Genesis 1:1, 31 (ESV)
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth … And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
Creation was/is God’s work, and He says it’s good.
God’s not wrong.
Good morning, Lord. Forgive me for taking Your work for granted. Forgive me for criticizing Your work, for thinking there’s something wrong with it. Open my eyes to the wonder and complexity of the world around me. Let me honor Your glorious good work with good work my own.
Here in the US, today is Labor Day, a day to celebrate the contributions of workers and their trade unions to our national progress and prosperity.
Attitudes shift, and many folks no longer celebrate work. They see it as an unpleasant reality to be endured or avoided.
God, on the other hand, says work is good.
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
God’s work, our work, good work … all part of God’s plan.
Good morning, Lord. Thank You for work, be it my day job, housework, service at church, even the words I post on social media. Close my ears to the whispers urging me to avoid work, telling me that work is unpleasant. Grant me an attitude of anticipation and gratitude. Give me the wisdom and strength to work well.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
I’m new — and renewed.
Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.
New … when I accepted Christ as Savior and Lord.
Renewed … all the time.
Good morning, Lord. Thank You for the transforming work You are doing in me — work that makes me act less as my culture dictates and more like Jesus. Tune my ears, renew my heart and transform my soul — teach me to do Your will and not my own, in Jesus’ name, amen.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (EXB)
If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation [the new creation has arrived; or that person has become a new creation].
We don’t become new creations because our parents or grandparents are believers. We don’t inherit our position in Christ. Belonging to Him is a personal decision — no one else can decide for us.
Good morning, Lord. I am a new creation, thank You! I can’t force others to believe in You and become new creations themselves — each one has to make a personal decision. Let me live in a way that honors You and inspires those I know and love to do the same. Show me where I fall short, empower me to do right, embolden me to be Your ambassador of light in a dark world.
Old Testament history is a repeated cycle:
Nehemiah 9:16-17 (NIV)
But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them.
Not just our ancestors … us too. But Jesus broke the cycle.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Good morning, Lord. Thank You for breaking the cycle of sin — for all mankind and for me personally. Your death and resurrection empower me to step away from my sinful self and step into the new life You offer. Even so, that sinful nature keeps trying to regain a foothold. Grant me the wisdom to see it for what it is and the strength to resist, in Jesus’ name.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (CEV)
Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person.
I’m a new creation in Christ, you’re a new creation in Christ, we’re all new creations in Christ — the way God planned from the start.
Ephesians 2:10
God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. This is why he sent Christ to make us what we are.
Good morning, Lord. Thank You for making me new, for planning new things for me to do today and every day. Teach me to let go of my old, used up and useless ways. Empower me to step out in faith, knowing the best is yet to come.
There are days when I feel old, really old. The Bible says otherwise:
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
My body is getting older, for sure. But in my soul, the new has come, is coming and will continue to come, every day.
Good morning, Lord. Each day brings new mercies, new insights, new opportunities and new growth. The older I get, the more I learn about Your love and wisdom. There’s something new every morning, thank You!
More on the parable of the lost sheep:
“He [Jesus] has a deep sympathy with each stray heart. He knows the sorrow that sin brings, the deep pollution and the terrible wounding that comes of transgression, even at the time; and the sore heart and the broken spirit that will come of it before long; and so the sympathetic Saviour grieves over each lost sheep, for he knows the misery which lies in the fact of being lost.” (Charles Spurgeon, 1884)
When our dog went missing, I was more concerned about her well-being than my loss. That’s how God feels about each of us.
Good morning, Lord. You don’t want any to perish, but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). You grant us free will, always giving us the opportunity to do life Your way. I sometimes forget how much You care, how much You grieve when any one of us runs away from You. You don’t give up on us, we’re the ones who give up on You. Thank You for Your ever-watchful, persevering love.
In the parable of the lost sheep, there’s a big celebration when the shepherd finds his wayward sheep.
Luke 15:6-7 (NIV)
Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
I posted a photo of our lost dog on social media. Once she was back home, I updated those posts. A host of folks I don’t even know responded with joy — an earthly peek into a heavenly reality.
Good morning, Lord. Scripture says the heavenly host rejoices when a sinner repents. Once upon a time, saints and angels sang and danced on my behalf. Wow!
Likewise, O God, may I rejoice whenever I hear that one who was lost has been found.
Our pup, a 5-year-old rescue, seemed to have settled into our household. And yet, she ran away.
Matthew 18:10 (NIV)
… If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?
We canceled our vacation and devoted five days to the (ultimately successful) search. Why? Surely, there are a hundred more dogs awaiting homes. We could have said, “Well, that one’s gone, let’s get another.”
But that’s not the way love works.
Good morning, Lord. There are billions of people in the world, and You care for each one — none are ignored or discarded, considered worthless by You. You love each one of us as though we were Your only child. As the hymn says, “Amazing love! How can it be … O my God, it found out me!” (Charles Wesley, 1738).
