October 29, 2014                                   RECEIVING  THE  MESSAGE

Thessalonians 2:11-13: “..just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”                                                     In the first two chapters of Thessalonians we see where both Paul and the believers he was writing to were undergoing persecution for their faith and Paul was writing to express his thankfulness to God and to them for their faithfulness in receiving the gospel. Even during persecution and difficulty, the Thessalonians were walking in a manner worthy of God. The key to waking in a manner that pleases God is receiving the word as the word of God. To say that we believe the bible to be the word of God places great accountability on us.  How could one hold in his hand a book containing the word of God-the God who created the universe-and not be greatly impacted by it? Paul proclaimed the gospel everywhere he traveled and many heard the message, but it is obvious that many did not receive the messages as being from God. If there was anything that blessed Paul, it was seeing the gospel received and lived out. The word of God is living and powerful and we must be on guard, not letting familiarity with the word lessen its intended impact. Indeed, we are blessed to have the word of God in written form. When received, the message, or word from God, transforms us, it ushers in new life, it gives hope, it gives instruction for living, it defeats our enemy, it corrects, it gives wisdom, it gives meaning and purpose to life, it describes body life, it reveals our gifting, it guides, it reveals the purposes of God, it gives us a future, it comforts, and it abides forever! As we come to understand that we find true life through His word, we then desire the word. In 1 Peter 2:2 we find the exhortation: “like newborn babes, long for the pure word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.”  For believers, there is a growing or maturing process, and we grow and mature by receiving God’s word and by giving expression, or applying His word. His word is not theory, but reality. His word contains the truth and anything contrary to His word is a lie.                        So, let us “long for the pure milk of the word”, let us receive the word as from God and let us apply the word to every aspect of our lives. His word will “perform its work” in us if are one who believes His word and that we can be sure of.

Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Blessings,

Buddy

October 25, 2014                               SEASONED  WITH  SALT

Colossians 4:6: “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.”                                                                                                       The words we speak are more powerful than we realize. We are capable of speaking words that build up or words that tear down and thus we need to be alert to the words that proceed from our mouth. In is noteworthy that in the above scripture, “Let” is the first word. The Spirit of God is presently at work in us and unless we quench His work within, we will find ourselves giving expression, or giving evidence of His work within through our speech, through our action and through our thoughts. The Holy Spirit is always promoting from within the things that reflect the nature of God. We also see the word “always” and we might think that that sounds impossible, but again, as long as we are “letting” the Spirit have His way within, we will be reflecting His work. We are not bound or limited by human nature, but we have the power of God at work in us. We all know that salt brings out the flavor and that it can also be used as a preservative, so using salt as an analogy for speech presents a powerful truth. The words we speak should be with grace which says that our words should have the best interest of others at heart and our words should reflect compassion. Also, our words should build up and our words should bring out the best just as salt beings out the flavor. Also, we need to “know how to respond to each person”. There should be no “cookie cutter” approach in our speaking to others, but rather we are to realize that people are unique and the needs and situations are different for each person. It goes without saying that if our words are to be effective, we must be good listeners. As we listen to others, the Holy Spirit within us will give us the words to say that will be life to those who hear. There are times when it is necessary to use words that are for correction or even for rebuking, but even then our words are to have the intent of building up.  Speaking with the goal of building up will prevent us from lashing out in anger or using destructive words, and it will cause us to be good listeners. We know that once we speak a word, it cannot be taken back. If we do speak in a wrong manner or say something we should not have said, we can ask for forgiveness and often as we are asking for forgiveness in such situations, we will find that God is doing a deeper work in us and perhaps in the other person as well. God has a marvelous way of working for good even in situations and circumstances that may look hopeless to us.                                                                                                                       May we heed the instruction given in this verse and may we see that we can now speak words that bring life to us and to the hearer.

Ephesians 4:29: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word that is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

Blessings,

Buddy

October 18, 2014                              WHAT  TO  WEAR

In the last blog, we learned that we are to put off, or lay aside the things that displease the Father and we saw that we will actually incur God’s wrath if we do not lay aside the sins that we once walked in before we came to know God. Sin has consequence for the unbeliever and the believer as well. We know that those who belong to God will not lose their salvation because God is faithful. In Colossians 3:12-17 we find a good description of the normal Christian life and what we read here is not in any way complicated or difficult to understand, but rather, it is quite clear. One of the blessings of the gospel is that it is “doable” or within reach to the youngest and the oldest-the educated and the uneducated-the rich and the poor-to all who hunger for it. Just to highlight a few thoughts in these verses, we first see that we have been chosen by God and we are holy and beloved by Him! Because we are chosen and loved by God our Father, it is only natural to desire to “put on” the things that please Him. We can now, and we should, “put on” just as you would put on a coat: a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We are to bear with one another which means we don’t get irritated and we accept people as one loved by God. In verse 14 we read: “And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” We see in other scriptures that the basic or overriding commandment is to love. If we do love with the love that God has for us, we will for the most part, automatically put on the things that please Him and in turn, we will bless others like He blesses us. Love is essential if we are to have lasting unity.  Verses 15-16 go on to tell us to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts-what a needed word for today-the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts! Also, we are to “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you” and we are to teach and admonish one another, we are to worship Him and we are to be thankful. Finally, in verse 17 we read: “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.” Does he really mean everything we say or do? You got it! It all goes back to the basic-having our hearts transformed by His love for us. When we know the love of the Father, our life is then lived as an expression of His love and so all we say and all we do comes out of the transformed heart that is full of thankfulness.  Now, even the simple things in life take on new meaning-even when we drink a cup of coffee (or fruit juice for some of you), we do so with thanksgiving knowing we are greatly blessed by our Father. No longer is life to be mundane-but all things take on new meaning when we are walking with the Father. When we walk with our Father, He points many things along the way and it is never monotonous.  The idea, the fact that we can walk in fellowship with the God that created the universe and we can actually enjoy Him is almost beyond belief. Even more astounding is the fact that we can be becoming more and more like Him. Indeed, we are called, we are invited to live a super-natural life here on planet earth even in the midst of an imperfect world-imperfect now, but destined to be filled with His kingdom. You and I have every reason to rejoice and celebrate life no matter what is going on around us at the present.

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.”

Blessings,

Buddy 

October 15, 2014                                BELIEVERS  BEWARE

In the last blog, we looked at the instruction about setting our minds on the things above and to keep seeking the things above. We will see in today’s blog why these instructions are not just good ideas or suggestions but are indeed essential. In Colossians 3:5-7 we read: “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, evil desires and greed, which amount to idolatry. For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.”  One danger of misunderstanding the grace of God is that it causes one to overlook or take lightly the things that are not pleasing to the Lord. We must understand that each of us are guilty of having lived at one time a life as described in the verses above-a life not pleasing to the Lord because we did not know Him. If, now that we know Him, we don’t lay aside the things that are not pleasing to Him, the wrath of God will come on us! That sounds hard, but nonetheless it is true. The fact is that God does not excuse sin in our lives and He allows the consequences of sin to take place in our lives, but He does so in order to draw us back to Him. God does not excuse sin, but He will forgive sin when we confess sin to Him. So, it is a must that we “put off”, or lay aside everything that is not pleasing to Him, and we are to “put on” the things that do please Him-it’s really that simple. Verse 8 gives a partial list of what we are to lay aside-anger, wrath, malice, slander, abusive speech and in verse 9, not to lie. We lay aside these things, and all things that displease Him, because we profess that we have laid aside the old self (verse 9).  There are some things to “put on” as we see in verse 10: “and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him…  The key point for us to be reminded of today is that we will experience the “wrath of God” if we choose to allow sin to continue in our lives. In this case, the “wrath of God” is not losing our salvation, but God allowing the consequence of sin. We have all seen the damage that comes when a believer is involved in immorality. We have all seen the damage that comes from abusive speech and behavior, or gossip, or lying, or envy, or whatever. Know also that it is possible to look clean on the outside but on the inside to have impure thoughts and motives and attitudes that are just as displeasing to our Father as the more outward sins. God paid a high price in order for us to be made new and for us not to walk and live in this newness is counter to all God has done and wants to do in us and He will allow us to taste the consequence of sin BECAUSE He loves us and He is faithful to purify a people for His own possession. In the next blog, we will learn what to put on and it will be specific.

1 Thessalonians 4:1: “Finally, then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you may excel still more.

Blessings,

Buddy

October 11, 2014                                       SEEK  AND   SET                       

Colossians 2:1-4:  “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated, at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”                                                                                In this verse we find two choices we must make if we are to be overcomers in life and if we are to be expressions of His kingdom on earth.  First, we must set our mind on the things above where Christ is seated. It’s a no-brainer, but there are “things” above to seek after and these “things” are not vague or elusive, but are revealed in scripture and in the Spirit. The key is not to let our feelings determine whether or not we set our mind, but rather choose to set our mind regardless of how we feel at the moment.  If we set our mind on things on the earth we will not know the fullness that God has for us and we will suffer loss. We are surrounded by “things on the earth” so we are to be diligent and not set our minds on things in the earth.  Using things on the earth is certainly not wrong-it is a blessing to have a vehicle to drive, a house to live in and clothes to were, etc. but the key is to have our heart and mind  focused on the “things above” and to be a steward of the things on earth. God gives us all things to enjoy.  As we carry out our duties on earth and as we live life on earth, we are to be focused above. Second, we are instructed to “keep seeking”. There will be difficulties in life and situations to arise that may tempt us to stop seeking the things above, so we must be steadfast and not moved away from seeking the things above.  Often, it is in the trials or difficulties that God reveals truth and understanding that we did not have before if we are focused on Him and we have our spirit open to what He is saying.                                                                                                This “seeking and setting” is all bases on our having died to ourselves and our life being hidden in Christ. As long as, or when we live for ourselves, we will not know the joy and the blessings that God has for us. It is paramount that we come to understand that Christ is our life. Either He is our life or He is not our life-there is no in between. God invites us to discover the life that we have in Him. The doorway to coming to know that Christ as our life is having a desire to know Him, being diligent in the study of the gospel and asking the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to us as only He can do.  One day, Christ will be revealed to the whole world, and those who know Him as there life will be revealed with Him in glory. There is no other life than life in Him as any other life is dead compared to life in Him.

Romans 8:5-6:  For those who are according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”

Blessings,

Buddy

October 7, 2014                                    ALL  IS  FORGIVEN

Colossians 2:13-14: “And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”                                                                                                                Before we came to know Christ, we were dead in our transgressions.  “Transgressions” take many forms and does not refer only to overt sin, but also includes living with no acknowledgement of God or simply living to our own dictates. Whether we were guilty of overt sins or simply living life to our own desire and design, we were dead and did not know God. Not by our works nor by our intellect, but by His work through Christ, we were made alive-alive together with Him. Even though we are alive with Christ now, there may be times when we recall, or we are reminded of sins of the past. As the enemy of God, one of the schemes of Satan is to remind us of our past sins in effort to rob us of our life in Christ. We must remember that Satan can only do what he is allowed to do and as someone said; Satan’s worse day will be when he discovers that everything he has ever done furthered the purposes of God. It is essential that we know that every sin we ever committed, no matter what it they were, we are forgiven! Before we came to know Christ, we were indebted and we had decrees against us declaring that we were guilty and we would have to pay the price of sin. The extraordinary wording in the above verse is that our debt has been paid, the certificates of debt has been canceled and they have been “nailed to the cross”-what a picture! If and when you think of personal sin, past or present, picture it nailed to the cross on which Jesus was crucified and use the remembering of sin as a reason to praise and worship God for His forgiveness. May we not take lightly- may we remember and may we appropriate- all that Christ accomplished when He died so that we may have life-freed from all sin.    

Romans 8:2  “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

Blessings,

Buddy

October 4, 2014                                 NOW  WE  KNOW

Colossians 1:25-27: “…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.”                                                                                                              Sometimes we lose sight of just what great impact the coming of Christ had and how privileged we are to live post-resurrection. The great mystery has now been made known to His saints-you and I. The mystery revealed to His saints is that Christ is in us! That sounds simple, but the implications are far reaching and life changing. It is God’s desire and plan for us to know that we are complete in Christ and we lack nothing in Him. Paul endured great hardship and suffered greatly on our behalf that we might know what it means to be in Christ and Christ in us. Colossians 2:2: “..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.” Christ IS the answer, He IS the solution, He IS knowledge, He IS wisdom, He IS the source of all blessings and He IS the only way man can be complete. We can now spend the rest of our days searching out treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are found only in Christ. The more we come to understand what it means to be in Christ, the more we are amazed at what we discover. Whatever we need, Christ supplies. As we line up with God’s plans for our lives, we will find that the things we desire are the things that will please Him and thus we can be assured that the things we pray for are ours. Being in Him and He in us is a union that brings ultimate fulfillment and purpose in life. This union with Christ is the source of the passion we see in Paul and other New Testament writers and they were willing to undergo trials and sufferings to make this truth known.  All of the riches of Christ become ours when come to a point where pleasing Him trumps pleasing ourselves and we from the heart  acknowledge that “He is the potter and we are the clay” and we yield all of ourselves to Him.

Ephesians 2:4-7: “But God being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He may show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Blessings,

Buddy

October 1, 2014                   THAT  YOU  MAY  BE  FILLED

Colossians 1:10-12:  …..that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attainment of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. For He delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” In Colossians, Paul is expressing thankfulness for spiritual attainments that the believers in Colossae had accomplished. Perhaps we too need to be reminded that that we need to “attain”, or continue to gain greater understanding of the gospel. Without a desire to grow in understanding of the gospel and all of its implications, we remain stagnant and even become disillusioned.  We must realize that spiritual maturity is not automatic for the believer and we must realize that we have need to attain. We will in this life never “max out” in our maturity; we are to be continually maturing in the faith.  We put a lot of emphasis on how we “feel”, but we must not let feelings dictate how we live or deter us from “pressing on” to know our God more fully. As we see in this verse, “knowledge of His will” should cause us to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.” Walking worthy is all about bearing fruit, increasing in the knowledge of Him, being strengthened with power, attaining steadfastness and patience and joyfully giving thanks to our Father. Jesus has a kingdom-and we have been transferred from darkness to His kingdom and now we live in the light! When we understand the transfer that has taken place, our life takes on new meaning and purpose. In the light of His kingdom, we live life as an overcomer-overcoming all that is unlike the kingdom of God. In His kingdom we live victoriously.                                                                 We are told in scripture to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith, that is, living according to our new identity. Let us examine ourselves in light of the above scripture, and determine if we are indeed “attaining” greater understanding of His kingdom and is our understanding leading to expressions of “walking worthy of the Lord.”

Philippians 3:12-14: “Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ  Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Blessings,

Buddy