Blog Archives - TheNewU

ANTIDOTE FOR ANXIETY

9/29/2016

September 29, 2016 ANTIDOTE FOR ANXIETY
Luke 12:30-32: “For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but our Father knows that you need these things. But seek for His kingdom and these things shall be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”
In just a few words, these verses reveal much about the nature of our Father and just how awesome He is. In the preceding verses in this chapter of Luke, Jesus is giving the antidote for being anxious about the necessities of life-food and clothing, and He simply, but powerfully tells His listeners not to be anxious for their life. Jesus reminds them that God provides for the animals and He “clothes the lilies of the field,” so certainly He will provide for them. The basic, survival nature of man, and the first instinct, is to seek food and clothing, but the message that Jesus gave rearranges the priority of man. It is contrary to man’s nature, but Jesus makes it known that if man first seeks the kingdom of God, God will add the things we need for life. Either we are busy ‘getting’ what we need, or we are living life knowing that it is God who supplies our needs; knowing that God supplies our needs is crucial if we are to be free of anxiety. It is also comforting to know that God, the creator, is concerned for our well- being and He is aware of what we need. Knowing our needs and supplying our needs is only a part of a much bigger picture-that of being a part of His kingdom. How blessed we are that God is our Father, and that He “has chosen gladly” to give us the kingdom of God! The fact that God is anxious to share His life-His kingdom-with those who have placed their faith and hope in Him, may be a truth difficult to comprehend, but it is indeed a fact. The compassion, love, and tenderness of Jesus becomes obvious when He uses the term “little flock,” when He addresses those who are following Him. God is aware of all of the difficulties and trials that come with life, and of the evil that is ever-present in the world, but because He is our Father, we do not have to be afraid. We find great comfort in the fact that God is our Father, that He desires to share His life with us, that He has chosen, and is anxious to give us His kingdom, that He is not only aware of our needs, but He also supplies our needs, and that He is full of compassion. May the depth of the love and care that our Father has for each of us become known in our spirits, minds, and hearts.
Luke 12:6-7: “What is the price of five sparrows-two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.”
Blessings,
Buddy

ATTAINING ALL THE WEALTH

9/25/2016

September 25, 2016 ATTAINING ALL THE WEALTH
Colossians 2:2-4: “that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with persuasive argument.”
As believers, we must understand that all of the blessings that are available to us do not happen automatically. As we read the scriptures, we quickly realize that there is a battle taking place and this battle centers around understanding “God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” It was Paul’s desire and his passion for the believers to “attain to all the wealth” that comes by understanding this mystery of God. Paul’s use of the word ‘attaining’ denotes the fact that understanding this mystery does not happen automatically for the believer. To know that Christ is in us and to know that in Christ are hidden all wisdom and knowledge, results in “the full assurance of understanding.” There is no greater understanding, no greater revelation, no greater knowledge, and no greater pursuit than that of attaining the awareness of the riches that are in Christ. Because the treasures that are in Christ or ‘hidden,’ only believers in Christ have the opportunity to understand this great mystery of God, that is, Christ in us. If understanding this mystery is not automatic for the believer, then it becomes a matter of ‘attaining to this understanding,’ which leads to the question of how we ‘attain.’ I know of no set formula or ten easy steps to attain to the understanding of this mystery, but by reading the scriptures, we find our answers. Having a hunger and a passion to know God is the starting point to discovering the mystery of God that is in Christ, and as one reads the scriptures out of this hunger to know Him, God will begin to reveal the riches that are in Christ. It’s amazing, but even the desire to know God is something that God puts in our hearts-and that is a beginning point of understanding the riches that are in Him. Just as in the day of Paul, we must be on guard against anything or any teaching that would distract us from the truth that all wisdom and knowledge are in Christ, and that He is in us and we are in Him. When we personally discover the riches that are in Christ, we will be encouraged, and we will be expressions of the love of God. Let us not settle for less than God has for us; let us be sure that we attain the wealth that comes with knowing the riches that are in Christ.
Philippians 3:14: “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Blessings,
Buddy
PS: We will find the Christian life to be difficult, and we will not enjoy a sense of being complete, until we discover the riches that are in Christ.

GOOD INTENTIONS

9/21/2016

September 21, 2016 GOOD INTENTIONS
2 Corinthians 8:10-11: “And I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. But now finish doing it also, but just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability.”
When Paul wrote these words, there were believers in Corinth who in the past had expressed a desire to support other believers who were in need, and now Paul was urging them to follow through with what they said they wanted to do. In verse eight, Paul made it clear that he was not commanding them to give, but was encouraging them to complete what was in their heart to do in regards to supporting those in need, and by doing so, they would be proving the sincerity of their love. I don’t know about you, but I need to heed what Paul is saying in this passage of scripture because I sometimes fail to follow through with something the Holy Spirit prompts me to do. The Holy Spirit may prompt us, or give us a desire, to do something as simple as making a phone call and checking on a friend or someone in need, but unless we make the call, the desire is of no benefit to us or the other person. Paul said it was good to have the desire, but we must also complete the desire by the best of our ability. The Holy Spirit is doing His part; if we are listening, He is prompting us and giving us desires that are in keeping with what God is doing and as we express, or follow through with these desires or promptings, we are partnering with God in His work. Interestingly, Paul made it known that it is to our advantage to complete the desire that God has put in our heart. What I find inspiring about this passage is its simplicity and practicality; it’s not about theological ideals or debate, but is about the practical outworking of the gospel. God is at work in the day-to-day affairs of life on earth, and He is putting thoughts and desires in our mind and heart so that we can be a part of His blessing others through us. As believers, let us not only have a desire to do what God puts in our heart, but let us complete to the best of our ability the desire that He gives. He will not give us a desire that we cannot complete, but will enable us to complete anything He puts in our heart and mind. All thoughts and desires are not from God, so the key is that we are sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit that is within us and that we complete it to the best of our ability.
1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Blessings,
Buddy

PROVE YOURSELF

9/17/2016

September 17, 2016 PROVE YOURSELF
James1:22, 25: “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.”
The book of James makes it abundantly clear that faith and works are connected, and if we misunderstand that truth, we are in error. There is a current teaching to today that places the emphasis on grace, but fails to point out that an accurate understanding of grace results in works. We must understand however that only through the grace of God that He extended to us by sacrificing His Son could we ever come to know Him; we stood in great need of the grace of God. Perhaps because of information overload, or whatever the reason, it seems that in our culture, we are content just to hear-and not act. We can hear a great message or listen to a great sermon, and then go our way, not impacted by what we heard. The sobering truth in the scripture above is that if we are not a ‘doer of the word’, then we are deceiving ourselves! As someone said in a song, we may be “moved by what we heard, but not changed.” Our salvation is much more than a ticket to heaven; our salvation is about being transformed into His image-and that process is to start at our salvation. As we are being transformed into His image, we are becoming more and more like Jesus in thought, word and deed. Christianity is not just about having the right theology or what one professes to believe, but about being disciples of Jesus-and the goal of the disciple is to become like their discipler. Works-putting the word into action-are necessary because the works we are called to do give a clear, tangible picture of what our God is like, and God is good. The scriptures tell us that Jesus went about doing good (Acts 10:38) and the scriptures tell us that we are to do the same, as we see in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” It is important to understand that it’s not about just finding something ‘good’ to do, as anyone could do that, but it’s about understanding that God has already prepared good works for us to do and the Holy Spirit will let us know what those works are. At the same time, we should live and act out of a heart that God has made ‘good’, so we do not have to wait for a voice from heaven before we engage in a good work-being about good works should be our nature
James 2:20: “But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?”
Blessings,
Buddy

THE ULTIMATE DELIVERANCE

9/14/2016

September 14, 2016 THE ULTIMATE DILIVERANCE
2 Timothy 4:18: “The Lord will deliver me from every deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever.”
When Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, he knew that soon his life would be taken because of his faith in God and his being a faithful minister of the gospel. This letter was written from prison and many say that this was his last letter. There are some to day who believe that God delivers them from every “evil deed,” and when they do encounter an evil deed, they say that it was a result of an attack of Satan. However, this view gives Satan too much credit as He cannot do more that God allows him to do. God does not send evil to his people, but He can and does use evil to further His purposes. We have to face the fact that Paul, who some would say was the greatest Christian ever, was in jail, and certainly putting him in jail and taking his life because of his faith was an “evil deed.” Yes, there are many times when God delivers us from evil in the here and now, and probably more times than we realize, but the reality is that sometimes He does not deliver us from evil deeds of others. The good news is that He uses the evil we encounter to advance His purposes, even though we may not understand how and why, and He promises us that He will strengthen us and be with us in any trial. We have all asked why bad things happen to good people, but if we are to find any answer for the evil that we see, and sometimes encounter, we must come to know that God is sovereign and that He is in the midst of fulfilling His purposes. We are called to stand fast and endure all that comes our way, knowing that our Father loves us and is in the process of transforming us into His image. Certainly, Jesus was without sin, but He encountered the greatest of evil deeds when He was crucified. Because Christ is in us, we can avoid becoming bitter or defeated when we encounter evil, and we can find God’s grace and strength to be sufficient for whatever we face. How we respond to evil deeds is crucial because our response to evil reveals what we know of the love of God and because it presents an opportunity to express the love of God. Having this right response to evil deeds does not mean that we do not resist evil or that we do not seek justice, but we are to respond in accordance to the Spirit within us. We find hope in the fact that God will indeed deliver us from every deed and will bring us to live with Him forever! In the meantime, we are to live as overcomers in a world that is plagued with evil-because we are overcomers in Him.
Matthew 5:11: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.”
James 1:12: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.”
Blessings,
Buddy

FIXING OUR EYES

9/9/2016

September 9, 2016 FIXING OUR EYES
2 Corinthians 4:18: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
This is a counter-culture verse for sure! We live in a culture that operates on what is seen and what brings immediate pleasure; tremendous energy is given to acquire what is temporal, while what is eternal is often neglected. As a culture, we want a bigger better home, a newer car with all the gadgets, fashionable clothes, prestige, a better income, a comfortable retirement, to be attractive physically, and whatever make us feel good-and the list goes on. This is not to say that these things are evil or wrong in and of themselves, and in fact we need some of the temporal, such as food, clothing, shelter, etc., in order to survive physically, and God supplies these things; so as believers, we are able to see even the temporal with an eternal view. The problem with being focused on the temporal is that the desire for more and better is never satisfied and ultimately we come to a place of dissatisfaction. We live either focused on the temporal or focused on the eternal; when one does not know God, living for the temporal is the only option. Jesus came that man might be redeemed, giving us eternal life, and it is by faith in Christ that we are redeemed, and it is this faith in the finished work of Christ that makes the difference when it comes to being focused on the temporal or being focused on the eternal. Having the faith that God gives, enables us to live in the physical, temporal world with an eternal view where we can “fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen.” Throughout scripture we find those individuals who because of their faith in God, were focused on God and eternity. (See Hebrews 11). A good example of being focused on the eternal is found in the encounter Jesus had with the Samaritan woman at the well when Jesus said in John 4:13-14: “Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst again; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.’ In 1 John 2:17 we are reminded of the temporal nature of the world: “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” Being focused on the eternal is a result of knowing God and having a living, vibrant relationship with Him. When we truly know Him, our heart is drawn to Him and our heart is filled with faith in all that He has promised to those who believe. The words of an old hymn say it well: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” Let us enjoy the things that God gives us, but may we be focused on the eternal promises that God has made to those who believe in Him.
Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Blessings,
Buddy

PRACTICE THESE THINGS

9/5/2016

September 5, 2016 PRACTICE THESE THINGS
Philippians 4:8-9: “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 on these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me-practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
With no doubt, Paul’s life was transformed by the truth of the gospel. These final verses of Philippians capture the heart of the message that Paul had for the believers at Philippi-and for us as well-and they present us with two challenges. The first challenge deals with our thought life, and though it is for sure a formidable challenge in the natural, we can bring our thoughts in line with the gospel because we have been given a new mind. We all know the power of thoughts and it is true that the mind is the battleground. Proverbs 23:7 tells us that “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” We have to own our thoughts; we must understand that we choose what we think about. The battle of the thought life is all about whether we think out of the new mind that God has given us, or out of the old mind that dominated our thinking before we came to know the Lord. However, even as a believer, thinking as we should is not automatic; right thinking requires that we walk in newness, according to the Spirit of God within us. There is a maturing process that should be taking place in our walk with the Lord, and our thought life should be continually being formed to the new person we are in Christ. Let us heed the instructions of Paul and let us “practice these things,” and by so doing, we will experience His peace. The second challenge has to do with living our lives in such a way that we can say as Paul said: “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me-practice these things.” Paul was not bragging, but was giving his testimony as to how God had totally changed his life. It is not arrogant to say to “do as I do,” provided our lives reflect the fact that we are living according to the gospel-the life of Christ in me. To live according to the truth of the gospel and for our life to resemble the life that Jesus demonstrated, may sound like a high calling, or even an impossibility, but because we are in Christ and have been made new, we can live such a life. This is not saying that we will be perfect, but it does mean that we are quick to deal with any failure or sin and we are quick to adjust our lives as the Spirit directs. Today, may each of us “practice these things.”
2 Corinthians 10:5: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Ephesians 4:23: “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.”
Blessings,
Buddy

BEING CAREFUL

9/1/2016

September 1, 2016 BEING CAREFUL
Ephesians 5:15-16: “Be careful, them, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
In the fifth chapter of Ephesians, Paul is admonishing the believers to be careful as to how they live their lives, and he gives specific instructions for living is such a way that is in keeping with their new identity as new creations. The believers who lived during the time that the New Testament was written, lived in difficult times where persecution and immorality were the norm, and in fact, Paul described the days as being evil. There is a great tendency to capitulate to the ways of the culture in which one lives, and in fact, unless resisted, one becomes a part of the culture, and so the admonition and the warning not to “go with the flow” when it comes to the culture is a message to believers of our day. As someone said, as believers, we are to be change agents of the culture instead of being changed by the culture. As we live in the culture, and as we interact with those who live according to the culture, we must be careful not to become judgmental or project an air of superiority, but just as Jesus did, we are to have compassion on those who do not know Him and we are to be light (light helps us as well as others) in a dark world. In fact, we are to “make the most of every opportunity” as ambassadors who have been called to represent the kingdom of God. Because we too live in “evil days,” we are not to be foolish, but are to live as wise men and women who have been given wisdom that comes from God. The culture has lost its way and is in desperate need of light, and as believers, we have the mandate to be that light, and when we are being light, we are in the will of God. No matter in what circumstance we find ourselves, and no matter what is taking place in the culture, we are to be looking for every opportunity to let the light of His kingdom shine. Let us heed the message of being careful as to how we live.
Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
2 Corinthians 5:20: “Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
Blessings,
Buddy