When, How Did This Start

When we go to the doctor with a health concern, we describe the issue. The doctor will inevitably ask, “When did the symptoms begin?” Having this information helps the doctor know many things about your issue and then how to treat them. So, it is very important to accurately describe your condition.

John 1:3-4 says, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” These verses declare that all things were created through Jesus. As the light, Jesus brings true knowledge, moral purity and the presence of God into this dark world. We cannot truly know and experience life, as designed and created by God, apart from Jesus.

Good Plans

We walk into a surprise meeting with someone who has some authority over our future. We don’t immediately know how these plans will impact us, so we accept them tenuously and with some trepidation. If we trust this authority, then we will likely move forward more confidently.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” If we don’t believe God’s promise, then hope fades and our future becomes less meaningful. However, if we do believe God’s promise, then hope grows and our future becomes more meaningful.

Mirrors

A carnival funhouse usually has a variety of mirrors inside. These mirrors distort the reflected image for comic effect. What types of mirrors do we try to use to reflect our image to others? Some use fame to reflect the image of importance. Some use wealth to reflect an image of importance. Some use education to reflect an image of intelligence. But these are only images and vague reflections of the person.

Proverbs 27:19 says, “As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.” People chase fame, fortune, good looks, and education to demonstrate their value. God determines a persons’ value and nature by looking at their heart.

Loving Expectation

When our children are young, we guide them with the loving expectation that they will make good choices and learn well. Sometimes, they will reject our guidance and suffer the consequences. We will suffer with their pains with the loving expectation that they will learn and return.

II Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” The LORD patiently endures our unbelief and rejections with the loving expectation that we will repent and turn to Him in faith.

Change of Clothes

A change of clothes rarely does anything to change us. Oh, we may feel better by putting on comfortable or fancy clothing, but inside we are still the same person. And yet, scripture likens the new creation that God makes of those who trust him to a change of clothes. We put take off and put aside our old nature of selfishness, greed, lust, etc. and God puts on us a new nature of love, patience, peace, hope, joy, and Christ likeness.

I Peter 2:1-3 says, “So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation – if indeed you have tasted that the LORD is good.” God makes new creations of those who trust in Him. Therefore, we put take off and put aside the old clothing of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. And we take in the nourishment of God’s Word, because we know that God is good.