February 25, 2022                                 ADOPTED AND  SEALED
Ephesians 1:5-6,13-14  ‘He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in  the Beloved.”                 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
We are not fatherless; we have been adopted and placed in the family of God. Our Father who adopted us is kind, and He has expressed His grace to us by adopting us. Our adoption was not based on our credentials; our being adopted was a choice God made-it was the grace of God. We were adopted as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ; in order for us to be adopted by God, Jesus had to give His life for you and me. We cannot fully understand it, but those who have been adopted by God, have heard and believed the truth of the gospel. When we hear and believe the message of the truth of the gospel that Jesus proclaimed, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise; the Holy Spirit was given to us as a pledge of our inheritance. The life we have now with the Holy Spirit living in us is awesome-but there is an inheritance yet to be given to us. Being given the Holy Spirit is a guarantee that when we die physically, we will be in the presence of the Lord and will be with Him for all eternity. Being conscience of our being adopted by God-being a child of God-impacts in a great way the mindset we have as we live here on earth. We no longer have to approach God as orphans, but as a son or daughter; we do not have to beg as though we are unworthy to approach God-we are His kids! Our Father wants to bless us, and He knows better than we do what truly blesses us. God invites us to make our request known to Him; our Father cares for us and He is continually drawing us to Himself and He is always watching over us. It is important for us to understand that our Father is a loving and caring Father, but we must not view Him as a heavenly ‘Santa Clause’ passing out presents to us. As our Father, He is committed to transforming us into His image and making us overcomers in this life. Because He loves us and is about transforming us, He will allow pressures and trials to come, and He will discipline us when we need it-because we belong to Him. We are to be humble in spirit, and at the same time we are to be bold in spirit; let us relate to and approach God in confidence, knowing that we are now His sons and daughters.
Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace…….”
John 1:12, 3:1a “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”         “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”
Philippians 2:15 “That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
February 23, 2022                              DO  YOU  NOT  KNOW
1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19 “Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”  “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”
These two verses highlight two truths we must know in our inner man if we are to live as believers according to the desires and plans of God. First, we must know that GOD dwells in us and that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. That sounds simple enough-but have we yet grasped the awesome truth that the creator God lives IN US? I am not sure we will fully grasp this truth and the impact of it until we are with the Lord in heaven, but at least to some degree we can grasp it, and even as we begin to understand it, life takes on new meaning. Seeing ourselves as a temple of God affects how we perceive ourselves-our physical bodies and our spirit; since we are the temple of God, the choices we make concerning our bodies and our spirit should reflect this amazing truth. Obviously, we are to never ‘worship’ our physical bodies as apparently many do, but we are to be good stewards of our physical bodies, and we also must nourish and keep our spirit in good health. It is no doubt that the spiritual is more important than the physical, but the spiritual is to impact the physical. Romans 6:10-11 makes this truth clear: “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” The second truth we must embrace is ‘that we are not our own.’ This truth is the acid test of our walk with the Lord; we are called to die to self, to abandon ourselves-our life- fully to the Lord and live under His lordship. From our heart, we must desire His ways more than our ways. Not being our own means that our trust and our allegiance to Him is the main thing in our lives. God wants us to experience life to the fullest, but that is possible only when we die to our preferences and embrace the Lord and His ways with all of our hearts. As believers, we can live primarily focused on our lives; we can even be focused on what we must do if we are to be ‘good’ Christians-that’s still the self-life. The scriptures are clear; we are called to die to self and to live as fit temples of the Holy Spirit. Let us daily die to ourselves, knowing that we are not our own; dying to ourselves is the doorway to abundant life.
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Romans 12:1 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
February 21, 2022                            CAN THESE  BONES LIVE ?
Ezekiel 37:3-5 “And behold He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered, ‘O Lord God, Thou knowest.’ Again He said to me, ‘Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life.”
1 Peter 5:10 “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
There are times when we feel discouraged and overwhelmed; we may find ourselves without hope, and we question why things are the way they are. I think everyone has at some point had their dreams, their expectations, and their visions shattered; things did not turn out the way we envisioned and hoped for. In such times, we must remember that God knows that we will face such times, and that He has compassion for us and He comforts; He does not condemn us or chasten us for a lack of faith. When we are in need, when we feel broken, when we feel helpless; God hears our prayers; there is something about ‘crying’ out to God. During such times, God is calling us to trust Him and to walk with Him in spite of the circumstances-I think that is the lesson for us. Job illustrates this when he said “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.” Let’s face the truth; we do not like it when things do not go our way-and that is what God is working out of us. Jesus told us in advance that we will have trials in this life-so we should not be surprised or dismayed when they come. Perhaps the hardest trial we face is when a loved one is suffering and we can’t ‘fix it’ or relieve the suffering. So, what should our response be when we are hit by the trials?  I certainly do not have all the answers, and there is no simple answer. What does help when we feel we are ‘walking through the valley of the shadow of death,’ is to remember that God knows in detail what we are going through and He wants to comfort us in the trials of this life. No matter how severe the trial might be, it does not void our relationship with our Father. Now the really good news; God is ruling and God is able to build back from the ashes. God is our deliverer and God hears our prayers. God uses the most difficult times for our good-even though we may not understand how. It helps to know that grieving is normal when we hurt; Jesus wept; Jesus was acquainted with grief. Isaiah 53:3. But, weeping and suffering does not last forever; ‘weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.’ God will rescue us and deliver us and we will rejoice again. We live in a fallen world where bad things happen-but God is in the process of redeeming us and our destiny is sure in Him. “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10. The valley of dry bones  was surely a desolate looking place, void of all signs of life; yet, the miracle working God caused the bones to come  together and bodies reformed; then He caused breath to enter the bodies and they lived again! Our God is not limited, He is all-wise, He restores, He comforts, and He works all things for good for those who love Him. In the trials that we are sure to face, remain strong in the storm not matter how severe the storm might be. Our God is with us.
Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me.”     (Note: we walk through the valley-we do not stay there.)
Blessings,
Buddy

 
February 18, 2022                                 THE  NEED  FOR  COMUMITY
Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, and not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Genesis 2:18 “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
1 Peter 3:8 “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”
It is obvious to most that our culture is one where individuals are finding themselves more isolated-not connected; many believe that we have become ‘addicted’ to technology, viz. smart phones, I phones, lap-tops, and thus more isolated. In an article by Dudley Hall, he says that men are in a crisis-a crisis of not having friends-a crisis of loneliness. I agree that not only is there a crisis of loneliness among men, but women and young people as well. We must remember that in the beginning of the creation of man, God said that “It is not good that the man should be alone.” We can rightly conclude from that statement, whether male or female, we need others. As you read the New Testament, as well as the Old Testament, you see community-people being connected. In the New Testament particular, you get a clear picture of believers being in community; believers make up the body of Christ, and as a part of the body, we are connected. Each believer has been given a spiritual gift that is to be used to strengthen and bless other believers.  (Being connected, being in community, is not always a ‘bed of roses;’ Just as there is sometimes conflict within a family, there will at times be conflicts and differing opinions as we live in community with others.) There are many blessings and many good reasons for being a part of body-life, of being in community. As we are connected to others, we discover that where we may be weak, others are strong; where we may lack understanding, others can give wise counsel; when someone is suffering, we can comfort; in community, through honest and real conversation, we can find strength and support; in community, we can share struggles without fear of rejection or embarrassment; and, we can enjoy each other, and have some fun together. Some are more social or outgoing than others, and some or more private-and that is fine; the point is, that no matter our temperament, we need others. Someone has said that ‘No man is an island,’ and that is true. God has placed within us a need to share life with others. However it may look for you, find ways of connecting with others in the body of Christ and grow together.
1 Corinthians 12:12 “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.”
John 15:12 “My commandment is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
1 John 3:17 “If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?”
Blessings,
Buddy
​

 
February 18, 2022                                 THE  NEED  FOR COMMUNITY
Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, and not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Genesis 2:18 “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
1 Peter 3:8 “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”
It is obvious to most that our culture is one where individuals are finding themselves more isolated-not connected; many believe that we have become ‘addicted’ to technology, viz. smart phones, I phones, lap-tops, and thus more isolated. In an article by Dudley Hall, he says that men are in a crisis-a crisis of not having friends-a crisis of loneliness. I agree that not only is there a crisis of loneliness among men, but women and young people as well. We must remember that in the beginning of the creation of man, God said that “It is not good that the man should be alone.” We can rightly conclude from that statement, whether male or female, we need others. As you read the New Testament, as well as the Old Testament, you see community-people being connected. In the New Testament particular, you get a clear picture of believers being in community; believers make up the body of Christ, and as a part of the body, we are connected. Each believer has been given a spiritual gift that is to be used to strengthen and bless other believers.  (Being connected, being in community, is not always a ‘bed of roses;’ Just as there is sometimes conflict within a family, there will at times be conflicts and differing opinions as we live in community with others.) There are many blessings and many good reasons for being a part of body-life, of being in community. As we are connected to others, we discover that where we may be weak, others are strong; where we may lack understanding, others can give wise counsel; when someone is suffering, we can comfort; in community, through honest and real conversation, we can find strength and support; in community, we can share struggles without fear of rejection or embarrassment; and, we can enjoy each other, and have some fun together. Some are more social or outgoing than others, and some or more private-and that is fine; the point is, that no matter our temperament, we need others. Someone has said that ‘No man is an island,’ and that is true. God has placed within us a need to share life with others. However it may look for you, find ways of connecting with others in the body of Christ and grow together.
1 Corinthians 12:12 “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.”
John 15:12 “My commandment is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
1 John 3:17 “If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
February 16, 2022                                       HOLINESS
2 Corinthians 7:1 “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
Romans 6:22 “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.”
1 Peter 1:15-16 “But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
To some, the word holiness has somewhat of a bad connotation; if someone claims to be holy, then some think of them as looking down on others. Many believes would never claim to be holy. Yet, in spite of the objections to the word holiness and the hesitancy to embrace the idea of being holy, we cannot ignore the clear calling of many scriptures for us to be holy. To make sure we understand, we are not justified before God by our good works; we are made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ-nothing else; also, we cannot live holy lives apart from the working of the Holy Spirit in us. With that being said, there is an indisputable calling from God for us be ‘holy in all our conduct.’ As believers, we are not to focus on ourselves being sinners who are saved, but rather, we were sinners who have been saved and made new. (As believers, we can sin, but we do so by choice-the power of sin has been broken.) The key is that because God is holy and we belong to Him, we too are to be holy like our Father. To be holy in all our behavior requires that we understand that we can walk according to the Spirit; and when we walk according to the Spirit, our behavior is holy and we do not sin; when we choose to walk according to our flesh, our behavior is not holy. Our mindset should be that “we are perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Our most basic desire in life should be to live in a way that pleases the Lord because we love Him-not to earn His love and acceptance. The scriptures were given to us by God as instructions for living; simply said, we are to do and to believe what the word says. As we go about life day by day, we will face choices-do we walk by the flesh, or by the Spirit. We will at times hear our flesh telling us to do one thing, and the Spirit saying not to do it-that is the time when we must choose to lay aside whatever it is that would not please the Lord, and follow the leading of the Spirit. “But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil.” Hebrews 5:14. So, let us not be hearers only of God’s word, but doers. Today, may we practice what we read in the scriptures.
Romans 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Blessings,
Buddy 

 
February 14, 2022                                        PRACTICE
Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace shall be with you.”
God does not ‘zap’ us and He did not create us as robots. It is only by the work and the power of the Holy Spirit that we can live life according to the scriptures; yet, there is a part for us to play. As someone has said “We must work out what God is working in.” Perhaps the over-all factor in our living life according to God’s design is that of laying aside the ways of the world, and even human nature, and embracing the ways of the Lord. In other words, making the choice to walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. At times we may think we can blend the two, or walk in the Spirit and live according to the flesh at the same time, but the fact is that the flesh (our old nature) and the Spirit cannot co-habit. As believers we still have an old nature that is at war with our Spirit; however, we can choose to walk by the Spirit and not carry out the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16-18. It is critical for us to know that we cannot excuse sin, or blame sin on our old sin nature. The power of sin has been broken and we can now live righteous lives and sin not. The point of this blog is to remind us that we must ‘practice these things.’ Practice means to put in to action, to work at it. The verses above are about aligning our thoughts with the ways of God-to have thoughts that are pleasing to the Lord. We may have certain bents or habits of thought that are not like the thoughts of God; our thoughts may be of fear, doubt, worry, pessimism, or even evil, or whatever. We must make the choice of what we think about-that is the practicing we must do. (We are to not only practice the above scriptures dealing with our thoughts, we are to ‘practice’ all of God’s word.) Again, the whole idea of practicing is exercising and getting stronger and getting better at; as we mature in the faith, every aspect of our lives should be reflecting the ways of the Lord; our life is to be a picture of the life that God has made available to us. The Spirit of God is at work in us; it is a matter of letting Him, and cooperating with Him as He transforms us into the image of His Son. We may find ourselves feeling it sufficient just to read God’s word; however, we are to read God’s word with the view of putting into practice what we read-otherwise, we are hearers only, and not doers of the word. Today, let us find ways of practicing what God has revealed in His word.
Psalm 128:1 “How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways.”
James 1:25 “But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it-not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it-they will be blessed in what they do.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
February 12, 2022                                        SUPPRESSING  THE  TRUTH
Romans 1:18-21 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
It is helpful for us to understand why things are as they are. In just a casual glance, one can see that the world is full of discord, strife, wars, wickedness in high (and low) places, catastrophes, famine, disease, poverty-and the list goes on and on. The scriptures above tell us much about why things are as they are in the world. Contrary to the opinions of many, the ills of this world can be traced to one primary reason, and that is that men suppress the truth. God, since creation, has revealed Himself and made Himself known; if one does not suppress the truth, He can see God through the creation; God has made Himself known. There is something in man that resist the idea of God; if he admits that God is who He says He is, then he is accountable to Him. Humanism is man being in full control; humanism is the religion of the world. We don’t like to talk about the wrath of God; we prefer to talk about the love of God; but we are told above that the “wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth….”  Let’s face the facts; we are witnessing the wrath of God that is being poured out on ungodliness and unrighteousness in the world. The tragedy is that when men continue to suppress the truth, even though they know God is real, and they do not honor God, they become futile in their thinking and their heart becomes darkened. Romans 1:28-29 is a sobering reality: “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do the things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice;’ (See verses 30-32) So-that’s the world. What about us as believers? We must not neglect the call to live righteously and godly in this present world; as believers, we will be held accountable for the life we live. Rather than suppressing the truth of the gospel, let us fully embrace the truth and live in such a way that our life is an expression of the gospel. We are to let our light shine in the midst of the darkness.
Romans 12:1-2 “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Blessings,
Buddy 

February 10, 2022                           TAKE  PAINS  WITH  THESE  THINGS
1 Timothy 4:15-16: “ Take pains with these things, be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching, persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”                                               As a mentor to Timothy, Paul was encouraging the young Timothy to be steadfast and to continue maturing in the faith. Timothy was a young minister “in training”, but the instructions and admonitions to Timothy apply to us as well. We may not be a ‘teacher’ per se, in one sense of the word, we are all teachers in how we speak and how we live. In the verse above, there are a few really key words that should get our attention. In the letter to Timothy, Paul gives specific instructions to Timothy and he tells him to “take pains with these things”. “Taking pains” implies that one has to sometime make hard choices, make decisions that will further the cause, and pay close attention to the task at hand. “Taking pains” means making the right decisions that will move us toward the goal. To be “absorbed” means that we do not allow other things to crowd out what we have purposed to achieve. If one does “take pain with these things” and is “absorbed in them”, his progress in the faith will be evident to all. Growth implies change, so if we are not changing, then there is no growth taking place. To give emphasis, Paul told Timothy to “pay attention to yourself and your teaching”. There is a need for us as well to pay attention to ourselves, to examine ourselves to determine if our lives are consistent with the gospel.  Let us examine ourselves and ask the Holy Spirit to point out any aspect of our lives that may not be pleasing to the Lord. To “persevere” means that we do not give up on the task no matter what is taking place around us. It is interesting to note that Paul said by “doing these things”, Timothy would “insure salvation for Himself and for those who hear him”. As I have written in other previous blogs, salvation is much more than a ticket to heaven. We are told in other scriptures to “work out our salvation” and as we read the scriptures, we see that many things accompany salvation. To claim to be a Christian and yet not be experiencing growth in the faith puts one in a precarious position. We are saved at a particular point in time, but our salvation is also continual-we are being saved. As Paul said, as we are taking pains, being absorbed, and persevering “in these things”, our progress would be evident to all. We must be alert to the tendency to stop growing as we age. Growing in the faith is to be a lifetime experience. Whether you are young, middle age, or older, take pains with your growth; be absorbed, persevere-let your progress be seen. Dare to dream. Dare to change. Dare to put the gospel on the front burner of life.
11 Peter 3:17-18: “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
February 7, 2022                                             NEWNESS  OF  LIFE
Romans 6:4-7 “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.”
Many probably don’t get it. I know I do not yet fully get it. I’m referring to the implications of being “in the likeness of His resurrection.” I think there is a lot more there than we may currently understand. The thought of being in the ‘likeness of His resurrection’ is a fantastic thought. One critical point we cannot miss as we read these scriptures is that there has to a burial before there is a resurrection. (We could get off tract here and talk about the possibility of one being a professing believer and yet not living in a way that is not pleasing to the Lord-but we want do that.) In these, and other verses, Paul is presenting the way of God in salvation-how He designed it to work. In essence, when one accepts Christ as his or her Savior and Lord, he is giving up, or dying to his life. That is the critical, non-optional way if we are to walk in newness of life. We are to see ourselves as being buried with Him-that is the picture of baptism. In Romans 6:11 we read “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” To reckon means to ‘count it as so.’ It is a spiritual milestone for us to reckon ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to God. If we are ‘united with Him in the likeness of His death,’ then ‘certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.’ Our old man, who we use to be, has died, and we have been raised up to a new life, living and walking in newness! Is it not awesome to know that we can walk in newness-even in a world that is in darkness. To me, walking in newness is living not out of past failures and successes, not living with guilt or un-forgiveness, doubts, regrets, and fear; but rather, living with the a sense of being forgiven and having been made new creations, able to live life as God designed us to live. To be led by the Spirit of God is to live in the present, alive and engaged in the events and circumstances in which we find ourselves, being conduits of the life of God. Jesus tells us in John 6:63 that “It is the Spirit who gives life.” To live in the likeness of His resurrection is to be focused on living according to the kingdom of God. Living a resurrected life (our old us died and we have been raised as new creations) is not a mundane life, but a life of living in the awareness that God is alive in us and we are alive in Him. In living this way, rather than being downcast or defeated, we are overcomers of whatever obstacles we face. Also, as we live as resurrected followers of Jesus, we are able to enjoy the simple blessing of life-enjoying a cup of coffee with a friend, seeing the wonders of the creation, and experiencing the peace that comes from knowing God as our loving Father. To walk in newness of life does not mean we are exempt from trials; it does mean that the trials will not defeat us, but will indeed in some way be used for good. Newness of life is available to us.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Romans 8:11 “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
Blessings, Buddy