April 27, 2014                                                                                POTENTIAL  FOR  SHIPWRECK

There are several passages of scripture that if misunderstood will lead to shipwreck to the new creations we are in Christ. Romans chapter 7 and 8 is a potential place for “hitting the reefs” and having shipwreck. In Romans 7:14-15 Paul says: “For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.” Chapter 7 is basically describing life in the flesh. In Romans 7:24-8:2 (there is no chapter break in the original) we see the transition from life in the flesh to life in the spirit. “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (As I understand it, if in the days of Paul a person committed murder, the punishment was to have the corpse tied to his body and eventually, disease would be his death of the one who committed the murder-that’s what Paul is referring to when he says “the body of this death”.) Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death,” As you read chapter 8 of Romans you will see the warnings for believers who live in the “flesh” and not walk in the spirit. Verse 8 says that “those who live in the flesh cannot please God”. As I said in my last posting, there is no blending of the flesh and the spirit; either we are living in the flesh or we are living in the spirit at any given time. The message of the New Covenant is that the power of sin has been broken for those who have been born again. We no longer have to live in bondage to sin. Yes, we may sin, but we can live without sin. The scripture teaches that if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father…see 1 John 2:1. Note that John said if we sin. We have heard for so long that we are “sinners” and that there is no good in us-and that is true of us before we were adopted into God’s family. It may be a leap for us to move to an awareness of the fact that we are no longer “sinners” but sons and daughters of God who have been made new, with new hearts and new minds. As said above, we may sin because we choose to sin, but our true identity is not that of “sinner”. Don’t misunderstand, I am not saying that we live in sinless perfection-it’s just that we are no longer in bondage to sin-praise the Lord. We are now free to think the right thoughts, we are free to express love, we are free to walk in the good works that the Lord has for us, we are free to forgive, we are free to be givers, we are free to encourage one another, we are free not to judge and we are free to express the life of Jesus in us. The Gospel is indeed good news for those who have ears to hear! Decide today to pursue this wonderful Gospel.

Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as for as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Blessings,

Buddy

April 24, 2014                                                                                                 PUTTING ON  THE  NEW

Putting on the new self and walking in newness is not automatic but is a choice we make. When we were born again into the family of God, God made us a new creations and old things passed away. Having a choice in the matter of putting on the new self gives us the opportunity of learning to be overcomers. The new you is in sharp contrast to the old you. There is no blending of the two; at any given time we are walking in the new or we are walking in the old. Just because one may have a pleasant, gentle personality does not necessarily mean that he or she is walking in the new. Also, walking in the new person that we are does not mean that there will be no trials or adversity, but it does mean that we are overcomers in difficult circumstances. The Apostle Paul and other New Testament writers as well as Jesus Himself had their share of difficulties but they were not defeated by the difficulties they faced. The frightening truth is that we can adjust to living in the old and be content with it. We also may be tempted to rationalize living in the old by just saying “I was born that way”. Anyway, new is new! God has done a great work, Jesus has paid a great price to make us new creations. We must choose to walk in the truth, we must choose to put on the new self. It’s not about feelings, but about applying the truth of the scriptures. In the mundane of life, the washing of dirty dishes, going to work or going fishing, we have the privilege of experiencing this new life that God has made possible! If you by chance are not presently experiencing this newness, I challenge you to “practice” what you read in scripture; example, practice kindness, think the right thoughts, speak truth, express thankfulness, be encouraged, meditate on the scriptures and “draw close to God”. Practice these things regardless of how you feel at the moment and you will begin to experience the new you and yes, it will “feel” good as well.

Ephesians 4:20-24: “But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lust of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

Romans 13:14: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and, make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lust.”

Romans 6:4: “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.”

Thought: Coming to experience living in the New Covenant is not a process-we don’t earn it, it’s a gift.

Blessings,

Buddy

April 18, 2014                                                                             WALKING  OUT  OF  THE  TOMB

I once heard Dudley Hall with Kerygma Ministries say that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead was the climatic event of all human history, and I certainly agree. Satan tried several times to kill the lineage through which Jesus would come and he tried to kill Jesus through King Herod and I am sure that for a brief moment, Satan thought he had succeeded when Jesus was crucified. Everything hinged on the resurrection of Jesus. With no resurrection, Jesus’ coming to earth would be to no avail. Jesus’ resurrection was proof that God had accepted the sacrifice of Jesus’ death as full payment for all sin for those who believe. His resurrection also defeated death which had held all in bondage prior His resurrection. His resurrection brought about hope. The resurrection of Jesus was the exclamation mark to all of His earthly ministry. God raised Jesus in all glory and honor. I can’t imagine the celebration that must have taken place in Heaven when Jesus ascended back to the Father! Satan, the enemy of God, was defeated (the outcome was never in doubt).  The resurrection was a demonstration of God’s power. After Jesus’ death on the cross and before the resurrection, the disciples and the other followers of Jesus were discouraged, confused, afraid, and full of sorrow and dismayed, BUT, the resurrection answered all of their questions, took away all fear and filled them with hope. Life would never be the same again for them and it should never be the same for us. “He is Resin” is the best news the world has heard! The power of the resurrection is just as meaningful and powerful today as it was 2000+ years ago. Now, we can walk in newness of life. We now can have hope. I pray that we will never lose the sheer joy and hope that comes from Jesus walking out of the tomb. The resurrection was certainly on our behalf, but it is true that there was benefit for God. God desires family and Jesus’ mission to redeem those that belonged to God was successful. The death and the resurrection of Jesus is an awesome demonstration of God’s love for us. I heard a song recently that has this line; “Jesus, how much do you love me, I asked as I stood by His side-He answered, this much do I love you, and He stretched out His arms and died.”  Below are just a few scriptures that I trust will bless you as you read them.  Be blessed as we celebrate this week the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Remember the words of the angels at the tomb; “He is not here, He is risen”!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           John: 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.”                                                                                                                    1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,..”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Philippians 3:10-11 “that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Romans 6:4 “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.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Blessings,


Buddy

April 12, 2014                                                       Love Is the Key

In our culture, we use the word love to express a wide range of emotions. “I love ice cream”, “I love golf”, “I love to read”, “I love America”, or “I love my wife” are just a few examples. Human love often has a selfish side to it. On the other hand, the love that God expresses (agape) is not selfish, but is a love that gives. This “agape” love is the highest and purest form of love. God so loved the world that He gave…….   In Matthew chapter 22 Jesus made it clear that the foremost commandments were based on loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself. An amazing verse is found in 1 John 2:5-6. “….but whoever keeps His word, in Him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” This is an amazing verse in that it teaches that keeping God’s word is part of our new nature-it’s natural-not something we have to work at per se. So, we see that when God’s love is experienced in our inner being, we then live a life of God’s love being expressed in and through us. More good news is found in Romans 5:5, “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” The Apostle Paul prayed that our love would abound still more. In 1 Thessalonians 3:12 we read “..and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all men, just as we also do for you;” Our love for God and our love for family and friends can be and should be increasing even more. Love is much more than a feeling even though feelings may be involved. To express the purist of all love, let the love of God rule in your life today and choose to express love. Remember that God’s love has been poured out within our hearts. Read 1 Corinthians 13 to see a good description of the love that God has made available to us.

Quote: “We are to be portals through which heaven comes to earth through us.”   Dennis Peacock

Blessings,

Buddy

In the last blog, “Did Someone Mention an Award?”, we found we are rewarded if we seek Him first. Please refer back to that blog if you have not read it. We hear the advice often that we ought to “seek God”. That is good advice, but in reality, how we do that is the topic today. There is no magic formula to seeking God and it is different with different people. What I say here is foundational to seeking God and it’s just my thoughts on the subject. First, it starts with a desire to know God. Psalms 42:1 reads “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, O God.” You might say, “I just don’t have that desire, but would like to have it”. If that’s the case, then simply ask God to put that desire in your heart. Second, begin to read in the New Testament with the view of getting to know Him in a more personal way. Find out what He says about you (you will be pleasantly surprised). 1 Peter 2:2 instructs us: “like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, …..”. If you have been a Christian for a long time but are lacking the desire to seek Him, I encourage you to read the scriptures as if you are reading them for the first time with no preconceived ideas. God says that if we draw close to Him, He will draw close to us. Third, ask and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you.  1Corinthians 2:12 is a wonderful promise; ”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,….”.   Forth, exercise faith as you read. Believe that what you read in scripture, comes from God to you. Speak to yourself the word of God. Without faith it is impossible to please Him.  Fifth, act on what you read and what you sense God is saying to you. God is pleased when we obey what He says, even in the very smallest of details. One of the works of the Holy Spirit is to reveal to us the heart of God in any given situation and once He reveals the Father’s heart, act on it. “How” we seek God is not the issue, the issue is whether or not we have a desire to seek Him.  If you have a desire to seek Him and you invest  time in the pursuit, He will let you find Him!

Colossians 3:16a “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,……”.

Quote: “The word of God is alive and powerful-not the physical Bible- we need to hear the word from God when we read the scriptures”.

Blessings,

Buddy