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GOD WILLED TO MAKE KNOWN

6/30/2024

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June 30, 2024                    GOD WILLED TO MAKE KNOWN


Colossians 1:25b-28 “that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man compete in Christ.”


The seemingly built in trait among humans as that we initially are excited to discover something new, but after a while, the excitement wears off. It’s like when we buy buy a new car; for the first couple months, we are excited to drive it; we wash it, and really ‘baby’ it; but then, the new wears off. The same can be true with the word of God; when we first discover a new insight into a particular scripture, we are excited and are quick to share what God has shown us. But, after a while, the new insight is just filed away into our scripture knowledge bank. If not alert, scriptures and the truth of the gospel can become ‘old hat,’ losing it’s impact. Be that as it may; there is a solution to this dilemma. The passion and the call of God for Paul was to reveal a great mystery that had been hidden for generations. Actually, Paul proclaimed and preached this mystery, but it is God who revealed it. The good news for us is that God willed to make known this mystery to His people-you and I. This great mystery hidden for ages; the greatest event to ever take place; the truth that completely changes everything is that by the work and will of God, Christ is in His followers! Yes-HE IS IN US. Christ in us is not just a theory to be discussed, or something peculiar to the apostle Paul. Christ in us is living and He is about expressing His likeness in and through us. Christ is in us with a purpose; He is about transforming us into His own image. He is in the process of transforming us, but at the same time, we are complete in Him-and that itself is a mystery- we have been transformed, and we are being being transformed. Christ in us demands a response; we can resist His work in us, or we can work with Him as He works in us. The main point of this passage is that God has chosen to reveal to us that Christ lives in us, and that means that all of the riches of Christ are in us! The presence of Christ is our hope. Because Christ is in us, we have the assurance that all of the promises of God will be fulfilled. His presence is awesome now, but ‘we ain’t seen nothing yet!’ So, let us tune in to the Spirit of God in us; let’s listen to Him and talk to Him; ask Him for wisdom; and be sensitive to His leading. Learning more about this mystery that has now been revealed, Christ in us, is the greatest life-time pursuit we could ever be about. Remember; it’s not theory; if you have trusted Him as your Savior, He is in you-right now. 
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
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WHOEVER IS WISE

6/28/2024

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June 28, 2024                          WHOEVER IS WISE


HOSEA 14:1-2,3b,9 “Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to Him, ‘Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips.’”   “For in Thee the orphan finds mercy.”    “Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in them.”


God used the prophet Hosea to pronounce judgment on the Israelites for their turning from Him. In the last chapter of this book, we see that God gives them the opportunity to turn back to Him; it pictures the compassion God has for His people. But even though God is a compassionate God, He will allow sin to have its way when His people reject Him and walk according to their own ways. Hosea is a book about the consequences of sin and it is also a book about God calling His people back to Him. The verses above are beautifully simplistic, but ever so powerful and so redeeming. In these verses, we see clearly just how loving and compassionate our God is. First, God simply says through Hosea, for His people to return to Him; to turn from what they were doing, from their iniquity that caused them to stumble. Is that awesome - just return; turn around, change your direction. God even tells them ‘to take words with you’ and He even tells them what to say! Only a few words need to be spoken to God-‘take away our sins and receive us graciously.’ They did not need to explain why or give all the reasons they had turned from Him; they just needed to acknowledge their sins. Once they returned to the Lord and received His forgiveness, they would praise Him with the fruit of their lips. (Another subject-the power of what we speak.) Because the Israelites had forsaken their Father God, they were like orphans. The good news for you and I is that we are no longer orphans-God is our Father! The last verse in this passage is a serious word for us. Are we wise, are we understanding in these things? Do we see the great peril waiting for those who turn from the Lord? Are we discerning? Do we know that God calls us to Himself? I love this part of the verse: “For the ways of the Lord are right.” If there is any confusion, it is only in our minds. We know the ways of God-and they are right-so let us walk in them; lay aside anything that is contrary to His ways. The righteous will walk in His ways, but the transgressors will stumble in them. I pray that everyone reading this will be ones who are walking righteously because He is righteous and because He has made us righteous.
Lamentations 3:22-23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”


Blessings, Buddy                  
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LET

6/26/2024

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July 26, 2024                                  LET


Colossians 3:15-17 “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”


The word ‘let’ is an important word in scripture. The obvious implication is that God has already made provision and has already done what was needed for us to experience His life in us. Note that this verse does not say “Let peace rule in your hearts;’ but rather, ‘Let the peace of Christ rule in you hearts.” Peace is a wonderful thing to have; in our day, it seems to be a rather rare quality. Even in the storms of life and in the most difficult times, we can experience the peace of God because His Holy Spirit lives in us. We are also to let the word of Christ richly dwell within us. Again, not just any word, but the word of Christ. The peace of God and His word work hand in hand. In His word, we learn of Him and  we learn who we are in Him and who He is in us. If we live by the standards and philosophy of the world, we will not experience His peace. His word is absolutely critical! His word IS wisdom. In His word, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we discover truths that lead to life-abundant life; and the life He gives is a life of no regrets. The instructions of this passage is in the plural-your hearts. As members of the body of Christ, living the Christian life is a community deal. If and when we isolate ourselves, we are more vulnerable to the attacks of our enemy. We are called to be teaching and admonishing one another in the things of God and to be provoking one another to love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24. We are also admonished to have a thankful heart; we can choose to be thankful even if we are in a difficult place. Expressing gratefulness and being thankful works wonders. Finally, once we let the peace of God rule in our hearts and we let the word of Christ richly dwell within us, we will find ourselves giving thanks to Him in all we do. The life of Christ is available to you and I.
Colossians 3:1-2 “Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”


Blessings, Buddy
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TAKE HEED

6/24/2024

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June 24, 2024                            TAKE HEED


Colossians 4:17 “And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”


Although this admonition was for Archippus, I think it applies to all believers. All believers are in full-time ministry; we are to live as unto the Lord and whatever we do, we are to do it as unto the Lord. It is not in keeping with the gospel to define somethings, such as jobs, as ‘secular,’ and some things ‘spiritual.’ We have been bought with a price and have been joined to God and now we live in His kingdom, representing Him in all we do. Whether one is a pastor, or one is a clerk in the local store, both represent God. As a family member, as an employee or employer, as a neighbor, as a church member, or in any role we find ourselves, we have a definite ministry to fulfill in our sphere. We represent God in good fashion when we live and conduct our affairs out of our identity as sons and daughters of God. We are called to live out of the new person that God has made us; the new person we are in Christ looks like Christ-He was and is our example of how we are to live. Many things would distract us from our ministry and not understanding that we each have a ministry would result in us not fulfilling our ministry. It would be impossible to list all the opportunities for ministry, but it would include such things as helping, showing compassion, witnessing, sharing, encouraging, teaching, praying for others, being honest, having integrity, doing all we do as unto the Lord, giving, helping meeting pressing needs-and the list goes on. A lot of these various ministries simply flow out of who we are, out of the new person we are; for example, we are to be compassionate people all of the time because that is who we are. Concerning our meeting needs, we cannot meet every need we see nor are we called to do so. However, we must listen to the Holy Spirt as He will direct us to when and how we are to be a part of meeting the needs of others. It is ever so important for us to follow the leading of the Spirit-to believe that He will direct our steps. So, let us not be negligent or distracted, but let us fulfill the ministry we have been given. 
Ephesians 4:12 “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;”
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”
Matthew 5:16 “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 
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GOD OF ALL COMFORT

6/22/2024

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June 22, 2024                     GOD OF ALL COMFORT


2 Corinthians 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the Father of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.”


We all go through difficult times and various afflictions; Jesus warned us that there will be trials in life. However, we can thank God that ‘He is the Father of mercies and the Father of all comfort.’ When we are suffering and when are hurting, we need to be comforted; we do not to endure and to suffer alone. God has made, and He makes, provision for us in the difficult times. He is our provision; He comforts us as no one else can. He also can and often uses other believers to comfort us. To be comforted does not mean that the trial or affliction is taken away; it means that there is someone who bears the burden with us, one who feels our pain. God has designed the body of Christ in such a way that we need each other; God never intended for us to go it alone or to be independent of the body. Others may be a part of the process of comforting us, but it is God Himself who comforts us however He chooses to do so. Jesus suffered and was afflicted and God felt the pain of sacrificing His Son. God may comfort us by sending someone to be by our side; He may give us a scripture; or may lead us to read something that blesses us, or whatever way He chooses. But the greatest comfort is His presence with us; when we sense His presence, His being with us, we are comforted in a way that cannot be explained. Simply being in the presence of the Father of mercies and the Father of all comfort is sufficient. So, let us not be surprised by the difficulties and trials that come our way; but let us receive the comfort that our Father gives; let us resist suffering alone. One reason for experiencing the comfort of God is that we might be able to comfort others with the same comfort we received from God in our difficult times. We are comforted when we trust God; when we know that He is working all things for good; when we are reminded that God never forsakes us; and when we remember that His plans for us will come to fruition; and most importantly, when we experience His presence with us. Our comfort is abundant through Christ. 
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”
Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Blessings, Buddy
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ALWAYS SOWING

6/20/2024

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June 20, 2024                        ALWAYS SOWING


Galatians 6:7-10 “Do not be deceived, for 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 shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not loose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”


The law of reaping and sowing is just that-a law; it always works. We are warned not to be deceived concerning this law of sowing and reaping; we must not be deceived into thinking that it does not really matter what I do, that my actions have no lasting impact. We may think of sowing and reaping in a negative light; thinking we better be sure we do not sow bad seeds. We must be conscience of the fact that we either sow to our flesh or we sow to the Spirit. It’s a fact; if we sow to the flesh, we reap bad fruit, and if we sow to the Spirit, we reap good fruit. The awesome, good news truth is that the law of reaping and sowing is a promise form God; if we sow to the Spirit, we reap good fruit-and that’s an open door! Sowing to the Spirit is about following the leading of the Spirit and about living according to the ways of God. It’s really simple; as the verse above tells us, we are to do ‘good to all men;’ not mere human ‘goodness,’ but the goodness that comes from God-because He is a good God. We are not to loose heat in doing good even though we may see no good fruit and we are not to grow weary in our sowing. An important aspect of sowing and reaping is that we sow now, and later we see the harvest. Sowing to the Spirit also means that we sometimes have to see past the immediate and be willing to not be guided by what seems logical. So, let us be about living life not totally focused on ourselves; rather, let us look for opportunities to sow into the lives of others. The amazing truth is that God allows us to represent Him in this world; and because He is good, we go about sowing good seeds. 
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.”
Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”


Blessings, Buddy
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A WORTHY GOAL

6/18/2024

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June 18, 2024                          A WORTHY GOAL


1 Timothy 1:5 “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”


I love and I appreciate how simple, how easily understood, how liberating, and yet how powerful the scriptures are. If the word of God seems complicated, it is only in our minds that it seems that way. Paul wrote a lot of the New Testament and taught extensively; he was a brilliant, and well educated man; yet those credentials is not what made the difference; Paul had the impact he did only because God chose to give him much revelation in the things of God. It may come across as overly simplistic, but I think the above verse is an excellent summary of all that Paul wrote under the leading of the Holy Spirit. Paul had a goal in writing his epistles. He begins by saying that the goal is for believers to have love from a pure heart. That says a lot! It’s not about human love, but about the love of God flowing out of us. God’s love is totally unselfish; He delights in blessing. And, it is love from a pure heart. In fact, you can’t have one without the other; love and a pure heart go together. God has given us a new heart, and this new heart is a heart of love. We do not have to try in our own strength to love or to have a pure heart; love and being pure comes from the new creation we are in Christ-it is automatic. (We can revert to living out of our old nature.) Remember; we have an old self that resist the Spirit in us, but we have a new self that is in the image of God-wow! So, Paul is talking about the new person we are. We have all at some time had a bad conscience-and how miserable that feeling is. But by living out of who we are and by hearing and acting on the instructions of the word of God, we live with a good conscience-PTL. What a blessing to be at peace with all men, to have differences settled as much as we can on our part, and to be able to sleep at night. A sincere faith is all about receiving the word of God without dispute and believing in our hearts that the scriptures are the words of God. A sincere faith embraces the word of God and desires to be led by the word of God. So, the same goal that Paul had for the believers of his day are still very relevant for us today. Let us not coast, but be about having the goal fulfilled in our lives; let love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith be what defines us. 
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.”


Blessings, Buddy
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CONTINUAL

6/16/2024

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June 16, 2024                            CONTINUAL


Galatians 5:16-17 “But I say to you, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things you please.”


You are probably familiar with this verse. There is a danger in being ‘familiar’ with verses in the scripture. Our familiarity can cause us to not hear the message of the verse in the present tense; we read a verse and we say ‘I know what it is saying,’ and we quickly pass over it not allowing its message to penetrate our hearts and minds. As I read the above passage this morning, I was reminded of a truth that is so important to grasp. It is not a one-time, or an occasional act where we deal with the flesh and it is no longer and issue. The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit; there is never a time when the flesh is not set against the Spirit. The flesh has no other desire than to hinder the work of the Spirit in us. Likewise, the Spirit sets its desire against the flesh. We must realize that there is an epic battle taking place in us and there is no break time from the battle. It sounds like a miserable life, right? God always has solutions for the dilemmas (what we think are dilemmas) we face-they are dilemmas to Him. There is sure victory over the flesh and securing this victory is not difficult. If we walk by the Spirit, we will not carry out the desire of the flesh. The battle is not won by us trying trying to defeat the flesh; the battle is won by yielding to the Spirit. We do resist the desire of the flesh, but we win by yielding. This verse says that we cannot do the things we please-that may sound like bad news to us. We do not live in a neutral position in life; life is not about us; as believers, we do not have the privilege of doing just whatever we please at the moment. We belong God and we are called to walk according to His ways-not ours! The awesome good news is that when we walk according to the ways of God, we are totally fulfilled and we experience joy and peace. In verses 19-21 you can see the evidence of the deeds of the flesh. But, in verse 22-23 we see the fruit that comes by walking according to the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” For us, let us be aware that we must continually chose to yield ourselves to the Holly Spirit of God who lives in us; as we do, we will experience victory over the flesh. 
Romans 6:13 “Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been bought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.”


Blessings, Buddy
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DEVOTED

6/14/2024

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June 14, 2024                          DEVOTED


2 Corinthians 11:2-3 “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”


Paul was concerned for the believers that he had led to Christ; they were joined to Christ and He was their one ‘husband.’ Paul’s heart desire was that they would live in devotion to Christ, faithful to Him. If Paul was with us today, I am sure he would have the same concerns. Adam and Eve, who walked with God,  proved that man can be deceived and led astray by the craftiness of the devil. The definition of craftiness should get our attention: “Cunning skill in achieving one’s ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means.” Satan is a master at scheming and deceiving. However, we do not have to buy into or fall victim to his schemes. We have been given the Holy Spirit to guide us and impart to us the wisdom of God. The word ‘devoted’ is a critical word that identifies just where the battle takes place. Either we are devoted to someone or we are not devoted; there is no in between. We devote ourselves to what or who we love; being devoted means that we have passion for whatever or whoever we are devoted too. That reality gets us to where our enemy attacks. If we are walking with the Lord, Satan will rarely temp us to commit some hideous sin; instead, he will try subtly to draw our attention away form God and entice us to focus on self. This is where devotion to Christ comes in; if our passion and love is for Christ, we will recognize the schemes of the enemy ever how subtle they may be. If I am devoted to my wife, and I am, then I will easily hear any ‘voice’ that would draw me from my devotion and lead me astray; on the contrary, if I am not devoted to my wife, I would open myself up to the scheming of the devil. Being devoted to Christ does not mean that we will never sin or be drawn away from Christ for a brief period, but it does mean that I will know when I am am being tempted to go in a way contrary to Christ, and realizing that, I quickly return to my devotion to Christ. The encouragement for us today is to be alert to the craftiness of the devil and be truly devoted to Christ.
1 Corinthians 4:2 “Moreover, it is required of stewards to be found faithful.”
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”


Blessings, Buddy
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YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE

6/11/2024

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June 12, 2024.                          YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE


1 John 5:11-13 “And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things have I written to you who believe the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.”


We will not one day be eternal beings; those who have the Son, are now eternal beings. God has already given us eternal life. We must not view life in the short term, waiting to some day receive eternal life. It is spiritually healthy (and I believe physically healthy) to view ourselves as those who will never die, even though our natural bodies will die. The death of our natural bodies is simply the doorway to our life with God in heaven; it is a transfer from limited life on earth to the unimaginable life in the presence of God. The major issue in all of life is whether or not we have the Son. When our faith is in Jesus as Savior, we have the Son. Paul wanted the believers of His day to know that if they believed in the name of the Son of God, then they had eternal life. How awesome to know that whether we die of old age or our life is taken by an accident or sickness, the real us lives on! We no longer have to fear death; it has lost its sting. So, see yourself as who you really are-as one who is an eternal being because you have the Son. Having the Son makes all the difference in this life and the one to come. We are totally secure in Christ. 


John 10:27-28 “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand.”


Blessings, Buddy
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