A Fresh Start

By Steve Clark

January 1, 2026

Jeremiah 18:2 …Arise, and go down to the potter’s house… (18:1-6)

Do you need a fresh start today? Praise God! He is the God of second chances and new beginnings! 

Have you ever wished you could go back and start over? If only you could take the words back that you said, if only you could make different choices. Sadly, in most cases, it is impossible to go back and change what has been said or done. 

There is, however, one area of your life that you can have a new beginning.  You can have a fresh start with your spiritual life! What do you need today? SALVATION? SANCTIFICATION? COMMITMENT? CONTENTMENT?  God Specializes in New Beginnings! 

Jeremiah is a true prophet with the people’s best interests at heart. Though discouraged and about to give up on God’s people, God told him to go down to the potter for an object lesson. There he saw a potter at the wheel intently shaping a vessel. But just as the vessel seemed to be taking shape, something unexpected happened—the vessel was marred. 

Jeremiah probably thought the potter would reject the clay as if the material was now of no value. Instead, he flattened it again, put it back on the wheel, and started to shape it once more. The Potter could have completely abandoned it, but he didn’t! 

In the New Year, God has a plan and a purpose for each of us. He alone knows your possibilities, and He wants the best for you. If you are disappointed or discouraged because your life has not shaped up yet, maybe it’s because you have not yielded to the pressure of His Hands. God has a message of hope and assurance for you. He is working on us – we are His workmanship, and He wants to shape us according to His divine design and plan. 

You can begin again by entrusting your life into the Master’s hands and have a fresh start again.

Reflection—When we fall apart, God can put us back together again!