(Colossians 1:13,14)

I left the OLD creation that I was...and became a NEW creation in CHRIST.
(II Corinthians 5:17)

I went from not being righteous and just (Romans 3:10; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12) to being the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST (II Corinthians 5:21
Romans 1:17; II Corinthians 5:14,15)

The computer generated drawing of THE ROSE THAT GREW IN CONCRETE was a project Phillip did for a book report in school. It always speaks to me of how God can grow anything in a rough situation. It speaks of the miracle of going from a stagnated, concreted nothing...to a beautiful flower.


Well...it is a NEW YEAR...and time to leave the bad OLD behind. Thank God... that the new spark of life is not limited to the initial touch of God to man. After the fall...there was life...and the life was JESUS.

Jeremiah the "weeping prophet"...laments about the old condition...and rejoices about NEW MORNINGS.

"Remember my affliction and my wandering...the wormwood and bitterness. Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me (speaks of cause and effect of the old life). This I recall to my mind...therefore I HAVE HOPE. The Lord's LOVING KINDNESSES INDEED...NEVER CEASES...for His COMPASSION'S...NEVER FAIL...They (loving kindnesses and compassions)... are NEW EVERY MORNING...GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS. The Lord is my portion say my soul...therefore I have HOPE IN HIM." (Lamentations 3:19-24)

When you become a NEW CREATION...and you begin to walk in this fallen world....you need to be RENEWED. There is every opportunity to get weary in well doing (Galatians 6:9) As we walk in this NEW LIFE...we have many choices to SOW and to REAP. We see that God is not MOCKED...for WHATEVER (good or bad) we SOW... that shall we also REAP (Galatians 6:7). We can either so to the flesh...or sow to the Spirit. Either way...we reap a crop in our spiritual walk...that will either determine if we continue to walk in newness...or go backward (aka backslide) into the old creation.
(Galatians 6:8)

NOTE: I have backslide, returned as a dog to his own vomit, reaped what I sowed.. many times. This is a condition that I see many people doing...and will be a future Rambling called...CHRISTIANS CON CARNE...Christians with flesh).

We can go from NEW CREATIONS to OLD CREATIONS...from FREEDOM to SLAVERY by our SOWING and REAPING.

"It was for FREEDOM that CHRIST set us FREE...therefore KEEP STANDING FIRM and do not be SUBJECT AGAIN to a YOKE OF SLAVERY." (Galatians 5:1) This speaks of our CALLING. "For you were CALLED to FREEDOM, brethren...only DO NOT TURN YOU FREEDOM INTO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FLESH (carne...carnal nature)...but THROUGH LOVE SERVE ONE ANOTHER." (Galatians 5:13) Again...more of the Christian con Carne at a later time.

In this first day of the NEW YEAR...I want to encourage all of you CUD CHEWERS...to keep walkin in the NEWNESS OF LIFE....in the NEW CREATION. Remember that His loving kindnesses (plural) and compassion's (plural) and mercies (plural) are NEW EVERY MORNING. That means...that if you blow it on January 1st...you don't have to give up...there is a NEW MORNING COMING... and that would be January 2nd...and 3rd...and 4th...all the way to December 31st 2009...where I will meet you again if the Lord does not return... for 2010.

Until then..."But they that WAIT upon the LORD...shall RENEW...their STRENGTH...they shall MOUNT UP with WINGS OF EAGLES... they shall RUN and not be WEARY...and they shall WALK...and not FAINT." (Isaiah 40:31)

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY

Teach me Lord...teach me to wait.

Love and Spanking Brand New Kisses
Rodney "NEW CREATION" Boyd