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ABOUNDING IN HOPES

9/10/2022

September 10, 2022 ABOUNDING IN HOPE
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.”
Isaiah 40:31 “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”
1 Peter 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
The only hope that endures and stands the test of time is from God. In light of all the troubles and trials of the day in which we live, genuine hope is a rare quality. Often, hope is based on circumstances; if things are going my way, I am hopeful; hope that is unwavering regardless of our circumstances is rooted in a faith in God. Biblical hope sees beyond the immediate and it is not based on what we see at the present. It is indeed a miracle and a work of the Holy Spirit in us for to have hope in adverse circumstances. “Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1. There are many books written on the subject of hope and many sermons preached on hope, but in reality, there is one basic truth that leads to the hope that is ours. Simply said, hope is a by-product of a personal relationship with our heavenly Father where we know and experience His love for us. If we truly know the God of creation, the all-knowing and all-powerful God, then what do we have to fear or fret over? I know that that may sound like ‘pie in the sky,’ or theoretical, but it is true. We tend to take on too much-things we cannot control-and turn away from the liberating truths of the gospel and the simplicity found in Jesus. God knows and He forewarned us that we would have trials in this life, but no matter how severe the trial might be, God will take us through the trial and He will use it for good. As said above, hope is related to and based on faith in God-not on what we see in the natural. If the world around us needs anything, it is hope; not a false hope, but a genuine hope. God is moving toward an awesome day when things will be made right, when things will be restored, and when His people will receive their full inheritance. Sin, strife, wars, sickness and all that is wrong will be done away with when the Lord returns. Let fix our hope on the fact that God is with us in the here and now, and on the fact that He is coming back to restore and make all things right! The only sure hope and the only sure foundation is Jesus Christ.
Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Ephesians 1:18 “Having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,”
Blessings,
Buddy

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A GOOD FOUNDATION

9/8/2022

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September 8, 2022 A GOOD FOUNDATION
1 Timothy 6:18-19 “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life in deed.”
Matthew 7:24-25 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.”
Colossians 2:6-7 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
One thing for sure-the storms of life come; like it is often said, everyone is either going into a storm, in the middle of a storm, or coming out of a storm. In building a house, it is a must to build a good foundation; if not the walls crack, the house becomes un-level, and eventually falls unless major work is done to correct the foundation. Just as with a house, our life needs a good foundation to withstand the storms, and Jesus is the only solid and sure foundation for life. It is good to know that He is the foundation, but that alone is not enough; we must be about building on that foundation. We build on the foundation by not only reading the scriptures, but by embracing the word of God as a way of life-by putting into practice what we read. The decisions we make are to be based on the wisdom of God. Also, we are to have the attitude and thought life that honors God and pleases Him. I am not saying that we will be perfect in all we do; if you are building a house, you will likely cut a board the wrong length, and you may have to remove a board that was put in the wrong place-but you make the adjustments and you keep building. We are to work with God as He works in us-He is the Master builder. 2 Peter 1:5-8 is a good guide for building; “Now for this very reason, also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.” So, let us build on the only good foundation, Jesus Christ, so that we need not fear the storms, and what we are building will survive any storm.
2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.”
Blessings,
Buddy

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WHEN PRAYER CAN BE AN EXCUSE

9/6/2022

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September 6, 2022 WHEN PRAYER CAN BE AN EXCUSE
1 John 3:17-18 “But if anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
Isaiah 58:10 “If you pour yourself for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.”
Proverbs 11:24-25 “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whosoever brings blessings will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”
Prayer is the most powerful thing we can do; God tells us to pray; prayer changes things. However, prayer can also be empty and without power and it can be vain repetition. Matthew 6:7. Also, our prayers can be hindered for various reasons. James 4:3 gives one reason our prayers are hindered: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” For sure there are many times that all we can do is to pray to God, asking for His mercy and grace and for His intervention. However, prayer can be used as an excuse for not getting involved. I recently heard of a case in which someone told a friend that they needed help moving in to another house and that the move was going to be difficult; the friend replied by saying “I will pray for you.” Do you see something wrong with that picture? God does not expect us to meet every single need we see, but He will put needs before us that we can meet. Somehow, the idea of helping those in need seems burdensome; yet, when we help as God leads-when we do more than pray-we are blessed. In light of the fact that we cannot meet every need, we must be attentive to the leading of the Holy Spirit who guides us. As believers, we are to be a people who have a spirit of caring and helping and blessing others; Jesus went about caring and blessing. The reality that can be a stumbling block is that helping someone in need may require our time and perhaps our resources. But, note that Isaiah 58:10 tells us that when we meet needs of others, ‘our light will rise in darkness and our gloom will be as noonday.’ (I infer from that verse that a way to rid ourselves from gloom is to serve and help someone.) From the verse above in Proverbs, we find that when we give of our time and resources, when we go to the aid of others in need, when we give blessings, we will be enriched and we will be watered.
1 Timothy 6:18-19 “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”
Blessings,
Buddy

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TOP PRIORITY IN LIFE

9/4/2022

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September 4, 2022 TOP PRIORITY IN LIFE
2 John 6-8 “And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward. Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.”
Our priorities and our values reveal who we are. John has a way of presenting the gospel in a simple, yet powerful way. For example, he says that love is walking in the commandments of God; no one has difficulty getting the point. There are indeed many deceivers in the world and many deceptive philosophies that would lead us from the truth of God’s word, thus, we must ‘watch ourselves’ and avoid being deceived and led astray by anything or anyone that is contrary to the gospel. We may be quick to recognize and avoid what are obvious contradictions to the gospel, but it is often the things that do not seem like a big deal that lead us astray. For example, if I live a life of being self-centered, then I have fallen into the deceptive philosophy that says I should focus on doing the things that make me happy. Or, if I am unkind, harsh-or whatever, then I have chosen not to walk according to the gospel. The good news is that Jesus has set us free from the self-life, He has revealed truth to us, and He has shown us the way that leads to abundant life. Also, the amazing thing is that when we come to know and experience the love of God in a personal way, it becomes our desire and our nature to walk in his ways-to abide in the teachings of Christ-it’s that simple. The love of God changes our hearts; this is why John powerfully says that if one does not abide in the teachings of Christ, He does not have God. That bold statement may make us uncomfortable or make us question ourselves concerning whether or not we have God because at times we do not ‘abide in His teachings.’ We will at times will err in our walk with the Lord, but it does not have to be habitually. When we recognize we have erred, we repent and confess it to God and continue walking in His ways. Repenting and confessing is keeping His ways. Let us know that God has made a way for us to walk according to His commandments; we are no longer bound to live any other way. If you have not experienced His love or do not know His love for you, read His word to learn of Him and ask Him to reveal His love for you and your new identity as His child. Whatever we are doing in life and no matter our circumstances, let it be our priority to live in the teaching of Christ, and not be led away.
Hebrews 3:1-13 “Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls from the living God. But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called ‘today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Blessings,
Buddy

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September 02nd, 2022

9/2/2022

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September 2, 2022 EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING
Ephesians 1:3, 5-7, 9a, 11, 13b, 17-19a “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” “He predestined us to adoptions as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to His kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,” “He made known to us the mystery of His will,” “also we have obtained an inheritance,” “you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,” “that the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”
You could spend much time and still not exhaust all that Paul says in just the first chapter of Ephesians. The only way that we can begin to understand what God has done in and for us is that the ‘eyes of our hearts would be enlightened;’ one may be very bright and well read, but these truths become real to us only by the revelation of the Spirit. The scriptures give us many instructions how we are to conduct ourselves in this life, and this life is important; however, we must not forget that the spiritual is much greater and more powerful than the physical; the physical is temporary but the spiritual is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18 reminds us that what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. When we come to know Christ as our Savior, we are introduced to life in the kingdom of God and we spend a life-time learning and discovering the blessings that come as a result of being in the family of God; this is true even though we may be enduring great trials in life on earth. As we grow in the faith and in the knowledge of God, we become more aware of the importance of being led by the Spirit rather than by circumstances. Again, this in no way implies that our physical lives are not important; after all, God created us with a natural body and He gives instructions on how we are to live while we live in this flesh and bones; however, it is the Spirit of God in us who empowers us to live in the natural, and it is the Spirit who guides us. Living according to the Spirit makes us better stewards over the natural and as we live according to the Spirit, we are overcomers in life. Let us set our hearts to discover more of “what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.” God has indeed blessed us with every spiritual blessing!
Ephesians 3:17-19 “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.”
Blessings,
Buddy

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ABOUNDING IN HOPES

A GOOD FOUNDATION

WHEN PRAYER CAN BE AN EXCUSE

TOP PRIORITY IN LIFE

September 02nd, 2022

Buddy Fitzgerald

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