Jackson Community Church

Summit, Spirit, Sky: connect to community and creation!

JANUARY 1: Daily Devotional

NEW BEGINNINGS Daily Devotional

Cultivate perspective each day this week.

January 1: Honor and Release the Past to Claim Renewal

  • Scripture: Isaiah 43:18-19 – Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
  • Meditation: Truthfully, we are shaped by the past. It creates part of our experience and identity.
    Yet we are also people of hope who both pay attention to what is happening now, around us, and cultivate expectations for the future. As spiritual beings, we are created by God to continue to learn and grow until the day we die.
    Acknowledging the past and celebrating it, helps us honor what has already occurred. For instance, in most cultures, we perform rituals around anniversaries, milestones, and holidays such as New Years, to release the burdens and hurts of the past. People write down or somehow state the wounds and regrets of the past, then release them, perhaps by burning them or letting them rise into the air. As we relinquish what we have been holding onto, we create space in mind and heart and body for new opportunities.
    God is always at work, crafting a fresh start.
  • Spiritual Discipline: Write down one former hurt or disappointment. Then also state the positive outcome from liberating yourself, and visualize that growth and change. Offer it to God in prayer, asking for healing and renewal, in God’s time with God’s help.

SONGS:

JANUARY 1: Daily Devotional
Scroll to top