All Things New

All Things New

Here we are on January 1st—another year has begun! The beginning of anything is an interesting time, and this year is no different. We live in such a connected world that we see hosts of posts as we exit what was 2025 and enter into something new called 2026.

I’ve personally read posts that highlight accomplishments and milestones worthy of reflection. I’ve seen vulnerable messages with goals being set to reverse course on roads traveled that now need to be addressed. I’ve also heard people broadcasting their mindset on time, growth, and what it means to enter and exit various seasons of life.

This time of renewal and refocus is special, but we must keep in mind the times we’re in—and God’s promise to make all things new once and for all. While we can trade a number at the end of our written date, the real newness comes from Jesus Himself taking first place in our daily lives.

In Revelation 21, John recounts seeing the new heaven and the new earth. He sees a magnificent Holy City where God dwells among His people. It is here that God promises to wipe every tear from His people’s eyes. There will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain. Finally, all creation will be free from the reign and effects of sin. After observing all this, John sees Jesus seated on the throne declaring, “Behold, I make all things new.” This new heaven and new earth is what believers—and all creation—long for.

While Jesus makes all things new, each year we are given a chance to renew our focus for the year ahead, bringing the love of Christ forward into the here and now.

Here in this life, we’re still bound by time. 2026 will be a collection of 365 days. If you’re counting, that’s 8,640 hours—or just a measly 518,400 minutes. For those who’ve made goals to get at least eight hours of sleep this year, you’ll have just over 5,700 hours awake to make your mark on the year ahead. Not much time, but enough to let our light shine in ways that can bring new hope and new life to those around us.

Below are a few examples of how we can redeem more of our time and allow God to move in and through us right where we are.

Four Simple Steps to Transform 2026

Here are four simple steps we can take to allow just 125 hours of our time this year to transform our world.

#1 – Invite one person to church each week
Time Allocation: 5 minutes per week
With a 50% success rate, that’s 26 lives potentially transformed by the Gospel.
Total Time: 4.33 hours in 2026

#2 – Read one chapter of the Bible each day
Time Allocation: 8 minutes on average
There are only 260 chapters in the New Testament. By Q4, you’ll have read all four Gospels, all of Paul’s letters, and straight through Revelation. With God’s Word stamped on your mind, you’ll be more likely to stay in communication with Jesus throughout the day, seeing things as He sees them.
Total Time: 46.6 hours

#3 – Volunteer with family and friends twice each month
Time Allocation: 2 hours per service
This could be at a homeless shelter, retirement center, local church, food bank, or youth event for various nonprofits. There’s no telling the influence you may have on the life of someone in need.
Total Time: 48 hours

#4 – Make one phone call each week to someone you haven’t connected with recently
Time Allocation: 30 minutes each
Nothing replaces a call from someone genuinely interested in how you’re doing. Being seen, cared about, and intentionally connected with is a gift. Be the giver of that gift once per week. See people as fellow children of God—worthy of love and a little bit of time.
Total Time: 26 hours

You can certainly fill in the blanks with your own ideas, but the simplicity of these steps paints a very doable picture. These four commitments, if done consistently, would account for just 2.1% of your awake time this year—yet they could radically transform your connection to Jesus and to those in your direct circle.

I’m planning to implement these four points as a simple way to let the light of Christ brighten my immediate world. My prayer is that you’ll take a look at the opportunities God has blessed you with and find a simple, repeatable list to incorporate as well.

May God bless your 2026.

— Mark