Colossians 2:14 (NIV): “having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”

Ever hear of a “do over?” It’s the chance to start over again and face no penalty for the previous attempt. When my kids were small and learning to hit a baseball if they swung and missed, they would yell, “do over!” In other words, “I want to try again…that first swing does not count.” Through the cross of Jesus Christ, we get a “do over” with God. When the blood of Jesus is applied to our sinful hearts, we get the chance to start a new life and face NO PENALTY for the previous attempt! Let that sink in. In Christ, the penalty for all of our mistakes, our unwise choices, our sinful thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors, and our attempt at independence from God are all as though they never existed. Jesus gives us a brand new heart. One that has new desires, new hopes, new drive, new dependence. One that is not fickle or easily tossed around by the winds and waves of the world, but is steadfast and purposeful. In Christ, the old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). With the power of the Holy Spirit on the inside, our “do over” becomes an eternal home run!

Walk in freedom today!
Theresa

Ecclesiastes 4:10, 12 (ESV): “If one falls down, his friends can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has not one to help him up…Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

     Many songs and poems have been written in honor of friendship. Did you know that the Scriptures teach us that friendship is an important and even necessary part of our lives? It’s true. We were not meant to live this life in isolation, separated from others. Instead, God designed mankind with a need for relationships; an interdependency where you look out for me and I look out for you. It is in this mind-set that we are able to guard one another against the enemy of our souls. The Bible describes satan as a prowling lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). The person he usually attacks is the one that is trying to stand alone, and be independent from others, but there is strength in numbers. Try this experiment: take a twig from your yard and see how easy it is for you to snap it in half. Then, find several more twigs, of the same size and width, hold them together and see how difficult it is for you to snap the bunch. A house of unity cannot be quickly overtaken, and a cord of three strands cannot easily be broken. Embrace healthy friendships. Brothers and Sisters in Christ are to be faithful friends, looking out for the wellbeing of one another.

Be a true friend to someone today!
Theresa

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV): “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
     We have all heard the saying that yesterday is gone, tomorrow may not come, so enjoy the present. Too many people, though, get stuck in the past. We live under the weight of shame and guilt from choices we made yesterday. Maybe we are still walking in the consequences of yesterday’s decisions, but our God has a way of making all things new. When we come to Him with the broken pieces of our life, the Master takes the tattered and old and divinely creates something breath-taking and new. Today is a new day. We have never lived it before. It is a clean slate, a fresh start to try something different than what we did yesterday. It is God’s gift to us. His compassion towards us never fails. His love for us is relentless. His faithfulness is great. Because of God, yesterday will not consume us. To prove it, He lovingly presents to us Today.

Praise God for His faithfulness to you today!
Theresa

Proverbs 16:24 (NIV): “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”
     Remember the chant on the schoolyard playground, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!”? Although the saying sounds good, no words were ever more wrong. The truth is that sticks and stones may bruise the body, but words can kill the soul (Proverbs 18:21). Fortunately, our words also have the power to speak life, healing, and encouragement into others. Wise King Solomon said that gracious words are sweet like honey and bring healing to a wounded spirit. There is a hurting world all around us -- people who need healing; people with spirits that need resurrecting. Be gracious in your words today: love extravagantly, forgive freely, and laugh infectiously. Christ wants to love on others through the sweetness of you.

Speak life into others today!
Theresa

1 Thessalonians 2:4 (NIV): “On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.”

Too often we try to please people. We want others to like us and accept us, so we will go out of our way to win their favor. Perhaps we just seek to avoid confrontation at all cost, so we compromise or conform in order to keep someone else satisfied. Christ wants to free us from slavery to man’s opinions. The only approval that truly benefits us comes from God. So, how do we get God’s approval? We accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. When we are in Christ, we are clothed in His righteousness, and God is perfectly pleased with Jesus. We don’t have to work hard to be really, really good. We don’t have to go faster, be smarter, look prettier, or weigh less, we just need to be in Christ. That, Beloved, is the truth, and it will set you free from the trap of people-pleasing (John 8:32)!

Live for an Audience of One today!
Theresa

Acts 7:20 (ESV): “At this time Moses was born; and He was beautiful in God’s sight.”

Ask any parent and they will tell you that no child is as beautiful as their child! For those of us who have children, we know the feeling of a swelled heart as we look into the face of our baby, and think “This child is perfect!” When Moses was born, God looked at that little baby and smiled. Why? Was Moses exceptionally beautiful from other babies? Probably not. What was beautiful to God, though, was the plan He had for Moses’s life, and the fact that Moses would be willing to fulfill that plan. God had destined Moses to be the deliverer of the children of Israel. He would be the one to lead God’s children out of the many years spent in captivity. Would Moses be perfect? Oh, no! In fact, he was a liar, hot-tempered, a murderer, a coward, and a top-notch excuse-maker. Beyond all of his many short-comings and personality flaws, though, was a heart for God. 

Beloved, you may have a list of negative traits a mile long, but who owns your heart? If it is surrendered to God, He can do amazing things in your life despite your flaws. When God looks at His children and finds those with a reckless abandonment for Him and His will, He smiles and says, “This child is perfect!”

A surrendered heart is beautiful to God. Give Him your heart today!
Theresa

Looking forward to the Simplicity Women's Retreat in Flat Rock, NC, on September 11-13! "Wanted: Women of God" will be our theme for the weekend. Plenty of Word, food, fun, & fellowship is on the agenda! http://www.chbcfamily.org/simplicity.htm

Psalm 138:8 (ESV): “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”

When God made you, He smiled. He looked at the work of His hands, and said “He/she is good!” Sin has a destructive way of tarnishing our lives and veiling the good that we can see, though. But, here is some incredibly encouraging news…God will not forsake His work. He is a God of redemption who knows how to restore and how to make completely new. The problem for most of us is that we are always focused on how much work God still needs to do on us instead of rejoicing in what He has already done. We look ahead at some distant and seemingly unattainable goal of perfection, instead of glancing over our shoulders to realize how far we have come. Today, I challenge you to rejoice over the work of God in your life! Now, “rejoice” is an inward emotion that requires an outward expression! It’s that “whoop-whoop or body slam” kind of behavior when your team scores a goal. The Apostle Paul teaches us in Philippians 4:4 to go throughout our day with a “high five” mentality for what God is working in our lives. Our Lord never slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:3-4), and He will not quit on you (John 19:30). He will successfully and completely accomplish everything that He has purposed for you! 

God is smiling on you today!
Theresa

Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV): "I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”


Endurance is the ability to stand up under pressures that will crush ordinary men and women.  When we, God’s children, bear up under the pains of divorce, job loss, sickness, betrayals, others take notice that there must be something supernatural holding us together. An enduring spirit keeps us placing one foot in front of the other and keeps us moving forward. The strides may not be broad or fast, but all that faith requires is a tiny step forward. Christ Himself gave us the example of how to endure through life’s most difficult times. Hebrews 12:2 said that Jesus focused on the joy that was set before Him. This Scripture records that in Jesus’s darkest, most painful hours, He look heavenward; and so should we. The troubles we face in this world are quickly passing as we reach forward to what lies ahead. The joys that await us will make suffering in this life seem like nothing. Press on! There is a glorious, eternal prize awaiting you! 


Let the joy of the Lord be your strength today!
Theresa

Malachi 2:13-15 (NIV): “Another thing you do: You flood the Lord’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, ‘Why?’ It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.”

How long has it been since you embraced your spouse and said, “I love you!” for no special reason and without provocation? How long has it been since your children have watched you romance your spouse with a special dinner, a bouquet of flowers, or a waltz around the house? The Bible teaches us that the marriage relationship is our best idea of how Christ loves us. We are not to ignore our spouses or to take them for granted. Busy lives are no excuse for lack-luster marriages. The covenant you made with your wife or husband was to model for one another and for your children the love of Christ (Ephesians 5:25). And, Christ loves passionately, consistently, and eternally!

Recommit your marriage covenant with God and your spouse today!
Theresa