Sunday Devotion- Novel Journey

Janet Rubin

I've always liked the name of this blog: Novel Journey. It's about the journey of a writer, the journey to publication and beyond. And it is a "novel" journey, isn't it, this writing trip? Let's see what Webster says about the word, "novel."

1 : new and not resembling something formerly known or used
2 : original or striking especially in conception or style

Wow, those definitions sure define what we're always trying to do when writing: find something new, something that hasn't been done, something original that'll make an editor sit up and take notice. Really though, the writing journey isn't so very novel. Men and women have been writing ever since there was language, and from Homer to Shakespeare to Dickens to us here today, we've all been trying to do something new with paper and pen. When we think of giving up, when we cry over a rejection, when we suffer writer's block... we're certainly not the first to do so! Still, it's a crazy ride, full of ups and downs, failures and successes, despair and hope, criticism and growth.

What is truly a novel journey is the journey one embarks upon when deciding to follow Jesus. When Jesus came on the scene on planet earth, He truly did something novel. He preached with authority, unraveling the mysteries of the kingdom in a way noone expected. He established the kingdom, not by taking a throne, but by dying on a cross. He introduced the incredible, life-saving concept of grace to a people who only understood (with a limited understanding) the law and sacrifice. Grace. A God who sacrifices himself to save his people. Revolutionary!

When we follow Jesus, we are truly doing something new. Not only that, we become something new ourselves! New creatures, wearing clean, white robes, with clean slates...
I'm so glad to be trekking along with all of you on this novel journey. Blessings on your week!

2nd Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.