New!

 

Some may believe that because our Father is very ancient, in fact from eternity, that His words and ways are of the past, and not relevant to life today. One of His names, in fact, is "Ancient of Days":

"I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire."                                                                   Daniel 7:9  Regardless of the fact that He is indeed ancient, our Father is all about doing new things. "Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them."                                                                  and "Do not remember the former things,  Nor consider the things of old, Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert."                                                                Isa. 42:9, 43:18-19  Though scripture says that the LORD does not change in either His Word, His promises, nor His covenants,  part of His character has also always been to do new things. So in this, He also doesn't change. His "new things", however, never contradict His Word. But His Word declares that the Father's whole purpose and will is to bring new things. He even renews the virtues of His own character towards us: "Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."                                                           Lamentations 3:22-23 For our benefit, our Father renews His mercies towards us every morning. We don't even have to rely on the old mercy He has shown to us before. The mercy is brand new that He extends to us.  He also sent His only Son to bring about the new things of His will: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new."                                                               2 Cor. 5:17 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; ...there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."....                                                                Rev. 21:4-5 Why is it so important that we know about the newness of our Father? That same newness of Spirit is expected of us. We are not expected to remain the same as we are today. Each day, each hour, we are to strive into the newness that our Father has for us in that moment. As we move forward spiritually, the old things of this world, and the old things of our nature, pass away farther and farther from us. As we reach for the "new things", all creation is renewed along with us. We are expected to change as each day's newness of revelation is brought to us: But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."                                                                2 Cor 3:18 The word "transformed" used in the above verse is the Greek word metamorphoo, or metamorphosis in English. It means to transform, to transfigure, to change into another form. As the Holy Spirit brings the glory of the Lord to us each day, it is expected to change us. We are supposed to become something new by degrees, and that something new eventually makes us to conform into the image of Jesus Christ. We all know people, including believers, that have not changed noticeably in years. Some churches  are the same today as they were tens, even hundreds of years ago. Sometimes people and institutions refuse the new things the LORD is doing. The new things the LORD brings us do not compromise, nor violate His Word in any way, but they sometimes do demand that we put away old traditions, and old ways, old understandings, and old natures. If we do not move forward with the Cloud of His glory, with the Pillar of His fire, we will become part of the "old things" that are meant to pass away. We will not be moving into the "new things" that our Father has for us every morning. This is not God's will for us. This is not why He sent His Son to die in our place. The newness of our Father not only causes us to move forward, but it also causes us to move upward: "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended (to have obtained, to have attained, to have laid hold of); but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."                                                                   Phil. 3:13-14 In the above verse, the Apostle Paul tells the Church that although he has not reached all that the Lord has for him, his desire is to leave behind the things of the past, and make an effort of will to attain the new things of the Spirit that will pull him forward, and upward, which is the nature of the call that God has spoken over each one of us. It was not just something for an apostle. Paul tells us that this same mind must be in each one of us. Our walk is a walk of "degrees", and we are expected, commanded, to desire and strive for the next degree in newness in Christ (Phil 3:15-16).  Let us look each morning, each hour, for the new things our Father desires to show us, and form in us. Our Father is New. "A New Creation" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo-JovuTXyM  "The Steadfast Love of the LORD" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ1L2DFZVzQ "Press toward the Mark" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kKSzAUqZA4