Devotional from Pastor Tim

As a new year begins, there’s often an unspoken pressure to start over—to be better, try harder, and finally fix what feels broken. But the Gospel offers something far better than a fresh start. It offers a new creation. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

When you received Jesus, God didn’t improve the old you. He put the old you to death and raised you as someone brand new. That’s not religious language, it’s reality. You didn’t just get a clean slate; you were given a new identity. You are no longer defined by your past, your struggles, or even your feelings. You are defined by Christ—His life in you, His righteousness given to you, His Spirit living within you. Not someday. Right now.

Yes, we still live in a broken world. We still face challenges and feel weakness. But what’s changed is you. You walk through this world as a new creation, not trying to become someone else, but learning to live from what’s already true. This life isn’t powered by your resolutions or willpower; it’s lived by faith in Him.

So as this year begins, set aside the pressure to reinvent yourself. You are God’s handiwork. Let this be the year you rest in what Jesus has finished and trust who He says you are. That’s not complacency, that’s freedom. And freedom is where real life begins.

Colossians 2:10 “and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority”