Entering a new year and new semester is like being born again, although it can be frightening. Even outside of the stresses of school, life can be overwhelming with many new changes and shifts. Fear and anxiety can creep up in the depths of our minds and keep us from focusing on what is most important: our relationship with Jesus.
Jesus Christ makes all things new. God wipes our slate clean and gives us new life. “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT). You don’t have to be the same student you were last semester, or the same person you were last year. You have the power to make a step towards changing for the better. God helps us be able to achieve this goal. When we are in connection with Christ, we can have our slate wiped clean.
You may not want to make the same mistakes you did last year or be same person. We, as children of God, should always be striving to be better. Perfection is an impossible goal, but we can ask God to help us. Psalms 51:10 says, “God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (NLT). Here, David called out to God and asked for a clean heart. David’s lust for Bathsheba became greater than his love for God, and he planned to murder Uriah and rebelled against God. David knew that he wanted to be a different person, a new person, but he needed God’s help. He had scars that only God could heal, so he called out to Him.
You may not have been lustful or murderous, but maybe you have been rebelling against God in the last year. Maybe you struggled with self-doubt or depression—but all of us have struggled with something that caused us to run from God. Maybe you had a “dirty” heart last year and you want to be clean now.
Whatever the case, we are never too far gone. God leaves the ninety-nine to find the one lost. He is our perfect provider and gracious deliverer. The Lord is merciful and will meet us where we are like the good, good Father He is. We do not need to run from God, because we can stand firm and call out to God saying, “Create a clean heart in me.” When we call out to the Lord, asking Him for deliverance, He will wipe our slate clean. The old will be gone and the new will be born, and you will be a new person because of Christ.
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