New Things from God!

One of my favorite television shows is American Pickers. This show airs each week on the History Channel. It is a show where Mike and Frank travel the country looking for treasurers hidden in people's old barns, houses, storage sheds, and businesses. I am always fascinated at what they "pick" at these locations as something that is valuable. On one recent episode Frank picked a tin robot toy from the 1960's. The toy was rusted, the knob that once was used to wind the toy up to walk was broken, and the paint was faded. That vintage toy which had been sitting in an old barn for years collecting dust was considered valuable because of its rarity. Apparently the creator was a famous toy manufacturer in Japan who had made only a few of these children's toys in the 1960's and today it is a major collector's item. Think about it...Frank found this treasure in a box full of junk, made a deal with the owner and paid him $60.00 for something that once sold for $1.75 in the 1960's. Why? because of the toy's creator, value, and rarity.

As we enter a New Year I know of many people whose lives feel like the old tin toy collecting dust in an old barn. There may have been a time when you once felt useful, valuable, or cared for, but as 2016 begins you feel none of those things. Maybe 2015 was just a bad year for you. Perhaps you are going through some personal struggles. It could be that you have some strained relationships in your life right now, or you could be battling a major health challenge. Just today I have talked to people who have told me, "Pastor my life is going no where fast. I feel useless and worthless. I trust in God, but I just do not know what is going to happen next. What can I do? How can things be different in my life?" It could be that today you are asking the same kinds of questions yourself.

Listen to the words of the Lord for your life today. These words come from the Lord through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 43:18-19, "¹⁸ Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old. ¹⁹ Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert." One of the best principles I have ever learned in my life is this: The past is past so let it go! Is this principle not true? You cannot do a thing about your past except confess it to the Lord, find His forgiveness, and move forward. The Lord wants to forgive you of your past sins, mistakes, and failures. He wants you to forgive yourself and others as well. It is time to let the past determine the direction of your life today and into the future. The Lord looks at your life and today and He wants to pick you up, dust off your life from the sins and mistakes, and remind you and everyone around you that you are valuable and precious to Him! You are His valuable creation! He made you to love you, not leave you. He made you to care for you, not condemn you.

Today you need to change your focus away from your problems and challenges and start focusing on God's love and purpose in your life. Let God do something new in your life in 2016! He is ready and willing if you will allow Him to do His work in your life.