Spring is special. The great outdoors flourishes in color, and signs of new life overwhelm the dormancy and barrenness of a cold harsh winter. Birds chirping, trees budding, flowers blooming.
Spring symbolizes how new beginnings triumph over dead ends. Spring is nature’s cyclical promise of life springing forth from death. A time to turn the page on the past and look optimistically toward the future; a new chapter, story or song.
In April, we celebrated Easter—the most consequential event in history—the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His crucifixion, burial and resurrection make it possible for anyone and everyone to be set free from sin’s death sentence and experience Christ’s forgiveness and promise of eternal life.
John 3:16 makes this 100 percent guarantee: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Hang out with that thought. Everlasting life never ages or sours. Eternity never expires. And eternal life is always about thriving and growing, not merely surviving or declining.
So, what do you think about the phrase “new & improved”?
Interest piqued or suspicions raised?
Believable or suspect?
Is this merely marketing mumbo-jumbo or a promise backed by guaranteed results?
Jesus’ resurrection is an historical and Biblical fact. Believers of this physical and spiritual reality trust in the faithful promises from God’s Word to rescue, redefine, renew and restore their lives. You might call this God’s new and improved plan. And it is trustworthy because God cannot lie.
I pray that, if you haven’t already, you will place your faith in Christ’s atoning sacrificial death on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins and trust in His victorious resurrection from the dead. By professing such a belief, you are claiming God’s promise of eternal life and thus adopted as His son or daughter.
You can profess your faith in Jesus Christ by praying something like this:
“Dear God, I know that I am a sinner. I’m sorry for choosing my way over Your way. Help me turn from my sin. Please forgive me. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe He died on the cross for my sin and You raised Him to life. I want Him to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want to trust Jesus as my Savior and follow Him as my Lord from this day forward. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
If the essence or sentiment of this prayer is the sincere desire and conviction of your heart, then your past, present and future has been redeemed for your eternal good and God’s glory.
The Apostle Paul’s new and improved claim in 2 Corinthians 5:17 sums up this best: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
In my book, Turn Your Season Around—How God Transforms Your Life, with former Major League Baseball All-Star and four-time World Series Champion, Darryl Strawberry, we unpack God’s promises and wisdom about how to experience your Creator’s new & improved plan for your life.
This book will teach you how to thrive in whatever season of life you find yourself. Each chapter, walks you through a Biblically-based process to experience the abundant life for which God created you. Apply these timeless truths to your life and be set free from the bondage of past mistakes or the rut of the status-quo. You don’t have to accept, or settle, for the worldly wisdom of “it is what it is.” Read this book to discover how to pursue God’s best for your life each day and therein realize how you were created on purpose for a purpose greater than yourself.
All the best!
