TheNewU - Blog

WE HAVE A GOOD SHEPHERD

9/15/2025

September 15, 2025 WE HAVE A GOOD SHEPHERD

John 10:7b-11 “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

One thing for sure; sheep need a good shepherd-and so do we. Apart from God, man believes that by his own wisdom and determination he must find and secure the life he desires; he thinks he is independent, the captain of his own ship. We may not think about it often, but what a blessing that we have THE GOOD SHEPHERD as our shepherd. There are many voices and many philosophies that say that if we follow them, we will find what we want; but they are thieves and robbers. God has simplified life. He has shown us the way that leads to life. It is a huge blessing to have all the options, all the possibilities, and all of the ‘what if’s’ eliminated and to know that there is one door that leads to life and one Shepherd who knows His sheep. Sheep who are shepherded by a good shepherd find rest, peace, nourishment, and protection. It’s amazing, but under a good shepherd, sheep have all they need. For us, because He is our good shepherd, we do not have to fret, be anxious, be fearful, or feel insecure; we can simply be His sheep. Because we are His sheep, we recognize His voice. Verse 5 tells us that when sheep hears the voice of a stranger, they will flee. That’s a good word for us. Again, let us know and let us live, knowing that we have a good Shepherd. The good Shepherd laid His life down for us-that’s our Shepherd.
Psalm 100:3 “Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
John 10:14-15 “I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay My life down for the sheep.”

Blessings, Buddy

BE READY

9/13/2025

September 13, 2025 BE READY

Matthew 24:44 “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.”
Matthew 24:42 “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”
Romans 14:11-12 “For it is written. ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.’ So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.”

Thinking about Jesus coming again can be a wonderful thought or it can be a fearful or anxious thought. It all depends if we are ready for His return. We use to hear a lot about Jesus coming again, but from my perspective, today we do not hear that much about His return. If you believe the word of God, it is a settled matter; He is coming again, and He is coming when we do not expect it. The two greatest events of all time is Jesus coming as Savior, and His coming back to earth to take His people to Himself. There is a tendency for us to live as though this life and this world is what it’s all about. For sure we are to live this life as unto the Lord, but the overriding mindset we should have is that this life is momentary and that we are destined to be taken up and forever be with the Lord. The idea of His return defies logic; we cannot understand how such an event could take place; His return will be unlike anything the world has ever seen or experienced. The obvious question is how do we live in a ‘ready state’ for His return. We are ready for His return when our heart is turned to Him, when we hear and obey His word, and when out trust is in Him. We can look forward to that awesome day when He suddenly appears to take us to Himself.
Luke 21:28 “But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh.”
Hebrews 9:28 “So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.”

Blessings, Buddy

INCOMPREHENSIBLE

9/10/2025

September 10,2025 INCOMPREHENSIBLE

Ephesians 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him, in Him He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved.”

Even though it is incomprehensible, can we believe that we were know by God before the foundation of the world? Yes-we can believe that by faith. The most brilliant among us cannot comprehend the greatness and the power of our God; it is beyond our reasoning. It is a spiritual giant-step to come to know that we are Fathered by God-that we have His DNA. Our earthly father and mother got us here physically, but God is our true Father. I well remember one starry night several years ago; as I looked up at the stars, I heard in my spirit in no uncertain terms God speak to me. The words that penetrated my total being were “The God that made those stars is your Father.” I was amazed at what I heard. Had you asked me many years previous to that night if God was my Father, I would have certainly said that I knew that God was my Father-but that night it became real from ‘head to toe.’ The first thought I had after hearing those words was “What is there to fear to worry about?” The immediate answer I had was ‘nothing.’ God has blessed His followers with every spiritual blessing; we have been adopted into His family and joined to Him-not that we earned it or was worthy of such blessings, but solely because of His grace and mercy. He has chosen you and I and He loves us with unconditional love. In Christ, we are favored by God! We tend to focus more on the physical or natural to our own hurt; as we discover what it means to have God living in us through the Holy Spirit, our focus will be more and more on Him and His spiritual blessings. We are more spiritual beings than physical beings; we are not a body with a spirit, but a spirit with a body. So, let us be disciplined and wise enough to turn our attention and our focus to the things of God and let us take steps to grow in the faith. Growing in the faith is more than attending a church service once a week and listening to a message from the minister. Our growth starts with a desire to know God in greater ways, by studying His word, by spending time with other believers, by obeying His word, and by prayer and worship. Above all, let us know that God knew us long before our physical birth and that He has called us to be a part of His family and to enjoy a relationship with Him.

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Romans 8:29-30 “For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.”

Blessings, Buddy

IF WE ABIDE

9/8/2025

September 8, 2025 IF WE ABIDE

John 8:31-32 “Jesus was therefore saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”

Many blessings come to those who abide in the words of Jesus. Abide as used in the scriptures is defined as “To remain in, continue in, and live by the teachings of Jesus Christ, letting His words become a fundamental part of one’s life, thoughts, and actions.” Occasional reading of God’s words is not abiding. God’s written word is unlike any other book ever written because it is written by God the Creator through inspired men, the God that is all knowing and the God who knows us better than we know ourselves. His word is not merely a source of information; His word is a living word, revealing eternal truths. His word does not grow old or become outdated. To abide in His word is to be shaped by and guided by the truths found in His word. Devotions are good, but if we have our ‘devotion’ and then go our way, and not be impacted throughout our day by the time spent in our devotion, we are not abiding. I say all that to say for us not to be guilty of reading God’s word only for the sake of knowledge; but let us view the word as what it is-the living word of God given to us that we might discover the truth that sets us free. It is a miracle that His words have a way of setting us free; we need to be set free from ourselves, and abiding in His word does just that. The big issue is whether we live according to our own dictates and understanding or according to gospel-the gospel of good news. God’s word is not just about salvation and about going to heaven, and His word is not just for theological discussions; His word is about life and how to live it to the fullest. It is a fact that our old nature-human nature-is not in agreement with the word of God. Just one example: human nature is about getting while God says it’s better to give than to receive; and sure enough, we feel good when we give. We often use the word ‘disciple’ in a light way; a true disciple of Jesus abides in His word. Let us be disciples of Jesus; it’s the only way to life abundant.
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the intentions of the heart.”
Luke 4:4 “But Jesus answered him, saying, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”

Blessings, Buddy

RUN THE RACE

9/6/2025

September 6, 2025 RUN THE RACE

Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Each of us have a race set before us; a race we must run. In a sense, there are many races to run, whether it’s a race to be faithful in our work, in our families and in our communities. But there is one over-arching race we as believers we are called to run; and that race is about fulfilling the purposes God has for us. In the word of God, we learn of the desires and plans that God has for us, and living out His plans and desires is THE race. Really, there are not many races set before us; the race we are to run touches every part of our lives. Whether it’s about our careers, our home life, our involvement in church, the race set before us impacts all we do. In whatever we do, the life we live is to reflect the life of Christ in us. This passage gives us a serious warning; if not careful, we allow encumbrances that would slow us down and hinder our running the race. There are many things that could be an encumbrance for us. Also, there are some sins that ‘so easily entangles us.’ For example, I have heard believes say that they are impatient people; for them that is the sin that so easily entangles. Each of us must be alert to the sins that would entangle us. The word is for us to lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us. Running our race requires endurance, and endurance implies that there will be obstacle to overcome. To run a race effectively, we must have a goal; we are to ‘fix our eyes on Jesus’ who ran His race and who gives us the strength to run our race. Jesus is the example for us. Running the race is not a cake-walk; it requires discipline, commitment, endurance, and the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. Running our race faithfully will be rewarded.
Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
PS: Do not let pass failures and bad decisions hinder our running the race.

Blessings, Buddy

OUR PROVIDER

9/4/2025

September 4, 2025 OUR PROVIDER

Matthew 6:30-33 “But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do for you, O men of little faith? Do not be anxious, then, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ Or ‘What shall we drink?’ Or “With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your Heavenly Father knows you need these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things will be added to you.”

For many, I am sure that what is said in this passage of scripture seems like a stretch or even a pipe-dream. Some translations say to ‘give no thought to what you shall eat….’. Surely in this competitive, uncertain, and high-price economy in which we live it is completely normal to worry about or be anxious about being able to secure what we need. Right? That seems logical. But yet, what God is telling believers is not logical according to the world’s viewpoint; He is not limited to what man considers logical and practical. The truth presented in these verses takes us to an entirely new way of living and a new way of thinking. A basic concept of the gospel is that God is our provider; one of the names of God is Jehovah-Jireh, which is translated as ‘the Lord our Provider.’ It may very well seem to good to be true, to not be anxious about our provisions, but indeed it is true. It is a matter of our having absolute trust in God as our provider. This does not imply that we are not to work and be diligent, but it does mean that it is God who gives us the ability and the opportunity to work. Seeing God as our provider is the key to not being anxious. There are some who are not able to work, yet, God provides for them as well. The key to all of this is for us to first seek His kingdom and His righteousness; when we do, He adds all we need! That’s the difference. It is another subject, but part of this is learning the secret of being content. We must reject the idea of our culture that is constantly telling us that more is always better. Living in contentment, knowing that God is our provider is the best possible life to live on this earth. If God provides for the birds of the air and the grass in the fields, surely He will provide for us.
Luke 12:24 “Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet, God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!”

Blessings, Buddy

OUR PROVIDER

9/4/2025

September 4, 2025 OUR PROVIDER

Matthew 6:30-33 “But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do for you, O men of little faith? Do not be anxious, then, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ Or ‘What shall we drink?’ Or “With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your Heavenly Father knows you need these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things will be added to you.”

For many, I am sure that what is said in this passage of scripture seems like a stretch or even a pipe-dream. Some translations say to ‘give no thought to what you shall eat….’. Surely in this competitive, uncertain, and high-price economy in which we live it is completely normal to worry about or be anxious about being able to secure what we need. Right? That seems logical. But yet, what God is telling believers is not logical according to the world’s viewpoint; He is not limited to what man considers logical and practical. The truth presented in these verses takes us to an entirely new way of living and a new way of thinking. A basic concept of the gospel is that God is our provider; one of the names of God is Jehovah-Jireh, which is translated as ‘the Lord our Provider.’ It may very well seem to good to be true, to not be anxious about our provisions, but indeed it is true. It is a matter of our having absolute trust in God as our provider. This does not imply that we are not to work and be diligent, but it does mean that it is God who gives us the ability and the opportunity to work. Seeing God as our provider is the key to not being anxious. There are some who are not able to work, yet, God provides for them as well. The key to all of this is for us to first seek His kingdom and His righteousness; when we do, He adds all we need! That’s the difference. It is another subject, but part of this is learning the secret of being content. We must reject the idea of our culture that is constantly telling us that more is always better. Living in contentment, knowing that God is our provider is the best possible life to live on this earth. If God provides for the birds of the air and the grass in the fields, surely He will provide for us.
Luke 12:24 “Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet, God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!”

Blessings, Buddy

PERFECT LOVE

9/2/2025

September 2, 2025 PERFECT LOVE

1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love.”

As so often is the case in the scriptures, one verse presents life changing truths. The above verse is one of those verses. Many live with fear; fear of sickness, financial loss, death, rejection-and the list goes on. Fear paralyzes and robs us of life. At the outset, it must be understood that the love that cast out fear is not a human love; it is the love of God. Human love is often a selfish love and at some point it fails. If we are dependent on or if we are trying to find our security in the love of another person, we will not be fulfilled; if they fail to express love as we think they should, we become unsettled. But God! God’s love is perfect and is totally unselfish; His love is certain and unconditional and His love has our best interest at heart-always. Here is the crucial part: we can believe with our minds that God loves us-we have heard that for a long time; but everything changes, all fear is cast out when we experience His love-when we know in the deepest part of our being that God loves us personally. After all, when the God who created the universe, the God who has all power and wisdom, the God of all eternity, loves us, what is there to fear? Zero! That may sound to good to be true, BUT it’s not-it is absolutely true. We cannot ‘understand’ the love of God or why He loves us, we simply have to receive it. His love defies logic. So, if we are struggling, or feel fearful or insecure, the answer lies in the love that God has for us. I don’t have three easy steps on how to experience the love of God; but if you seek Him first and simply ask Him to reveal His love for you, He will in His own way and in own time express His love for you.
Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirt which has been given to us.”

PS: God has already demonstrated His love for us.

Blessings, Buddy

THAT YOU MAY HAVE LIFE

8/31/2025

August 31, 2025 THAT YOU MAY HAVE LIFE

John 5:40 “and you are unwilling to come to Me that you may have life.”
1 John 5:12 “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

Sadly, the first verse above describes much of the world’s population today. Simply by going to Jesus and by receiving Him as God’s Son, the Savior of the world, is the only way to have life; not mere physical life, but life as designed by God. There is no such thing as real life apart from the life that comes from God. As 1 John so clearly says, ‘He who has the Son has life.” So, life and the Son go hand in hand. This Ilfe that comes from the Father is eternal, but it also a life that can be experienced here and now in this flesh and bones-even in this fallen world. The physical life lived by the one who does not have the Son does not even compare in any way to the life that comes from God. As believers we must guard against just living a natural sort of life; if not alert, we succumb to doubts, fears, anxiety and the such, and not experience the full, genuine, rich life that comes from God. The life that we receive from the Son IS the life of God. There is no one sentence definition defining the life of God-it’s bigger than definition. As we read the scriptures, we learn of the nature of God and we see His attributes, and the good news is that He wants us to know Him and experience Him in personal ways. As we learn of Him and as we discover our identity in Him, we begin to experience His life through the working of the Holy Spirit in us. When we experience the life that comes from God, we experience love, joy, peace, contentment, hope, boldness, patience, kindness, gentleness and the like, we are experiencing the life of God. This life of God is not something we have to work-up or strive for; it is the gift of God-it’s the presence of God in us. It is amazing, but we have the opportunity for Christ to live His life through us.
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
John 11:25 “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me, shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Blessings, Buddy

RETURN TO YOUR REST

8/28/2025

August 29, 2025 RETURN TO YOUR REST

Psalms 116:7, 4:8 “Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.” “In peace I will lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

There are times when we need to talk to our souls, mainly giving instructions. Our souls can and do at times become downcast. In Psalms 43:5a, the psalmist asked his soul “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” Obviously, there are many things that could cause our souls to be downcast, whether it is sad news, loss, sickness, broken or struggling relationships, disappointment; or we may not know the reason our soul is downcast; sometimes depressing thoughts just seem to come out of nowhere. It helps to know that everyone has to deal with a disturbed or downcast soul at times. However, there is a remedy for the downcast soul and it primarily is a matter of taking dominion over our souls-we must not let our soul be independent of our spirits-and our minds. The b part of Psalms 43:5 hits the nail on the head when it tells the soul “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”There is no situation so dark and desperate that prevents us from putting our trust in God and praising Him because He is our God. It’s good to be at the place where we can say to God “If I loose everything, if my health fails, If others forsake me, my life is in your hands.” Even when we do not have a clue as to why our soul is downcast, we can still make the choice to put our trust in Him. We can do things that lead to a soul that is at peace; such as reading God’s word, immersing ourselves in worship music, reading what is up-lifting, spending time with friends, and very importantly, finding ways to bless others.
Isaiah 26:3-4 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.Trust in the Lord forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.”

Blessings, Buddy