01/30/2024 – The Essential Elements for Divine Renewal – Part 1
Genesis 9: 8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9 “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. 11 Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
God has promised us complete renewal: spiritual, mental, physical. Only God can make this promise. Only God can transform us into His children through a process of constant renewal. In the natural world there is a process of constant decay that leads to death. Everyone and everything decay spiritually and physically, and eventually dies… In God it’s the opposite. We need God’s renewal, otherwise we will get stale, begin to decay and die! There is a process of constant renewal that leads to eternal life!
God has promised to renew His mercies for us each morning. He promises a new heaven and a new earth…to renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31), but above all He has promised to renew us! Out mind, our way of thinking…our heart, our spirit, even our bodies. He has promised to make us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), constantly being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16)!
What is even more amazing is that this process of glorification through renewal take place despite the horrendous forces of decay that oppose us in this world. Sin is evil, and all evil leads to decay: moral, mental, spiritual, physical. But the power of God brings renewal that overcomes the forces of decay. After God’s judgment through the flood, there is not an end, but a new beginning. In God there are no endings, but completions that lead to new beginnings! All evil will end. All lies will sooner or later die. But the truth is eternal. The flood was not the end. For those of us who are in Christ, the forces of decay cannot put an end to our lives, to our blessings. We were not called to be witness of destruction but ministers of renewal!