Blog Archives - TheNewU

Approving What Is Excellent

6/28/2023

June 28, 2023 APPROVING WHAT IS EXCELLENT

Philippians 1:9-11 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

There is more; let us press on to the things of the Lord; we have not arrived. God is calling us to a higher plane-to a life that is in contrast to the life the world offers. It is ever so easy to live on a spiritual plateau-it’s comfortable living on the plateau. Throughout the New Testament we find instructions and admonitions regarding the ‘upward call of God.’ Philippians 3:14. Living according to the ways of God is to live with a new perspective of life where we find joy and satisfaction in giving, blessing, serving, and doing good deeds; this is true because we are living out of the new person that God has made us. We are not to settle for what ever level of love we have, but our love is to ‘abound still more and more.’ Is our love growing-or is it on that plateau? The love of God being active in us results in a real knowledge of Him and it gives us discernment and it opens our eyes to see and to discern the things that are excellent. In other words, growing in the knowledge of God and increasing or abounding in love, gets out attention off of that which is not of God and enables us to see what is truly important in life and to know what is of God. It may sound simple, but having the mindset that is looking for and approving the things that are excellent is super important-and it gives us a totally new mindset in life. Instead of being focused on all the things that are wrong, we can be ones who are looking for what is lovely and what is excellent. As we live this way and as we are about the works that God has ordained for us, we will be ‘filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ.’ If our love is abounding, if we are growing in the knowledge of God, and if we are looking for and approving the things that are excellent, we will be blameless and will be rejoicing when He returns. In fact, it is beneficial for the present and for the future to live in such a way that we will welcome His sudden return and have no shame or regrets for the way we have lived. So, let us not settle for life on the plateau; let us press on to what Gos has for us.

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 “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; so that He may establish your hearts umblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.”

Blessings,
Buddy

OUR STRUGGLE

6/26/2023

June 26, 2023 OUR STRUGGLE

Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 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 world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and have done everything, to stand firm.”

As a starter, we must realize that we are in a battle; if we do not know that there is a war going on, then surely we have our heads buried in the sand. There are physical wars going on in various parts of the world, but the greater battle that all are in is a spiritual war; behind the physical wars, spiritual forces are at work. It is critical to have the proper gear and proper training if one is going to be victorious in battle; God equips us and trains for battle. Much could be said about spiritual warfare, but today, let’s just look at one aspect of this spiritual warfare-the part about ‘our struggle not being against flesh and blood.’ I am sure that we all have, or have had people who oppose us, argue with us, attack us, are inconsiderate of us, are divisive-or whatever; but what we must understand and what we must remember is that behind the conflict they bring, there are spiritual forces at work. And these spiritual forces or not just some imaginary force-they are real forces-‘rulers and powers, spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.’ We also must be wise to the schemes of the devil; he will do whatever and use whatever to bring strife and discontent. On our own, we are no match for the forces we face; BUT the forces we face are no match for God! God has given us armor to wear and to use. God’s armor includes His word, prayer, worship, wisdom that He gives, faith, boldness-and all that the the Holy Spirit equips us with. Depression, anxiety, fear, indifference, loneliness, hopelessness, conflicts with people, unrest, and whatever, is a sign that the enemy is at work. But, we do not have to live with the enemy occupying any ground in our lives-our enemy can be expelled. I love how Paul said it “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.” We have the power to recognize and overcome the schemes of the enemy. Let us put on and use the armor of God; let us and those around us walk in love, peace and joy, and in victory as a result of God ruling and reigning in our sphere.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though 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.”
Blessings, Buddy

SLAVES TO RIGHTEOUSNESS

6/24/2023

June 24, 2023 SLAVES TO RIGHTEOUSNESS

Romans 6:16-19 “Do you not know that whom you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members of slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.”

We may not be consciously aware of it, but we are slaves to whomever or whatever we obey. We can ‘present’ or give ourselves to a person, materialism, careers, physical appearance , education, hobbies or whatever, and become enslaved and not even realize that anyone of these things can be the guiding force of our lives and the thing that energies us. Many are searching for that which satisfies their deepest desires and needs. We do not have to look far to see the ‘lostness’ and the frantic searching for life; the clear and simple message of the gospel shines as a light in a world that has lost its way. In the word of God we discover the keys to life abundant (that does not imply that life will always be free of trials and difficulties) and the good news is that the ways of God or not burdensome. Simply said, we can make the choice to present our selves to God; and that means we must turn from our ways before we can turn to His ways. Our heart and our desires can be to learn the ways of the Lord and hear His commands and instructions we read in the scriptures and then apply and alter our life to His ways. God is righteous, and we are told in the scriptures above to “present our members as slaves of righteousness.” It is as simple as doing what is righteous-what is like God. Of course, we cannot be about doing righteous deeds in our on strength and by our own willpower; it is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can do the things that are pleasing to God. The other really good news is that God has given us a new nature and a new heart, and when live out of the new heart and nature we have been given, we naturally want to do the things that are pleasing in His sight. As believers, we have the power of choice; we can choose to go our way, or we can choose to present our members to God as slaves of righteousness.

Matthew 7:21, 5:16 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.” “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Blessings, Buddy

WORKING OUT OUR SALVATION

6/21/2023

June 21, 2023 WORKING OUT OUR SALVATION

Philippians 2:1-13, 3:13-14 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching to what lies ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

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

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

HELP OF MY COUNTENANCE

6/19/2023

June 19, 2023 HELP OF MY COUNTENANCE

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

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

Blessings, Buddy

OUR SUPPLIER

6/17/2023

June 17, 2023 OUR SUPPLIER

Philippians 4:6-7,19 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Many fret and worry about how they will get the things they need; they believe that it is up to them to secure what is needed. This viewpoint inevitably leads to a life of pursuing ‘things.’ So much of the world in which we live is materialistic, giving little or no time to what is much more important-the spiritual. In the economy of God-in His kingdom-we are given the good news that we can be anxious for nothing! That may seem to hard to believe. God invites us through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, to make our request known to Him. There is something healthy and wise in seeing God as the one who supplies our needs, and knowing that we are dependent on Him. He said that He will supply all our needs! Does this mean that we do not have to work? It certainly does not mean that. It does mean that God gives us the ability and the skills we need to work, and He supplies the work. The point is that we should understand that it is God who supplies-not ourselves. In this life there are many things that can cause us to be be anxious; but God gives the awesome command to be anxious for nothing! The key to not being anxious is to understand and believe that God is ruling, that He is all knowing and all powerful, that He has all wisdom, and that HE LOVES US. His loving us does not mean that we will face no difficulties in life. In ways we do not fully understand, He has purpose in the trials and He has told us that ‘all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.’ I hate to say it, but trials are a part of the process of being transformed into His image. In the midst of the challenges of life, God invites us to make our request known to Him-what a blessing; He will hear our request and He will answer in His own way-and that is where is submit our will to His will. When we come before God in this way, the peace of God will guard our hearts and our minds in a way that we cannot explain. So, acknowledge the trial, make your request to Him-what you want to see happen-but yield your desires to Him and trust Him for answering your request in the way that He knows is best-then leave it with Him and refuse to be anxious.
2 Corinthians 9:8,10-11 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;” “ 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 thanksgivings to God.”
Blessings, Buddy

BE HAPPY! REALLY?

6/15/2023

June 15, 2023 BE HAPPY! REALLY?

Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
James 1:2-3 “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”
Psalm 32:11 “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all that are upright in heart.”

Some would say that whoever says we should be happy in the world we live in today has their head buried in the sand. It is true; we live in difficult times and it seems that no one escapes the trials of life. And some would say that scriptures like the ones above are in ‘theory’ or they are simply a ‘pipe-dream.’ Yet, the mandate of God’s word is to be glad, to be joyful, to rejoice, and to be happy. Do not misunderstand, the scriptures also say that we will experience trials and that we are to comfort those who are enduring hardship; it’s obvious-life is not a bed of roses. So, are we or can we be happy? I think that we have to get beyond the physical; true happiness is rooted in the spiritual. JI Packer made the statement “The way to be truly happy is to be truly human, and the way to be truly human is to be truly godly.” The happiness that is available to us flows out of knowing God and knowing our true identity in Him. Our prevailing thought, belief, and mindset should be that as believers, we have been forgiven of our sins, we have been made new, we have the Holy Spirit living in us, Jesus has promised He will never leave us, we have been joined to God and our future with Him has been secured, He will give us strength to endure the hard times, we have brothers and sisters in the Lord to share life with, and that we have a fantastic inheritance reserved for us in heaven. Having life go good and avoiding troubles is a high priority for most-and that is not a bad desire; however, Jesus has told us we will have trials in this life. Instead of being defeated and discouraged by the trials, let us embrace them, knowing that God is working all things for our good-even if is is uncomfortable and even if we don’t understand how. The most important thing we can do in this life is to seek the Lord first and to pursue knowing Him in greater ways; as we come to know Him for who He is and as we discover our identity in Him, we will experience a joy and a peace that come from Him. In Him, our joy and our happiness are not dependent on circumstances. Again, we will experience difficulties and trials, but in the midst of them, we can know the joy and peace that is rooted in Him.

Psalm 144:15 “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord.”
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice.”

Blessings, Buddy

THE FRAMEWORK

6/13/2023

June 13, 2023 THE FRAMEWORK

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though 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 speculation and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”
Colossians 3:2 “Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.

Thoughts precede action; one acts according to his or her thoughts. We determine our thoughts. As Paul says above, even though we live in fleshly bodies, we have the opportunity to set our minds on the things of the Lord. We must remember that
God has given us a new mind. Ezekiel 36:26, 1 Corinthians 2:16, Philippians 2:5. We make the choice to think out of the new mind we have been given; even though we have a new mind, it is entirely possible for us to think out of our old mind. This is why Paul made it clear that we must be destroying all thoughts and any ‘lofty thing’ raised up against the knowledge of God. As believers, we have the Holy Spirit in us and He will make us aware of any thoughts and ideas that are in opposition to the knowledge of God. 1 Corinthians 2:16 tells us we have the mind of Christ. ‘Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ is a must if we are to live according to the Spirit and if we are to have the right thought life. We are in warfare; the world-our culture-is vying for our minds; and it is a major war because as our minds go, so goes the culture and as our minds go, so goes our life. Some focus on changing their action or their responses but are unsuccessful; what is needed is to first change the thinking-then the actions will change. For an example that we are so familiar with is that of road rage. If we get angry when someone cuts in front of us or speeds by in a reckless manner; are we doomed to have this frustration? I say not. It is possible for us to consider that this person has an emergency that they must respond to quickly, or they really don’t mean to be rude in their driving, or we may remember that we have at sometime been guilty of rude driving; and most importantly, no matter their motive or reason, if we can just say a quick prayer-“God bless that individual” we will find the frustration level subsiding. The essence of the Christian life is that of being transformed into the likeness of God, and that includes the transformation of our minds. Again, just to clarify, it is not about changing our minds by self effort, but by thinking according to the new mind that we have been given.

Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Blessings, Buddy

June 11th, 2023

6/11/2023

June 11, 2023 THY KINGDOM COME

Matthew 6:9-13 “Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”

The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, and what Jesus taught them is known as the Lord’s Prayer. I love the simplicity of the prayer, not many words, but yet is powerful and it portrays for us a mindset that we should have as believers. For today, let us focus on “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” First of all, this verse does away with any viewpoint that planet earth is hopeless; the earth is filled with what is ungodly, but God has plans for this earth-He has not written earth off; the earth is the Lords. Rather than living according to the world, we should be living with a kingdom of God on this earth mindset. We are in great need for His kingdom to come where we live and we certainly need for His will to be done on this earth. As we live in the trenches-in the nitty-gritty of life, let us be about doing what is God’s will for us and let us be promoting His will wherever we can. Let us be light and be ones who speak about the kingdom of God and ones who live according to the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is far greater than any other kingdom and it is eternal-and we are a part of it! Living according to His kingdom has practical implications for us. A kingdom mindset is focused on doing the things that are pleasing to our Lord; and we know what pleases Him-kindness, love, blessing others, dying to our ways, faith, serving, giving, good deeds, speaking the truth in love, forgiving others, bearing each other’s burdens-and the list goes on. The point is that we can be a part of bringing His kingdom to where we live-that is the exciting part; the kingdom of God is not limited to heaven. In Habakkuk 2:14 it is prophesied that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” The awesome thing for us is that we can experience His kingdom coming and His will being done in our sphere of life. Jesus came, introducing the kingdom of God, and all who believe Him are members of His kingdom.

Colossians 1:13-14 “For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Blessings, Buddy

JESUS-OUR EXAMPLE

6/9/2023

June 9, 2023 JESUS-OUR EXAMPLE

1 Peter 2:21 “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps.”
1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, just as I am of Christ.”
Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”
1 John 2:6 “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”

Jesus did not leave us without an example of what it looks like to live life on this earth as sons and daughters of God and as members of the kingdom of God; and He did not leave us without the power to live such a life. We can be ‘imitators’ Christ only because He is living in us, equipping us to live in a way that is pleasing to Him and is in keeping with His character. You have probably heard someone excusing some un-Christ like action by saying “Well, I’m not Jesus you know.” Many view the call to be imitators of Christ as being unattainable. I am not saying that we never fail to live as Christ, but I am saying it should be our heart to live like Him. We are all unique, with different personalities and varied backgrounds, but we are all able to express Christ in the way we live. The banner written over every believer is ‘LOVE;’ all we do should flow out of the love God has for us and the love we have for Him. We could never live like Christ by our own strength or by our best effort; only because Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit can we live like Him. The God-like fruit that the Spirit produces in us is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23. It all comes down to dying to our ways and letting Him be our life. It is not difficult to imitate Christ in the way we live; it’s a matter of yielding to the work of the Holy Spirit who is always drawing us to the ways of Christ.

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life i now live in the flesh i live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Blessings, Buddy