Psalms 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
An overwhelmingly fantastic gift – forgiveness!
The entire kingdom of God is hinged on forgiveness – both receiving and giving, complete forgiveness.
We are so blessed and need to be reminded of it constantly that our sins are covered and taken away.
Prayer: I lift my hands in worship to You today to thank You for this immense and wonderful salvation that all my sins are forgiven. Help me to forgive others consistently I pray, and to walk in this complete guilt free state of worship continually, because I am forgiven. Amen.
My sweet man has always wanted to live somewhere that he could step outside at night and it be so dark that he could gaze at a blanket of stars. Unfortunately we live inside the city limits, so even when he goes out back in the middle of the night, the brightest light he sees comes from the gas station on the corner. Now that the trees around us have shed their leaves, even the stoplight is visible. Behind us the church has put up security lights facing our house which light up our back deck considerably. Good times.
Not that I’m complaining. I’m just making honest observations as to why David can’t see the stars like he wants. It’s really ironic. I mean, has our world ever been any darker? Holy cow! I don’t even listen to the news any more. I figure the Lord can sort that mess out without me. Thankfully NOTHING catches Him by surprise. Which brings us to our thought for the day. Philippians 2:14 & 15 says: “Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean innocent lives as children of God shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.”
So apparently the world has been dark for centuries. Our challenge is to shine in the midst of all that darkness. According to those few verses we can do that by refraining from complaints and arguments. Add to that clean living and suddenly we shine brighter than the gas station on the corner.
I like it.
Now if I can just refrain from making all those “honest observations” perhaps I can shine too.
A choice is defined as the act of selecting
or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities. They
can be small, big, easy, hard, wise, foolish, right, wrong, and
life-changing.
Where to start:
Start with God’s Word.
Search the scripture.
God’s Word is alive and active.
God’s Word will speak to our spirits.
Still no insight on making that choice?
Go to Plan B.
Plan B is: Repeat. Start with God’s Word.
What to remember:
A choice should not be based on feelings – but on faith.
A choice is not to be based just on this life – since this life is not the only life we have.
A choice made in obedience can bring order.
A choice made in disobedience can bring chaos.
A day to day right choice makes it easier to make better big choices later.
A choice made for good can put more good into motion.
Examples to follow:
Abraham had to decide whether to follow God’s direction to parts
unknown – or to stay in a place where he was comfortable. Genesis 15:6
says that he chose to believe in the Lord. He chose to have faith in
God’s Promise. He chose obedience. That choice impacted the history of
the world.
In Matthew 9:9, Jesus said, “Follow me.” Matthew arose. Matthew
followed Jesus. He was not bothered by the fact that he was a tax
collector who would be leaving behind a really nice salary. Jesus said
it. He got up. He went.
Jesus said, “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.” Jesus
made the choice to come to earth and die for us. Those words from John
15:16 tell us that Jesus made a choice that gives us a choice – to
accept or reject Him.
Jesus chose to save the world.
Yes, His choice leaves us with a choice.
Joshua 24:15 says, “Choose you this day whom you will serve.”
Much like a Bob Ross painting, I delight in looking at the deciduous trees of NC winters. Although snow may not majestically blanket the landscape, the gift of our winters is that we can clearly see the beauty in the structure of our many trees. The observation is quite revealing.
In winter, we see a tree stripped away from its signs of growth, mainly its leaves and fruit. We may often mistakenly refer to it as a “dead tree.” However, life indeed is happening in the stillness and quiet of rest.
January and February can be difficult for many of us in the South. The excitement and joy of the holidays have passed, we face the reality of returning to schedule, and another vacation or extended holiday seems too far off in the distance to bring hope. Without the charm of a snow day, winter can seem dreary. But there is beauty in bareness, profoundness in simplicity. Seeing nature in its quiet, bare-bones form can be poetic and inspiring.
We can overlook people and even ourselves during the winter seasons of life. We can get stuck in the mundane monotony of our lives and assume nothing is happening in our routines. In a sure structure, God is working in the stillness and rest. How often have I mistaken the quiet, content, still life as one where nothing awe-inspiring or beautiful is occurring? But there are stories of victories, success, and – most importantly – God’s presence in a heart at rest. There is beauty in a solid structure that has been communing with the Creator and Savior over time. When we encounter someone who seems to be in a winter season, we can ask them to reflect on the victories in their lives to refresh them, which can also restore us in our winter seasons.
However, winter trees can also reveal structural problems. For instance, while looking up into our backyard trees, I spied a favorite tree with damage near the top. Though not a detached widowmaker branch, it is clear this tree needs further examination. We could choose to ignore it and let spring leaves on other branches attempt to cover up the problem, but eventually, the whole tree (not to mention the life that surrounds it) could suffer if the issue is serious.
Sometimes, winter seasons in our lives can also reveal an underlying issue. Stress over time takes a toll. Neglected things begin to suffer. There could be drastic results if we ignore these things and simply hope for the best in the next season. Are we busy fighting when we should be resting or waiting on the Lord (see Exodus 14:14 or Isaiah 40:31)? Are we afraid of the living Word of God that “discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart” from which “no creature is hidden from His sight” (see Hebrews 4:12-13) that can deal with the structural damages in our heart and character?
Our winters reveal what is supporting our life. If you find yourself in a winter season, assess your foundation and structure. Praise the Lord for good foundations that allow us to rest in our winters. Ask Him to reveal foundational issues that need His restoration.
Ashlie Miller is pastor’s wife to Chad and stay-at-home homeschooling mom to five children in Concord, NC.
I wrote last week about spending time with my sister and her family over the holidays. We spent New Year’s weekend with my wife’s mother and sister. It was a good trip home and we had a nice visit. It was nice to have the opportunity to spend time with family while we were home.
It was also good to come home to our house. It’s nice to sleep in your own bed after being away. It’s also nice to be around your own stuff in your own home. It’s been busy since we got home, getting Christmas taken down and put away for another year. There were also other tasks that needed our attention.
I have been thinking a lot about the word home since we got back. I told people we went home for Christmas. Then I told some other people that we were really glad to be back home again after our trip. Then the word home comes up in that famous song that is sung around the holidays, “I’ll be home for Christmas.”
Where is home? I referred to my mother-in-law’s house as home. I referred to our house as home. There is also the spiritual idea that someday I am looking forward to going home to be with the Lord. All these places can’t be home for me, can they?
Naturally, I wanted to find the definition of home. We commonly define home as the place where one lives permanently. It’s where the family resides. There is another definition that says home is where one is put who needs professional care or supervision. Thankfully, I am not at that stage in life. So the place where I reside is my home. Then why do we call our parents’ house home? I think our parents’ house is where our childhood memories reside. It’s home.
So we have the place where we currently reside, the place where we grew up, and then we have our eternal home. I believe our eternal home trumps our current residence and our childhood home. Our eternal home is our destination. We live this life in hope that we will spend eternity with our Savior in our eternal home.
There is so much speculation about our heavenly home. What will it look like? How big will it be? Will it be a castle? Will it be more like an apartment? I believe we don’t know because each of our homes will be unique to our personality. Also, we don’t know because the marketing department hasn’t produced their promotional campaign. I really believe if we knew how nice and wonderful our heavenly home is going to be many of us would want to “pop off,” as my grandmother used to say, to our heavenly home.
It really doesn’t matter what any of us thinks about our heavenly home because I am convinced of this one thing: it will be far better than any of us could ever imagine. The main reason I believe our heavenly home will far outdo anything we can imagine is that Jesus will be there. In fact, we will get to be with Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and our Heavenly Father. I am not worried about what home will be like or look like as long as I get to be with Them.
Where will your home be? Are you ready to be with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? We don’t have to wish or even hope that we will be there. We can know beyond a shadow of doubt that we will be with Them. When we ask Jesus to be our personal Savior, to forgive us from all our sins, and to wash us clean through His blood, we can be assured that our eternal home will be in heaven. It’s not up to God, it’s up to you. You determine where you will spend eternity. If you have made that decision, you can rest in peace, but if you haven’t you are choosing to live away from God’s love, Jesus’ forgiveness, and the amazing Holy Spirit.
I encourage you to make this vital choice while you have time. When you stand before God it will be too late. Accept God’s invitation now so you can know that you have a reserved home in heaven. I want to meet you and see you there. Heaven will be far more wonderful than your mind can conceive. I am hoping for a home with a nice garden spot and maybe close to some water. What about you?
The above question posed by Pontius Pilate to Jesus is well known and often used to counter or support various points of view. However, when we examine the actions of Pilate concerning the “trial” of Jesus before he asked his famous question, we see that Pilate knew: The charges of the Jews against Jesus were lies and knew that Jesus was innocent; he was deeply impressed with Jesus; and that he did not want to condemn Him to death (even though he did). Pilate tries various means to remove himself from the “trial”, and in John 18:38 we are told how Pilate poses his question to Jesus “Pilate said unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.” How Pilate later acquiesced to the crowd is well known, but just examine his action after he asked that question of Jesus. John tells us that Pilate asked the question, then without waiting for an answer, he leaves Jesus to address the crowd.
Jesus’ answer to Pilate will never be known, and we can only offer conjectures. However, what I want to question is the action of Pilate as he asks such a question from a man that he admittedly admired. Also, we can only guess at why Pilate did not wait for an answer to his question. Was it his well-known arrogance? Was he cynical? John does not offer any information, but for us during the times we face today, we can draw at least one conclusion from Pilate’s action.
Truth! Yours, mine, theirs? While we may be presented with various thoughts, only one truth can exist. To quote Senator Moynihan , “You are entitled to your opinion, but not your facts.”
As mentioned, Pilate was impressed with Jesus and looked forward to meeting him and talking with him, which he did. Conversation and debate are healthy. Questions directed to ourselves and others force reconsideration of a particular stance, and may lead to new or stronger positions. Yet, here is a Roman governor who fails to take advantage of an opportunity to learn from Jesus. Pilate asks the question but does not wait around for the answer. What did he miss? What does his exit cost us? We will never know, but we can learn from Pilate one important fact.
If we are genuine when asking a question, we will stay to hear the answer. Pilate did not, and my guess is he was using his power against Jesus, allowing his arrogance to over-ride his judgement. At that moment he was in charge and wanted all to know it. He asked an honest question and missed the answer.
Truth is an absolute. We cannot survive as Christians if we all have our individual truths. We may have different opinions, but we cannot all have our individual truth. For example, it is a list of Ten Commandments, not ten suggestions. Also, we may have opinions regarding the action of Pilate, but we cannot deny his decision to murder Jesus.
Ask questions of each other, knowing that “iron sharpens iron.” But hang around to hear the answer. It matters.
As the resolutions begin, all of us have an opportunity to start anew with the New Year. I heard a popular female disc jockey say that the end of the year couldn’t get here quick enough for her and that all she wanted was a clean slate to make herself a better person when the new year begins.
We all have the same opportunity this coming week. But here is another way to look at bettering yourself. Think of a doable challenge, something measurable and achievable, that will benefit your overall and lasting health.
I am about to finish my own challenge for 2023, one that had been on my mind since 2018. My running career began in 1980. Since that time, I have totaled more than 2,000 miles each year with most ending over 2,500. Since my annual bike riding adventures began in 2013, I have only reached 2,000 miles once in 2018. With a shorter ride this year, I realized I had another chance to make 2,000 in 2023.
To make my own challenge happen, I began tracking my mileage with a vengeance in early November. I knew what I needed daily to make the goal happen and began methodically recording my progress in writing on a wall calendar. I am ahead for daily average goal distance as I write this column and fully expect to achieve the total distance by Sunday. It wasn’t easy, just as few goals worth achieving are. I expect to reach my lifelong running goal of 100,000 miles in late 2026.
It is my experience that we don’t do well by making statements like I plan to start dieting, lifting weights, running, stretching more, etc. without a clearly achievable number to shoot for. Keep it simple and write it all down and it becomes real.
Monday’s Bradshaw Rogers Financial Partners 5K is a great way to begin your self-challenge to better health. With a low entry of just $10, a safe and accurately measured course, runners and walkers of all abilities are invited to make their commitment to a healthy New Year in the 9 a.m. event at The Forum on Jan. 1. The city of Salisbury and Novant Health support the event with all proceeds going to Rowan Helping Ministries.
The Forum and Salisbury Rowan Runners host the event while Rayna Gardner is the race director. Donations of canned goods, used running shoes and money will be accepted for Rowan Helping Ministries. All participants get a new T-shirt recycled from a 2023 local road race. There will plenty of refreshments and the 10 top 10 male and females will receive a special finishers medal. The Resolution Run 5K will be the first of about 25 races during 2024 throughout Rowan County. A finish line video and photos will be available to view afterwards along with a complete listing of participant results. Race registration is online at Runsignup.com and also available Monday before the race.
To those who want to continue the process of committing to better health, the Salisbury Rowan Runners and the Salisbury Police Department will host the 2024 Spring Beginning Runners Class. First class is March 12 and continues an eight-week series through April 30, all on Tuesday evenings at 6 p.m. Participants will begin by running/walking a half mile and continues to a successful completion of a 5K (3.1 miles) on April 30. Cost for the class series is $65 and includes individual and group coaching, a training T-shirt, entry into one 5K race and membership in the Salisbury Rowan Runners for one year. Make plans now to join us for the next BRC series at the Salisbury Police Department. The classroom component will include stretching and strengthening, shoes and equipment, nutrition, injury prevention and safety. Registration is available at Runsignup.com.
For more information about the Resolution 5K and BRC, along with other upcoming events, check online at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.
Mark 11:17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’ ?
Prayer is the basis of all spiritual life. We participate in God’s spiritual ecology through prayer.
Where people come together (in church – God’s house) it is a place that we pray and call upon God as a collective body.
God made His house a place for anybody, everybody, every nation, every walk of life, there is no one that is not welcome there. Let us always have that outlook.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, please raise me up in a power of prayer on a continual daily basis that I will be a person of prayer. Let me always regard Gods home, Gods church and Gods people as a place of prayer and to have a heart for anyone who wants to pray and not have any judgements against people who are seemingly, possibly less spiritual. Teach me Holy Spirit I pray. Amen.
This is the year! 2024 is when you will FINALLY read the Bible cover to cover. Even the maps! But not the Concordance. That would just be weird. As it turns out, it’s a LOT of reading. You’re five days into the new year and already you find yourself three days behind. But you’ll catch up! Honest you will!
May I humbly make an observation? If not, stop reading here.
This is your exit. This is where you will jump off the guilt train. When reading Scripture becomes a chore, then you might need a different plan. Can I make a confession? I’m not sure if chemo caused it or just plain getting old. But currently I am dealing with a large amount of brain fog. For whatever reason, I have a really hard time hearing the words coming off the pages. I seem to have the attention span of a puppy in a yard full of squirrels. Focus is just not happening.
So! Here’s what I’m trying and it seems to be working. I hold my Bible to my chest and get as still as I can. Since it’s all I can do not to look out the windows at the birds on the feeder and the neighbor’s cat and the plethora of squirrels jumping from limb to limb and my bottle tree as it catches the light…
Wait. Where was I.
Oh! I was clutching a real Bible with honest to goodness paper pages which have notations of trials past and answered prayers. I was hugging it to my chest with my eyes closed and I was waiting. Silently asking God for the Words. This week the word Philippians came to mind. One “L” and two “P’s.” Philippians.
So I opened there.
After the intro I read one small paragraph and didn’t hear a thing. So I read it again. Then again. It began to be clearer. So I read it again and asked God for help. More meat was found on that bone. So I stopped and wrote the blog Certain of the Good Work. It wasn’t astounding but it was definitely a word from the Word.
Here’s the thought for today. Let’s not go through the motions in our relationship with God. Let’s not start the day by giving Him His marching orders or by instructing Him on how to handle the things on our mind. Let’s rest in Him. Let’s listen. Let’s pay attention as best we can. Let’s go so far as to ask God for this from Philippians 1:10a.
The morning brought a beautiful surprise – snow covered ground. Our
view through the front storm door of our home gave us the best of both
worlds – warmth- and watching the snow fall.
Our cock-a-poo, Buddy, stood close by – feverishly barking at each flake.
When we opened the door for one split second to see how cold it felt –
Buddy darted out, as if he had been plotting his freedom for months. We
ran outside in our robes, pajamas, and slippers, screaming his name,
“Buddy! Buddy!” He was gone.
He had gone past his boundaries of protection – our home- and the
fenced in space in the back yard where he was allowed to run freely.
The roads were difficult to traverse that day, but we started driving
through neighborhoods to look for him, windows down, while crying out
his name.
As darkness fell, my hope dimmed. He had never been outside the
security of home – and it was a dangerous place to be. I knew by now he
would be running aimlessly – trying to find his way back.
Signs were placed along the roadside. We drove daily from house to
house – calling his name. Two weeks later, we received word that someone
had just found him, fed him, gotten him warm, and had taken him to an
animal shelter, hoping someone would come looking for him. Someone did.
He was cowered down in the corner of a cage in the shelter. I
tenderly and tearfully whispered his name, “Buddy.” He looked up at me,
stared for a second – dazed and confused by the surroundings – perhaps
wondering how he had gotten to such a low point.
He kept looking up at me- seemingly despondent – and then slowly
realizing he was looking into the eyes of one who loved him – and had
been searching for him.
I whispered, “Let’s go home, Buddy.” He jumped up – barked – and
began clawing his way out of the cage, as if his life was being
restored. It was.
The door was opened. How that little dog was able to jump that high
up into my arms, I guess I will never understand. Or was it perhaps the
joy that comes from being lost and then found?
Oh, my Buddy, why did you leave the boundary we had in place for you?
*It was there for your safety – for your protection.
*You knew better – but went anyway.
*One decision took you on a journey to a place you did not want to be.
*One decision took you on a journey to a place you did not need to be.
*One decision took you on a journey to a place you did not belong.
*Not only did you suffer – but those who loved you suffered, too.
As we got in the car to leave the shelter that day, Buddy had no
doubts as to whether he was forgiven and fully restored. Nor did he have
concerns as to whether or not he was lost or found. He knew. He was
going home.
I still am not sure if I was holding on to him – or if he was holding
on to me during that ride home. I somehow think it was both.
