All Things Are New

What would your reaction be if you returned home from a vacation only to find a brand-new house and garage waiting for you? As you step inside, everything is new – from the furniture, appliances, and dishes, to the food. Would you question your surroundings and double-check if you were at the correct address?

Since you are a renter, maybe your landlord pulled a fast one while you were gone, intending to sell the place behind your back. All sorts of thoughts enter your mind as you wander around these luxurious surroundings. As you consider yet another scenario, your landlord approaches the open door and smiles delightedly at your puzzled expression.

“Welcome !” He exclaims, grinning from ear to ear “How do you like your new home? This is all for you, for being such a good tenant for all these years. By the way, there is no rent due on the new place. I  want you to enjoy it for the rest of your life. Let me know if you need anything else.” He shakes your hand and walks out, closing the door.

What Just Happened

Is it even possible for someone to spend so much time and money on giving something valuable to someone they barely know? Not a chance, right? At least, not in this world we live in, full of greed and thinking of nobody else but themselves.

In my last post, I wrote about living in a self-obsessed world. Nothing is for free today, so when I received a notification that my 25-year-old student loan was to be forgiven my initial reaction was “Yeah, right.” I thought it was just another scam email and was about to delete it but something told me to check it out.

I received an associate degree in 2006-2008 from an online school that used coercion and false promises to get people to enroll. I was guaranteed a job as a legal secretary at least, if I was not successful in landing one as my chosen profession as a paralegal.

This recruiter was relentless and painted such a grand picture of my new life in law that I ultimately enrolled. I wasn’t able to find an internship and that sealed my fate between a rock and that hard place, for after graduation I went to every law firm in my area and was told that I had no “working experience.” Of course not. I was never allowed to gain any!

I could not afford those payments but never defaulted on those loans. I worked their system and managed to get a $0 monthly payment based on my poverty-level wage, and once the borrower’s defense was announced I immediately applied. It took nearly 15 years but those loans were indeed forgiven and I am very thankful for that! Persistence is the key. I had to re-certify each year to remain out of default, and if I had defaulted I would still owe them today, regardless of borrower’s defense or another form of forgiveness program.

I cried tears of joy when my loans were forgiven, giving thanks to the Lord for answering my prayers. I am nearing retirement age here friends and a clean slate was a huge blessing.

Where All Things Are New

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What would you give for a clean slate? What would you pay to live where all things are new? What if you could have a clean slate and live where all things are new and all you would have to do is accept the gift?
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelation 21:1 KJV)

Jesus wipes away all sin for anyone who believes in Him and His great sacrifice.

Can We Trust This?

Read this Bible study called Is there anything left we can trust? And see for yourself that the Bible can be trusted. God stands by His word. He WILL make the earth new again, and we will be blessed to watch Him create it! But only if we are among those redeemed before HIs return, which is very soon now.

What does it take to be among those written in the Book of Life? My book answers this question and more. 

And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:13-19 KJV)

May you be blessed and see the light as I have. Amen.