Wed, 22 Jan 2025 11:07:06 -0800WeeblyTue, 21 Jan 2025 15:33:20 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/purify-ourselvesJanuary 21, 2025                  PURIFY OURSELVES 


2 Corinthians 7:1 “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”


Some think that it’s all up to God. However, it’s abundantly clear in scripture that  those belonging to God have certain responsibilities. As believers, we are to respond to what God has spoken through His word and to what the Spirit says to us personally. It is God who transforms us, but we have a part to play in the process. The word of God has many instructions as to how believers are to live as sons and daughters of God. The above verse gives us clear instructions as to what we are to be about as His followers. Because God is holy, He expects and desires that His people be holy. Because God gave His Son that we might be forgiven and saved, and because God has and does demonstrate His great love for us, our heart should be to be pleasing to Him in all we do. The instructions we have above are very practical in nature. We should be actively be about purifying ourselves. The word we need to note is ‘contaminates.’ We must be on guard to what would contaminate our bodies and our spirits. Obviously, we can be contaminated by what we look at, what we think about, what we listen to, and by not taking care on our physical bodies. These things really hit home; it affects what we watch on tv, on our computers and cell phones; and it affects the words we speak; our attitude and mindset; and what we listen to.   Do not misunderstand; as believers, we do not live by a list of rules; we are to live being led by the Spirt and led by a heart that desire to please Him with the life we live. We are to be about ‘perfecting holiness.’ Perfecting holiness means we are laying aside whatever is unlike Christ and putting on whatever is like Christ. If we reverence God, we will want to honor Him and be pleasing to Him from a pure heart. Often, it’s a ‘both and;’ God is pleased with us in Christ; but we have the privilege of pleasing Him with the life we live in this flesh and bone. So, let us be diligent to be daily purifying ourselves of anything that would contaminate our bodies and our spirits. If it’s not pleasing to God, lay it aside!
1 Peter 1:15-16 “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Blessings, Buddy
]]>Mon, 20 Jan 2025 00:40:18 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/be-imitators5761154January 29, 2025                      BE IMITATORS 


Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”


We may view imitating in a negative light as our culture values individuality and being original-‘being our own person.’  We use to use the phrase ‘copy cat’ in a critical way. Do not misunderstand; God created us with our own personalities; we are unique. This passage begins with an amazing statement; ‘Therefore be imitators of God.’ This is not a commandment to be fake or to put up a front. A basic truth we must remember is that we were created in the image of God. Also, we must remember that a transformation takes place in those who are in Christ. Being in Christ means that we have been given new spirits, new hearts and new natures. When we discover our identity in Christ, we have new desires and appetites and importantly, we have the power to walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. Imitating Christ is not something we must try to do in our own strength; we can imitate Christ only because He has and is transforming us into His own image. To imitate Christ is the highest privilege we have on this earth. It is amazing, but we represent Christ in this world-you and I; so as we imitate Him, we are being light. God is compassionate, forgiving, merciful, loving, full of grace, wise-and much more. As His children, and because we have the Holy Spirit living in us and enabling us, we can be imitators of God-today, right where we are.  
1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
1 Peter 1:14-16 “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lust which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.”


Blessings, Buddy
]]>Fri, 17 Jan 2025 11:47:28 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/finally-my-brethren2149680January 17, 2025                           FINALLY, MY BRETHREN


Ephesians 6:10-11 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”


If we do not know first hand that we are in a battle, we are blinded or in denial. We must know who our real enemy is; our enemy is not of flesh and blood; people, no matter who they or what they do, are not our enemy. There is a bigger battle taking place; people may allow themselves to be pawns in the hands of our enemy, the devil, but they are not our enemy. In our ‘modern’ and ‘enlightened’ culture, many do not acknowledge, or even want to talk about being in a battle with the devil. But, there is good news for us who know God as Savior. God has not left us to fight this battle alone; He has given us the armor we need to stand against the enemy. We are in Christ and He is in us, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to live in us and to equip us to live victoriously. Let us take up and put on the whole armor of God. Our armor consist of the word of God, prayer, worship and faith, and it is also putting on the new person we are in Christ-in these we must stand. Whatever battle we face, we have what we need to overcome. The first step for us in simply to be aware that we are in a battle-we are on the battlefield. I love what Paul said; “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” After all said and done, let it be our ‘modus operandi’ to be strong in the Lord, and to stand against the rulers of darkness.


2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh (for the weapons of our warfare or not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds); casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ;”


Blessings, Buddy
]]>Thu, 16 Jan 2025 01:10:32 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/without-and-doubting​January 15 2025                       WITHOUT ANY DOUBTING


James 1:5-8 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let that man not expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double- minded man, unstable in all his ways.”


1 Corinthians 3:18 reminds us that the “wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” There is a difference in education and wisdom; one can be very educated but yet lack wisdom. Education is a good thing, but we are lacking if we do not have a wisdom that is not of this world. God is the only source of wisdom-and He generously gives wisdom to those who ask. There is a critical point when it comes to asking God for wisdom; we must ask in faith without any doubting. The words ‘without any doubting’ caught my attention. In God’s economy, there is no room for doubting and for living without faith. Since we as believers have been joined to God and made citizens of His kingdom, in a very real sense, our entire life, all we do is to be based on faith; the life of the believer is a life of faith. Even though we live in the world, we are not limited to the principles and the ways of the natural world; we are super-natural beings who have been made new creations. 2 Corinthians 5:17. It is clear-God likes seeing His people exercising faith. We do not know what the future holds; we must not lean to our own understanding as we make our journey through this life. If we need anything, we need the wisdom of God. Let us take the above passage at face value; God invites us to ask of Him in faith without doubting for wisdom-when we do, we can be confident that He will supply us with the wisdom we need.
Hebrews 11:6, 11;1 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exist, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him.”       “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”      


Blessings,
Buddy




]]>Mon, 13 Jan 2025 12:10:09 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/a-servant-mindsetJanuary 13, 2025                  A SERVANT MINDSET


1 Peter 4:10 “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
Matthew 20:26-28 “It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Galatians 5:13-14 “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.”


This may come as a shocker to many, but life is not all about us! However, if you observe the lives of people, if you listen to conversations and if you listen to the news, you will conclude that many, if not most, live as though life is all about them. There is within the core of man a nature that impels him or her to search for that which satisfies his deepest longings. Such things as material gain, popularity, being attractive and physically fit, success in a certain field, or whatever-may bring temporary satisfaction but it is short-lived. But God has a solution that fulfills the deepest longings of our soul. The ways of God are contrary to the ways of the world; the world says to do whatever it takes to satisfy self, but God tells us to lay our lives down. What a contrast! It is a mystery and a miracle, but as we lay our lives down and take on a servant mindset, we find a sense of fulfillment. Our new nature finds joy and fulfillment when we serve, when we bless, when we give, and when we consider others above ourselves. 2 Corinthians 9:10 is an amazing verse: “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.” God sees to it that we never run of seeds to sow! Laying our lives down does not mean that we neglect our personal responsibilities, but it does mean that our mind-set in life is that we are here to serve. And let us not overlook the fact that our immediate family members are among those we are to serve. Jesus came to serve and He is our example; let us be about serving and blessing.


Proverbs 11:25 “Whoever brings a blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”


Blessings, Buddy
]]>Sun, 12 Jan 2025 13:22:56 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/lean-not]]>Fri, 10 Jan 2025 01:40:26 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/trying-to-learn2109403January 10, 2025                           TRYING TO LEARN


Ephesians 5:8-14 “For you were formally 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 righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them is secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, ‘Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”


Because God has joined us to Himself and has made us new creations (not refurbished) and because we have the Holy Spirit living in us, we have new reasons for living; we have a higher purpose in life. The life that God calls us to live as well as empowers us to live is in great contrast to life experienced by those who do not know God. The world is in darkness and at one time, we also lived in darkness; but God has called us out of darkness. Now, our major call is to walk as children of light, “for the fruit of light consist in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” We must understand that walking in the light does not happen automatically; we have a part to play in the process even though it is God who makes it possible for us to walk in the light. We constantly make choices-we choose our thoughts, our actions, our attitudes, and our priorities. As believers, our overriding goal in life, the thing that determines what we do, should be the desire to walk in the light of God. Just as Paul had the desire to learn what is pleasing to the Lord, we too should have that same desire. There is an ongoing learning process; sometimes we may not be sure if what we are considering is something that pleases the Lord, but if our heart is turned to the Lord, the Spirit will show us if what we are considering is pleasing to Him. Simply said, let us choose the things that please the Lord. We are light; now let us be “careful how we walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of our time.” May everything we do be guided by our desire to do what pleases the Lord. Importantly, we do not try to please the Lord as a way to earn HIs acceptance and approval; it is because He has already accepted us and loves us that we want our life to be pleasing to Him


Philippians 1:9-11 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still 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

]]>Wed, 08 Jan 2025 00:57:05 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/the-goal-of-instructionJanuary 8, 2025              THE GOAL OF INSTRUCTION


1 Timothy 1:5 “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”


I like simplicity and I like to know that I am headed in the right direction in life. We were not given the word of God just as a book to read. The word of God is a book in which God reveals Himself and it is a book of instructions on life-it’s not a book of good suggestions. The instructions from God are perfect; there are no mistakes, ambiguities or contradictions in His word. I heard Peter Parris once say that “The word contradicts it self, but only in our minds.” It is God’s desire that we love from a pure heart. That’s easy to understand. A pure heart is a heart  free from whatever is ungodly. In a pure heart there is no guile, envy, jealousy, dishonesty, hate-the list could go on. The good news is that God gives us a new heart and a new spirit. This does not mean that we do not have to make decisions and wrestle with issues in life; but it does mean that we can walk according to the ways of God by the power of His Spirit. In a real sense, we have to manage our hearts-to make sure we are living out of a pure heart. A pure heart is a heart that expresses the righteousness of God. By that I mean that if, for example, I wrong someone, if my heart is pure, I will ask their forgiveness and make restitution if needed. Having a pure heart is a huge blessing; with a pure heart we can be at peace-and we can have a good nights sleep. This does not imply that we are perfect; but it does instruct us that we can love form a pure heart. Also, another goal of biblical instruction is that we live with a good conscience; and how freeing a good conscience is. Having a good conscience has to do with our actions. Very simply put, if we do what is right, our conscience is good.  Our conscience is a gift from God; we have this built in eternal guide that lets us know if what we are doing is right or wrong. The third goal is that of having a sincere faith.  A sincere faith means that we totally accept as true the word of God and that it is our goal to live according to His word and that we continue to live by faith even in difficult times.
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Blessings, Buddy
]]>Mon, 06 Jan 2025 12:34:12 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/destined-to-live-with-himJanuary 6, 2025                  DESTINED TO LIVE WITH HIM


1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, 5:8-11 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”   “But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you are also doing.”


We have all experienced the death of a loved one; and we all at times think about our own death. To many, death is a dark ugly reality they had rather not think about. The quote you have probably heard holds true: “Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.” For sure, the death of someone close to us is grievous and we go through a season of morning. There are examples in the Bible where people mourned over the lost of a loved one. Mourning is a part of the process. But, the scriptures present a view of death that gives hope, even in death. There are several bits of good news in the verses above in regards to death. As a starter, the scriptures describe one who has ‘died’ as being asleep. When you go to sleep, you wake up again. When we understand death from a biblical viewpoint, we do not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. When Jesus returns, He will bring with Him those who have died in the faith-the faith that Jesus is the Savior. What an awesome day that will be when we will see again those who have gone before us. Wow! When Jesus died on the cross, He defeated death once and for all. In light of the fact that Jesus will return one day, we should be be living in a state of readiness. We have every reason not to fear death, and every reason to have hope. God has destined us, and all believers who have physically died, to live with Him forever. Yes, we will have trials on this earth and we experience physical death, but death truly is the door to life with our Father. Be encouraged; our destiny with our Father has been sealed.
2 Corinthians 15:51-53, 55 “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.”      “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’’


Blessings, Buddy


]]>Fri, 03 Jan 2025 14:39:53 GMThttp://thenewu.org/blog/for-nothngJanuary 3, 2025                     FOR NOTHING


Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”


What God is saying through Paul test our mettle-our core beliefs; it has a way of revealing to us whether or not we are truly living according to the gospel. At the moment, me personally, and my family are faced with some circumstances that are difficult and anxiousness knocks at the door. To tell someone ‘to be anxious for nothing’ surely sounds like you are telling them to bury their heads in the sand. But, as is always the case, God has the answers to our predicaments and our challenges. What God tells us in His word is contrary to the ways of the world; the world says it is human and it is normal to be anxious when facing difficulties and uncertainties; BUT God tells His people to ‘be anxious for NOTHING.’ So there is the challenge. To bridge this gap between being anxious and being anxious for nothing requires a deep faith in a loving, caring, and all powerful God-a God who works beyond human reason and human effort. It is a matter of believing in our innermost being that God does ‘work all things for good to those who are called according to His purpose.’ Romans 8:28. A key truth to remember a we face trials is that the Lord is near. When we face whatever would make us anxious, we are instructed to pray and make supplications, with thanksgiving, and make our request known to God. Did you hear that-‘make our request known to God.’ When we do this in faith, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and our minds. Our hearts and minds need to be guarded; if they are not guarded, we will become anxious. Not to be anxious in this life is indeed a miracle-it’s a work of the Holy Spirt in us. Because God works in such awesome ways and because He is able to do beyond what we think, we can rejoice always. We do not rejoice over the bad things that happen; we rejoice because we serve a God who overcomes all the plans of the enemy.  
Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on you, because they trust You.”


Blessings, Buddy
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