Goodbye Yesterday

Goodbye yesterday
I’m living in the light of a new day
I won’t waste another minute in my old ways
Praise the Lord I’ve been born again

We hear the Gospel, we receive grace, and yet…how often do we settle back into what we’ve always known? The habits, the comforts, the old ways of thinking. 

There’s a tension in us: knowing we’re new in Christ and still clinging to the ways of our old life for satisfaction. But what if that satisfaction isn’t found in what we’re holding onto, but rather in the One who is holding onto us? What if we longed for the Lord the way David did in Psalm 84:10, marvelling at a mere day in the Lord’s presence over a thousand elsewhere?

Those who have tasted the goodness of God know there’s nothing greater, so why would we waste another minute in our old ways?

When Jesus called His disciples, they left everything to follow Him. No hesitation. In Matthew 4:18-22, Jesus invited Simon and Andrew, saying, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” According to the scriptures, both men “immediately left their nets and followed Him.” After this encounter, Jesus invited two other disciples who, as Matthew describes it, “left the boat and their father.”

Jesus’ disciples left behind their vocations, their families, and their familiar lives – all to follow Him. Heeding the call of Christ requires us to lay down our nets and immediately follow. This might seem intimidating, but when we see Jesus rightly, surrender is no longer a burden but our purest form of joyful worship.

Goodbye control.

Goodbye comfort.

Goodbye to our old ways.

Again and again and again and again

You rescued me out of the mess I was in

You traded my sorrow for something to sing

Now I’m dancing on the grave that I once lived in

From beginning to end, Scripture tells a single, unfolding story of redemption – of a faithful God who relentlessly pursues a broken people. From Genesis to Revelation, we see fallen kings, corrupt leaders, sin patterns throughout generations. And the pattern repeats: sin, distance, mercy, redemption. 

Again and again we failed. 

Again and again God was faithful.

That same faithfulness extends to us now.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

You are not bound to the grave of your past failures, for Christ’s atoning blood is sufficient to cover all sin – past, present, and future. Each time we stumble, our Savior graciously extends an invitation to return to fellowship with Him. Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us, 

“The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

If Christ’s mercy was dependent upon our faithfulness, we would be without hope. His mercy rests secure in His own unchanging, compassionate love. We can confidently draw near to the Father, assured that in Jesus there is rescue, joy, and new life…

Again and again and again and again.

I have decided to follow Jesus

The world behind, the cross before

And I won’t turn back

Beautifully reimagined from a well-known hymn, these words capture the believer’s heart of surrender in response to Christ’s call. In Him, we are not merely rescued from something, but for something: a new life, a new walk.

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

Jesus didn’t wait until after the resurrection to tell His disciples to take up their cross. He told them before – when the hope of victory was veiled, and all in view was the shadow of death. But He knew what they couldn’t yet see: that in losing their lives, they would gain a better, truer life.

And so will we.

But why would a loving Savior ask us to bear something so costly?

In calling us to die to ourselves, He invites us into love – real love that leads us into what’s good and most satisfying even when we cannot grasp it. Our finite minds can’t fully comprehend the majesty of God or the splendor of eternity in His presence, but He gives us glimpses:

In the vast golden skies that spill over quiet fields declaring His glory,
In the delicate whisper of the breeze weaving through canopies of leaves,
In the intricate beauty in the unfolding petals of a flower,

They are whispers of Eden, echoes of the garden, previews of eternity.

Bearing our cross becomes a joy when we catch a glimpse of the beauty ahead. When we behold Jesus, we don’t cling to our old life.

Sing out for joy and dance today, delight in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.