New Day, New Year, and New Beginnings - 31 Days of Fresh StartsSample

Our New Branch...

Out of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot--yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.
Isaiah 11:1 NLT

At the time of the prophet’s writing this Messianic promise, the Davidic throne was in chaos. Israel’s kingdom was divided in two; sin and idol worship abounded. Honestly, it seemed hopeless that God’s covenant promises would be fulfilled with those who continually broke His covenant of love (Isaiah 11:10, Romans 15:12).

Yet, Jesus—the new Branch—would come from the rotted roots of the Hebrew nation. Out of the stump of ruin, a new sprout would be birthed—an even better covenant, as we’ve previously learned—would be offered to all humanity based on the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus and the ultimate power of His resurrection (Hebrews 10:10, Philippians 2:9).

Yet, there is something more that we can apply to our own lives here.

Do you, do I, have old decaying stumps in our lives? Do we have past ruin, hurt, damage, or pain because of people, patterns of living, or just plain old living in a fallen and evil world?

God doesn’t throw out the bad and broken, sending Jesus from an entirely new lineage, nation, or throne. Instead, He uses all the brokenness of the past to bring absolute healing to the now and future. God didn’t discard the old covenant; rather, Jesus fulfilled every dot and dash of it (Matthew 5:17).

The lesson for us? The very things that have hurt and wounded us are the very same things the Lord will heal so that we can reign in life and be a source of healing in Jesus’ name for others (Romans 5:17, 2 Corinthians 12:9). He completely forgives our past. Still, His grace is so miraculous and sufficient that He is able and willing to use our past for our ensuing purpose, calling, and ministry. Our hurt was never His intent, but His love will weave it into our glorious new future.

Wow. Let’s let Him do something new from our old today.