Christmas Advent Bible Reading Plan: Jesus Is BornSample

To Make All Things New

There are few things I love more than a good renovation show. I love seeing untapped potential being unlocked. I love seeing a home that is in despair and ruin find new life and purpose again. The process always takes a while. It starts with frustration, doubt, and apprehension. A little fear of the unknown. There are always hiccups along the way that makes you wonder if it will work out, but the last five minutes of every episode are gold because you get to see the end result; the before and after are revealed, and in the end, the hard work was worth it. What once was not now is. It’s more beautiful than they had planned in the first place.

As humans, we’re drawn to makeovers, renovations, and transformation stories. We want to know that broken things can be restored. Old things can be made new, and dead, dry things can come back to life. This is why the coming of Christ is so incredibly powerful.

As God’s fallen creation, we were separated from Him by sin. As a result, our world has experienced groans and pains ever since as we long for things to be made right again (Romans 8:21–22). In the same way, any suffering and pain we experience is never the end of the story—Jesus is. Our ultimate restoration comes through God’s power and what He has promised to do in our hearts and in our world: to make everything new (Revelation 21:5).

In this Advent season, in this time of waiting, we have to remember that the way things are right now is not the way they will always be. God is in the business of making things new. There is nothing beyond His power and ability to restore. There is nothing too broken for Him, and no one is too far gone for His love. There is no relationship beyond His repair, no permanent heartbreak, no scar beyond His ability to heal. He is with you and walks beside you in your pain and grief. He promises to make everything new in us and around us. In Christ, it is already done.

Prayer

God, thank You for making all things new. I thank You that in my life, You make beauty from ashes. You take my despair and turn it into a garment of praise. Thank You that you are continuing to make me new in the process. In Jesus' Name, Amen.