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June 25th, 2022

6/25/2022

June 25, 2022 I SHALL NOT BE MOVED
Psalm 16:8 “I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”
Psalm 1:2-3 “When you meditate on-and delight in-the Word, you are like a tree planted by streams of water.”
Psalm 62:5-6 “My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken.”
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain.”
It appears that as a culture we are placing less value on commitment and resolve. It is a good trait to be flexible, to be willing to change, to be adjustable, and to be willing to change course when we need to do so. However, it is also a good trait to have the attitude and resolve of “I shall not be moved” regarding certain aspects of our lives. In particular, when it comes to us living as unto the Lord, we should have absolute resolve and commitment to obey what the Lord has said to us personally and what He has said in His word, no matter what others may think and no matter that what the cost may be. When I think of commitment, I think about a true story from history that is a great illustration of commitment. I’ll be brief in recounting this event. There was a leader in a certain nation that wanted to conquer an island nation that was known for its vast amount gold. Others had tried to defeat this country in order to get the goal, but all had failed. This individual raised an army and secured the ships and set sail to conquer and take the gold. To everyone’s surprise and shock, once they landed, he ordered that the ships be burned, saying that “If we go home, we are going home in THEIR ships! That’s commitment. When our confidence and trust is in God, when our heart is fully turned to Him, we have every reason ‘not to be shaken’ nor fearful; His presence and His watching over us makes all the difference. We need to know in our innermost being that our hope and trust is in God alone; when it is, we can face any challenge in life, and not be moved from our confidence in Him. Our heavenly Father is ruling, He has adopted us into His family, He loves us, and He has given us His Holy Spirit to guide us and empower us. Like David did, let us profess that we will not be moved!
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind.
Blessings,
Buddy

KNOWING THIS

6/22/2022

June 22, 2022 KNOWING THIS
Romans 6:4-6 “Therefore we have buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.
If the resurrection of Jesus is something we celebrate once a year on Easter, then somehow we are deficient in our understanding of the impact of the resurrection. In verse 3, Paul wrote-‘Or do you not know’-referring to the fact that if we have been baptized into Jesus, then we have also been baptized into His death. There is a connection with us being baptized into Christ and His resurrection-they are not two separate events. Being baptized into Christ is more than being immersed, or sprinkled with water-water baptism is to be the outward sign or public confession of what has taken place on the inside. Being immersed in water is a picture of being placed in a grave-death to ourselves-and then raised out of the grave as a new person. Being baptized into Christ means that our old self-that part of us that is contrary to God-our sin nature-is put to death. In order for us to walk in newness of life, it was necessary that the old man be crucified. Also, to walk in newness of life, we must understand and receive the scriptures that teach that we have died to who we were and that we have been made new with a new nature, a new spirit, and a new mind. We also must understand that to walk in newness does not happen automatically as we see in Ephesians 4:2-24 where we are instructed to “put off the old self” and to “put on the new self.” The key to us walking in newness is for us to identify with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, realizing that our old self died with Him and we were resurrected in newness.
Romans 8:11: “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.”
Blessings,
Buddy

DESIGNED TO PRODUCE

6/20/2022

June 20, 2022 DESIGEND TO PRODUCE
Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”
Proverbs 6:6-8 “Got to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.”
Genesis 2:2 “And on the seventh day ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.”
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people,”
In this article is somewhat a departure from than normal; I will relate some of my own observations of our culture regarding creativity and being producers-and I trust that what I share is in keeping with God’s word. I will say up front that we are not called to be workaholics and our work is not to be an escape and we are not to find our identity in our work. From observation, it is evident that a good work ethic that has been a crucial part of our culture, but it seems that the work ethic has diminished in recent times. I suppose that there is no one reason why the over-all work ethic is in decline, but I do think we can identify a couple of the reasons. One culprit is the advent of the personal, hand held iPhone that practically every individual owns. Certainly there are many great benefits that come with hand held computers and iPads; however, there are several downsides. One is that there is much corrupt and downgrading information and images available to all at the touch of the keyboard. It is a fact that what we take in to our brains-and our spirits-is crucially important. Also, it seems that we can easily become consumed with information-even with information we do not need. (I find that I may check the weather forecast three or four times a day!) Many have found their world ‘on line,’ and that is a serious problem for sure; we are becoming isolated individuals. Anyway, much could be said here, but all of this does lead to a place where many consider work a necessary evil. Some blame can be placed on the polices of government where able bodied individuals are paid while they are not working. (There is value in properly administered unemployment benefits.) Another culprit that robs us is the seemingly never-ending desire for entertainment. That’s enough of looking at the problems. The good news is that we can recover, or regain a proper work ethic, and we can rediscover the value of living according to our design; and we can find that work done with the right motivation brings a sense of satisfaction. We are crated in the image of God-and certainly God was and is creative and productive. God instructed Adam and Eve, before the fall, to ‘work and keep the garden.’ God put within us a desire to achieve, to create, and to overcome. Our enemy, if allowed, will corrupt and cause us to live contrary to our basic design and will get us to try to fulfill our basic God-given desires in a way that brings death instead of life. Think about it-what are the implications of being made in the image of God, and what fulfills our deepest longings as His created beings? We find answers to these questions in the word of God; if we are looking elsewhere, we will never find the answers we are looking for. Work is a broad term; work may entail working for a company, working for yourself in some trade, or it may be visiting the sick, helping those in need, or whatever. And, God gives you creative ways to be good at whatever work you are about. This may seem a little strange, but just the other day after I had worked strenuously all day in the hot weather, I came in, showered up, and my wife and I went out to get a bite to eat. As we were walking out to the car after eating, I had a definite sense or feeling really good about what I had accomplished that day. I think that that feeling good about what had been accomplished that day is what is many are missing in our culture. Again, work or productivity itself is not the answer nor should it be the ultimate goal; what matters is living according to how God has made us; we are created to know God as our Father and to be overcomers in this life, displaying the character of God.
Psalm 90:17 “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us-yes, establish the work of our hands.”
Blessings,
Buddy

I SHALL NOT BE MOVED

6/18/2022

June 18, 2022                                            I SHALL NOT BE MOVED
Psalm 16:8 “I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”
Psalm 1:2-3 “When you meditate on-and delight in-the Word, you are like a tree planted by streams of water.”
Psalm 62:5-6 “My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken.”
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain.”
It appears that as a culture we are placing less value on commitment and resolve-that’s just my observation. It is a good trait to be flexible, to be willing to change, to be adjustable, and to be willing to change course when we need to do so. However, it is also a good trait to have the attitude and resolve of “I shall not be moved” regarding certain aspects of our lives. In particular, when it comes to us living as unto the Lord, we should have absolute resolve and commitment to obey what the Lord has said to us personally and what He has said in His word, no matter what others may think and no matter that what the cost may be. When I think of commitment, I think about a true story from history that is a great illustration of commitment. I’ll be brief in recounting this event. There was a leader in a certain nation that wanted to conquer another island nation that was known for its vast amount gold. Others had tried to defeat this country in order to get the goal, but all had failed. This individual raised an army and secured the ships and set sail to conquer and take the gold. To everyone’s surprise and shock, once they landed, he ordered that the ships be burned, saying that “If we go home, we are going home in THEIR ships! That’s commitment. When our confidence and trust is in God, when our heart is fully turned to Him, we have every reason ‘not to be shaken’ nor fearful. His presence and His watching over us makes all the difference. We need to know in our innermost being that our hope and trust is in God alone; when it is, we can face any challenge in life, and not be moved from our confidence in Him. Our heavenly Father is ruling, He has adopted us into His family, He loves us, and He has given us His Holy Spirit to guide us and empower us. Like David did, let us profess that we will not be moved!
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind.
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
Blessings,
Buddy

A GIFT FROM THE FATHER

6/16/2022

June 16, 2022 A GIFT FROM THE FATHER
John 17:6-8, 26 “I manifested Thy name to the men who Thou gavest Me out of the world. Thine they were and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept Thy word. Now they have come to know that everything Thou hast given Me is from Thee; for the words which Thou gavest Me I have given to them; and they received them, and truly understood that I came forth from Thee, and they believed that Thou didst send Me.” “and I have made Thy name known to them, and will make it known; that the love wherewith Thou didst love Me may be in them, and I in them.”
Hebrews 2:11 “For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for this reason He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.”
John 17 is referred to as ‘the high priestly prayer’ that Jesus prayed before His crucifixion. (One should read the entire chapter as it reveals much about the heart of the Father and His Son.) If we read this chapter and meditate on what Jesus prayed, it will have a profound effect on how we view ourselves and it reveals the love that God, and Jesus has for us as His sons and daughters. When we think about life, where we came from, and why Jesus came to be crucified, it all starts with the love of God. In God’s love, He created you and I. We know about the fall of man and sin entering the world; because man, including you and I, sinned, we were separated from our Father. The central truth of the gospel is that Jesus came to restore us back to our Father. Yes-Jesus came to rescue, to buy back, to restore and to save His brothers and sisters-the ones that God gave to Him. It was the love that God and His Son has for us that lead to His crucifixion. It is amazing and hard to get our minds around it, but you and I are a gift that God gave to Jesus! Does that not speak volumes about how much Jesus loves us and how much the Father loves us? One may debate predestination and the free will of man, but it is a clear fact that we have been chosen of God and adopted into His family and are considered as brothers and sisters of Jesus. Also note that Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters even though we have not always done it right and even though we have sinned against Him; He sees us as redeemed and made right with the Father; Jesus sees beyond the immediate; He understands what His crucifixion accomplished and He sees just how complete our salvation is and He sees the inheritance that is yet to be revealed to His brothers and sisters; He knows where we are headed!
John 17:20-21 “I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me.”
Blessings,
Buddy

LIFE INDEED

6/14/2022

June 14, 2022 LIFE INDEED
1 Timothy 6:18-19 “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the which is life indeed.”
John 8:12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
Matthew 10:39 “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
John 10:10b “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”
Psalm 16:11 “You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
There is a path that leads to life, to life indeed. The one who does not know God as Savior can never know or experience life to the fullest-to life as God designed it to be. Someone has rightly said that “There is a God shaped vacuum in every man that only God can fill.” What we must be alert as believers that it is possible for those who know God as Savior not to experience the abundant life that comes from God. It’s a good question: How then does a believer experience this abundant life? Much could be said about this issue, but central to this subject is the fact that we must die to ourselves-even as believers; we must lose our life for His sake before we find life. Matthew 10:39. This is the great battle of mankind: does one live according to his or her own ways, or according to the ways of God. To some, it may sound like a contradiction, but how does one go about the necessities of daily life which may seem so ‘unspiritual,’ and at the same time die to themselves and become focused on the things of God. There is tendency for us to categorize life into what is spiritual, and what is not spiritual. The good news is that there are no categories and no division between what is ‘spiritual’ and what is not. God is to be our life; all evolves around him-even the most mundane-even mowing the grass or washing the dishes! Again, it is a matter of us coming to the end of ourselves and finding our life in Him. We are not bound to live according to the philosophy of the world; we can live as people who have been joined to God, who live according to His ways. The only abundant life is the life experienced in Christ. For sure, a lost person can have material success and can have good days and bad days, and can feel as though life is good; but it is not lasting and it does not fulfill the deepest longings of the heart. May we do the best thing we could ever do-die to our ways and order our lives according to the truth of the gospel. Living according to the ways of God is a matter of the heart and a matter of living according to our new identity in Him; it is not living by rules and regulations. The bottom line is that when we know Christ as our life, we discover a river of life flowing out of us and nothing or no one can stop the flow. He loves us; He came that we might discover who we are in Him in order that we may experience life to the fullest.
John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”
Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of our Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Blessings, Buddy

MORE BLESSED TO GIVE

6/11/2022

June 11, 2022 MORE BLESSED TO GIVE
Acts 20:35 “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use will it be measured back to you.”
Hebrews 13:16 “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever shows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, nor reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
It seems that sometimes we neglect or overlook some of the most basic truths found in God’s word. We can read the scriptures, and readily agree with what we read, but yet not be impacted to the point of application, or putting into action what we read. Such is the case with giving. I dare say that every believer knows that God would have us be givers-blessing and helping others. The point where we miss the truth of giving is that we may give because that is what we are supposed to do. What please God is us having a heart that finds joy in giving; He loves a cheerful giver. If you are a part of a church-and I hope you are-you will likely hear about giving money for the work of the church, and we should support the ministry of the church financially. However, giving as taught in the scriptures is not just about giving money; it is about a life-style of giving-being givers from the heart. We must guard against focusing on holding on to or preserving what we have. (That’s not to say that we should not prepare for the future.) The scriptures tell us that riches are uncertain and that riches can ‘fly away.’ Proverbs 23:5, 1 Timothy 6:17.In many cases it is easier to give our money than to give our time; we may feel that by giving financially, we have met the biblical requirements. God has made us in such a way that we find joy and satisfaction as we give; giving is a part of the new nature that God has given us. If we walk according to the flesh, we will not be givers, but be takers; if we walk according to the Spirit, we will be givers. May we not be deceived into thinking that we can and must secure our future and may we not have a ‘hording’ spirit; rather, let us live according to the new heart that God has given us, looking for ways to be a cheerful giver; may we have an attitude of giving. Giving may be giving money, or time, helping someone in need, listening with a caring heart, sharing a meal, praying for someone-and the list goes on. The main point to remember is that God loves a cheerful giver.
1 Timothy 6:18-19 “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”
Blessings,
Buddy

GOD'S ULTIMATE PURPOSE FOR US

6/9/2022

June 9, 2022 GOD’S ULTIMATE PURPOSE FOR US
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies if Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
Romans 8:29 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren;”
We tend to get caught up in the here and now, losing sight of the higher calling of God. The ‘here and now,’ the routines of daily life, and the challenges we face are the arena where God works out the purpose He has for us. If our goal in life is self-fulfillment, or happiness, or riches, or popularity, or even to be known as a great person, we are missing the mark; or if we see God as a heavenly Santa Clause passing out gifts, we have not yet come to understand the plans and purposes of what God is doing in us. God does answer our prayers, and He does care for us-but His ultimate purpose for us is much more than that. God has chosen us and called us as His people for His own possession; we no longer belong to ourselves; we belong to Him! As His people, He is transforming us into the image of His Son, who is holy. You might say that we are ‘diamonds in the rough,’ but we are being polished. His ultimate purpose in us is to make us holy. Being transformed is a work that God is doing in us; at the same time, we have a part to play in the process. Much of scripture is instruction on how we are to live as those who belong to God and how we are to conduct ourselves in the daily routines of life. In the verses above we are told to “cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” We may find ourselves making allowances for our flesh to manifest itself, and allow it to continue in our life. For example, if I find myself being impatient with people, I must not excuse it saying that ‘That is just the way I am;” I must recognize that impatience is not a part of the new person that God has made me, and I must ‘cleanse’ myself of impatience. Simply said, I must stop, or lay aside impatience, and start being patient. It’s just that simple; of course it is the Holy Spirit who give us to power to do so. It is interesting, but we are also to cleanse ourselves from all defilement of spirit. I am not a 100% sure what all this entails, but I think it is referring to things about our personality, or certain thought patterns, or certain ‘vibes’ we put out that need adjusting-or cleansing. I know that our spirit-how we come across and how we relate-is to be being conformed to the image of Christ-and that is where the cleansing process comes in for us. The other action we are called do is to be about “perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” We are to be holy in our thoughts and our conduct; we have been made righteous and now we are to be righteous in all we do. We must dispel the idea that our old sin nature is co-reigning with the Spirit of God in us; our old self has been crucified with Christ, and now we belong to God and He is transforming us into the image of Christ. We can choose to walk according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”
1 Peter 15-16 “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”
Blessings, Buddy

KNOWING THIS

6/7/2022

June 7, 2022 KNOWING THIS
Romans 6:4-6 “Therefore we have buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.
If the resurrection of Jesus is something we celebrate once a year on Easter, then somehow we are deficient in our understanding of the impact of the resurrection. In verse 3, Paul wrote-‘Or do you not know’-referring to the fact that if we have been baptized into Jesus, then we have also been baptized into His death. There is a connection with us being baptized into Christ and His resurrection-they are not two separate events. Being baptized into Christ is more than being immersed in, or sprinkled with water; water baptism is to be the outward sign or public confession of what has taken place on the inside. Being immersed in water is a picture of being placed in a grave-death to ourselves-and then raised out of the grave as a new person. Being baptized into Christ means that our old self-that part of us that is contrary to God-our sin nature-is put to death. In order for us to walk in newness of life, it was necessary that the old man be crucified. Also, to walk in newness of life, we must understand and receive the scriptures that teach that we have died to who we were and that we have been made new with a new nature, a new spirit, and a new mind. We also must understand that to walk in newness does not happen automatically as we see in Ephesians 4:2-24 where we are instructed to “put off the old self” and to “put on the new self.” The key to us walking in newness is for us to identify with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, realizing that our old self died with Him and we were resurrected in newness.
Romans 8:11: “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.”
Blessings,
Buddy

REGRETS

6/5/2022

June 5, 2022 REGRETS
1 Timothy 1:15 “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, 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.”
We all have regrets from past bad decisions and as well as past sins we committed; and we all wish we had done some things different. Our past, if not dealt with, can ‘haunt’ us and rob us of peace of mind. It is subtle, but it is often our pride that makes it difficult for us to get over our failures; we think ‘How could I have done that?’ The Apostle Paul had a past that he was not proud of and he saw himself as the chief among sinners. As you read the Bible, you find that many of the characters of the Bible were far from perfect. What Paul said in the Philippian verse above is the key to having victory over regrets; “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.” To one dealing with regrets and remorse over past sins and bad decisions, it may sound over-simplified or too simplistic, but the best advice is to ‘forget about it!’ It is subtle, but how we view and how we deal with our past is an indicator of whether we are walking according to the Spirit, or according to the flesh. When we walk according to the Spirit, we walk according to the truth of God’s word. As believers, our heart, our spirit, and our mind should be set on the reality that all of our sins are forgiven and that God remembers them no more; we have the favor of God; our inheritance in Him is secure; we have been made new creations with new spirits, new hearts and new minds; we have a destiny with God; we have a hope and a future; we have the Spirit of God living in us to enable us to be overcomers; God goes through the difficult times with us---and the list could go on. On occasion, sometime ‘out of the blue,’ a past sin or failure comes to our remembrance; when it does, let it be a reminder that yes we were guilty, but God has forgiven us. Just as Paul did, let us forget what lies behind. This also applies to past successes; it is a blessing to have good memories of past events, but we are not to live in the past; we are to live in the present, walking with God as salt and light where we are. We are to be ‘pressing on’ to lay hold of all God has for us; we must not be spiritually lazy but must overcome anything that would hinder our fellowship with God. Remember, God came to save sinners-and that includes you and I.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.”
Psalm 103:12 “as far as the east is form the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
1 Timothy 1:5 “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
Blessings,
Buddy