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WHOM  THE  FATHER  WILL  SEND

10/31/2018

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October 31, 2018                                   WHOM  THE  FATHER  WILL  SEND
John 14:23, 26 “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and, make our abode with him”.     But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.’”
The Christian Godhead is one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three Persons are distinct, yet they are one. Even though it is impossible for our finite minds to totally understand this three Persons in One, it is real and it impacts the life of the believe more than we can even imagine. Today, we will briefly look at the role of the Holy Spirit and the necessity of the Holy Spirt in the life of the believer. It is awesome that God said that He, the Son, and the Holy Spirit would come and make their abode with those that love Him! (It is interesting and critical to note that those who love Him will keep His word-that’s another subject.) We tend to think that it is through our own intellect that we learn of God; but the reality is that apart from the work of the Holy Spirt of God in us, we would never come to know God. God is God, and man is man, and there is a vast separation between the two; God is Holy, and man is a sinner. But thanks be to God, God bridged this gap through the person of Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death and has restored our relationship with Him. As a believer, we can live the Christian life and experience the truths and blessings of the gospel only because it is the Holy Spirit of God living in us, revealing the scriptures and empowering us to live in harmony with God’s word. It is not sufficient to have a mental understanding of the scriptures only; the truth of the scriptures must be revealed, or made real in our spirit, and that is what the Holy Spirit does. Jesus knew that apart from the Holy Spirit being given to believers, they could not understand the scriptures and would not have the power needed to live out the gospel; we need to fully embrace the fact that the Holy Spirit is the Helper. John 16:13 is a wonderful promise to the believer: “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” Another awesome truth to grasp is found in Romans 8:11: “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Our mortal bodies or just that-they are mortal. BUT the Spirit of God in us gives life, real life, to our mortal bodies! What God has done in us is far greater than we presently know, but what we do know from the scriptures may in a way seem too good to be true. We have been saved from a life separated from God and doomed for hell; we have been forgiven; we have been made new creations with new hearts and new minds and new spirits; and we have been adopted into the family of God. All of this is made real to us by the Holy Spirit, the Helper, who has been sent to live in each believer. Let us never lose sight of the fact that the life God has for us, as depicted in the scriptures, is beyond our reach apart from the Holy Spirit living in us, revealing truth and empowering us to live according to His word and to His plans for us. Our mortal bodies now have the life of God within.
Galatians 5:25 “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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KINGDOM  LIVING  part 10

10/29/2018

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October 28, 2018                                  KINGDOM  LIVING  part 10
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour out into your lap a good measure-pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.
2 Corinthians 9:7 “Let each man do according as he has purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”
These two verses highlight a key difference in how the kingdom of God works and how the kingdom of this world works. The prevailing belief of the world system is that one focuses on, and pursues whatever it is he wants. To the world, it is plain common sense that you have by getting. The world, those who do not known God, rush about, spending time and money in the never-ending pursuit of acquiring what they want. There is a basic thought of man that says that if he gets a certain thing or gets to a certain place in life, he will be happy. Man has an innate awareness that he needs something, that he is incomplete, thus he pursues what he believes will fill that void. This quest of man to find fulfillment can be satisfied only by having a living relationship with God that comes through knowing the fullness that Jesus brings as we walk in His ways. It is a mystery, but when one focuses on giving, he receives. The very nature of God is that of being a giver; God so loved that He gave. As believers walk in their new identity in the Lord, in their new nature, they also become givers; if a believer is not a giver, then he or she has not come to know the love of God that is available to them.  The giving that God takes pleasure in is a by-product of love. Having a generous and giving spirit is an attribute or characteristic of one that is walking with the Lord. Giving is not limited to giving money, it is much broader. For the believer, because acts of giving originate in the heart, all that we say and do take on the flavor of giving and blessing. There are limitless ways in which a giving heart can be expressed; such as, by taking the time to bless someone, by listening, by helping with a need, by praying for someone, by speaking a word of encouragement, by giving money to meet a need, and etc. etc. Even though it may sound illogical to say that we receive when we give, that’s the way it is in God’s kingdom. Some may misuse the intent of this verse by giving for the purpose of getting instead out of the desire to bless; God deals with us on the basis of our hearts and He knows the deepest motives of our hearts. To say again, God is about us being transformed to the point that we know and experience His love, and out of His love filling our hearts, we have a desire to give and to bless with no thought as to what we may receive in return. Once one discovers that he or she can take on the nature of a giver, just as God is a giver, and begins to put giving into action, they will be blessed beyond measure. When we discover and operate in the God kind of giving, we will find inexpressible joy as we give. Let us not give with the desire to be noticed or with the belief that if we give, we will earn God’s approval; let us give out of a new and pure heart-God will be well pleased and we will be blessed in the process.
Proverbs 11:25 “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
2 Corinthians 9:10 “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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KINGDOM  LIVING  part 9

10/25/2018

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October 25, 2018                                KINGDOM  LIVING  part 9
1 Peter 1:13-16 “Therefore, gird your mind for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lust which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
The Christian life is a call to action, to be on guard, to be diligent, to be focused, and to be steadfast. The gospel of the kingdom of God is not passive and it is not just an option, or a book of suggestions for us to consider implementing. It may seem like a paradox, but the Christian life is one of experiencing the peace of God and at the same time a life of being engaged in battle. As believers, we face battles on three fronts. One is that we live a world system that is contrary to the gospel, thus the stage is set for battle, primarily a spiritual battle. The second is that we must choose whether we walk according to the flesh, or according to the Spirit; the battle comes at the point of us choosing to crucify or deny our self. Also, Satan is out to ‘kill, steal, and destroy’ those who belong to God, he is the deceiver that would turn us from God just as he did Adam and Eve. (Satan’s powers are limited and we have victory over him when we are walking in the spirit.) As we realize that we face these battles in this life, we understand the necessity of girding, or getting our mind ready for action. This ‘action’ is both physical and spiritual in nature. It must be our priority to see that we are taking dominion over our minds, having the scriptural view and understanding of life, and knowing who we are in Him and our purpose in life. Because there are many things that would distract us from focusing on His purposes for us, we must keep sober in spirit, refusing to be distracted. It is essential that we fix our hope on Him and the blessings we will receive when He comes again. We are surrounded by temporal situations and circumstances that would rob us of our hope; if our hope is based on the temporal and on circumstances, we will be disappointed. Also, this verse reminds us that even though we have been transformed, it is possible for us to revert, to be conformed to who we use to be before we were converted to faith in Christ-another reason to keep sober in spirit. Because God is holy, and because we are in Him and He is in us, we also are to be holy in all of our behavior. We must understand that God has chosen to work through those who belong to Him; we have been enlisted into His army; and we are called to live as unto Him-not unto ourselves. Let us not be caught coasting through life; let us take our position on the front lines of battle. We are called to fight in the battles where our victory is already assured-we get to be a part of what He is doing. And remember, contrary to the lie we hear, we can be holy in all our behavior.
1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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KINGDOM  LIVING  part 8

10/22/2018

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October 22, 2018                                  KINGDOM  LIVING  part 8
Colossians 3:12-14 “And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And above all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
In the first part of Colossians 3, Paul admonishes the believers to lay aside any sinful practices of their life before being converted to Christ and to consider the members of their earthly body as dead to sin. In the verse above, Paul instructs the believers to put on certain things that are in keeping with those who belong to the Lord. As humans, we often have a tendency to complicate things, and to make things more difficult than they are; it also seems that man has difficulty simply receiving, with no strings attached and without having a sense that he must return the favor, or pay back in some way to the one who gave. Not knowing and under estimating the power of the gospel results in a life of frustration and a life that falls short of the life that God has made available to every believer. We must understand that apart from the Holy Spirit having full sway in our lives and apart from knowing who we are in Christ, we cannot live the Christian life as depicted in the gospel. In a very subtle way, many believe that if they study enough, pray enough, go to church enough, give enough, and etc., they will at some point be pleasing to the Lord and gain His approval; it is like the rabbit chasing the carrot-he never catches it. The gospel that Jesus proclaimed was and is radical-radical to the ways of man, but it introduced to man life in the kingdom of God. Because the gospel contradicted the ways of man and the religion of the day, many rejected the gospel of the kingdom of God. Even in our day, man-made religions and the innate tendency of man to think that in some way he has to earn God’s approval is actually a rejection of the gospel of the kingdom of God. The truth that we must set out mind on is that we, as believers, have been chosen of God and have been made new (not just refurbished) and have been given new hearts, new spirits, and new minds, and have been given the Holy Spirt who leads us, who reveals the things of God, and who empowers us to live the super-natural life of the kingdom of God. We must realize deep within that we have been transferred from the kingdom of this world into the kingdom of God-it has been done! Can we, as the saying goes, ‘ever get it into our thick skulls’ and into our spirits, that we are new creations who are able to live according to the gospel? Yes! We can this moment put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience; we can bear with one another, we can forgive one another, and we can do all the things that please the Lord and that are in keeping with the new people we are. May we grasp the wonderful simplicity of being able to put on the attributes of the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 4:23-24 “and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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KINGDOM  LIVING  part 7

10/19/2018

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​October 19, 2018                               KINGDOM  LIVING  part 7
Colossians 1:9-12 “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask 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 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.”
If there has ever been a power-packed sentence, this is it! This one sentence captures the heart of what it means to be in Christ, and it gives a clear view of the new nature that God has given us. The important thing to realize is that the things spoken of in this verse is not a list of things we must work on and get better at. Notice the “so that” that connects the two over-riding truths of the verse: being filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom, results in the life depicted in the remainder of the verse. It was the all-consuming passion of Paul for believers to know and experience what it meant to be in Christ and for Christ to be in them. Many in the church today, including those who are leaders in the church, propagate the idea that it is through commitment and self effort that spiritual growth takes place. This is largely because mankind, by his very nature, assumes that it is up to him to get whatever he wants or needs. Even believers may have difficulty in accepting the fact that God has given them a new heart and a new nature, not because they have earned it, but because God in His grace chose to do so when they were born again. (Do not misunderstand, being committed and taking responsibility is a good thing.) We must understand that only because God has made us new and has given us the Holy Spirit, can we live a life in keeping with His design. It is simply a matter of choosing to put off our old man-who we use to be-and to put on the new man that we are in Christ. So, it’s not a matter of self-effort, but a matter of believing and yielding to, and walking in the reality of who God says we are in Him-according to the new creation that we are. The verses above describes the life that is ours in Christ-let the truth of it become reality for us. It’s true-we can walk in a way that pleases the Lord; we can please Him in all respects; we can bear fruit in every good work; we can increase in the knowledge of God; we can be strengthened with all power according to His might; we can attain to all steadfastness and patience; we can with joy give thanks to our Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints-and we are saints now. This all may sound too good to be true and beyond our reach, but this is the life that is available to every believer. We must reject the lie that tells us that we cannot live such a life here on earth, in the nitty-gritty of life, and we must ask God to open our eyes and understanding so that we might know and embrace our true identity in Him. If you are tired of struggling and trying in your own strength to live the Christian life and tired of the spiritual roller-coaster life, there is good news for you. Your salvation is greater than you think; not only does it assure you of heaven, it makes you a totally new creation, with a new nature, a new mind, and a new spirit. Read the scriptures, and as you read, ask God to reveal to you who you really are in Him.     
Ephesians 1:18   “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
Blessings,
Buddy
 
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KINGDOM  LIVING  part 6

10/16/2018

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October 16, 2018                                       KINGDOM  LIVING  part 6
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.”
1 Thessalonians 3:12 “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.”
We may say that we love God or we love someone, but we do not normally think in terms of our love increasing and abounding. It is abundantly clear in scripture that God is a God of love. Unlike human love, the love of God is supernatural and it is not a selfish love, but a love that gives and blesses, and is a love that inexhaustible. The amazing truth for us is that God has poured out His love into our hearts as we see in Romans 5:5: “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  No longer are we limited to human love that is rooted in self. As a believer, we may have full mental agreement that God is a God of love and that He loves us, but yet not experience the power of that love. If that is the case, there is no shame or disgrace in confessing that to God and asking Him to reveal His love to you in a personal way. The ultimate expression of the love of God was demonstrated when He sent His only Son to die on a cross that we might be redeemed and set free from the power of sin. Throughout the New Testament, we see Jesus expressing His love for the Father and His love for His brothers and sisters and even for those who rejected Him. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son……” John 3:16.  God’s love, the love He has poured into our hearts, is a love that gives, that blesses others, is not based on what others do or don’t do, loves the unlovely, seeks the welfare of others, is not prideful, is full of hope, and a love that speaks the truth. We cannot love this way in our own strength, but because He has poured out His love into our hearts, we can be living demonstrations of the love of God. When the love of God is operable in our lives, we will have real knowledge and discernment, we will know what is excellent, and our love will abound and increase! And, when it is the love of God that motivates us and empowers us in life, we will be filled with the fruit of righteousness (not only be righteous, but also enjoy the fruit of righteousness) that comes through Jesus, AND we will be found blameless when He returns! Is there anything greater or higher than this? Experiencing the love that God has poured out into our hearts has a way of simplifying life and giving purpose to life. Whoever wrote the song it had it right: “I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me.” Is our love abounding and increasing for our spouse, for our children, for our neighbors? The miracle of miracles is that God has indeed poured out His supernatural love into our hearts if we know Him as Savior and because His Holy Spirit lives in us, we can be consistent expressions of His love no matter the circumstances.
1 John 4:16 “So we know and we rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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KINGDOM  LIVING  part 5

10/13/2018

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October 13, 2018                                 KINGDOM  LIVING  part 5
Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellency and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace shall be with you.
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
We are all aware of the awesome power of the mind, yet we often fail to harness the power, or rule over our mind; there is a tendency to let our mind set its own course, to wonder where it chooses. Our actions, our motives, and our words are rooted in our mind. (Often, in scripture, the words ‘mind’ and ‘heart’ or interchangeable, referring to the core of a person.)  One of the most powerful truths that we need to cling to is the fact that we have the power to choose what we think about. Rather than letting our mind set the course of our thought life, we must take control and let our mind serve us. For sure, we are bombarded with countless things that we could choose to think about, many of which are harmful to us. Our mind does not naturally think on the right things-we must chose to take dominion over what our mind dwells on. Taking control of our mind may seem impossible, but the good news for us is that at salvation, God gives us a new mind. When we understand our new identity and when we are walking according to the Spirit, our minds do indeed dwell on what is right and what is true; notice that in the above verse, we are told to let our mind dwell on these things-the Spirit in us is always drawing us, including our mind, to the things of God. Unless we take action, we will be conformed to this world in our thinking. When our mind is renewed, then we are transformed. When our mind is renewed, we can know the will of God for us and we can live in newness, where our thoughts are pleasing to the Lord. Much of the depression, stress, and anxiety in our culture is rooted in un-renewed minds. God wants us to experience the power of the mind that is functioning according to His design. It’s a reality that we live in a fallen world where there are problems and challenges on every hand, but even though that’s the world in which we live, we can overcome the world’s way of thinking and think like sons and daughters of God, being light and enjoying the peace of God. There will be times when a wrong thought comes, but what we do with that thought is critical. Someone made the analogy of an initial thought being like an airplane overhead requesting permission to land; when a wrong thought comes to mind, do not give it permission to land. An initial wrong thought is the temptation, but simply refuse to ‘let it land,’ and then replace it with a godly thought. Today, let us make the choice to think on the things we see in verses 8 and 9 above and let us be transformed by renewing our mind-choosing to think on those things that fit our new nature, and please our Father.
Colossians 3:2 “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
Blessings,  Buddy
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KINGDOM  LIVING  part 4

10/10/2018

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​October 10, 2018                       KINGDOM  LIVING  part 4
Hebrews 10:23-25 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering; for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”
Because we live in a culture of ‘individualism’ and ‘independence,’ we may find ourselves not practicing the ‘one another’ scriptures. This emphasis on individualism and independence has also resulted in a failure to understand and practice body life as depicted in the New Testament. It is a clear teaching of scripture that believers are connected to one another and need one another if we are to mature in Christ and represent Him to the world. The body functioning as the body of Christ together and in harmony will have its intended impact on the world in which we live.  In the verses above, we are instructed to “consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” As in all cases, the message of the ‘one another’ verses is clear. We are to think of ways in which we can encourage and stimulate others to express love-the love that God has poured into our hearts; love is to be expressed-not kept in side and not just in thought only. Love expresses itself in good deeds; let us be alert to the needs of others and find ways in which we can be a part of meeting that need-because we love them. We can either focus on loving others, are we can focus on self. These verses also point out the need for believers to assemble together, to spend time together. Today, all too often, going to church, or assembling together, is viewed as an option rather than a mandate from scripture. The truth is, that assembling together is one of the greatest needs we have-whether we realize it or not. When believers assemble together, it is to be a time of teaching, proclaiming the word of God, worshiping, fellowshipping, and exercising our spiritual gifting. When we are not involved as a member of the body of Christ, we are incomplete, lacking what the body supplies to each member. In our day, we do face a challenge in this matter of church and body life. The church as a whole has strayed from the biblical picture of what the church is to be and how it is to function; it has become more of an institution rather than the body of Christ. But, we can be assured of the fact that God will restore the church to the place where it will be all that He intended-a true light in the darkness. In the meantime, let us not write off the church, but let us learn from the scriptures how the church is to function as the living body of Christ, and let us encourage others, finding ways that we can regain true church life. For example, one thing we can do is to invite other believers into our home, or the local coffee shop for the purpose of encouraging one another in the things of the Lord. May we be a part of the church finding its way back to the pattern we see in the New Testament.
Romans 12:5 “So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”
Blessings,
Buddy
 
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KINGDOM  LIVING  part 3

10/7/2018

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October 7, 2018                                  KINGDOM  LIVING  part 3
Matthew 5:43-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His son to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax gathers do the same?”
If there ever was a contrast in the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world, it’s found in these verses. It is the basic nature of man to love those who love him, and hate or despise his enemy. Yet, Jesus tells us to love our enemy, and to pray for those who persecute us! Really? Because it is contrary to the nature of man to do such, something else is required if we are to love our enemies as Jesus commands. We may not view ourselves as having ‘enemies,’ but we likely have those individuals that we just simply do not like and we avoid them; even though they may not be our enemies, this command to love and pray for them still applies.  It is also very possible that there are some individuals who oppose us and possibly persecute us for whatever the reason. The idea of loving these individuals sounds preposterous, even impossible. Yet, in the kingdom of God, these seemingly difficult commands become the way of life. In order for one to love his enemy, a transformation and a basic change of nature must take place. Only because God has made us ‘new creations’ and has given us a new nature, even a nature like His, can we love our enemies. Jesus was the supreme example of loving His enemies, even those who instigated His death on the cross. It is critical that we understand that He has not just made us better, but has made us new, and has given us a new disposition, enabling us to express with our life the kingdom of God. In fact, He makes the amazing statement that if we are to be called His sons, then we must love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. Again, to do so is utterly impossible apart from us being made new and given new natures. The truth is, because God has poured out His love into our hearts, loving others, including our enemies, becomes natural for us. When we love our enemy, and the ‘unlovely,’ and those who oppose us, we are blessed and are fulfilled because we are expressing our new nature as sons and daughters of our Father in heaven. Just as God sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous, so can we find ways to bless those who oppose us and would do us harm. Finally, when we love those who do not love us, we will be rewarded. Let us live, not according to the worlds standards, but according to ways of the kingdom of God-He has equipped us to do just that.
Colossians 3:12 “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
Blessings,
Buddy
​
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KINGDOM  LIVING  part 2

10/4/2018

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October 4, 2018                               KINGDOM  LIVING   part 2
Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely lookout for your own personal interest, but also for the interest of others.”
God has a kingdom, and Jesus came to demonstrate and teach what it is like living in God’s kingdom. As you look at the kingdom of God, you soon realize that there is a vast difference in the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world; the two verses above are certainly good examples of the differences that exist in the two kingdoms. First, we see that selfishness is not a part of His kingdom. For certain, most, if not all, of the troubles and conflicts of this world are rooted in selfishness; in fact, man is born with an innate desire to satisfy self-if you have ever spent time with a young child, you get my point! The good news is that when we come to know Jesus as our Savior, we are made new, and part of that being made new is that we get a new nature that is not rooted in selfishness. Conceit is another characteristic found in this world’s kingdom. Conceit is having pride in who we think we are and what we have done in our own strength, to the point that we think we are better than others; conceit is being totally focused on self with little or no regard for others.  In God’s kingdom, selfishness and conceit are replaced with humility of mind and an a view of others being more important than ourselves, and a desire to not only take care of our own personal interest, but also to look out for the interest of others. What a difference! Having humility does not infer weakness or timidity, but rather, it means that we realize that apart from God we are nothing, leaving no room for conceit. When we realize that we have been made a part of God’s family, and when we see that other believers are our brothers and sisters, and because God has poured out His love into our hearts, we naturally want to bless, honor, and be alert to the need of others. Being a part of God’s family and a citizen of His kingdom is the highest privilege one can experience on earth. We cannot live the life of the kingdom of God in our own strength, but the Holy Spirit living in us equips and enables us to live the super-natural life of the kingdom of God, a life totally different from life in the kingdom of this world. When we are joined to Him, He changes us from within, He makes us new, He transforms us, and He receives us into His kingdom. He has made us overcomers, and now we are no longer subjects of the kingdom of this world; we have been set free from who we were and from the power of sin and darkness. We serve a new King!
Colossians 1:13-14 “He has 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.”
Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”              
Blessings,
Buddy
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