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New Beginnings
There is an old saying I like, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift from God." Some people live as prisoners of their past, others live in fear of the future. But why not embrace the present as a new beginning from God? As we embark on a new year, God has some spiritual new beginnings in store for us to experience and enjoy.
Passover was a new beginning for Israel. "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you..." (Ex. 12:2) God changed the Jewish calendar when He instituted Passover. It became their New Year's Day. Talk about new beginnings. They went from slavery to freedom, from serving Pharaoh to serving God alone, from living in Egypt to starting a journey to Canaan Land.
The number eight often indicates new beginnings in scripture:
- There are seven days in a week, the 8th day is the beginning of a new week.
- God started the human race over with 8 people on Noah's ark.
- All Jewish males were circumcised on the 8th day.
- The firstborn of Israel's flocks & herds were given back to God on the 8th day.
- Christ arose from the grave on the 8th day (the first day of the week, Sunday, but the 8th day of the previous week), announcing a spiritual new beginning for all mankind.
Several of Jesus' Biblical titles indicate new beginnings:
Jesus is called Alpha, The Beginning, and The First in the Book of Revelation. In other words, He is the source from which the river of grace flows. Every spiritual benefit originates with Him as the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is also called The Dayspring from on High (Lk. 1:78), The Day Star (2 Pt. 1:19), and The Bright and Morning Star (Rev. 22:16). All of these titles speak of the sunrise, the dawning of a new day. Bible commentators believe the Morning Star actually refers to the planet Venus, the brightest planet that is visible after all other stars have faded from view, announcing the arrival of a new day. Before the days of radar and GPS, sailors charted their course by this light. Jesus, like the Morning Star, outshines all the other "stars" of this world. When they have all faded from view, He'll still shine, and you can chart the course of your life by His guiding light. Every day with Jesus is a new beginning.
So quit living as a prisoner of your past, my friend. As one author stated, "the past should be a guidepost not a hitching post." Remember, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift from God." Let today be a new begnning with God for you!
*Note: This message entitled "New Beginnings" is available in its entirety on DVD for a donation of $5 or more to our ministry.
The Greatest Gift of All
The greatest gift of all
Wasn’t found under a tree,
Instead, it hung on one
At the age of thirty-three.
The greatest gift of all
Wasn’t wrapped with fancy paper,
But wrapped in swaddling clothes
And given to those whose lives are a vapor.
The greatest gift of all
Wasn’t bow and ribbon covered,
It was laid in a dingy manger
Over which a bright star hovered.
The greatest gift of all
Wasn’t announced to the royal elite,
But angels to shepherds proclaimed
“Christ is Lord” and sin’s defeat.
The greatest gift of all
Wasn’t brought down through a chimney,
But sent from heaven above
God incarnate, manhood and deity.
The greatest gift of all
Wasn’t conceived by human seed,
A Spirit-overshadowed virgin
Produced the Savior to a world in need.
The greatest gift of all
Worshipped by Wise Men bearing treasure,
Reconciled fallen man to a holy God
By the purest love without mortal measure.
- By Ben Godwin
Ben at a book signing in Jasper, Alabama
Ben Godwin grew up in Tampa, Florida. He was struck by a car while riding a bicycle as a boy. Then he received a miraculous healing. He began preaching at the age of thirteen. He has been involved in full-time ministry since 1987. Ben served as an evangelist from 1987 until 1994, when he began pastoral work. For the past twelve years he has served as the pastor of the Goodsprings Full Gospel Church, thirty miles west of Birmingham, Alabama.
Ben holds a Bachelor of Theology degree from Christian Life School of Theology, based in Columbus, Georgia. He has been blessed to preach in over half of the United States as well as Russia, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico. He has shared his miracle testimony in hundreds of churches, schools and youth camps. His testimony has been featured in several magazines and on numerous television and radio programs. He also hosts a weekly TV program called The Word Workshop.
Ben's book, God's Strategy For Tragedy, explores the following themes:
- Do miracles still happen today?
- Why does God allow tragedy?
- How should we respond to tragedy?
- How can you receive a miracle?
God's Strategy for Tragedy provides solid answers to these and other questions and illustrates, both from Scriptures and real life how God can turn tragedy into a testimony.
Order your copy today!
Watch our weekly TV program The Word Workshop.
If you live in the Jasper, Alabama, area or in Walker or Winston Counties, you can view our telecast on Jasper's new digital TV 16-1 or Charter Cable channel 10 or Galaxy Cable channel 8. The program airs on Mondays @ 9 p.m. and Tuesdays @ 12 (noon). Our show features Gospel music and Pastor Ben's Sunday sermons. The program can also be seen in parts of Jefferson, Cullman, Fayette and Tuscaloosa counties. DVD's of each broadcast are available upon request.