Daily Devotional

For a youth guy, this time of year is always associated with back to school. August-September time frame has all the implications of a new school year, which means new classes, new friends, new teachers, and new assignments. Students at this time are either mourning the end of summer, excited about the new school year, or some combination of both. As I contemplate the start of a new school year, I think of several things that are essential to students' success. The one thing that I think about is a blank sheet of paper.
 
I was asked this question recently: will there ever be a time that we no longer use paper? I believe that no matter how digital school gets, there will always be a place for paper.  And whether it's a loose page or the first page in a notebook, there is something exciting about a blank sheet of paper. I think that it's the fact that it's full of possibilities and potential. It might sound like an overstatement but a sheet of paper can be anything from just notes in a math class to an amazing comic strip. It could be the start of a script for the next blockbuster movie or a page full of doodles when you're bored. The cool reminder about a new paper is that it's new.

The Bible tells us that we are new in Christ. It's not that we physically changed but we are changed on the inside by God. It's like when you wipe clean a dry erase or chalkboard. God gives us a fresh start. A fresh start to live for Him, no longer living for ourselves or trying to impress other people. A fresh start on our perspective of others and how we value people for being made in Christ's image instead of how they appear, who they associate themselves with, how they talk, or which team they are a fan of. May this reminder of a new school semester even be a reminder that the Lord's mercies are new each morning. May this day and every day moving forward be the day we embrace new challenges and opportunities that come our way through the eyes of Christ our savior.

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation