“…forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” Philippians 3:13
The symbol for a new year is a new baby, not a refurbished old person. Time and circumstance wear on us for the worse, as well as other things. A new born enters life fresh, without the baggage of past prejudice, completely free to advance into the present.
To say that Christians are not affected in some negative way by passing circumstances, is to ignore the reality of human imperfection altogether. Denying that we pick up any baggage along life’s road is neither the right answer nor the correct solution. To deny the presence of our imperfection is like saying, “we have no sin”. Just as we must confess our sins to God to be forgiven and cleansed, we must also identify and cast off the baggage that we have accumulated along the way due to our imperfection.
We need to enter the new year as a “new baby”, not as an old person carrying the ill effects of the past.
To not seek deliverance and freedom from the imperfect feelings, opinions, prejudices, etc., of the past, will just require that we become more deceitful and pretentious in presenting ourselves as being well, when deep down the malignancy of imperfection continues to fester and grow into more serious stages.
May our prayer for the new year be for sufficient self-denial and submission unto the Lord, for:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10
“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” James 4:10
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude 20-21
