May 11, 2022                                            HAVE  THIS  ATTITUDE
Philippians 2:3-7 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard another as more important than himself, do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also for the interest of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”
Can you imagine how many relational problems and conflicts would be non-existent if each one considered others more important than themselves? This passage exposes selfishness as a root of conflict and broken relationships. We live with a certain attitude in life; and the attitude we live with determines the health and the quality of our relationships. We are told to ‘have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.’ Jesus had the attitude of empting Himself and becoming a servant-even though He was God. The awesome good news is that we determine our attitude; we can choose to have the same attitude that Christ had! We must see that having the power to choose our attitude is a big deal, and it puts us in a place of responsibility. It may sound impossible to do, but we can live life in such a way that we do not act out of selfishness or conceit, but out of an attitude of serving. Being a servant does not mean that we neglect our own interest; it means that we live with an attitude of concern for the interest of others. Of course there is an important truth we must not overlook in living according to this, and other passages. We cannot live according to the ways of God in our own strength; only through the workings of the Holy Spirit in us can we do so. All too often there is a missing link for many when it comes to living according to the ways of God. A most important truth to grasp if we are to live as God designed is that of knowing our true identity as children of God. God has made us new, not refurbished; He has given us a new nature, a new heart, and a new spirit, and we have the mind of Christ. When we live out of our new identity, we naturally want to live out the scriptures and we want to please Him in all we do; His ways become natural to us; no longer do we have to try in our own strength to obey the scriptures or please God. The key is that we walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh-that’s our choice. (Just a note; Romans 7 is not Paul’s testimony-he was describing what is like to live according to the flesh.) May we today have the attitude that was in Christ Jesus!
Galatians 5:13-14, 16 “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”     “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
May 9, 2022                                         DEATH  ABOLISHED
2 Timothy 1:9-10 “who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our own works, but according to Him and His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,”1 Corinthians 15:55 “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”
John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even he dies.”
1 Corinthians 15:55 “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is the victory?”
Because man has an inborn survival instinct, death appears to be an enemy, something to be dreaded and feared. Death came as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve; death was not a part of God’s plan for mankind. For certain, when a loved one dies, there is sadness and grief-and that is normal; however, the resurrection of Jesus sheds new light on death. We may see death as being final, or the end; but the resurrection meant that death was no longer final-Jesus abolished death! Jesus brings “life and immortality to light through the gospel.”  Man has a narrow view of what life is; he believes that our physical bodies-living and breathing-is life. However, we are spiritual beings; we are not a body with a spirit, but a spirit with a body. Our temporary, physical body will die, BUT the real us-our spirit will live on. The sting of death is taken away when we come to believe that even though we die physically, we live on. The good news that we must not miss is that Jesus gives life; not just when we die-but gives life while we live. Romans 6:11 tells us “And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” When I read this verse, I am reminded that even though we are alive physically, we can in a sense be dead. The life that Spirit of God, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, is life indeed. The life that He gives is unlike the life of those who do not know Christ; His life is abundant, full, joyful, optimistic, and peaceful-and the list goes on. Experiencing His life takes away boredom, aimlessness, depression, doubt and fear. His life does not exempt us from trials and difficulties, BUT His life causes us to overcome whatever adverse circumstance we face. So, Jesus has abolished death; both the finality of physical death, as well as the type of death one can experience even though he lives physically. If we are in bondage to the fear or death, or if we are not experiencing life to the fullest, let us come to know in our spirit that God is the giver of life; death is not a part of the kingdom of God. When Jesus walked out of the tomb, He conquered death not only for Himself, but for you and I as well. No longer does death have a sting and no longer is the grave the victor.
1 Corinthians 15:53 “For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
2 Corinthians 5:1 “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
May 7, 2022                                          THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  GIVEN
John14:26, 16:7,13,16a “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”      “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”      “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”    “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and will be with you forever-the Spirit of truth.”
Galatians 5:2-23,25 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”     “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”
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.”
Enough books could not be written to exhaust the subject of the Holy Spirit and His role in the life of believers. The disciples were saddened once they came to understand that Jesus would soon be leaving them when He returned to the Father; knowing this, Jesus encouraged them by telling them that God would send them the Helper, Holy Spirit, who would be with them forever; and He would be their counselor and comforter, and He would bring to remembrance all that Jesus had said to them, and He would lead them into all truth. The coming of the Holy Spirit to dwell the lives of believers is no small issue; in fact, Jesus said it was to their advantage that He go away so that the Spirt might be sent to them. It is clear in the scriptures that everyone who trust Jesus as Savior is given the Holy Spirit. For us, we must be sensitive to the work of the Spirit in us and learn to recognize His voice and be able to discern how He is leading us. The Holy Spirit is always directing us to the Father and it is the Spirit who reveals the truth of God’s word to us. It is amazing how as we are reading the scriptures, the Holy Spirit makes them alive and applies God’s word to us personally. One major work of the Spirit is that of revealing to us our true identities as sons and daughters of God. It is important that we read God’s word with an open mind and heart, without preconceived opinions and without personal preferences of what we want the word of God to say; let the word say what it says. We are not to try to change the word or interpret the word so that it agrees with our theology, but are to let the word change us. Much more could be said, but let us thank God for sending us His Holy Spirit to be with us forever, and let us be guided, equipped, empowered, taught, comforted, and inspired by the Holy Spirit who is always at work in us.
Blessings,
Buddy
​

 
May 5, 2022                                          READY  FOR  HIS  COMING
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and your soul and your body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”
2 Thessalonians 1:7-8, 10-11  “and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”    “when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among whom all have believed-for our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you always that our God may count you worth of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power;”
It matters greatly how we live; how we live now determines what our response will be when Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire. We can live in a way that when that awesome day comes-when He comes again-we will have no fear or shame, but will marvel at His return. If we truly believe what the scriptures say, then we will live with an expectation of His return and will live in a state of being ready for that day. In this life, we experience various afflictions, trials and difficulties; but He will give us relief-help is on the way! When a returns, He will deal out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus. (I do not fully understand the part of retribution to those who do not obey the gospel; I assume that there are Christians who do not obey the gospel-food for thought; for sure, we should have a healthy fear regarding being ready for His return.) Our duty is simple; die to ourselves, love God, and live according to His ways. Day by day, hour by hour, we can choose to walk by the Spirit and do all we do as unto the Lord. The good news is that we have someone to help in the process; the Holy Spirit is given to us to guide and empower us to obey and to live according to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have a part to play, but it is God who will bring it to pass. When He comes, may God count us worthy of our calling.
Revelation 22:12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.”
1 John 2:28 “And now, dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
May 3, 2022                                          TEST  YOURSELVES
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-unless indeed you fail the test?
Paul asked a question that may be the most important question ever asked; and it is a question addressed to us as well as to those early believers. Do you and I recognize this fact about ourselves-that Christ Jesus is in us? Sure, we may have a head-knowledge and a mental agreement that Jesus is in us; but has it penetrated the deepest part of our being that Jesus, the Son of God is in us? Paul is asking what impact the presence of Jesus is having in our lives. There are several scriptures that tell us that Jesus lives in us; one is John 14:23 “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.” Also, we read in 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Truly recognizing and believing that Jesus lives in us has to have a great impact on our lives. The presence of Jesus in in us takes us out of ordinary life where one is left to simply do the best he can; because He is in us, we now have the wisdom, the knowledge, the truth, and the power of God at work in us. We must understand that God does not force Himself upon us; God draws us to Himself; thus it is our part to seek Him and to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit who is always drawing us to God. Paul instructs us to examine and to test ourselves to see if our life is reflecting the presence of Jesus in us; His presence impacts everything about us-our thoughts, our words, our attitude, our action, and the very heart of who we are. Unless we are resisting Jesus being our life-the work and the promptings of the Holy Spirit-the presence of Jesus in us will be evident to all.
Galatians 6:15, 2:20 “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”      “I am crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.”
2 Timothy 1:14 “Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”
Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Blessings,
Buddy

May 1, 2022                                       FIGHTING  THE  GOOD  FIGHT
1 Timothy 6:11-12 “But flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you make the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
Life for the believer is not sedentary; the one who knows God is called to action. There is a way that we wait on God, but while we are waiting on God to do a certain thing, we are to be about the things that He has clearly called us to be about. When Paul instructed Timothy to “flee these things”, he was referring to all things that were not in keeping with the ways of God; there are things that we must flee, and there are things we must pursue. We are to flee all things that are not pleasing to the Lord and that are not becoming of a follower of Jesus; such as being argumentative, dishonest, lying, unfaithful-and etc.; some things we are to flee are internal, such as wrong thoughts and attitudes, beliefs that are contrary to the truth of the scriptures, wrong motives and desires, etc. Paul addressed Timothy as ‘man of God’; we should see ourselves as men and women of God-that is our true identity. As people of God, we are to naturally pursue the things of God. We are righteous in Christ, but at the same time, we are to pursue righteousness; our life-the things we do-are to be expressions of the righteousness we have in Christ; we are righteous people of God-so we live righteously. To be godly, is to resemble God, to do the things that are in keeping with His nature. We are to exercise faith even in face of adversity; to believe the promises of God, and to continue trusting Him even though we may not understand how He is using our circumstances for good. To persevere means that we do not give up when the way is difficult; it means that we do not consider other options to what God has called us be or what He has called us to do. In our dealings with others, we are not to be harsh, not to insist on having things our way, but are to be gentle in spirit. We are all in some fight in life; let us make sure we are not wasting time and energy on fighting the wrong fight; let our fight be about having the courage and the wisdom to flee the things that are not pleasing to the Lord and to pursue those things that are pleasing to Him. God has given us His word, and in His word we get to know Him and to learn of Him, and to learn the things and the ways that are pleasing in His sight. Let us take hold of the things God has called us too.
2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Philippians 3:12 “Not that I have already obtained it or have become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid of by Christ Jesus.”
Blessings,
Buddy

April 30, 2022                                  THAT  HE  MAY  STRONGLY  SUPPORT
2 Chronicles 16:9b “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose hearts is completely His.”
John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep my words; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.’”
Can we embrace the fact that God is good; that He wants to ‘support’ us; that He is looking for those whose hearts are completely His; and that He wants to make His abode in us? Do we believe, are we convinced that God is about having a relationship with His creation, about family? God is a compassionate God, desiring good for those who belong to Him and who have a heart to know Him. There is a tendency for us to think of God as a disciplinarian or One who is watching us to see if we do wrong. Some believe that they must walk the ‘straight and narrow’ if they are to avoid the wrath of God. Our view of God is critical. It is true that God does judge sin and there are things we can do as believers that displease Him. However, the very essence, the very nature of God is that He is good and full of compassion, desiring that all men be saved and come to know Him as a loving Father. Most of the heartaches, the troubles of man, the brokenness, and strife that is prevalent in the world is a result of man rejecting God-not the results of an angry God venting His displeasure. The promises of God are unlimited for those whose hearts are completely His, for those who seek Him with all of their hearts. 2 Chronicles 15:1-7 tells us that God will let those who seek Him find Him. God wants us to find Him. After all said and done, no matter your past, no matter what your present circumstances are, the all-important thing is what your heart is seeking. You can read a thousand books, listen to a thousand sermons, but if it’s not your heart to know God, then all is in vain. (Perhaps the reading and listening to sermons may impact your heart to the point that you seek Him.) I think that when we better understand the nature of God, that He is for us, that He loves us, and that He desires for us to live abundant life, it becomes only natural for us to want to know Him-to seek Him. As said many times before, God revealing   Himself to man, is the reason He inspired the written word, the Bible. As we read and study the Word of God, we learn of Him and His purposes for man, and we discover our true identity as new creations. Again, when it is our heart to know Him, He lets us find Him and He “strongly supports” us, and He and the Son make us His abode! Obeying Him and keeping His words become the natural response and our joy, when we come to know Him. The only way to know Him is to seek Him first.
Psalm 86:15 “But you, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”
Romans 8:31 “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Blessings,
Buddy
​

 
April 27, 2022                                              PERFECTING  HOLINESS
2 Corinthians 7:1 “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
There are two truths that stand out in this passage. One is that we have not arrived spiritually; and the other is that we are not to wait on God to cleanse us-that is something we do. We must not take lightly, or even forget the promises we have from God, and we must not forget that Jesus was crucified in order that we might be restored to the Father and that we could become heirs of salvation. Our salvation was not an isolated even sometime in the past; we have been saved at a point in time, but we are also continuing to be saved; salvation is on-going. The on-going process is about maturing in the faith and being transformed into His image; we have been given the Holy Spirit who helps us in this process. As said above, we must be conscience of the fact that we have not arrived spiritually; no matter how long you have been a believer, there is room for spiritual growth in the knowledge of Christ Jesus. There will be occasions when we act improperly, speak a wrong word, or have wrong thoughts and desires; this is what Paul refers to as ‘defilement of the flesh.’ Instead of allowing these things to continue to be an issue for us, we must ‘cleanse ourselves’ by laying them aside and turning from them. Because we have the Holy Spirit living in us and because God has made us new creations, we can ‘lay things aside’-that is an amazing power.  Hebrews 12:1 makes this truth clear; “let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us.’ Often times, there is one particular sin that ‘so easily ensnares us;’ for example, one may find himself or herself often being impatient-and that is what needs to laid aside. It is important to not get focused to trying to fix all of our defects-that in itself can be a work of the flesh. Rather, we are to have our hearts turned to the Lord and be desiring to live in a way that pleases Him, to live according to His word. When we err, or sin, the Holy Spirit will show us that. When we realize that our flesh, our old self, is being expressed in some way through us, let us realize that that is what we must lay aside-or as they say “Quit doing it!” God has made it possible for us to turn from anything that is not pleasing to Him and to walk, or live in newness of life. So, do not become obsessed or over analyze what may be wrong with us; just be sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit and cooperate with God in the process of being transformed. To be being transformed is to be being changed.
1 Peter 1:16 “because it is written,”You shall be holy for I am holy.”
Romans 13:12, 14 “The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let is therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”     “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regards to its lust.”
Blessings,
Buddy 

 
April 25, 2022                                              FREE  TO  SERVE
Galatians 5:13-16 “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its 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.”
There is an ongoing battle in us; the opposing forces are the flesh and the Spirit. The alarming thing is that we may not even be conscience of the battle taking place in us; if we are to win the battle, we must know what the battle is all about. Paul is warning us that it is possible for us to misunderstand the freedom we have in Christ. The major truth we must understand if we are to win the battle is that we are not free to do the things we please. The love we are to have for one another is to supersede our personal desires; this kind of love is the love of God-not human love. God has poured out His love into our hearts, enabling us to be expressions of the love of God. Romans 5:5. Jesus demonstrated the unselfish love of God when He gave His life for us. All too often we hear of family conflicts, disagreements, dissention, and the breakup of relationships; and at the heart of this is selfish desires. The freedom we have as believers is awesome; we are free to live as God designed us and in a way that is pleasing to Him. To live with self on the throne of our life is to live unfulfilled, and it leads death and destruction. A good example of the ways of God being unlike the ways of man is this; the world tells us to do whatever pleases us; yet, God tells us that we are most blessed and fulfilled when we have the mindset of blessing and serving others. Real love causes one to lay his life down. The critical point to understand is that this love we are talking about is a super-natural love that God has placed within us through the Holy Spirit; when we are led by the Spirit, we love as God loves. The crux of the battle revolves around one point; as believers, we can walk according to our flesh (the selfish part of us) or according to the Spirit-THAT IS THE BATTLE AND THAT IS THE CHOICE WE MUST MAKE. We can live in such a way that all we do flows out of the love that God has deposited in us. Living with a mindset of serving, does not mean that I never do some things I enjoy doing-but whatever I do must be done under the banner of the love of God; it does mean that I must first and foremost be concerned for the well-being of those around me and that I must be a servant at heart. When we walk by the Spirit, we have a new ‘want to-‘ we want to do the things that are pleasing to the Lord. Paul says that when we love our neighbor as our self, we are fulfilling the law of God. Let us not forget to be expressions of these truths in our homes-amongst those who know us best.
Galatians 5:24-26 “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. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.”
Romans 12:9-10 “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;”
Blessings,  Buddy

 
April 23, 2022                                  WANT  TO  BE  ONE  OF  THE  FEW ?
Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who fine it.” (World English Bible)
“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.” (New American Standard)
In our culture, we prefer the ‘wide’ way; we like having many options and choices; we are proud of being tolerant and all inclusive. We encourage others to ‘do what they feel is right in any given situation;’ we reject the idea of moral absolutes; and we want no one telling us what to do. The verse above serve as a stark warning to our culture as a whole. Proverbs 14:12 tells us “There is a way which seems right to a person, but its end is the way of death.” Contrary to the ways of the culture, Jesus tells us that the gate is narrow and that the path that leads to life is narrow, or restricted-what a great contrast to what the world tells us. Suppose you are a soldier walking through a dense forest and you are using a map that someone gave you that would insure that you would get through the forest, and this map showed a clear path that you must follow. There are many paths in the forest, but only one takes you through the forest. On this path you will come to what looks like a great detour, perhaps a shortcut, or a path that leads to a clear spring of refreshing water. But, off of the path there is danger; the enemy has placed land mines and has set traps designed to ensnare and destroy you. It becomes clear in this story that we must make decisions to stay on the narrow path, even if we are tempted to get off the path, if we are to find life. Sadly, many take the wide path and only a few take the narrow, restricted path. Even though the path that Jesus says to take is narrow and restrictive, it is the only path that leads to life. The path is restrictive in the sense that the gospel, the commands and teachings of scripture, is the only way that leads to life. For example, in the gospel, we are told what to think about and what to set our mind on; to think wrong thoughts is to get off the narrow path. We are instructed to speak words that edify and build up; to speak words that tear down is to get off the path. You get the idea-there are many examples we could give. The narrow gate refers to Jesus being the only way of salvation; all other gates lead to destruction. Let us be counter-culture; let us walk through the narrow gate and embrace the narrow, restrictive way, or path, that leads to life. May we read the scriptures with the mindset that they are the path that God has set before us. In reality, following the path that leads to life is liberating; staying on the path enables us to discover our full potential as sons and daughters of God. Thank God for showing us the way, and thank Him for the narrow way that preserves us and keeps us form destruction and leads us to life.
John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Farther, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Fathers hand.”

Blessings,
Buddy