May 31, 2022                                     LONGINGS  OF  THE  HEART
1 Peter 1:3-4, 2:1-3 “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, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”    “Therefore putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”
Salvation is no small issue or something to be taken lightly, or to be neglected because we think we have a complete understanding of our salvation. If we equate salvation with praying the ‘sinner’s prayer,’ or see salvation as a one-time experience in the past, we are falling way short of what salvation means. In the verses above, we are admonished to be growing in respect to salvation. Our salvation is not to be taken lightly or neglected because God, according to His GREAT mercy, has caused us to be born again to a living hope that we might obtain the inheritance that He has reserved for us. Our motivation for reading God’s word and living in a way that pleases Him should flow out of the fact that He has called us, and caused us to be born again, and has shown us great mercy. Our salvation is far greater than we now understand it to be; there is room for growth in regards to our salvation. Salvation is to impact how we live daily; there are certain things that we are to ‘put on,’ and there are things we are to ‘put off’ or ‘lay aside.’ It could be summed up by saying that we are to lay aside anything that is unlike God, and we are to put on anything that is like God. The above scriptures names a few things we are to lay aside; all malice, guile, hypocrisy, and envy. Malice is the intent or desire to do evil; guile is being sly or cunning; hypocrisy is when actions and words contradict what one says he believes; envy is desiring what others have. Because of what God has done on our behalf, our focus in life should shift from ourselves to all that it means to be born again into the kingdom of God. The key is that when we come to understand our true identity-who we are in Him and who He is in us-and we come to know personally His great love for us, our heart and our focus naturally turn to Him. As the verse above instructs us, may we long for the pure milk of God’s word and may we grow in respect to our salvation-there is more to learn and more to experience. God has called us to Himself!
Hebrews 2:10-11 “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,”
Blessings, Buddy
​

 
May 29, 2022                                              CALLED  TO  WAR
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For tough we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”
Ephesians 6:11-13 “Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
In the last blog, ‘Set You Mind,’ we were reminded that there is a battle taking place and we talked about the importance of setting our mind on the things of God. Continuing that thought, we cannot deny that we are daily in the midst of a war. The Old Testament is a physical or natural picture of the spiritual in the New Testament; as you read the Old Testament, you discover that God is a God of war-He fought against the enemies of His kingdom. (He is also a God of peace.) The war we are in has two major fronts: one is the battle of the flesh and the Spirit, and one is an attack from the devil. First, let’s look very briefly at the battle of the flesh and the Spirit. The word ‘flesh’ as used in the New Testament refers to that part of us that seeks its own way and rejects the ways of God; the flesh is self-centered-not God centered. The Spirit of God who lives in us is always leading us to live according to the ways of the Lord. The battle is all about who we choose to yield ourselves to-the flesh or the Spirit. We must understand that we have the power to choose to whom we yield ourselves. The other war that we are in is one of resisting and standing firm against the schemes of the devil. There is presently a war taking place the spiritual realm-and amazingly, we as believers are the battleground. The devil is out to get back at God and he is convinced the best way to do that is to in some way harm and ensnare the people of God. Satan is a deceiver and he has many schemes up his sleeve that he wants to use against believers. (Beware-he can appear as an angle of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14) The good news is that he has been defeated and we have the power to resist him-when we resist him, he flees. This is a broad subject for sure; but let us choose to yield to the Spirit of God in us and let us walk according to the Spirit and not according to our flesh. Also, let us be alert to the schemes and deceptive ways of the devil and let us resist him on every front-standing firm. Let us put on the armor of God as described in Ephesians 6:13-17. So, let us not be AWOL, but let us be engaged in the war, remembering that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places-and know that the ‘weapons of our warfare are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.’ We must not forget that we have been transferred to the kingdom of God, and as a member of His kingdom, He equips us to do warfare against all that opposes His kingdom, knowing that we are always victorious in Him. Be a good soldier and stand firm.
Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”
1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Blessings,  Buddy

 
May 27, 2022                                              BUT  WHENEVER
2 Corinthians 3:15-18 “But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
If we have turned to the Lord, the veil that once blinded us has been removed; once we could not see, but now we can. We cannot expect those who have not turned to the Lord to understand the ways of the Lord or to understand His word-so we should not be surprises when they act in such a way that is unbecoming of the Lord. Having the veil removed means that we move out of darkness into the light-and how wonderful the light is! With the veil removed, we can ‘see’ and experience Jesus. The good news is that in the presence of Jesus, there is liberty; we have been set free from the power of sin and delivered from a life focused on self. In this freedom we now have, we are free to love, to forgive, to bless, to give, to encourage, and free to live a life that resembles the life Jesus lived while here on earth. This freedom means that we can live with a clear conscience, and it means we can live without fear-fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of sickness, or whatever fear that wants to enslave us. There is nothing greater or more fulfilling than having peace with God and peace with man. Turning to the Lord can refer to a person coming to know Him as Savior, but it can also refer to a believer who has been out of fellowship with the Lord, turning His heart back to the Lord. (We must be alert to the fact that a believer can turn from the Lord and revert back to walking according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit.) We are not who we use to be, and we are not who we are going to be; as we behold, as we consider, and as we gaze on the glory of the Lord, a miracle begins-a transformation process begins, a transformation that conforms us to the image of the Lord! May our hearts be turned to the Lord so that the veil is removed and we are able to see, to understand, and able to walk in the light of who Jesus is and who we are in Him.
Ephesians 5:8-9 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.”
1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
May 25, 2022                                          SET  YOUR  MIND
Colossians 3:1-2 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Romans 8:5-6 “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”
Our mind is the battle ground. Instead of God making us as robots, God gave mankind the power of choice-and that is an awesome power. When one becomes a follower of Christ, he or she still has the power of choice-the power to choose their mindset. The verse above in Romans makes it crystal clear; we either have our mind set on the flesh which is death (not necessarily physical), or on the Spirit, which is life and peace. The Colossians verse tell us to set our minds on things above; Paul reminds us that there are things above; there are things beyond this world. We must understand that we are to instruct our minds what to think about and what to dwell on. For sure we have to think about of lot of things dealing with life on earth, but we are to have a certain mindset as we go about life. A mindset is defined as “the established set of attitudes held by someone.” As we go about our daily routines and as we deal with the issues of life, we should do so with a mindset that we belong to God, that He is ruling, that He guides us and equips us, that He gives us wisdom, and that we represent Him and His kingdom in all we do. Our mindset should be based on peace, grace, faith, forgiveness, love, and all of the attributes we see in Jesus, and our mindset is to be based on truth and on doing what is right in the eyes of God. It may seem like a difficult thing to be continually making sure our mindset is what it should be; but the good news is that God gives us the mind of Christ and has given us a new spirit and a new heart, and out of the new creation that we are, having a godly mindset becomes natural. We are instructed to be renewed in the spirit of our mind and to take every thought obedient to Christ. Ephesians 4:23, 2 Corinthians. Let us have the mindset that seeks after the things of the Lord and enjoy life and peace that comes from the Spirit.
Philippians 2:5 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Blessings,
Buddy
​

 
May 22, 2022                                        SOWING  AND  REAPING
Galatians 6:7-9 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit reap from the Spirit eternal life. And let us not loose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.”
2 Corinthians 9:10-11 “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.”
Whether we like it or not, or agree with it or not, one unalterable principle is that of reaping and sowing; there is no escaping the fact that we reap what we sow. (Another subject: God does forgive us and He restores us even when we have done wrong and He can take the ‘sting’ out of our wrong when we confess, repent and turn to Him.) The subject of reaping and sowing tends to have a negative connotation; however, the law of reaping and sowing has great promise. Also, if there was no law of reaping and sowing, we would be subject to whatever random, unpredictable events happen, or you might say, to whichever way the wind blows. God has set into place this wonderful law of reaping and sowing. The all-important factor in reaping and sowing is that of who are we sowing to and what kind of seeds are we sowing. Also, the law of the harvest is that we reap more than we sow; one grain of corn produces a hundred fold-and more. We have two choices when it comes to who we sow to; we either sow to the flesh, or to the Spirit. If we sow to the flesh, we will reap corruption; if we sow to the Spirit, we reap life that comes from the Spirit. I was just thinking about this this morning; how do we sow and what does it look like in a practical way. I fear that we have a tendency to think that we just believe right, we are good; however, reaping and sowing is active-something we do; sowing flows out of belief. There are many verses that instruct us to be about good works; on such verse is Ephesians 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” At the heart of sowing is a desire to bless and help others with no thoughts of receiving a return favor. Obviously we cannot meet every need we see, but we should be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as to ways we can sow good seeds. A good deed may be as simple as offering someone a drink of water, or opening a door-or whatever. We are also to sow to the Spirit; this means that we spend time reading God’s word and being attentive to what the Spirit is saying to us, and being obedient to how He is leading; it is about doing the things that are pleasing to God. If we are to sow good seeds and if we are going to sow to the Spirit, we must die to ourselves. (Dying to ourselves may sound horrible, but actually it is the best thing we could ever do.) It all goes back to one simple fact; we either serve ourselves, living life according to our desires, or we live according to the ways of God-that’s the choice we make. The good news is that as we discover who we are in Him, we experience life to the fullest. The other awesome good news is that God supplies us seeds to sow-we will never run out of seed-and He will increase the harvest, and we will be enriched in everything for all liberality! In view of these truths, who would not want to spend their lives sowing good seeds?
2 Corinthians 9:6 “Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
Proverbs 11:24-25 “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
May 20, 2022                                           MADE  ADEQUATE
2 Corinthians 3:5-6 “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
If a man believes that he is adequate in himself, he becomes prideful; some may feel that to consider yourself as humble and meek, you must consider yourself inadequate. Today, it seems that many believers struggle with knowing that God has made them adequate for whatever they face. In God’s word we find truth; we discover who He is and we discover who we are. God created us and knows us better than we know ourselves and He knows every intricate detail about every part of our makeup-how we function as human beings. God also knows that when sin entered the world, man was alienated from Him and thus unable to experience life as He designed. The good news is that through the sacrifice of His Son, those who believe in Him have been restored to God and made complete; and in this restoration, God made us adequate; no longer do we have to live in doubt, fear, confusion, or feeling incomplete or inadequate. We are God’s workmanship-and He is the best builder! God has equipped us for life-for every good work. We have access to the wisdom of God; the Holy Spirit lives in us to equip us and guide us; we have been forgiven of all sin; we have the word of God through which we get to know Him; and we have been made new creations with new minds, new spirits, and new natures. We can be confident in life, not because of our own doing, but because we are now a part of the kingdom of God and God is our Father. We are now complete in Christ, but it is essential to continue reading and studying His word and to be continually choosing to die to ourselves and to live according to the Spirit. We face challenges in this life, so it is necessary for us to be renewing our mind daily and to set our minds on the things of God. Let us remember that we are His workmanship and that we have been made adequate for life and for all we encounter as we live life.
1 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.”
Ephesians 2:20-21 “Now to Him who is able to do for more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Blessings,
Buddy
​

 
May 18, 2022                                              MARCHING  ORDERS
 1 Peter 3:8-12 “To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for this very purpose that you might inherent a blessing. For, ‘Let him who means to love life and see good days refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile. And let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Should we ever struggle with doubt or confusion as to how to live as believers, embracing and putting into action the instructions given in these scriptures will put is on the right track.  The beauty of this passage is that one cannot miss or confuse what is being said; the instructions are simple, yet powerful. If you had to choose a passage of scripture that sums up what the life of a believer is to look like, this would be a good one. These verses instruct us as to how we are to relate to others, and also addresses the desires and motivations of our hearts. A key word at the beginning of this passage is the word ‘let.’ These attributes are not forced upon us, and at the same time they are contrary to our flesh; so we must make a choice. As so often said, we have a choice of living according to our old self, the flesh, or according to the Spirit. The neat thing is that the instructions given above are not a list of rules we must keep; they are a picture of life lived according to the Spirit. It is God’s desire that His followers live in unity where actions are governed by love-and this love is the love of God that He has poured out into our hearts. The love of God has certain characteristics as seen in these verses; in 1 Corinthians 13 we find even more insight to the love of God. Human love alone is insufficient; in order for this passage to be experienced among believers, it is essential to know the love of God. You may think that it is unrealistic to say that we can actually live in such a way as depicted in these verses, but it is not. We have the power to ‘let’ these things be expressed. We must remember that God has a nature, and He has certain ways, and we have been given a new nature like His-so the big idea, and our calling is to now live according to His ways. One instruction we have concerns what kind of words we speak; our words reveal our heart. Also, we are to turn away from evil; we must resist yielding to what is evil in the sight of God. (We have on our iPhones and televisions access to all sorts of evil-be on guard.) Let us thank God that in this ungodly culture in which we live, He has instructed us as to how we are to live; not only has He instructed us, He has also equipped us and empowered us to live according to His ways.
Philippians 2:3 “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
May 16, 2022                                           WHERE  IS  THE  WISE  MAN ?
1 Corinthians 1:18-21 “For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.’ Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”
If you simply observe the events and the happenings in the world, you will quickly conclude and will quickly see that man is foolish. No matter what political views you may have, surely you wonder how our political leaders and our civic leaders could make the decisions they make. I’m not going to get into the political arena, but just to give a clear example of the foolishness of our political leaders and the ones who elect them, how is it that the ‘richest’ nation in the world is thirty trillion dollars in debt? We see daily the evidence of the insanity and the foolishness of man. There is no way to escape the fact that no matter how smart or well educated one may be, he is foolish apart from God. The crux of this issue is that because man rejects the message that comes from God, he is foolish-it’s that simple. Basically, man or woman has only two options; he can pursue his own ways, or he can pursue the ways of God that are revealed in His word. There is a bent in man that resist and rejects God. Now the good news. Those who receive the message that comes from God, are being saved. To those who do not know God, to those who reject Him, the word ‘of the cross’ is foolish; but to those who believe, it is salvation. As believers, as we go about our lives, we must be on guard that we do not stray from the wisdom of God. We must cling to what Paul says in verse 30-31; “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, that, as it is written, ‘Let him who boast, boast in the Lord.’” At one time, we were foolish just like those who reject God, BUT now we have come to know Him through the preaching of the message that came from God; now, we are in Christ Jesus who is the wisdom of God in us, and we have righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. The world will continue in its foolishness, but we can continue in the wisdom of God because of His work in us.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 “And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”
2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourselves approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”
Blessings,
Buddy
​

 
May 14, 2022                                            RECEIVING  THE  WORD  OF  GOD
1 Thessalonians 1:11-13 “just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”
We may take it for granted, but it is amazing that we have a message from God, and it is written in a book!  The creator of the universe with all of its splendor, the one who created you and me, has given us a written message. It is also an awesome truth to know that this creator God calls us into His kingdom and glory. God gave us His word so that we might learn of Him; the word of God is the revelation of God. The written word of God is a super-natural book, unlike any other book. In His word we discover what God is like-His nature; and as amazing as it is, we discover who we are! God’s word delivers us from dependence on the logic and reasoning of man; the word of God is the wisdom of God made available to us. In His word, we find what we long for in the deepest part of our being; in fact, His word makes us complete when we receive it. God is kind; He loves us and He desires that we discover and experience life as He designed. Sin robbed man of abundant life; but God sent His Son to pay for our sins and to restore us to fellowship with our Father so that we might once again live with uninterrupted fellowship with God our Father. His word performs its work in us: His word reveals our true identity; it changes us form the inside out. (Actually, rather than ‘change’ us, God makes us new creations.) To receive the word as the word of God, means that we embrace what His word says. Let us always be turning our hearts and minds to the word of God, receiving His word as THE way of life.
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Matthew 4:4 “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Psalm 119:130 “The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
May 11, 2022                                            HAVE  THIS  ATTITUDE
Philippians 2:3-7 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard another as more important than himself, do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but also for the interest of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”
Can you imagine how many relational problems and conflicts would be non-existent if each one considered others more important than themselves? This passage exposes selfishness as a root of conflict and broken relationships. We live with a certain attitude in life; and the attitude we live with determines the health and the quality of our relationships. We are told to ‘have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.’ Jesus had the attitude of empting Himself and becoming a servant-even though He was God. The awesome good news is that we determine our attitude; we can choose to have the same attitude that Christ had! We must see that having the power to choose our attitude is a big deal, and it puts us in a place of responsibility. It may sound impossible to do, but we can live life in such a way that we do not act out of selfishness or conceit, but out of an attitude of serving. Being a servant does not mean that we neglect our own interest; it means that we live with an attitude of concern for the interest of others. Of course there is an important truth we must not overlook in living according to this, and other passages. We cannot live according to the ways of God in our own strength; only through the workings of the Holy Spirit in us can we do so. All too often there is a missing link for many when it comes to living according to the ways of God. A most important truth to grasp if we are to live as God designed is that of knowing our true identity as children of God. God has made us new, not refurbished; He has given us a new nature, a new heart, and a new spirit, and we have the mind of Christ. When we live out of our new identity, we naturally want to live out the scriptures and we want to please Him in all we do; His ways become natural to us; no longer do we have to try in our own strength to obey the scriptures or please God. The key is that we walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh-that’s our choice. (Just a note; Romans 7 is not Paul’s testimony-he was describing what is like to live according to the flesh.) May we today have the attitude that was in Christ Jesus!
Galatians 5:13-14, 16 “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”     “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”
Blessings,
Buddy