Embracing His Mercies Daily

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

I like new things. Whether a new house, car, sheets, shoes, or socks it just makes me happy to enjoy a new thing. I love the new smell, look and texture of them.  I also like the prospect of new experiences, friendships, projects and job opportunities. I want to daydream about what the future will bring with them.

Of course I’m nostalgic about the old things as well. My home is filled with items that bring back memories of time with my grandparents, my immediate family growing up, and the friends I’ve made. If you wandered around my house a story would unfold all around you.

Today we celebrate the seventh day of Christmas and the last day of 2016. I’ve heard from many who are eager to toss out the old year and get started on a fresh one. This last year was filled with death, financial hardships, emotional pain, and broken relationships. Those that encountered this want to scrap the old year and start fresh with a new one. My year was a tough one as well and making it all the way to the end gives me the same feeling as sliding into home plate at the end of a baseball game with extra innings. That feeling is victory.

I love that the very old plan God had for us was realized in the birth of a brand new baby. Few things compare to the smell or hope brought by a newborn child.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
 his mercies never come to an end;
 they are new every morning;
 great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 English Standard Version

God’s mercy never ends. He gives us a fresh slate daily so we do not have to wait for a new year to begin. He has proved His mercy throughout the centuries. He fulfilled His promise of continued mercy through Jesus Christ, a new baby born to solve a very old problem. In the form of Jesus, God brought victory. Begin each new day celebrating the victory you’ve found in Jesus and thanking Him for redeeming the old days.

Photo and Text Copyright Richelle Hecker