An FB user writes……”Today, I spent the whole Saturday morning, working hard out in this summer heat, pouring this concrete path, carefully making sure every inch was smooth and perfect. Took a short break, came back, and boom, this turtle had taken its sweet time strolling through like it was making a VIP entrance. At first, I was pretty upset, knowing Iâd have to redo the whole thing. But as I looked at those little tracks, I couldnât help but laugh I guess I learned something important today: no matter how slow you are, you can still leave a big mark⌠and I donât know if I should redo it or leave it as a piece of art. Nevertheless, I found the turtle and washed him off good, no worse for the wear, on my newly poured concrete sidewalk.”
FRIENDS……..We are all leaving our “mark” in the world for others to see, some admire, some follow and some question. I hope whatever mark we leave it will be one others can not only find good in, but something that might inspire them to be better people by doing all they can to ‘brighten the corner’ where they live in kindness, compassion and love for all regardless of who they are. It’s true, life can make us ‘better or bitter’ people depending upon how we make our choices, depending on ‘our walk.’
Genesis 5 says, “Enoch walked with God…” Moses told God’s people in Deut 10, “What does the LORD your God require of you? Only to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul..” Of course, this is impossible without the power and person of Christ in control of our lives. Like the Emmaus Road believers, Jesus walked with them and He wants to walk with us as we walk together in friendship and fellowship.
“If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased,” according to Maya Angelou. This quote emphasizes the importance of making a lasting impact on the world, suggesting that a life well-lived involves creating something that endures beyond one’s own existence.
“Leave a mark, but not a scar.”
God has a special purpose for each of us being here now….Others are watching our footprints so walk well my friends……
What Does Beauty for Ashes Mean? Beauty for ashes, or âa crown of beauty instead of ashes,â is a scriptural promise detailed in Isaiah 61. Where it had been customary to don sackcloth and sit in ashes during times of grief and repentance, Isaiah announces that God has sent him to proclaim good news for the poor, freedom for prisoners, and comfort for the brokenhearted.
He is describing the heart of the One who cleanses the ash from our lives and clothes us in the beautiful gift of salvation. The One who forgives our iniquities and remembers our sins no more (Hebrews 8:12).
The ashes of grief, shame, and disgrace are exchanged with the reward of an everlasting covenant with God (Isaiah 61:8). Through Isaiah, God tells his people that âall who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessedâ (Isaiah 61:9).
And although you and I arenât returning from exile in Babylon, God knows we experience all forms of exile, darkness, and trouble because he gave us free will to choose him or our sinful nature.
His promise here of beauty for ashes is the very life in his breath. He speaks in Isaiah 61, to assure us that no destructive force in our lives is greater than his plan to redeem it all.
That receiving his gift of salvation is akin to donning a glorious robe and bejeweled crownâŚnot for our own glory, but to reflect the beauty of the provider.
The same power that grows âoaks of righteousnessâ (Isaiah 61:3) out of dirt, is the power God has to exchange our hopelessness with hope.
Gillâs Exposition of the Bible describes that Isaiah 61:3 is âa beautiful play on wordsâ showing the people of Zion that their habit of putting on sackcloth and ashes (Esther 4:1-3; Job 2:8) is destined to be replaced by something marvelous. Gill continues:
âChrist gives his mourners the beautiful garments of salvation, and the robe of his righteousness, and the graces of his Spirit, and his gracious presence, together with his word and ordinancesâŚall which, as they are ornamental to his people, they yield them joy, peace, and comfort: and this is a beauty that is not natural to them, but is of grace; not acquired, but given; not fictitious, but real; is perfect and complete, lasting and durable, and desired by Christ himself, who gives it.â
What Is the Context of Isaiah 61:3? In this article, Rich Brown explains why the people in Zion were mourning, and why the prophet Isaiah stepped up to share good news.
Much like we do worldwide, the people of Zion were mourning the âgood old daysâ of past generations and bemoaning the work of rebuilding the temple after returning to Jerusalem from Babylon. What theyâd lost felt too unbearable to envision a new beginning.
Yet, God is always reminding us in his Word that even death is not the end of his eternal creation. His very breath generates life, from any ashes or dust.
Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Genesis 2:7).
When Isaiah promises beauty for ashes, he was encouraging us to look ahead. He was reminding us that things of this world will pass, and we need not anguish in our clinging to the beauty we thought once was.
Isaiah was heralding a new covenantal relationship with God. One so radiant, that the truth of it would cause these very people to display Godâs splendor. Says Brown,
âIn a sense it represented the death of a dream based on collective memory. Human nature being what it is, those hopes were flawed from the beginning. What the people had to do, the prophet counseled, was to build something newâŚout of that would arise a new covenantal relationship with God.â
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, âThis cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you (Luke 22:20).
What Beauty for Ashes Promises Christians Today Debbie McDaniel illustrates our need for beauty from ashes because life can be riddled with heartache. Our beauty for ashes covenant provides strength to endure. We can trust that God is with us through death, loss, and pain, providing for our needs. Providing a Savior to wash and rebuild our souls.
Godâs reach is wide and long and high and deep (Ephesians 3:18). He can carry you in your hopelessness, replacing your pain with purpose â and even joy. May you hold on to the truth of this promise through the words to the song, âBeauty for Ashes,â by Mid-City Worship:
⌠you give me beauty for ashes And you pull me close to your heart You have turned mourning to dancing⌠Thatâs what you do Thatâs who you are Brand new eyes, brand new hands You have wiped away my past Brand new day, brand new life You have pulled me from the lies
Iâm no longer what I used to be I am stronger, because you live in me The old is gone, the new has come Iâm alive!
Beauty for ashes defines our hope. Because of Jesus, we no longer sit in the ashes of our own sins or sins against us. He saves, he gives, he loves, he renews.
The Lighthouse & the Battleship “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, âI am the Light of the World. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life.â (John 8:12)
In the darkest part of a cold, foggy night, a shipâs captain cautiously piloted his warship through the fog-shrouded waters. With straining eyes he scanned the hazy darkness, searching for dangers lurking just out of sight. His worst fears were realized when he saw a bright light straight ahead. It appeared to be a vessel on a collision course with his ship, “What is this?”
To avert disaster he quickly radioed the oncoming vessel. âThis is Captain Jeremiah Smith,â his voiced crackled over the radio. âPlease alter your course ten degrees south! Over.â
To the captainâs amazement, the foggy image did not move. Instead, he heard back on the radio, âCaptain Smith. This is Private Thomas Johnson. Please alter your course ten degrees north! Over.â
Appalled at the audacity of the message, the captain shouted back over the radio, âPrivate Johnson, this is Captain Smith, and I order you to immediately alter your course ten degrees south! Over.â
A second time the oncoming light did not budge. âWith all due respect, Captain Smith,â came the privateâs voice again, âI order you to alter your course immediately ten degrees north! Over.â
Angered and frustrated that this impudent sailor would endanger the lives of his men and crew, the captain growled back over the radio, âPrivate Johnson. I can have you court-martialed for this!
He continued to bark out his order, “For the last time, I command you on the authority of the United States government to alter your course ten degrees to the south! I AM a battleship!â
The privateâs final transmission was chilling: âCaptain Smith, Sir. Once again with all due respect, I command you to alter your course ten degrees to the north! I AM a lighthouse!â
The Lighthouse in the Fog
Many in todayâs world have little respect for authority. We operate as if rules can be (or should be) changed to fit our personal needs and desires. Commercials egg us on: âHave it your way.â In reality, we canât always have it our way. We have to conform our lives to a higher truth, a higher authorityâthe Word of God.
Godâs truth is like a lighthouse. Itâs not going to change to accommodate us or our latest fads or fashions. His truth is from eternity, above time. We are the ones who must change to conform our lives to what God wants for us. We submit to it to be blessed in life. We fight it only to our demise.
JESUS is the Lighthouse. He will always be there for us. He is absolutely dependable. We Christians must conform our lives to His will for us. If He tells us to alter our courses, we have no choice but to obey. Thatâs what being a disciple is all about. That’s the Blessed Life!
As lighthouses for God, WE are anchored to shine the light of His truth and expose the viral godlessness that is infecting the hearts of men, women, and children alike. But, we can effectively accomplish this by first committing ourselves to pray earnestly and persistently on behalf of our families, friends, and nation as a whole. đ PRAYER FOR TODAY “Father God, we are called and equipped to be faithful bearers of Your light and truth in Christ. Empower us this day to be ‘rich in good works,’ kind in our words and compassionate in our hearts to a lost world shrouded in darkness and fog and headed toward disaster. Thank You for rescuing us through the cross of Jesus. In His Name, Amen!”
With the winter weather all around us and the New Year spread before us, our thoughts naturally reflect to wondering what 2025 might hold for any of us. The good news is that God has a great plan He is unfolding for the year ahead and you and I are part of it, whether we realize it or not. But, just as sports teams need to have and know where their goal is, so we must as believers if we are going to make progress and be blessed.
The Apostle Paul realized this, but he didn’t write or say these things to try and ‘earn his salvation by good works.’ He was very clear to get to heaven, to have your sins forgiven, to be saved, to be adopted by God is a total free gift of God’s grace and mercy in Christ, because of what Jesus did for us at the cross, not because of anything we might do. Good works should follow our commitment and personal relationship to Christ, as a result, but never as a cause of receiving eternal life. That’s a gift we must receive by faith in Christ.
Pastor Greg Laurie was talking about this the other day when he said, “Philippians 3:12â16 reads, âI donât mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already madeâ (NLT).
So, How Are You Doing? How did you do in 2024? Have you got off track, or are you running for the gold?
Have any relationships or things slowed you down in your pursuit of God?
The moment you believed in Jesus Christ, this race began for you. Some of you are just beginning, while others have been running for quite a while.
My son Christopher has already finished his race, and his old dad is still running! As I get older, I think about finishing this race more than ever.
And not everyone is finishing well. I know of some who have not finished their race with joy (see Acts 20:24 NKJV). People who seemed strong in the faith but have âcrashed and burnedâ in the race of life. They got off track or, in some cases, even self-destructed.
We see this in the Bible as well.
Biblical Figures with a Weak Finish King Saul comes to mind. He would have been a good politician: tall, handsome, charismatic, and I might add, anointed by God to be the king. Prophesying with the prophets, he had incredible potential.
Everything was going Saulâs way, and if he had just obeyed God, it would have been great. But he disobeyed God repeatedly and allowed prideâand eventually paranoia and jealousyâto consume him. This led to a series of sins, causing God to reject him.
The once-great King Saul met a tragic end at the battlefield having, in his own words, âplayed the fool and erred exceedinglyâ (1 Samuel 26:21 NKJV).
In the end, he really had no one to blame but himself. He started his race well, but his finish was a disaster.
Or we think of the mighty Samson, supernaturally blessed with super-human strength, and able to vanquish his enemies with relative ease.
But, like all people, Samson had his vulnerabilities. He was a âHe-Manâ with a âShe-Weakness.â A series of compromises took place in his life, starting with marrying a non-believer and ending up with a prostitute that took him down âHooker, line, and sinker.â It culminated in a one-way trip to Delilahâs Barber Shop.
He, too, did not finish his race well.
Biblical Figures with a Strong Finish I could go on with the stories of men who did not finish the race of life well. But Paul wanted to be in the company of those who âfinished their race with joy,â joining the ranks of those who finished in Godâs âwinners circle.â
Men like Caleb, whose incredible story is found in Joshua 14. Or Daniel, who wouldnât compromise, even in his 80s.
Letâs commit ourselves to finishing what we have begun, remembering this: The race of life is not a quick sprint but a long-distance run. The Christian life is “the long look” at life, keeping our feet planted on the ground, in this life, with our eyes on Jesus & eternity, our hands lifted up in prayer, prayer and worship as we seek to serve the Lord by being a faithful, good witness for Christ and seeking opportunities to serve His people in a million different ways depending on the spiritual gifts, talents and abilities He gives us that we will, one day, stand personally accountable for. Let us be faithful, passionate, energetic and bold with our expression of our Christian faith in our rapidly changing world this year, alright?
So run well this new year, and every year after, especially in 2025! May God help you run your race this year in ways as only He could, by His grace, His power and His presence in Christ Jesus our Lord & Savior Amen!
In the past month, we in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee have had to deal with some historic hurricanes, catastrophic flooding, wind damage, power outages and nightmares come true. People have lost homes, businesses, family members, pets, and irreplaceable, precious possessions. Between Milton and Helene alone, it’s been devastating. Yet, through it all, those good people of faith in Christ have been courageously united with their prayers and firm belief that ‘no matter what’ God will definitely see us through. And, guess what; He IS! Countless, miraculous rescue stories are pouring in from all directions highlighting what the Psalmist said, “God is my refuge and strong tower.”
No matter where we may live or how secure we may feel, unless “God is our refuge” we are on shaky ground, at best. Is God your refuge? Is He your strong tower? Hurricanes or not, we all have to reckon with storms in life, sooner or later, of varying degrees, some may be absolutely overwhelming. The question is; what or who is our refuge when they hit?
My friend, God loves you and wants to invite you to step up into a life of deeper purpose, a life with new meaning. He has the best plan for your life. But, there’s no way you will ever discover it unless you make Jesus your refuge and strong tower. In Him, your soul will truly find the inner satisfaction and soul safety it deeply yearns for.
We live in world today of increasing fears, threats and enemies. People everywhere are worried about tomorrow. They are desperately trying anything to find ‘shelter from the storm’ in drugs, sex experiences, relationships, money, materialism, exotic travels, achievements, the bottle. Like the Rolling Stones used to sing, “Gimme Shelter.” If you want real, lasting shelter, your Heavenly Father is ready, willing and able to do that for you. His shelter is eternal. It is secure. It is trustworthy. It is in Him and it leads to that celestial refuge the Bible calls, “Heaven.” But, not everyone can go there; only those who are willing to make Him their refuge in the here and now. The Scriptures teach that religion is not enough, good works are admirable, but not enough either. Hoping for the best, being sincere, and trying to be a good person are all noteworthy, but they are still not the refuge God offers you now. Christ can be your refuge from this point onward, you don’t need to try and ‘clean up your act’ first. Make Him your refuge and let Him clean it up for you!
So, what are you waiting for? If you have unanswered spiritual questions that have been bugging you for years, good news! Turn your life over to Christ now and He will help you find those answers you’re looking for. Know this for sure, it’s not an accident or mere coincidence that you are reading this post now. God has directed you here for a life-changing, personal encounter with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. When God becomes your refuge, He becomes personal to you. You begin the relationship with Him He has created you for. This is your moment and your hour.
If you feel your heart tugged on deep inside, pray this prayer with me, “Dear God, I want You to be my refuge and strong tower. I believe Your Son, Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose again on the third day. By faith, I invite Him into my heart and life now. I turn from my own self-made refuges and take my refuge completely in Christ. In His name I pray, Amen.”
If you prayed that prayer, please find a local church, as soon as possible, where you can be a vital part of. Share your new decision for Christ with the Pastor. They will help you grow in your new walk and personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ as you get into His Word. If you have any questions, email our office at the email on this website. May God bless you richly as you take refuge in Jesus and make Him your strong tower today!
David Crews Ph.D. Author & Speaker 