TheNewU
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Me
  • Resources
  • Contact Us

A  LIVING  HOPE

8/7/2021

0 Comments

 
 
August 7, 2021                                         A  LIVING  HOPE
From First Peter chapter 1: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,”       “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”       “Therefore gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
As believers, we have access to a living hope; a hope that is not based on circumstances. Our over-arching hope is based on the fact that God has an inheritance reserved in heaven for us! This living hope, this assurance of all that God has in store for us, is tested by ‘various trials.’ Even though going through   trials is difficult, the trials we face serve a purpose; trials are the proof of our faith. When we face difficulties and when things do not happen like we had hoped for, our faith is tested; our response to trials has a way of exposing our faith. Our faith in God is more precious than gold which is perishable. Even though we have not seen Jesus, and even though we do not see Him now, we can still love Him and believe in Him. Loving Him and trusting Him results in the good fruit of joy, peace, hope, and a sense of completeness, no matter our circumstances. Because of all that God has done and is doing, because there is an inheritance reserved for us in heaven, because our faith is genuine and not fading away even though tested by trials, because the Spirit of God lives in us, and because we love Him, let us ‘gird our minds for action, be sober in spirit, and fix our hope completely on the grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ.’ Note that we are to set our hope completely on Him and the inheritance that He has for us; we are not to set our hope on things of this life. We are to be good stewards of all that He puts in our hands and we are to trust Him for our daily needs, but our hope is to be in Him.
1 Peter 1:17-19 “And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man’s work, conduct yourself in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”
Blessings,
Buddy
0 Comments

WALKING  IN  HIS  WAYS

8/5/2021

0 Comments

 
 
August 5, 2021                                   WALKING  IN  HIS  WAYS
1 John 2:6 “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
We talk a lot about living and walking in the ways of the Lord, but we at times may wonder just what are the ways of the Lord and how do I know I am walking in His ways. In this posting, I will simply list just a few of the verses that make clear what His ways are like. Because we have the Holy Spirit living is us, we have the power to know His ways and to walk in His ways.
Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;”
Romans 14:19 “So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.”
Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.”
Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”
Hebrews 10:24 “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,”
1 Peter 4:9 “Be hospitable to one another without complaint.”
Ephesians 4:24 “and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
Galatians 5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.”
Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”
Acts 20:35b “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Proverbs 15:1 “A soft word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Colossians 3:13 “Bear with one another and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
1 John 1:7 “but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Matthew 5:44 “but I say unto you, love your enemies and pray for them that persecute you;”
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
 
The benefit of reading and studying His word is that we learn of His ways and we discover our new identity as His sons and daughters; at times, we may need to be reminded of His ways and reminded of who we are. The blessings is that we can at this very moment make the choice to walk in His ways-that is how He wants it to be.
Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
 
Blessings,
Buddy
0 Comments

FRUIT  OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS

8/3/2021

0 Comments

 
 
August 3, 2021                                   FRUIT  OF  RIGHTEOUSNESS
Philippians 1:9-12, 27 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”   “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come to see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”
We choose the life we live; we choose our beliefs, our thoughts, our attitudes, our actions and our view of life (our world view). The obviously all important factor is the source of our motivation for life. In reality, we are motivated by one of only two things-the desire for self-fulfillment or the desire to know God and to live according to His ways; we live either according to the kingdom of this world, or the kingdom of God. It was Paul’s prayer that believers would be filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ. We are admonished in the verses above to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; the implication is that we have a part to play in determining the life we live; another implication is that we can chose not to live worthy of the gospel. For example, if I react to someone out of anger, I am at that moment not living worthy of the gospel; if I respond with gentleness and love, then I am living worthy of the gospel. I know that these are very simple and basic examples, but they do reveal the importance of how we conduct ourselves. The good news is that if we belong to God, then we have been transferred to His kingdom and have been made righteous; and because we have been made righteous, we can live righteously in this present world. When we live worthy of the gospel, our love for each other abounds and increases; we grow in real knowledge and discernment; we approve the things that are excellent; and we will be found blameless when He comes. On a practical note, living such a life is such a better life-a life free of regrets, dissension, selfishness, and all manner of things that rob us of the life that God has for us. Living righteously bears good fruit. To live worthy of the gospel does not just happen automatically; there is a ‘standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the gospel.’ We need to be connected with others where we encourage one another in the things of the Lord, and there is a sense where we ‘strive for the faith of the gospel’ as we say no to our flesh and to the things that are not of the Lord, and yes to the things that are pleasing to the Lord and worthy of the gospel. May we abound in the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
Ephesians 5:8-10 “for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light consist in all goodness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.”
Blessings,
Buddy
0 Comments

LIVING  THE  GOSPEL

8/1/2021

0 Comments

 
 
August 1, 2021                                   LIVING  THE  GOSPEL
Titus 2:11-14 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our of great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”
If we say we love God and we love His word, then let us live it out. The grace of God has appeared and He desires that all would come to know Jesus as there life. Jesus death and resurrection from the dead ushered in a new day; and it is a new day for those who are indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God as a result of trusting Jesus as their Savior. When the gospel of God is believed and received, it changes everything; it changes our motives, our desires, our thinking-in fact we get a new heart when we are born again. God reveals Himself in His word, and His word is also a book of instructions for life; His word describes life in His kingdom. Living in His kingdom here on earth is drastically different from living according to the ways of this world. Living in His kingdom involves denying certain things and pursuing and taking hold of certain things. We are instructed to deny ungodliness and worldly desire-pure and simple. When we are tempted to do are think something that is ungodly-deny it-DON’T DO IT! It is really that simple. Because the Spirit lives in us, we have the power “to live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”  Jesus gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from every lawless deed-and purify us for His own possession. (It is a lie that says that because we are human, we are bound to sin; Jesus came to set us free from the power of sin. If we sin, it is because we chose to do so.) Knowing that Jesus is about purifying you and I for His own possession certainly should motivate us to cooperate with Him in the process by denying what is ungodly and by taking hold of what is godly. As His possessions, we are to be zealous for good deeds; God is good and Jesus was the example of living a life of good deeds. We do not do good deeds to earn His love and acceptance; we do good deeds because that is the nature of God and He has given us His nature. What a blessing for us to be able to “live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age.” We can live the life that God has made available to us where we are free from guilt, exhaustion, worry, confusion, fear and doubt; and we can live in peace, rest, confidence, purpose, and hope; we can live with a blessed hope, anticipating His return when we will see His glory and we will receive our full inheritance that He has reserved for us. So, if need be, let us adjust our life to where we are living expressions of the amazing and wonderful gospel that He has given to us.
Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Colossians 3:4 “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
Blessings,
Buddy                             
0 Comments

THE  RIGHT  PURSUIT

7/29/2021

0 Comments

 
 
July 29, 2021                                         THE  RIGHT  PURSUIT
1 Timothy 6:9-12, 17-19 “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang. But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold to the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”    “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 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 that which is life indeed.”
John 10:35 tells us that the scriptures cannot be broken; I know of no clearer example of that truth than the first verse above. Wanting to become rich is the way of the world; who does not want to be rich? Yet, we are all too familiar with the stories of how the pursuit of riches has ruined many lives. The love of money is indeed a root of all sorts of evil. Even though one may say it is not his goal in life to be ‘rich,’ he may still have a love of money. As believers, we are called to something much better and higher than loving money and seeking to become rich; we are called to fight the good fight-the fight of faith. Our desires, our actions, our heart, and our spirit is to be centered on pursuing the things of God; His ways lead to life, fulfillment and contentment. The fight we are to fight is saying no to our ways and the ways of the world, and setting our hearts and attention on the life that God calls us to. Our fight is about pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Note that it is not a sin to be rich in this present world, BUT becoming conceited or trusting in riches is the problem. Those that are rich are to be rich in good works and generous, ready to share. (How we define ‘rich’ is important-many who may not consider themselves rich are actually rich when compared to many in the world.) The main point for us today is to make sure we are fighting the right fight-the good fight of faith-and that we are taking hold of that to which God has called us. To ‘pursue’ or to ‘take hold,” implies action; we do not drift into the things of God. The scriptures make it clear that we are to seek Him first and that we are to practice and to put into action the truths and the commands of His word. Pursuing God first in no way robs us of life, but is the sure way to find and experience life to the fullest. Note that God ‘gives us all things to enjoy’; when He is our pursuit in life, we will discover that we have an abiding joy no matter our circumstances, and we will experience the blessings of God.
Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”
Blessings,
Buddy
0 Comments

THE  SPIRIT  AND  THE  FLESH

7/27/2021

0 Comments

 
 
July 27, 2021                                      THE  SPIRIT  AND  THE  FLESH
Galatians 5:16-25 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets it desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealously, outburst of anger, disputed, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”
There is much said about the Spirit and the flesh in the New Testament. As we read the verses above, and other verses throughout the scriptures, it becomes apparent that it is an either-or reality; one walks by the Spirit, OR one walks by the flesh; obviously, one cannot walk by the Spirit unless he or she is a believer; however, a believer may choose to walk according to the flesh. We must be aware of the fact that the flesh and the Spirit are opposed to one another and that we are not free to do what we want to do. The deeds of the flesh as listed above are evident; the flesh always produces bad fruit. When one trust Jesus as Savior, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the believer, bringing a new super-natural power and equipping, making the believer a new creation. The fruit of the Spirit is singular; we do not have one or two fruits of the Spirit, we have them all; and, this list of the fruit of the Spirit is not a list we must ‘work on,’ they are a gift to us. We have a serious choice to make-to walk by the flesh, or walk by the Spirit; in fact, Paul gave a stern warning-that those who practice the deeds of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God! I have always understood that the word ‘practice’ refers to a way of life, or a habitual way of living. I am not sure if the reference to ‘not inheriting the kingdom of God’ is referring to not going to heaven or not experiencing the kingdom of God here on earth. (We know that we are saved by grace and not by works.) Either way, it is a super-serious issue as to whether we walk by the Spirit or by the flesh. If we love God, we are called to crucify the flesh; we must say no to what our flesh wants us to do-that is crucifying the flesh-and say yes to the leading of the Holy Spirit. In the kingdom of this world, the focus is on making self happy, or fulfilling the desires of the flesh. In the kingdom of God, the focus is on walking in the ways of God and being a blessing to those around us. So, as believers, let us walk by the Spirit so that we will not carry out the desires of the flesh. Walking according to the Spirit is the way of life, peace, and joy, and an ultimate fulfillment of the person God created us to be.
Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”
Blessings,
Buddy
0 Comments

WHILE  WE  HAVE  THE  OPPORTUNITY

7/24/2021

0 Comments

 
 
July 24, 2021                                     WHILE  WE  HAVE  THE  OPPORTUNITY
Galatians 6:4,7-10 “But let each one examine his own work, then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.”        “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”
In these passages, there is a sure and steadfast wonderful promise given to all believers; we also find a principle that is unchangeable, that cannot be broken. Most believers as well as unbelievers are familiar with the law of sowing and reaping; if fact, we have heard so much about sowing and reaping, there is a possibility that we no longer give it much thought. I am sure that all of us have tasted the fruit of sowing wrong seed just as we have tasted the fruit of sowing good seed. Walking according to the flesh always results in reaping what the scripture above calls corruption, while walking according to the Spirit results in reaping eternal life, and good fruit. The laws of the harvest is that we sow now, we reap later, and we reap more than we sow. The key for us is that we sow good seed and that we keep on sowing; we sometimes see immediate results, but normally do not, but “in due we shall reap if we do not grow weary.” The sowing that we do as believers is giving consideration to others and investing in others. Sowing good seeds should come from a mindset and a heart to bless others; our life is to be one of sowing the good seeds that God supplies. 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 is an awesome promise: “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for showing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.” It is amazing to know that God will not only supply the seeds for us to sow, He will multiply our seed AND He will increase the harvest and we will be enriched in EVERYTHING! Who would not want that! Simply said, sowing seeds is doing good deeds that are inspired by the Holy Spirit; we are not to sow seed to earn His love or approval; we sow good seed because that is who we are in Him. A good deed may be as simple as giving a glass of water to one who is thirsty, or visiting someone who is sick, or praying for someone, or blessing someone financially-or whatever. Let us be sure of this: we will reap; it’s just a matter of whether we reap a bountiful harvest because we are sowing to the Spirit, or will we reap a harvest of corruption because we are sowing to the flesh. Jesus went about doing good. Acts 10:38. Let us do the same by sowing the seeds that God supplies.
Acts 20:35b “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 it will be measured back to you.”
Blessings,
Buddy
 
0 Comments

KEPT  IN  PERFECT  PEACE

7/19/2021

0 Comments

 
​ 
July 19, 2021                                     KEPT  IN  PERFECT  PEACE
Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trust in You.”
2 Corinthians 10:5 “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”
We know the importance and the power of our thought life. Proverbs 23:7 tells us “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” There have been many books written and many sermons preached about the mind being the battleground. I’m sure that all of us at times feel like our mind just goes on its own-thinking on whatever it chooses; and I’m sure we have had those occasions when we ask ourselves, “Where did that thought come from?” It is ever so easy to set certain patterns of thought. It can be a sobering reality to realize that we choose what we think about-where we focus our thoughts. As believers, we have the ability to think in harmony with God because His Spirit lives in us, enabling us to think and to dwell on things that are life-giving, that are godly and righteous. We have been made new and adopted into God’s family and now have access to a new thought life. Now, our minds become subservient to the Spirit of God living and ruling in us; now we can take dominion over out thought life. No matter what we are doing, a menial task or a grand task, we must have the over-ruling belief and view that the center of our life is Christ and it is He that we serve and it is He who directs our life-including our thought life. The truth of the scriptures and His presence in us is to be the foundation of our lives. It is amazing and awesome to be able to think the kind of thoughts that God thinks! We would be wise to filter our thoughts through Philippians 4:8 which says: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” When our thoughts are in agreement with the ways of God, life takes on a total new meaning with unlimited possibilities. If by chance you don’t believe we can think like God thinks, Paul reminds us that ‘we have the mind of Christ’ in 1 Corinthians 2:16. The good news is that if our thought life has not been the best, we do not need to condemn ourselves-just start right now asking God to help you rebuild your thought life and begin to discipline your thought life and take dominion and ownership of what you think about. God is into new beginnings!
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self which is being corrupted by deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Colossians 3:2-3 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Blessings,
Buddy

0 Comments

I  WILL  NOT  BE  MASTERED

7/17/2021

0 Comments

 
 
July 17, 2021                                       I WILL  NOT  BE  MASTERED
1 Corinthians 3:7, 11-12 “Clean out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sanctified.”        “And such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.”
We are called to live like those who belong to God. When we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, we were made new, our sins were forgiven, we were sanctified, we were joined to God, and we were transferred from the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of God. The two kingdoms are distinct; they cannot be blended together. We must understand that at the point of our salvation, we were not renovated, but were made new creations-the old passed away; this is the very point Paul was making to the believers in the Corinthian church. Paul reminded the believers that at one time they were separated from Christ, but now joined to Him. God’s word was given to us that we might learn of God, that we might discover our new identity as His sons and daughters, and we were given the Holy Spirit to help us to discern and understand His word. The obvious point is that we must continually read and study His word if we are to grow in the faith and live according to His design. There is a tendency for us to think that we know what His word says, thus there is no compelling reason to read His word. God’s word is living: “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Again, we are called to live in such a way that pleases our Father; we either live according to His ways or according to our ways. Paul’s testimony is that he was not mastered by anything. For us, that means that we are not to be mastered by appetites, habits, selfishness, the goal of pleasing self, lack of discipline-or whatever. We are to be led by the Spirit, not our physical bodies and not by the natural. Just as a practical example that many of us can relate to is how we respond to the rude driver who cuts in front of us in heavy traffic. If we respond in anger and perhaps ‘sit on the horn,’ we are being mastered by anger. So, we can make a decision that the next time we experience the rude driver, we will not yield to anger. I know this is a crude example, but I trust it gets the point across. We have been washed and sanctified and justified, now let us live like those who belong to the Lord; let our thoughts, words and deeds flow out of who we are in Him.
2 Peter 1:5-9 “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.”
Blessings.
Buddy
​
0 Comments

INHERITANCE

7/15/2021

0 Comments

 
 
July 15, 2021                                                INHERITANCE
1 Peter 1:3-4, 6-7, 13 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”   “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than goal which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”     “Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
There are numerous scriptures pointing out blessings that come in this present life for those who love the Lord, but if not alert, we become primarily focused on the here and now. However, in many places throughout the New Testament, we are reminded that we have an awesome inheritance yet to come. As discussed in a recent blog, God gave us the Holy Spirit as a pledge of our full and complete redemption that we will receive when Jesus returns for His bride-the church. The inheritance that God has reserved for us in heaven is reason for hope. If our hope is in this life only, surely we will be disappointed. In years past, heaven was the subject of many of the sermons as well as many of the hymns. However, during those years there was a lack of emphasis on living out the gospel in this present life. It seems the pendulum has swung to the point that today, we hear little about heaven and the blessings reserved for us there, but we primarily hear about how to be blessed in this present life.  There are blessings to today for sure, but there are also difficulties and trials today that no one is exempt from. The verses above remind us that the proof of our faith is more precious than goal-and it is in trials that our faith is proved.  Often, this emphasis on blessings for the now, can lead to disappointment and confusion because the reality is that we experience trials. For us, even when the trying times come our way, let us have as a bedrock a living hope on the inheritance reserved for us, and that one day, our redemption will be complete. This hope is not a wish, but is a steadfast hope based on the promises of God.
Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people.”
Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Blessings,
Buddy
0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Buddy Fitzgerald

    Archives

    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Web Hosting by FatCow