Mon, 14 Jul 2025 04:23:02 -0700WeeblyMon, 14 Jul 2025 11:07:07 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/kept-in-perfect-peace8110876July 14, 2025                KEPT IN PERFECT PEACE


Isaiah 20:3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trust in You.”
Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 2:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”


A lot of things calls for our attention. Our minds are working 24/7. Through our iPhones/laptops we have immediate access to world wide events, and that can certainly overload the mind and have adverse affects on our spirts and souls and rob us of peace. The good news is that there is a solution for this dilemma. When we are not experiencing peace, when we are discouraged, when we are anxious, and when we are fearful, one thing is evident-our trust in God is broken. There is a certain peace that comes when everything is rosy (I thought you spelled it ‘rosey.)  and going our way-that peace is based on circumstances. The peace that comes as a result of trusting God is not dependent on circumstances. Just about everyone says that they are ‘trusting God;’ we are talking about a genuine trust in God no matter the circumstances. Back to the mind. The key word in Isaiah 20:3 is ‘stayed.’ To have our mind ‘stayed’ on God is to have as a bedrock our belief and our trust in God; it is to believe from the deepest part of our being that God is supreme and that everything about our lives revolves around Him. Trust is defined as “Assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.” We cannot bring about peace on own accord; peace comes and our souls and spirits and our minds find rest and peace when our trust is in God in all circumstances. Sometimes, maybe often, things happen that we do not like; sometimes we experience pain, hurt and disappointments; and sometimes we suffer a wrong done to us; but even so, we can have peace. This peace of God ‘surpasses all understanding;’ we just cannot explain in. When everything is telling us to worry and fret, His peace rules. The word for us is to have our minds stayed on Him and to set our minds on things above. Those who do not know God do not have access to the peace of God; but we are blessed in that we do have access to the peace of God-and that access is to have our genuine trust in God. 
2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”


Blessings, Buddy]]>Sat, 12 Jul 2025 10:36:21 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/a-merciful-and-faithful-priestJuly 12, 2025                 A MERCIFUL AND FAITHFUL PRIEST 


Hebrews 2:16-18 “For assuredly He does not  give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”


Jesus understands. God saw the plight on mankind-that he was lost and bound by sin, without hope and unable to save Himself. God did not save us from afar; He sent His Son to be born as a man and and He became like us in all things! That is amazing; the Son of God leaving heaven and coming to earth and being made like us in everything. Jesus experienced life on earth; He experienced being hungry, getting tired, being rejected, seeing sickness and the brokenness of man, spending time with friends-all the ups and downs of life on earth. YET, He did not sin. Jesus fully understands life on earth-He has been here. Between us and a Holy Righteous God, Jesus stands as our merciful and faithful priest. Do not misunderstand; Jesus does not only understand that we live in a dark, sinful world; He also delivers us from the power of sin. Do not make the mistake of having the view that since we are human beings, we are sinners by nature. We sin when we walk according to our old flesh; but He has made us new and has given us a new nature and we can now walk according to the Spirit, free from the power of sin. There are times when we choose or allow sin; in such times, what a  blessing it is to be able to confess our sin to our ‘merciful and faithful priest,’ knowing that we are forgiven. Because Jesus experienced life in a world of darkness, and because He is compassionate and merciful and because He loves us, He is able to come to our aid when we are tempted. What a blessing it is to know that GOD HELPS US! Let us understand that we are not alone in this life; even if live alone, even if we are in prison, or in someway isolated from people. God is with us us; we have a priest who sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us and He is always ready to hear us and help us. 
Romans 8:34 “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died-more than that, who was raised-who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”


Blessings, Buddy
]]>Thu, 10 Jul 2025 11:01:32 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/marching-orders3157634July 10, 2025                      MARCHING ORDERS


Philippians 3:10-13 “that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, in order that I might attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid of by Christ Jesus. 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.”


What is it that motivates us? Often, our motivation comes out of the necessity to provide for the physical needs of ourselves and those around us as; and we are often motivated to acquire the things that we believe will bring us pleasure. Those motivations are not wrong or evil-it depends on the condition of our heart. With that being said, lets look at at the really important sources of motivation that have tremendous short term and long term benefits. First, we live in a temporal world where all things end and/or wear out; But God’s kingdom is eternal and the things of God are eternal. That should get our attention. Another mystery is that we can be content and at the same time be pursuing something or pressing on to something greater. Pursing the things of God and seeking to grow in our knowledge of Him brings about lasting peace in us. We can experience many of God’s blessings here on earth, but there are yet much greater things that we will experience when He returns for His people. The greatest thing we could ever  accomplish is being ready for His return. If we are to be found ready at His return, then we must be about fulfilling the call He has for us in this life and we must be about getting to know Him in greater ways. So, let us forget what lies behind and let us be pressing on in increasing in our knowledge of Him. We are in an awesome race, and the prize is before us. 
1 John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23 “Now may the God of peace sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”


Blessings, Buddy
]]>Tue, 08 Jul 2025 00:44:14 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/work-out-your-salvationJuly 8, 2025                       WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION


Philippians 2:12-13 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.”


Our salvation is a huge deal and it is so much more than a ticket to heaven. Our salvation is the starting point for us being transformed into the image of God and it is an ongoing journey. It’s somewhat of a mystery, but we have been transformed and we are being transformed. We have been transformed from who we were and have been placed in the family of God, but having been placed in His family, we are being transformed into His likeness-we are becoming like our Father. Once we see just how awesome and even radical it is that we have been transformed and are being transformed, surely we see that we must be about ‘working out our salvation with fear and trembling.’ Salvation is a work of God, but we have a part to play in ’working it out.’ And here is the big thing: sure, we are blessed to be joined to God, but we are saved for His purposes and for His good pleasure-it’s not all about us-we have a higher purpose. The truth for us to embrace is that our salvation has both tremendous spiritual and practical implications. Our heart-beat, our passion, and our ambition should be to be expressions of the work that God is doing in us. The verse above reflects as an example the practical side of God at work in us when it instructs us ‘do all things without grumbling or disputing.’ Our actions prove who we are and who we belong to. Considering the fact that our life-our responses, our attitudes, our motives, our words-transmits a message to all; certainly we should be about working out our salvation with fear and trembling.’ This fear is not being afraid, but it is a healthy fear that motivates; we should have a healthy fear of missing what God has for us.
Philippians 1:9-11 “And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more in real knowledge and 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.”


Blessings, Buddy
]]>Sat, 05 Jul 2025 10:46:04 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/july-05th-2025July 5, 2025              TO HIM WHO IS ABLE


Ephesians 3:16-21 “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”


This is another passage that may seem to good to be true. Can we really expect this prayer to be answered in us? As incredible as it may sound, this is exactly what God desires to do in us. God living is us is no small deal; He is about us living according to His power; not by self determination or by our best effort. Indeed, in Christ, we live a super-natural life in the here and now. We may be guilty of lowering the bar, or having low expectations of what God wants to do and can do in and through us. God redeemed us for a great purpose; He transferred us from a life apart from God and placed us in His kingdom, which is a kingdom of light. In His Kingdom life is different; life is no longer a ho-hum or same-o same-o life. There is one proviso; to experience all the fullness of God, our hearts must be turned to Him and we must be seeking Him first. All people, whether saved or lost, experience some of the blessings of God-the rain, the order of creation, and the such. I am convinced that there are levels of experiencing God; but we do not by our own effort advance to a higher level. Through faith and through believing what God says and by having a heart that desires Him more than anyone or anything, we experience more of God. God wants us to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, so that He may dwell in our hearts through faith; to be rooted and grounded in love, and to know the love of Christ; and to be filled up to all the fullness of God! God can and will do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think! If our hearts are turned to Him, if we have a sure faith in God, then let us believe in a big way, and expect God to do great works in us and through us. Do not misunderstand; God has never promised us a life of ease or a life free of trials; but the difficulties of life do not negate the plans and purposes of God; through Him we more than conquer. So, no matter your present circumstances, be encouraged and expect God to do great things.


John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly.”                                             
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Blessings, Buddy
]]>Sun, 29 Jun 2025 20:29:05 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/that-we-may-know​June 30, 2025                       THAT WE MAY KNOW


Ephesians 1:18-19b “I pray that the eyes of your heart be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”


When I read this passage, I am always reminded of a particular night several years ago. As I was pulling our trash can up to the road one night for next morning pick-up, I simply looked up at the clear starry sky, and I heard in a distinctive voice in my spirit that said “The God that made those stars is your Father.” I had not been thinking about or reading a book about God being my Father; God just spoke that into my spirit. Had you asked me before that night if I believed God was my Father, I wold have said ‘Sure I know that.’ I had been a believer for many years and active in church. But that night, in a way I can’t describe, I KNEW in every ounce of my being that God was my Father. My immediate response was “Since the God who made those stars is my Father, what is there to fear and what is there to worry about — absolutely nothing!” I was just carrying the trash out when God enlightened the eyes of my heart. We need to study the word of God and we need to be about doing what God calls us to do, but we also need to be asking God to open the eyes of our hearts; our study alone is not enough. When God opens the eyes of our hearts, we are changed from the inside out; our perspective of life changes for good, we find a hope that is based on the character of God and we experience the ‘surpassing greatness of His power toward’ us. So, it is good and pleasing to God when we ask Him to open the eyes of our hearts; He reveals truth to us in many different ways and He does it in His timing. We can’t choose the how and the time, but for sure He will reveal His truth to those who seek to know Him above everything else. 
Luke 24:45 “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”
1 Corinthians 2:12 “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God.”


Blessings, Buddy]]>Sat, 28 Jun 2025 10:57:11 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/hearing-and-acting9874295June 28, 2025                    HEARING AND ACTING


Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.”


In Matthew we find the familiar parable where Jesus exposes the foolishness of building a house upon the sand and the wisdom of building a house upon the rock.  Obviously, the house built upon the rock survived the heavy rains, the flood and the winds, whereas the house built upon the sand did not withstand the storms. The obvious point Jesus was making was that if we are hearing the words of Jesus and building on His words-the word of God-our work will survive the storms; but if we hear His words and do not act on them, what we are building will crash when the storms come. We are all building a house; we must be careful how we build as the quality of what we build will be judged. A house must have a solid foundation in order to stand against the storms; Jesus is the rock, He is the sure foundation. A house may look really great, but if the foundation is faulty or unstable, it is simply a matter of time before it falls or becomes unlivable. It is abundantly clear form many scriptures that we are not only to hear the words of Jesus, but we are to act on and obey the words of Christ. Intentions to obey the words and the commands of Jesus are no substitute for obeying; intentions produce no good fruit-it’s the action that matters. Of course we do not obey His words in order to be saved or to gain His approval and love; we obey Him because He loves us and we love Him, because He is Lord, and because it is the only wise thing to do. We must be on guard for hearing His word and agreeing with it, and then not acting on it. For many, information and knowledge is king; this is even true in Christian circles. We may think that by ‘knowing God’s word’ we are good. The truth is that one may have extensive knowledge of the word of God and yet what He is building will not stand when the storms and the trials come if he is not obeying the words of God. Let’s look at just one example: Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. We first must hear those words, but then act on it by actually being or becoming a giver; there are many ways to give, including giving our time, out of our resources, or giving words that build up and encourage. Let us be quick to hear and also quick to act on the words of Jesus; by doing so, we will be wise builders and what we are building will survive the storms as well as the test of time. 


John 14:21 “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.”


Blessing, Buddy

]]>Wed, 25 Jun 2025 11:55:49 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/let-us-not-loose-heartJune 25, 2025                 LET US NOT LOOSE HEART


Galatians 6:8-10 “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 loose 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.”


We may not be conscious of it, but we are always sowing. What we sow is vitally important because what we sow comes back to us in greater ways; a few seeds produces a big crop. We may argue or we may disagree, but the fact is that if we sow to the flesh, we will reap corruption. This fact hi lights the importance of sowing to the Spirit. We sow to the Spirit by listening to and following the leading of the Spirit and being about the things of God. Sowing to the Spirit is not some strange, undefinable deal; it is spiritual but it is also expressed in the natural. For example, we can sow to the Spirit by walking in integrity, by showing compassion in practical ways, by blessing others; we can do our work in a way that it is sowing to the Spirit. We do not do the good works we do so that we might gain His approval; we do the good works because God is good and He is always demonstrating His goodness. There are times when we do not see fruit from what we have sown, and sometimes we get physically tired; but nonetheless, we must persevere and keep on doing the good works He has for us to be doing. Doing goods works energies us and gives a sense of fulfillment. We are alive-we are living; and this is the day, and this is the time when we have the opportunity to express the goodness of God wherever we are. So the word for us is to not loose heart or grow weary in doing good. God will show us the works He has for us; there are no minor or insignificant good works when it’s the good works God leads us to do. Whether its mowing the neighbors grass or preaching to ten thousand, it’s all the same in God’s economy.   
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath beforehand ordained, that we should walk in them.”


Blessings, Buddy 
]]>Mon, 23 Jun 2025 11:51:24 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/called-into-fellowshipJune 23, 2025                  CALLED INTO FELLOWSHIP 


1 Corinthians 1:9 “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”


We may think of Jesus being ‘out there’ somewhere or someone we have limited access to. However, we have been called into fellowship with Jesus; that is amazing. We, mere human beings, have been called into fellowship with the Creator of the universe. And note; God did not say that if we ask, or if we convince Him, He would allow us to fellowship with His Son; the amazing thing is that God has initiated, and invited, and has called us to fellowship with the Son. Remember, Jesus refers to us as His brothers (family) and He makes it clear that He and ourselves have the same Father-another amazing truth. Hebrews 2:11 and John 20:17. Our relationship with God our Father is a spiritual relationship but it is also a practical, real life, in flesh and bones relationship with our Father. (The verse above talks about being called into fellowship with the Son; but the the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one-so in a real sense our fellowship is with the triune God.) Our part is to know that God invites us into fellowship with Himself and then turn our attention to relating to God. Fellowship is about spending time with another and about sharing life and having conversation. For sure God is holy-and He is God-but even so, He calls us to fellowship with Himself. Our fellowship with God is hindered if we allow sin to be a part of our lives; but He is quick to forgive us when we confess our sin and to restore our fellowship with Him. So, let fellowshipping with our Father be the priority of our life; good thing flow out of our fellowshipping with Him.
1 John 1:3 “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His  Son, Jesus Christ.”


Blessings, Buddy
]]>Sat, 21 Jun 2025 21:02:33 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/approving-what-is-excellent9270430June 21, 2025               APPROVING WHAT IS EXCELLENT


Philippians 1:9-11 “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.”


There is more; let us press on to the things of the Lord; we have not arrived. God is calling us to a higher plane-to a life that is in contrast to the life the world offers. It is ever so easy to live on a spiritual plateau-it’s comfortable living on the plateau. Throughout the New Testament we find instructions and admonitions regarding the ‘upward call of God.’ Philippians 3:14. Living according to the ways of God is to live with a new perspective of life where we find joy and satisfaction in giving, blessing, serving, and doing good deeds; this is true because we are living out of the new person that God has made us. We are not to settle for what ever level of love we have, but our love is to ‘abound still more and more.’ Is our love growing-or is it on that plateau? The love of God being active in us results in a real knowledge of Him and it gives us discernment and it opens our eyes to see and to discern the things that are excellent. In other words, growing in the knowledge of God and increasing or abounding in love, gets out attention off of that which is not of God and enables us to see what is truly important in life and to know what is of God. It may sound simple, but having the mindset that is looking for and approving the things that are excellent is super important-and it gives us a totally new mindset in life. Instead of being focused on all the things that are wrong, we can be ones who are looking for what is lovely and what is excellent. As we live this way and as we are about the works that God has ordained for us, we will be ‘filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ.’ If our love is abounding, if we are growing in the knowledge of God, and if we are looking for and approving the things that are excellent, we will be blameless and will be rejoicing when He returns. In fact, it is beneficial for the present and for the future to live in such a way that we will welcome His sudden return and have no shame or regrets for the way we have lived. So, let us not settle for life on the plateau; let us press on to what Gos has for us.


1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 “and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all men, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts umblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.”


Blessings,
Buddy
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