August 20, 2022                                 OVERCOMING  DISCOURAGEMENT
Hebrews 4:16 “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”  
Psalms 42:5 “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”
Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
2 Corinthians 1:4 “He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
We all have times of discouragement and many suffer with depression. All so often, words fail to bring comfort and it seems there is no way out of the discouragement. To complicate it, often, one may not even be able to identify the reason for discouragement. (Often, discouragement is a result of things not working out like we expected.) We can find some comfort in the fact that many biblical characters dealt with discouragement. There is no one quick-fix to instantly end discouragement; yet-there is hope and there is a way out. It is helpful just to know that in life we will have times of discouragement-so do not be surprised; God allows trying times. Much help comes when we give up on what we want, and place our trust in what God is doing in the process. We can come to a point that we know in our inner most being that God IS the potter-and we are the clay; we acknowledge this fact to God and ‘tell’ Him we want to do whatever He likes with this clay. A very effective way to get out of discouragement is to bless or serve someone else, even though we may not feel like doing so. It is also helpful to name the blessings that God has given us. God delights in delivering His people; He allows difficulties, but when we cry out to Him, He delivers us; He may not take away the difficulty, but He causes us to be overcomers in the midst of difficulties. There are times when He miraculously removes the difficulty. So, if you are discouraged, take courage; you are not alone; God wants to deliver; brighter days are ahead.
Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 “For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which or not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 
Blessings,
Buddy
 

 
August 18, 2022                          THE  POWER  OF  THE  WORDS  WE  SPEAK
Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”
Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”
Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouths, but only such as good for building up, and fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
1 Peter 3:9 “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you might inherit a blessing.”
We know words are powerful, yet we may find ourselves negligent or careless in the words that we speak. Our words can tear down and discourage, or they can build up and bring encouragement. Because our words are powerful, we must be on constant guard over our words. The critical point to know is that words flow out of what’s in our hearts; if our heart is pure, then our responses to others and our words will be words that are profitable and edifying. We are to manage our tongues and not let words we later regret ‘fly’ off of our tongues. It is truly a work of God and contrary to nature, but we can repay evil and insult with blessings-we are called to do just that! We no longer have to get even. We encounter many people who are discouraged, who are on the wrong path in life, who do not know forgiveness, who have been wronged, and who are just hard to deal with people-it is to these, and all others-that we can be the ones to speak words that encourage and give direction. The world does not need more worldly people; it needs people who reflect the love, the character, and the wisdom of God-and that’s us. Our words are indeed powerful; let us be good stewards of our tongues and speak words that build up and encourage; let us rise above giving insult for insult; let us bless, instead of repaying with evil.
Proverbs 15:1, 16:24  “A soft word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”      “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”
Blessings,
Buddy
​

 
August 15, 2022                                         SIMPLICITY
Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
1 Peter 3:4 “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quite spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”
2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
Man has a tendency to move toward complication. One main reason for this is that if one is not experiencing the peace of God, then naturally he or she goes about trying to find what satisfies the longings of their souls; and this search for that which satisfies is never ending. They are wrongly convinced that if they could do certain things are acquire certain things, they would be satisfied. That mindset requires time, energy, and resources, and yet does not meet expectations. We must understand how God designed us and only as we live according to our design will we find what truly satisfies. The good news is that it is not complicated; simply put, the critical issue is a matter of the heart; life flows from the heart. Having a heart that loves God IS the main deal. It is not saying that we love God, but actually loving Him is what matters. The point we must not miss is that when we love Him, we will walk in His ways and do the things that are pleasing to Him. Loving God has a way of rearranging our priorities. The amazing thing to discover is that instead of ‘making things happen,’ life flows out of our hearts-life is much better and much simpler that way. Do not misunderstand; there are trials in life and we have certain responsibilities we must carry out and sometimes we have do what is not pleasant. Yet, even in such times, we can do what we do with a sense that we are doing it unto the Lord.
1 Corinthians 14:23 “For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.”
1 Timothy 6:6-7 “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
August 13, 2022                                        CALL  OFF  THE  SEARCH
Jeremiah 29:13 “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”
John 14:21,23 “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”     “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.’”
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”
It is a common theme among many believers that they need to ‘seek the Lord,’ or that they ‘need to be more spiritual.’ Also, it seems that if one hi-lights his or her failures or how they ‘fall short’ of living the way God desires they live, others are more likely to listen and quickly agree and confess that they also fall short. This line of thought is contrary to the gospel and is an indicator that they do not yet know their true identity as sons and daughters of God. (For many generations we have been exposed to a sub-standard gospel that says that even though we are saved, we continue to sin. We need to be re-programed.)  I know this sounds a little sarcastic, but I am waiting to hear someone say that ‘they have found the Lord! The fact is that God wants us to ‘find Him’ and to enjoy an on-going relationship with Him, and He desires to be our life-all the time. The good news is that we can call off the search, we can stop seeking and enjoy our relationship with our heavenly Father. There is a way in which we ‘seek’ the Lord; we seek-we look for ways-that are pleasing to the Lord; and we pray to God seeking to know His direction in certain matters. We are to guard our hearts and we are to say no to our flesh that opposes the Spirit-the flesh has it way only if we allow it to do so. The good news is that we can walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, and can enjoy living in a fulfilling relationship with our Father-not feeling lack or that we need to ‘find’ God. IF we sin, we confess it, turn from it, and continue our walk with the Lord.
From Jeremiah 31:33-34 “I will put My law in their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord.”
John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
Blessings,
Buddy
 
 

 
August 11, 2022                                  YOU  ARE  CHOSEN
1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
John 15:16 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give it to you.”
Ephesians 1:4 “Even as He choose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love…..”
We cannot explain it, we cannot understand it, we do not deserve it, and it was not because we were such great people, but the reality is that God has chosen us. If anything should humble us and cause us to be grateful, it is that of God choosing us even though we did not know Him and we were separated from Him in our sin. Another pride-killer is that “God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” 1 Corinthians 1:27. Knowing that God has chosen us should have a great impact on how we live; and it should cause us to view ourselves in a different way-to see ourselves as God sees us. We are chosen for a purpose; our primary goal and motivation in life should center on fulfilling that purpose. We are a priesthood-we serve God. We are also God’s own possession-what a blessing to be owned by God! Since God is our owner, we are to be about the things that please Him. Our chief purpose in life is to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you (us) out of darkness into His marvelous light.” Understanding this purpose has a way of simplifying life; God does not place a lot of demands on us and His ways are not burdensome and His load is light. Matthew 11:30. God does give us commands and instructions, but as we live out His commands, we are proclaiming His excellencies because our actions are reflecting His nature. Very simply said-let us talk about how great and how good God is-that’s it. God desires that we bear fruit that remains; we bear fruit when live not according to our own ways, but according to the ways of God. As said above, we cannot comprehend it-but we can believe it-that God knew us long before our physical birth and out of His great love and mercy, He chose us to be His own; what else can we do but to love Him and serve Him and proclaim His excellencies?
Colossians 3:12 “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”
Romans 8:29-30 “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.”
Blessings,
Buddy
 

 
August 9, 2022                                             BUT  IN  POWER
1 Corinthians 4:20 “For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power.”
It is the nature of man to use logic, words, and action to accomplish what he wants. Even as believers we can get caught up in thinking that it is up to us and our self-motivation and self-discipline to be whoever God wants us to be or to do what He wants us to do. We read and speak many words and our intentions may be honorable, but yet we may find ourselves lacking when it comes to living in and experiencing the kingdom of God here on earth in power. Words are very important and communicating is important; but words alone can be empty-just words. Jesus taught on the kingdom of God for the purpose of showing what life was like in the kingdom of God; and it is in great contrast to life outside the kingdom of God. From the verse above we see that life in the God’s kingdom is about power-not words only. One over-riding theme of the New Testament is that of being changed and being transformed, and being made new creations. As new creations, and because the Holy Spirit lives in us, we are able to live super-natural lives. There are many ways the power of God may be manifest in our lives, but today let’s look at some of the ways that this power works internally. For example, we have the power to be patient instead of being impatient; to be kind and gentle instead of being harsh; to prefer others over ourselves; to serve rather than being served; to be overcomers instead of being defeated; to be hopeful rather than being depressed; to be content; to be joyful in spirit; to be teachable rather than being stubborn; and the list could go on. The point is that we can live in the routines of daily life with the power of the gospel being experienced and expressed. With the power of God in us, life is not mundane; every day is a new day and a day in which we can experience God at work in us. You might think this all sounds too good to be true, like a dream world-not reality. For sure we do not live a perfect life; sometimes we stumble, YET we always have access to the power of God and God is always drawing us to Himself and inviting us to experience life in His kingdom. Let us not settle for less than living according to the power of God at work in us.
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,”
2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence,
Blessings,
Buddy

 
August 7, 2022                                             GIRD  YOUR  MIND
1 Peter 1:13-16 “Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in your spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children do not be conformed to the former lust which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written; ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
Gird is a word we rarely or never use in our day. It has the idea of putting on a belt, or preparing oneself  for action. Our mindset is critically important; and we are responsible for the mindset we have. It seems that in our culture many have a mindset that is often in neutral, simply responding and soaking in whatever one chooses to read on line; responding and seeking entertainment seems to be much more prevalent than taking action. It is a good word for us-‘to gird our minds for action;’ Our minds are a gift from God and are to be used for the purpose of overcoming in life and for achieving our purpose in life. We think of action as being physical activity, but in this passage, the action is action that takes place in our thinking process-in our minds. We are to be sober in spirit; we are not to let our spirit be ‘intoxicated’ with anything that distracts us from living according to how God has designed us-His design is that we know Him, that we enjoy Him, and that we walk in His ways. If not alert, and if we do not take action in our minds, our spirits can become focused on ‘other things’-whatever they may be. We are to ‘fix’ our hope on all that will take place when Jesus returns; that hope is sure and will come to pass, and that hope impacts how we live until His coming. Because we are looking for His return, we are to be holy in our behavior; we are to be being conformed to His image-and He is holy. At salvation we are made new, we are not to be conformed back to who we were before our salvation; we are called to leave behind anything that is unlike Christ. This all may sound like a high and unattainable goal, but God has made such a life available to us; we can live as holy and righteous people. Living in holiness and righteousness does not make us better than anyone else and is not something we take pride in; knowing that we can live in such a way only because God has made it possible, humbles us and makes us thankful for His grace. So, let us guard our minds and put our minds in action to be sober in spirit, having our hope on the revelation of Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
August 7, 2022                                             GIRD  YOUR  MIND
1 Peter 1:13-16 “Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in your spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children do not be conformed to the former lust which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written; ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
Gird is a word we rarely or never use in our day. It has the idea of putting on a belt, or preparing oneself  for action. Our mindset is critically important; and we are responsible for the mindset we have. It seems that in our culture many have a mindset that is often in neutral, simply responding and soaking in whatever one chooses to read on line; responding and seeking entertainment seems to be much more prevalent than taking action. It is a good word for us-‘to gird our minds for action;’ Our minds are a gift from God and are to be used for the purpose of overcoming in life and for achieving our purpose in life. We think of action as being physical activity, but in this passage, the action is action that takes place in our thinking process-in our minds. We are to be sober in spirit; we are not to let our spirit be ‘intoxicated’ with anything that distracts us from living according to how God has designed us-His design is that we know Him, that we enjoy Him, and that we walk in His ways. If not alert, and if we do not take action in our minds, our spirits can become focused on ‘other things’-whatever they may be. We are to ‘fix’ our hope on all that will take place when Jesus returns; that hope is sure and will come to pass, and that hope impacts how we live until His coming. Because we are looking for His return, we are to be holy in our behavior; we are to be being conformed to His image-and He is holy. At salvation we are made new, we are not to be conformed back to who we were before our salvation; we are called to leave behind anything that is unlike Christ. This all may sound like a high and unattainable goal, but God has made such a life available to us; we can live as holy and righteous people. Living in holiness and righteousness does not make us better than anyone else and is not something we take pride in; knowing that we can live in such a way only because God has made it possible, humbles us and makes us thankful for His grace. So, let us guard our minds and put our minds in action to be sober in spirit, having our hope on the revelation of Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
Blessings,
Buddy
​

 
August 4, 2020                                 WHAT  WE  DO  MATTERS
2 Corinthians 3:9-10, 14-15, 17 “Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”        “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”     “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old thigs passed away, behold, new things have come.”
What is our ambition? And, how do we live in this world and go about the necessities of life-all the things we have to do-and at the same time be pleasing to Him and to have Him as our priority in life? Can we work 40 hours a week, perhaps take a vacation, mow the lawn, clean the house-and etc., and still be pleasing to Him? Yes! However, it is possible for us to be focused on our life, and trying to work God into our schedule and into our life. The good news is that in our culture, in the day in which we live, we can live in a way that is pleasing to Him and in a way that will not cause us to be ashamed when we appear before Christ. What we do is important; but more importantly is the focus of our heart, because what we do flows out of our hearts. The key element of this is that since Christ died for all, including you and me, we also died. Christ died on our behalf, forgiving us, restoring us to the Father, making us new, and joining us to Himself; we belong to Him. Because of what He has done on our behalf and because we belong to Him, we should no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died and rose again on our behalf. We can be about the necessities of daily life, but we can do so with a heart of doing what we do as unto the Lord; and we can be alert to the leading of the Spirit and do the things that He puts in our hearts to do. Our life, the way we live, is to be a testimony of the presence of Christ in us. Obviously, there are things we should not do, and there are thoughts we should not have; we have the power to lay aside anything that is not pleasing to the Lord-and that is living for Him. When we come to know in a real and personal way the love of God, we find that His love ‘controls’ us just as it did Paul; our love for Him and His love for us becomes the motivating factor for the life we live. So, all we do really does matter; even what we do in private is done before Him. Let it be our heart to please Him in all we do.
Colossians 1:10, 3:23 “So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”       ”Whatever you do work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
August 4, 2020                                 WHAT  WE  DO  MATTERS
2 Corinthians 3:9-10, 14-15, 17 “Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”        “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”     “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old thigs passed away, behold, new things have come.”
What is our ambition? And, how do we live in this world and go about the necessities of life-all the things we have to do-and at the same time be pleasing to Him and to have Him as our priority in life? Can we work 40 hours a week, perhaps take a vacation, mow the lawn, clean the house-and etc., and still be pleasing to Him? Yes! However, it is possible for us to be focused on our life, and trying to work God into our schedule and into our life. The good news is that in our culture, in the day in which we live, we can live in a way that is pleasing to Him and in a way that will not cause us to be ashamed when we appear before Christ. What we do is important; but more importantly is the focus of our heart, because what we do flows out of our hearts. The key element of this is that since Christ died for all, including you and me, we also died. Christ died on our behalf, forgiving us, restoring us to the Father, making us new, and joining us to Himself; we belong to Him. Because of what He has done on our behalf and because we belong to Him, we should no longer live for ourselves but for Him who died and rose again on our behalf. We can be about the necessities of daily life, but we can do so with a heart of doing what we do as unto the Lord; and we can be alert to the leading of the Spirit and do the things that He puts in our hearts to do. Our life, the way we live, is to be a testimony of the presence of Christ in us. Obviously, there are things we should not do, and there are thoughts we should not have; we have the power to lay aside anything that is not pleasing to the Lord-and that is living for Him. When we come to know in a real and personal way the love of God, we find that His love ‘controls’ us just as it did Paul; our love for Him and His love for us becomes the motivating factor for the life we live. So, all we do really does matter; even what we do in private is done before Him. Let it be our heart to please Him in all we do.
Colossians 1:10, 3:23 “So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”       ”Whatever you do work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”
Blessings,
Buddy