First Baptist Family of Asheboro, NC

  We are indeed a new creation.   Everything has been and is being made new.   New can be a good thing.   In Colossians chapter 3 the people of Colossae have been marginalized like they’re second class believers.   Paul tells them they too are children of God.   Paul writes about God’s design, what it means to be a new creation, to have the Holy Spirit of God inside you.   God’s design for us is to be made new.   Maybe you tried something new recently?   It’s exciting.   I tried a new kind of cookie on Christmas.   It was a red velvet cake cookie.   I took a bite and then I ate the whole thing!   Exciting can also be challenging. God has designed us to have a new way of thinking.   Those of you who grew up in church, when you came to Christ not much changed.   Those of you who were not in church before you came to Christ it was a huge change for you.   This is a practical section of Scripture.   Pau...

  Psalm 84 is an image of people going to worship together and as they go it’s raining.   As they approach Jerusalem the rain reminds them of God’s strength.   May the rain remind us of God’s peace and strength today. A couple of weeks ago I ordered lunch and it came.   Everything was in order but there were 2 milkshakes we didn’t order!   We didn’t pay for those.   We got more than we deserved.   That’s grace!   God has given us so much more than a couple of milkshakes. In Colossians 1:1-14 Paul is writing from prison.   As he writes to the people of Colossae he reminds them of the grace and power of God. Paul was in prison for several years, quite a long time. God spoke to him and he wrote these letters.   If Paul wasn’t in prison we wouldn’t have these letters today.   In our imprisonments, in our times when we aren’t doing what we think we should be doing, God uses these times. Growth begins when we embrace grace.  ...

  Nothing says fall like college football!   The leaves are now turning and there’s pumpkin spice everything.   A reminder it’s fall is the comic strip where Lucy holds the football for Charlie Brown.   We wonder if maybe this year he’ll finally kick the football.   Charlie Brown always ends up at the bottom on the ground.   Joseph is at the bottom.   The rug is pulled out from under him again.   Even at the bottom there are some good things.   We get our hopes up and the football is pulled right out from under us.   There is love at the bottom. God is with the brokenhearted.   To recap, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and he becomes Potiphar’s slave.   He’s accused by Potiphar’s wife and is thrown in prison.   Life keeps getting worse.   There’s a surprise here in verse 21:             21But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast...