Blog Archives - TheNewU

THE PURSUIT part 2

1/31/2019

January 31, 2019 THE PURSUIT part 2
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
The last blog hopefully answered some questions and gave some clarity about why or how we need to pursue the Lord if we already have Him; we have been joined to Him, and He lives in us. It was pointed out that now that we belong to Him, our pursuit is to be that of expressing and demonstrating with our life the things that are of the kingdom of God-love, patience, etc. At the end of the last blog, it was noted that there is a way in which we are to seek the Lord, and that is the subject for today. I believe that being expressions of the kingdom of God comes as a result of knowing our true identity in the Lord, not only in our mind, but in the deepest part of our being. That identity is the awareness that we have been made new creations, have been given new hearts, minds and spirits, and have been joined to Him-a lot more could be said about that-but you get the point. The seeking or pursuing that we are to be about is that of getting to know Him, and as we get to know Him, we discover who we are! So, in a very real sense, we can spend our life time getting to know Him better, discovering more about Him, and learning more about the implications of being joined to Him. God is pleased when we hunger to know Him more fully, and when we do hunger for Him, He reveals more of Himself to us. There is another sense in which we seek the Lord and that is in intercession where we ask God to intervene in the life of another person or to give wisdom where needed, etc. As I said last time, this all may sound like a play on words, but I believe that some of us need this clarity. The main point in all of this is for us to grasp the truth of the fact that we have been joined to Him and made new, and that nothing g can separate us from Him; we have Him now, and He has us, now! The words of a popular worship song has it right: “make us more aware of your presence Lord.” May the Holy Spirit ‘open the eyes of our hearts’ that we may understand more clearly what it means to be made one with Him, that we have been made new, and that He invites us to seek to learn more of Him. Jesus death on the cross secured our relationship with our Father-it’s a ‘done deal:’ now, it’s our part to discover and to express the awesome implications of such a relationship.
1 John 3:1a “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God;”
Ephesians 5:8-10 “for you were formerly 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.”
Blessings,
Buddy

THE PURSUIT

1/27/2019

February 27, 2019 THE PURSUIT
1 Timothy 6:11 “But you, man of God, flee from all of this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.”
1 Corinthians 6:19 “Do you not know that your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,”
Colossians 1:27 “….Christ in you the hope of glory.”
Hebrews 13:5b “….For He hath said, ‘I will never leave Thee, nor forsake thee.’”
What I want to share today may sound like a play on words, but it’s not; I believe that grasping what is presented will produce good fruit in us. I have wrestled with this topic for a long time, but recently, the Lord has given me a clearer understanding-and that’s what I want to share. For my entire Christian life I have heard that we need to ‘pursue the Lord,’ or ‘seek the Lord,’ but it seems that I always had an underlying question when I heard that admonition from well-meaning believers. Also, there was some vagueness and lack of instruction as to how to ‘pursue the Lord.’ The basic question or thought that I had was if I have Jesus as Savior, if Jesus redeemed me, if the Holy Spirit of God lives in me, if I have been joined to Him, then why do I need to ‘pursue Him?’ I would ask, ‘Has anyone ever found Him?’ or how or why need I pursue what I already have? With that being said, bear with me as I attempt to relate how the Lord is giving me some needed clarity about all of this. As a believer, we do have Him, He is in us, we have been made new, and etc., but yet there are things we need to pursue. The all-important question is what is our pursuit all about? In my own spirit and mind, the clarity that the Lord is giving really simplifies and brings into single focus what we are to be about and just what it is that we are to pursue. Simply said, now that we belong to Him, and because we have ‘found’ Him or have been joined to Him, we are to be out pursuing the things that comprise the kingdom of God-such as love, endurance, gentleness, kindness, patience, love, and the list goes on. The kingdom that Jesus demonstrated and expressed with His life, the words He spoke and all of the commands He gave, as well as all of the one-another verses we find in the scriptures present a clear picture of the kingdom of God, and it is those things that we are to pursue-to put into action. Again, because we ‘have’ Him (actually, He has us) our main focus in life should be that of expressing His kingdom here where we live. It is clear; no more asking or trying to figure out how we are to ‘pursue’ God, our single mission is to implement the things that make up the kingdom of God. In the next blog, we will see that there is a way in which we are to seek the Lord.
Micah 6:8 “He has told you O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Blessings,
Buddy

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

1/24/2019

January 24, 2019 FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT
1 Timothy 6:11-12 “But you man of God, flee from all of this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
Who said or implied that living the Christian life was easy? Who said that all we have to do is confess Jesus as Savior and then go our merry way? And who said that now that Jesus is our Savior, there is nothing else we have to do? As believers, we live in a world system that rejects the things of God and we are constantly being called to follow the ways of the world. This world system is the territory of Satan. 1 Peter 5:8 is a warning, or a ‘heads up’ to believers: “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Yes, we have an adversary; we do not have to live in fear of our adversary, but we are to be alert to his ways and his schemes. Jesus defeated Satan and set us free from the power of sin, but did not destroy Satan at that time. Instead, God has allowed Satan to exist for the time being and is actually using Satan to further the purposes and plans of God. Part of the reason that God allows Satan to “prowl around like a roaring lion” is to train us in being overcomers by the Spirit of God that lives in us. Satan does not care one bit about us; he desires to attack and harm believers only as a means of getting back at God who cast him out of heaven when he rebelled against God, wanting to be God. In light of all the forces that would distract us from the ways of God, we must be diligent to flee the things that are not of God, and pursue the things that are of the kingdom of God. In Jude 1:3 we are told to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to all the saints.” Dennis Peacock says that we need to see this world as a gym, a place where we work-out, a place of training in how to live victoriously, triumphing over our enemy. Our faith is not passive, and it’s not all up to God. You and I must make the choice to pursue the things that are found operable in the kingdom of God-faith, hope, love, righteousness, godliness, faith, endurance, gentleness, and etc. We cannot pursue both the ways of the world and the ways of God simultaneously. Again, we are to have no fear of the world system or of Satan, but as we go about our daily routines of life, let us be fighting the good fight, laying hold of the faith that has been handed down to us. No matter what we face, let us be living demonstrations of the kingdom of God. When we come to the end of our life on earth, may we be able to say as Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Philippians 3:14 “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Blessings,
Buddy

LIVING OUR LEGACY

1/21/2019

January 21, 2019 LIVING OUR LEGACY
Matthew 25:21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”
Proverbs 20:7 “The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them.”
No one can deny that we have ‘x’ number of days on planet Earth. We tend to think about life in the short time-what’s going on today or this week; it’s only natural to get caught up in the here and now so it seems. However, we would be wise to take a broader look at our lives and make sure that we are on a track that will take us to where we want to be. It is a little bit of a morbid thought, but what will be said about us once we pass from this life? What will we be remembered for? One of the most powerful truths that we could ever embrace is the fact that we are living our legacy this very day. The words we speak, the thoughts we have, the actions we take, and the beliefs we hold dear are the things that will be our legacy. It’s the small things that matter; speaking a kind word, being patient, expressing love to others, be faithful, keeping your word, being honest, encouraging and helping others, and etc. If not careful, the days slip by and we end up just living for today-and all too often, a self-centered life-doing ‘our thing.’ What I have said thus for may sound idealistic or some may think it’s too late to start the legacy they would like to leave, and some may feel so overwhelmed with life that they cannot even think about their legacy. I understand that. All of us have had things happen that we regret and we have all made some bad decisions and choices-and sometimes we wish we could start over. The word for us today, no matter our present circumstances, is that we can start now to build our legacy. How we handle the difficulties, how we respond to all that life brings our way, and how we relate to others are the things that matters. The greatest legacy we could leave is that of living this life as God designed; living as sons and daughters of God who have died to themselves and who live for Him and His purposes. The beauty is that only when we die to our ways and live as unto Him, do we find fulfillment and ultimate satisfaction in life. Representing God, being His ‘goodwill’ ambassadors, touching the lives of others with His grace and mercy and being one who lives in the peace of God is the life that He calls us to live. This is not beyond our reach; God has made this life available to each of us through His Son Jesus Christ. The really good news is that this life that is available to us does not come by our effort, but comes as a result of knowing Him and out true identity in Him. So, no matter your age or your past or your present circumstances, begin today to build your legacy; it all starts by discovering who God says you are, and the only way to discover that is to personally read and study the scriptures with the goal of finding your true identity. It’s good to listen to sermons and teachings, but you are the one who must seek and dig for the truth that really does set you free-free to be the person God calls you to be.
Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may 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,”
Colossians 3:17 “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
Blessings,
Buddy

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE

1/18/2019

January 18, 2019 LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Titus 3:14 “And let our people also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, that they may not be unfruitful.”
John 9:4 “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.”
I must say at the outset that the subject of ‘works’ for the believer can be a tricky subject; some misunderstand how works apply in the life of the believer. It is a clear teaching in the scriptures that believers are to be engaged in good works, but the tricky part is the reason for the works. The idea of works has gotten a bad rap on two fronts. One is an unbalanced teaching and emphasis on grace that leads one to believe that works are not important and all that matters is that we are under the grace of God. Also, some see works as being a way to please God and a way of earning salvation-which is a legalistic view of works. (Salvation comes through the grace of God and not of works; it is a gift that cannot be earned. Jesus death on the cross made salvation possible.) As a result of being exposed to inaccurate teachings on the subject of works, the idea of works is not a priority for some believers. To understand the call to be about good works begins with the basic foundational truth that God is good. Because we are made in the image of God and we have His DNA, and because He is our Father and He has given us a new nature like His, it only stands to reason that we will resemble our Father in our actions. Acts 10:38 tells us that Jesus went about doing good. In John 5:19 Jesus said that He did what He saw the Father doing: it was the nature of the Son (Jesus) to be like His Father (God). The good news for us, the liberating news, is that the works that God calls us to be about are a natural result of knowing Him and our identity in Him. (I’m reminded of a story from Peter Lord about a young eagle that fell out of his nest and took up with a flock of turkeys. One day, this eagle looked up and saw an eagle soaring above; in an ‘aha’ moment, the eagle knew that he was an eagle-not a turkey-you know the end of the story-he took to wings and soared with the eagles-he found his true identity. Check out the book-‘Turkeys and Eagles.’) Any work we do is in vain if our motivation and reason for the work is to impress others, to earn God’s approval, earn our salvation, or even to make us ‘feel’ better about ourselves. The only work that matters is the work that flows out of who we are in Him; only as we live out of our new nature, will we be about the works that He has called us to. In fact, when we are walking in our true identity in Him, all we do pleases Him and our very life is a picture of His grace and mercy. As an example, we will be a good neighbor; we will display godly character in all of our dealings and relationships; we will have an attitude of helping; we will encourage others, and etc. Again, and the main point is that we do not do works in order to gain His approval; we do go works because it is in our new nature to do so. May we come to understand that we have been made new and we can now display through all we do, the goodness, the mercy, and the grace of our Father who is in heaven.
Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Titus 2:14 “Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.”
Blessings,
Buddy

GOD KNOWS

1/15/2019

January 15, 2019 GOD KNOWS
Isaiah 40:31 “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
2 Corinthians 1:4 “who comforteth us I all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
I want to give some clarification to my previous blog ‘As Strong Today.’ In that article we looked at various verses including the verse above in Isaiah and other verses with the theme of being victorious in life, no matter our age or circumstances. We saw that because Christ is in us, we can be overcomers in all circumstances and we have the power to be renewed in our spirit day by day, even though our outward man is decaying. All that was said in that article is true and was meant to awaken us to the fact that in Him, we can do all things because He strengthens us. What I want to clarify is that the truth of the verses we looked at in ‘As Strong Today’ does not mean that we live on a spiritual mountain top all of the time; there will not be times when we need comforting. Romans 8:26 tells us that God knows our weaknesses. So, you might understandably ask if we are overcomers, or are we weak-which is it? To try to answer that, we must understand and accept the fact that there is often a mystery when it comes to the ways of God. For example, God says that when we are weak, we are strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-11. We know our weakness, but we can and should know the power of God at work in us at the same time. God has chosen to work through mere flesh and bones-people like you and I-to display His glory throughout the universe and to carry out His purposes. In 1 Corinthians we read: “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” We will, and we do come face-to-face with our weakness and our human frailty, but when we do, the Holy Spirit reminds us of His presence-then everything changes. On the one hand, we see our need-our weakness-but at the same time we see and can know the power of God within us. In Psalm 43:5, David acknowledged that his soul was downcast-you could say it was a human weakness- but as he became conscience of that, he did not stay there. “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” In 2 Corinthians 4:8 Paul said that “We are perplexed on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;”-then Paul goes on to proclaim their faith in God. Again, it is a mystery, but even though we on the one hand have difficulties, trials, and our humanity-our frailty- to deal with, we can at the same time know the power of God working in us, making us overcomers. To know and follow God means that we will not be defeated by the trials and it means that God will use for good the trials we face. The point is that it is our faith and trust in our God that makes the difference; that His ways are perfect; that He is uses circumstances to transform us; and that the He has made us new creations who are able to live super-natural lives even though we are but flesh and bones. It’s a mystery of God-a grand plan-to use you and me, even in our weaknesses, to fulfill His purposes in the here and now and throughout all eternity. So, let us acknowledge that we have weaknesses, but let our faith, hope and trust be in the Lord, and then let us “soar on wings like eagles” and be the overcomers that He has made us.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Blessings,
Buddy

AS STRONG TODAY

1/12/2019

January 12, 2019 AS STRONG TODAY
Joshua 14:11-12 “I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in. Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken.”
Isaiah 40:30-31 “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
These verses challenge the mind-set that says that as we get older, we must curtail our ambitions and reign in our vision and adopt a more sedentary life style. It may sound contradictory to the above sentence, but no one can deny the fact that one loses some strength and experiences some physical limitations with age. The Old Testament is for the most part a picture of the natural, while the New Testament is primarily a picture of the spiritual application of the natural that we see in the Old Testament-that is not to say that we do not get blessed in physical and natural ways as we walk in the ways of the Lord. As I read theses verses, and other similar verses, I realized that we can read such verses and yet not be greatly impacted by them; we tend to see them simply as historical-about someone else in another time. Can we actually believe that there is truth in these verses for us personally? Do these verses find agreement in our own spirit that says ‘Yes-that’s me.!” In other words, do I experience the wonderful promises found in these verses? If not, then let us focus on what God has promised for those who know Him and who walk according to His ways. First, we know that we can ‘say’ we believe, or we can actually believe-to take as true the truths we find in the Scriptures. These verses are not just pleasant verses to read-they are for you and I. Because the Holy Spirit of God lives in us, because we have been made new, we can now experience the power of God at work in us in daily living. In Him, there is no place for apathy, retreat, disillusionment, giving up, laziness, or any such thing. Romans 6:11 reminds us that we are “alive to God in Christ Jesus.” As we discussed in the previous blog, we know that our outer man, our bodies, are ‘decaying;’ the aging process is underway. However, our ‘aging’ does not have to dominate our life or be the theme of our conversations. Jesus made a tremendous statement in Matthew 9:29 that gives much insight to our topic in this blog: “Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘It shall be done to you according to your faith.’” Did you catch that? “According to your faith.” It’s a fact, it’s reality that some physical limitations will come our way, some are even born with limitations, BUT not true for our spirit. In our spirit, no matter our age or circumstances, you and I can be strong, we can take the high country as Joshua did, we can drive out the enemy, we can renew our strength, and yes, we can soar like the eagle and we can run and not be weary and we can walk and not faint!! It’s important to realize that we cannot do this in our own strength or by our own determination; experiencing the truth of these verses come as a result of knowing our true identity in the Lord-knowing who we are. We are speaking primarily in a spiritual sense, BUT, what happens in our spirit has a way of ‘showing up’ in the physical as well; the physical part of us, our view of life, reflects our spirit. So be energized spiritually and physically, cast out despair, do what needs to be done, confess that you will not be defined by physical limitations or by age, and go ahead and soar like the eagle and take that mountain-drive out the enemy!
John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
Daniel 11:32b “but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do great exploits.”
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”
Blessings,
Buddy

THIS IS LIFE

1/9/2019

January 9, 2018 THIS IS LIFE
2 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore, we do not lose heart, but though our otter man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”
This verse strikes deep within; it brings to the forefront a truth we try to ignore. Yet, the truth presented in this verse is liberating when embraced. The inescapable fact that we must face is that our physical body is decaying-what a morbid thought you may say. Taking care of our bodies through exercise and proper diet is a good thing-after all, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Our motivation for taking care of our body is the important question; is it because we belong to God and we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, or is it based on pride-how we look? We would no doubt be shocked if we knew how much money and time is spent in our culture on ‘looking good.’ Again, taking care of our bodies is a good thing-don’t get me wrong-it’s a good thing for us to look our best because we belong to God and we are His ambassadors. With that being said, let us get to the liberating truth of the verse. It’s true, and it’s good to admit it, and accept as true that our outer man, our bodies, are decaying, BUT our inner man, our spirit, is being RENEWED day by day. Being overly focused on our ‘outward man’ is a sure sign that our predominant focus is not on the eternal, but on the temporal; it is ever so easy to get caught up in living as though this is our permanent home. Even though the aging process stops for no one, our spirit, or inner man can be renewed day by day and can continue to expand to an ever increasing understanding of God and His eternal kingdom. It’s good to be reminded that, as someone said, “We are not a body with a spirit, but a spirit with a body.” God created us with an eternal purpose in mind-that we might know Him and have eternal life with Him. Life on earth is really nothing more than getting us ready to be transferred to eternal life with Him in heaven where aging and death do not exist. As you read about the believers in the early church, as well as some other believers in more modern times, you quickly realize that their view of life on the earth was that it was temporary; they looked forward to being with the Lord. We were created by God, we were saved by the grace of God and made a part of His kingdom. If we know Him as Savior, our eternal life with Him has already begun! We have every reason to be optimistic about our future-no matter what we are experiencing at the present time and no matter that the aging process is well underway. Let us gladly accept, even embrace the cycle of physical life that God has designed-only then can we experience life to the fullest and only then are we ready to live! We have on average about seventy five years to live on this earth, let us seize every moment, let us squeeze every drop out of the life we have here, BUT let us live as eternal beings who are destined to be with the Lord, with no fear of death.
Isaiah 40:31, 46:4 “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”
Philippians 3:20-21 “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”
Blessings,
Buddy

IS GOD GOOD ALL THE TIME ? part two

1/6/2019

JANUARY 6, 2019 IS GOD GOOD ALL THE TIME ? part two
Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Matthew 5:45b “for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
In the previous blog we talked about the fact that God is always good even in the most trying times and the fact that He comforts us in such times. Today, we will dig a little deeper into this subject in hopes of gaining a greater understanding about the eternal goodness of God. First, as a foundation, we must know that the very essence and the very nature of God is that He is good. Many ask how can one believe that God is good when He allows bad things to happen-perhaps we have asked the same question. If you remember, in the last blog we talked about the fact that because we live in a fallen world, we are confronted with trials and tribulations, but we have the power to overcome the trials. There are different aspects of God’s goodness. In one sense, every human being experiences the goodness of God; all are blessed by the rain, the design of nature, the beat of the heart, the immune system of the human body, the growth of crops for food, and etc. It is clear that God desires to bless all of His creation, including mankind. We must be careful in how we define the goodness of God; what may look ‘bad’ to us may actually be a good thing in that it serves a greater purpose in deepening our knowledge of God. God is about transforming us and that process means some growing pain; the trials of life are a part of the process. Believers who are walking according to the ways of God as well as those believers who are not walking according to His ways will face trials-but there is a difference. For the believer who is living outside of God’s will, God allows difficulties to come as a means of drawing him or her back to Him. For the believe who is walking according to the ways of God, God uses difficult situations as a means of deepening our understanding of Him and a way of proving Himself strong on our behalf; also, when this believer endures a trial, God uses his response to the trial as a means of revealing Himself to all who observe the believer’s response and reaction to the trial. The big picture is that God is using the difficulties we face in this fallen world as a way of revealing Himself and demonstrating that in Him, we too can overcome the world, just as Jesus did. Part of the reason for trials is that trials test us; trials have a way of clarifying where our faith and trust lie. We do not live in a perfect world, and we live in a world that is hostile to God, so we should not be surprised or dismayed when we face difficulties-knowing that God is using the circumstances of this life to transform us and to demonstrate that He is sufficient. God does not expect us to be flippant or to be ‘happy’ when trials come our way, but He does want us to trust Him in the trials, to be confident of His goodness, and to know that He will use the trial for good. We certainly do not always understand how God is using for good what appears to be bad, but let us know deep within and let us confess with our mouth that God is always good. If we have any doubts about the goodness of God, let us ask God to give us a lasting awareness of His goodness in all circumstances.
2 Corinthians 4:17 “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,”
1 Peter 4:1 “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of time in the flesh no longer for the lust of men, but for the will of God.”
Blessings,
Buddy

IS GOD GOOD ALL THE TIME ?

1/3/2019

January 3, 2019 IS GOD GOOD ALL THE TIME ?
Psalm 145:9 “The LORD is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works.”
Romans 2:4 “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”
It is well established in both the Old Testament and the New Testament that God is good. Yet, many are conflicted when it comes to truly believing that God is good when tragedy strikes-when a loved one dies-when a friend loses his life in a car accident-when a child is born with less than perfect health-when a job is lost-when a loved one is addicted to drugs-etc. Truly, it is a spiritual milestone when one comes to the place when he or she knows deep within their spirit that even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances that God is indeed good. Coming to know that God is always good is a bridge that takes us from focusing on and relying on circumstances, to having absolute confidence and trust in God in every circumstance. Job gave a great example of what it means to trust God when he said “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him:” Job 13:15. Knowing that God is always good does not mean that we do not feel the pain and the loss when difficulties come our way-and they will come our way. However, in the difficult times, God has promised to comfort us as we read in 2 Corinthians 1:4: “who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (It’s another subject, but notice that comforting others is a part of body-life.) Even though we have been redeemed and belong to the kingdom of God, we still live in a fallen world that has not yet been redeemed-it will be one day however. As believers, our assignment at the present is to be light in a dark world, to be used as instruments of God to further His purposes. If we expect a life free of trials, we will surely be disappointed. 1 Peter 4:12 reminds us of the reality of trials: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.” It is key that we understand that God has made us overcomers in this life-overcoming the trials and difficulties, and it is also key to know that “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” There is more to say about this subject in the next blog, but for now, examine your own belief and see if deep within you know that God is good-all the time, and if you are experiencing and are aware of His goodness-all the time. See you again in the next blog.
Psalm 34:8 “O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”
Blessings,
Buddy