TheNewU - Blog

BACK TO THE BASICS

4/3/2025

April 3, 2025 BACK TO THE BASICS

Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
Psalm 106:1 “Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.”

If not careful, in our busyness, we can forget or move away form the basics or the foundation of life. I was recently listening to a song, and was reminded of the basic truth we need to harbor in our hearts and minds. It goes like this: “Thank you Lord for your blessings on me. There’s a roof above me. I’ve a good place to sleep. There’s food on my table and shoes on my feet. You gave me your love Lord and a fine family. Thank you Lord for your blessings on me.” Having a grateful heart and being content goes a long way in having peace in life. It’s not necessarily a sin to pursue something or to have a desire to improve our surroundings, but if of not very alert, we move from contentment and being grateful. The one with little can and be just as happy as the one with much. Living in simplicity eliminates a lot of hassle in life. What we have or do not have is not the main issue; the issue is our dependence on God and our being thankful for all that He does. The bedrock of being thankful is knowing that it is God who blesses and who meets our needs because He loves us. When we are aware of the love of God, we are thankful. We need to be conscious of the fact that we are alive today because of the grace of God; we cannot rightfully take credit for anything that we think ‘we’ have accomplished. It’s just simply a blessing to stop and acknowledge all the ways God blesses us-and that is the greatest thing we can do. Whether we live in a big house or a small house or whether our income is great or not not so great or whether our health is great or not, we have every reason to continually be thanking God for His blessings.
James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Blessings, Buddy

WALKING WORTHY

3/31/2025

March 31, 2025 WALKING WORTHY

Ephesians 4:1-3 “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing humility to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

As pastor Phillip Miller pointed out, the word ‘worthy’ comes from the ancient market place involving scales. If a customer wanted to buy five pounds of grain, the merchant would put a five pound weight on one side of the scale and then begin to pour in the grain on the other side of the scale until the scales became balanced. When the scales were in balance, the grain was considered ‘worthy’ of the price being paid. In the first three chapters of Ephesians, Paul, in a masterful way reveals the awesome and wonderful works that Christ does in the believer and what it means to be in Christ and for Christ to be in us. All that God does in the life of the believer is done only because Christ was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins; in Christ we have been cleansed and are now a people on which God pours out His grace. In these three chapters we find that God has chosen us, has blessed us with every spiritual blessing, has redeemed and forgiven us, has given us an inheritance, that He is rich in mercy, that He has made us alive and has seated us with Him in heavenly places, we are His workmanship created for good works, we have been brought near to Christ, we are fellow citizens with the saints-just to name a few things that God has done! God has adopted us as His children and is in the process of transforming us into His image; He has and is calling us to be like Him. In light of all that God has done on our behalf, certainly we should walk worthy of our calling. Walking worthy touches every aspect of our lives; our actions, our thought life, our motives, our attitudes, our responses-everything. Being a part of the body of Christ brings with it certain responsibilities. We are called to walk in humility, gentleness, patience and love as we relate to other believers in the body-that is part of walking worthy. God has made us a new people who have been called to His purposes-and that is a high and wonderful calling. Let us not take our calling lightly; let it be paramount to walk according to our calling.
Ephesians 4:15-16 “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

Blessings, Buddy

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION

3/29/2025

March 29, 2025 PAY CLOSE ATTENTION

Hebrews 2:1-4 “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirt according to His own will.”

A warning of a danger is for our good. Rather than viewing a warning from God in a negative light, let us thank God that He loves us enough to warn us and to guide our steps. Natural man, the one who does not know God, is bent on going his own ways, against the ways of God. Also, the old fleshly nature of believers desires to go against God. (Believers do not have to live by the flesh; they can Iive according to the Spirit.) The first chapter of Hebrews extols the greatness of God and the greatness of His Son. God spoke long ago, but He has also spoken through His Son. The point of that chapter is the power and the greatness of Jesus. Chapter two begins with ‘For this reason.” Because of what is said in chapter one, we are to pay much closer attention to what we have read-lest we drift from it. That is the warning. What God has spoken is unalterable; and every transgression and disobedience receives a just recompense. In our culture, I fear that we misunderstand grace; and this misunderstanding of grace results in us having a somewhat casual view of sin. We are quick to say “Oh well, if I sin God will forgive me.” When we see what great things God has done, when we see His power and glory, when we see His great mercy displayed, when we see His hatred of sin, when we see that Jesus was sacrificed for our sins, and when we see His love for us, how dare we take sin lightly and how dare we misunderstand and misapply the grace of God. In the verse above we read “how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” We walk in the love of God enjoying Him as our Father; but at the same time we should have a healthy fear of God-remembering that He is God and we are His created ones. So, let us meditate on the attributes, the actions, the character, and the words of God and His Son; let us take His every word to heart and be quick to obey. All that God says and all that He has done is intended for our blessing.
1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And also, His commandments are not burdensome.”

Blessings, Buddy

PURIFYING OURSELVES

3/27/2025

March 27, 2025 PURIFYING OURSELVES

1 John 3:1-3 “See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, we are now children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies Himself, just as He is pure.”

After reading this passage, the question I must ask myself is my hope fixed on Him. It’s easy to put our hope elsewhere. However, there is a particular belief, or awareness, or understanding that leads us to a place where our hope is fixed on Him. Can we truly grasp the fact that the God of all creation and the God of all power and wisdom has bestowed His love on us? And can we receive the fact that because of His great love for us, we are now called the children of God? What an impact it should have on us to be called the children of God! Because we are children of God, the world does not know or understand us-we are indeed different. We know that we are His children, but we do not fully know just how we will be changed when He suddenly appears; but we do know we will be like Him! That is totally awesome-beyond our imagination-to be like Him. When we digest these truths, when our hope is fixed on these things yet to come, surely it has an impact on us and how we live. If we believe what the scriptures tell us, then surely we want to be ready when He comes for us; we do not want to be found living in a way contrary to the ways of God. Because God is pure, we also want to be found pure. To be pure in this life is awesome. The good news is that we can purify ourselves. The power of sin has been broken and we have the Holy Spirit of God living in us, to empower us to live in a way pleasing to God and to live according to His ways. We live in a fallen world where sin and ungodliness abounds; yet, we can be pure in heart, in mind and in action. So, it is a fact that He is coming back for His children and it is a fact that we will be ready for His return or we will not be ready. Let us hear what this passage is saying to us; let us from this moment on be about purifying ourselves, laying aside thoughts, motives, actions and desires that are not pure, and put on what is pure. WE CAN DO THAT.
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Blessings, Buddy

DEVOTED THEMSELVES

3/25/2025

March 25, 2025 DEVOTED THEMSELVES

1 Corinthians 16:13-17 “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of Stephanas, that they were the first fruits of Achaea, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints), that you also be in subjection to such men and to everyone who helps in the work and labors. And I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus; because they have supplied what was lacking on your part. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men .”

This passage gives us a good insight as to how the early believers were involved in ministry. As you read through the New Testament, you see the practical, everyday nitty-gritty of life as they lived out the gospel. It’s amazing, but we see the super natural work that God was doing and we see the practical outworking of the gospel. Paul mentions the ‘household of Stephanas, that they were the first fruits (believers) of Achaea.’ We think of ‘individuals;’ several places in scripture we find the word ‘households.’ The household is the basic unit on society. As believers, we should prioritize the spiritual health of those in our household. There are no perfect households, but what a blessing when there is unity and a love for God our ‘household.’ I say all that, but that is not the point I want to make today. The main point is that some believers were devoted to ministering to the saints. These believers ‘worked and labored’ in helping other believers; it was more that just a casual relationship. These believers understood that they were a part of the body of Christ-the church, and that they needed each other. They were not looking out for their own interest first, but were using their time, resources and abilities to help other believers who were in need. The point for us is that we be not primarily self-centered, but that we minister to others as the Lord leads. There is a ‘work and labor’ in the life of a believer. The key point is that the work and labor we do, and the ministering to the saints, flows out of a heart of love. Even though we have jobs and responsibilities, we can still be devoted to ministry to the saints as God leads. No matter our position in life, let us be alert to ways we can minister and give help to those who have a need we can be a part of meeting. We cannot meet every need we see; but do not let that be an excuse for not meeting the needs that God puts on our hearts. The ministry that God has for us is eternal; let us be about as much as possible those things that have eternal value.
Matthew 25:40 “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, you did it to Me.’”

Blessings, Buddy

CONTINUAL CLEANSING

3/23/2025

MARCH 23, 2025 CONTINUAL CLEANSING

1 John 1: 5-7 “And this is the message we have heard from Him and demonstrate to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

There is a spiritual jewel to be found in this passage. We are told that the ‘blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” The jewel is that the word ‘cleanses’ as used here is a continual action. The blood of Jesus is not only for our salvation but is also for our continual cleansing. Heaven is a place where there is no sin; but we live on earth where sin abounds. Practically everywhere we look we sin and the results of sin and strife. Yet, at the same time, we have the sinless Holy Spirit dwelling in us. God, our Father, IS the light. As believers, we are called to walk in the light-and God is that light. All that God does and all the ways in which He leads leads to life. Living in the light and living according to our new identity are synonymous. The big picture is that God is light, and there is no darkness in Him; and it is our privilege to walk in Him-and when we do, we are walking in the light. When walking in the light, the fruit of the Spirit becomes evident in us-love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Obviously, a believer can make the choice to sin; and if they continue in sin, they suffer the results of their sin. When we are walking in the light, the Holy Spirit is directing our steps and equips us to live in the ways of God. If we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we will know if we sin and we will be quick to confess it and turn form it-even that is walking in the light. As we walk with the Lord, we are being transformed and being made pure in heart, mind and spirit. Accepting Christ as Savior is just the beginning of a life-long and beyond journey with our Heavenly Father who is about conforming us to His image.
Hebrews 9:14 “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once was far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

Blessings, Buddy

WORKING OUT OUR SALVATION

3/20/2025

March 21, 2025 WORKING OUT OUR SALVATION

Philippians 2:1-13, 3:13-14 “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.” “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching to what lies ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Accepting Jesus as our Savior is a beginning of a life-long journey. Scripture instructs us not to remain ‘babes in Christ.’ We are saved by grace and not by anything we do; but once we are saved, there are things we are called to do; there is a maturing and growing process in the faith and we have a part to play in that process. In 2 Peter 1, we are told to ‘add’ certain things to our faith; we must guard against living on a spiritual plateau. Hebrews 2:3 is a sober warning to believers: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation”…. We are not to be fearful, but we are to be diligent in growing in the faith. God is in the process of transforming us into the image of Christ-and that means change and growth for us. Our motivation for growing in the faith should be based on our love for God and our desire to be conformed to His image. If the Apostle Paul did not consider himself to have laid hold of all God had for him, and he was pressing on toward to goal of what was ahead, so should we. Being joined to God and made a part of His family is no small deal; we are part of something much greater than natural life on earth; we have the Spirt of the Creator God living in us and we are His representatives and witnesses on earth, and there is no higher calling. Our priority should be to see the word of God as our ‘manual’ for life, embracing the truth and the commands that God has given. If we find that is some way we are not walking according to the ways of God, let us adjust our life and lay aside anything that is not pleasing to Him-we can do that by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us know that as we embrace the scriptures, we find life and we discover our true identity as children of God. Working out our salvation is an ongoing process, but this work has great rewards.

Colossians 1:9-10 “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
Blessings, Buddy

IN ORDER TO

3/18/2025

March 18, 2025 IN ORDER TO

Colossians 1:21-23 “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.”

What was established through the death of Jesus on the cross exceeds our full understanding; in fact, it defies human understanding. We read in the scriptures about the death and resurrection of Jesus and perhaps we have some mental understanding, but we also need spiritual understanding or enlightenment. Once we are joined to Jesus, dramatic things happen; again, as we grow in the faith, we learn more just how great our salvation is. It is ever so important to know how God sees us. We have now been fully reconciled to God. To reconcile means ‘to bring one thing into correspondence with another.’ Our past sins and even any future sins have been dealt with once and for all. (If and when we sin as a believer, we are to confess it and turn form it.) Not only does God see us as being forgiven, He sees us as ‘holy and blameless and beyond reproach.’ Wow! That may seem as a stretch to us, but that is how God now sees us - all because of the great price Jesus paid in order that we might be reconciled to Him. These things are totally true; but there is something that goes along with this awesome truth. A Christian can be guilty of committing a sin, and if he or she continues in sin, they are not living a holy life and they are not blameless. But, this should be the exception-it is not normal for a believer to sin or to continue in sin. As believers, we are called to continue in the faith, to be firmly established and steadfast, not moved away from the gospel-that is the normal Christian life. Living the normal Christian life, the reconciled life, means that we are holy, blameless and beyond reproach. A word of warning: we cannot earn the state of being holy, blameless and beyond reproach. BUT because He has made us new creations and because His Holy Spirit lives in us, we have a desire to live in such a way that is pleasing to Him, and living in such a way is reflective of us being His children. The gospel is more powerful than we probably understand; it has the power to transform us from those who did not know Him to those who have been, and are being transformed into His image. May God give us a clearer understanding of just what all happened when Jesus gave Himself for us on that cross over two thousand years ago. The power of the cross is still flowing for all who are hungry to know God.
Colossians 2:6-7 “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
Blessings, Buddy

THAT WE MIGHT KNOW

3/16/2025

March 16, 2025 THAT WE MIGHT KNOW

1 Corinthians 2:5, 11-13 “that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 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, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught be the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually approved.”

The truths presented in these passages of scripture are amazing; the life God has for us is none less than super-natural. Our culture values the ‘wisdom of man’ even though it is void of the the knowledge and awareness of the Creator God. Even though the natural man believes he is in control and is the master of his or her destiny, the plight of man apart from God is hopeless. If our faith rest on the wisdom of man, we are in a bad place. In and of ourselves, we do not have even a clue as to what God is like or what God thinks. HOWEVER, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE SPIRIT WHO IS FROM GOD! Because of this great gift from God, we might know ‘the things freely given to us by God.’ Yes-we might know. The Spirit of God who is living in us at this very moment is desiring to reveal to us the things of God-to reveal the Father to us. The Spirit does not force His way upon us; we must yield ourselves to the drawing of the Spirit-even our desire to know God is a work of God. We could never list all of the things that God freely gives us, but the list would include such things as being forgiven of sin, being made new creations, peace in the storms of life, hope in a hopeless world, wisdom not of this world, comfort, a new mind with which we can think like God, confidence, a knowledge that we have an awesome inheritance reserved for us in heaven, no fear of death, that we are light in a dark world, the ability to be about righteous deeds because we are righteous in Him, and the opportunity to experience the abundance of life in Him. So, let us live as those who have the Spirit of God living in them; let us not settle for life as the world defines it. May we live in the awareness that we belong to God and that He has freely given us manifold blessings and has enabled us to know Him and to know His ways.

1 Corinthians 2:7-8 “but we speak of God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; for as it is written,’The things which eye has not seen and ear not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.’’

Blessings,
Buddy

THE HELP OF MY COUNTENANCE

3/13/2025

March 13, 2025 THE HELP OF MY COUNTENANCE

Psalm 43:5 “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, the help of my countenance, and my God.”
Psalm 121:1-3 “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.”
Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Everyone at times faces discouragement and a feeling of despair. Sometimes our plans do not work out, disappointments come, our dreams are shattered, and relationships are not as they should be. There are many things in our lives that we have no control over, and how we respond to the unpleasant circumstances is a tell-tell sign of our spiritual health. Be assured-things we do not like will come our way; but what matters is our response. And there are times when we have a disquieted or disturbed spirt within us, but for not apparent reason. God tells us how to combat discouragement-we do not have to live in despair and disappointment. As a starter, simply confess or acknowledge to yourself that your soul is down cast; talk to yourself-tell your disquieted soul that you are going to put your hope in God and you are going to praise Him again. Lift up your eyes to the mountains-the things above, and remember that your help comes from God, who made heaven and earth. God lifts up our countenance. Countenance refers to a ‘person’s face or facial expression.’ It is amazing how one’s spirit is reflected in their facial expressions. How is your-how is my countenance? If not careful we can lose the awareness that God loves us and watches over us; He will not ‘allow our foot to slip.’ (If you are climbing a mountain, you do not want your foot to slip!) God is for us-not against us. Romans 8:31. As believers, we are not exempt from trials and things that would discourage us, but the good news is that we do not have to be defeated or succumb to what would cause our soul to be cast down. God is a God of hope and He invites us to put our hope in Him, in the good times and in the difficult times. He is the only sure hope we have. As we praise Him and hope in Him, our circumstances may not change, BUT our soul will be find it’s rest and our countenance will be lifted.
Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

Blessings, Buddy