November 28, 2014                          THE  GOD  OF  PEACE

Romans 15:13: “Now may the God of peace fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”                                                                                                      Peace seems to be a rare commodity these days. It is clear from scripture that God is a God of peace and He desires that His children live in peace just as He does. Where God rules, there is peace. In the last few chapters of the book of Romans, Paul gives practical insights on how we are to live and how we relate to other believers so that we may indeed have peace. In these scriptures we find such admonitions as; “love without hypocrisy”, “abhor what is evil”, “be devoted to one another”, “rejoicing in hope”, “devoted to prayer”, “practicing hospitality”, “be of the same mind”, “overcome evil with good”, “do not be conformed to this world”, “behave properly”, “accept the one who is weak” and etc.  God has not left us uninformed but has given us practical insights on how to live and as we put these into practice by the power of the Spirit, we will have peace. There is a tendency for us to live in what is “natural”, so it is “natural” to lose our peace when certain things happen or when we set our mind on the wrong thoughts. However, we are spiritual beings who now live a super-natural life in Christ and now our peace can remain with us in any situation. It is true that there are times when we have to deal with unpleasant situations and must choose to walk in the peace of God. We need to understand, or be reminded of the fact that there is a definite connection between obedience to the instructions God gives and experiencing peace. In Romans 16:19 we read, “For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil, and the God of Peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”  Peace is a by-product of living life in a way that pleases our Father and we do the things that please Him because we love Him. Making right choices, doing the right thing, “being wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil” is neither complicated nor difficult for the one who knows God. If we find it difficult to do the right things, then we are in a battle with our flesh and we must choose to consider the flesh as crucified with Christ and choose to walk in the Spirit. Peace that is subject to circumstances is not the peace of God. The peace of God is ours no matter the circumstances. We are blessed to know the God of peace! If you need the peace of God-it’s available.

Psalms 29:11: “The Lord will give strength unto His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.”      Philippians 4:6-7: “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”                                                                                                 2 Corinthians 13:11: “Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.”

Blessings,

Buddy

November 24, 2014                               WAITING  FOR  OUR  ADOPTION

Romans 8:18-19: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.                                                                                                                                              Things will not be the way they are now forever-and I’m glad for that. For the one who is not looking for “redemption”, it’s necessary to try to make everything as good as possible for the present, because after all, what else is there? For those who do not know God, it is a sad plight to live life with no hope for life after death. Also, the non-believer, because he believes that death is the end actually lives what could be called a “small” life as a result of a small or limited view of life. If one thinks his physical life is purely an accident or by chance, then there is no reason to have hope for the future. On the contrary, for those of us who are believers, we have hope for the future because we are now involved in the great purposes of God both in this life and the one to come. It is true that both unbelievers and believers have to deal with suffering in this world as Paul alludes to in the above verse. It is a huge difference in enduring suffering having no hope and having hope in the midst of suffering. As a child of God, our salvation is sure, but we are still waiting for, looking forward to our full adoption; even the redemption of our bodies and our being present with Him. The sufferings we deal with come in all shapes and sizes. Some sufferings are of our own making while other sufferings are beyond our control, but whatever the source, sufferings come our way. We, as Christians, are blessed to know that suffering has a purpose and that suffering is temporary. Even though we do not like suffering in any way, we have the power to embrace suffering knowing that if God allowed the suffering to come, He has a purpose for it and He can and will use it for good if we trust Him to do so. We have to remember that even though we have been born again and are children of God, we still live in a fallen world where sin, sickness, wars, etc. have not been totally eradicated as it will be in God’s timing. We do have power not to be defeated by the fallen aspect of the world in which we live and we are to be lights in this dark world. The day is coming when all that was lost in the fall of man will be restored and this is why we have hope. There is no power or authority, including Satan that can alter the plans of God. Even though sufferings exist, the gospel continues to change lives and it continues to expand and one day His kingdom will fill the whole earth. Just as Paul did, we at times “groan within ourselves” and we deep within long for our full redemption. Even the creation suffers as a result of sin entering the world, and even nature itself “waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God”. One day, the lion will again lie down with the lamb! We will see all of nature prosper-no disease, no droughts, no hurricanes, no pollution. How awesome it will be! What is in the future for the believer cannot be comprehended; but what we do know about it, it’s difficult to imagine how great it will be. Remember that suffering has a purpose even though we often don’t understand why the suffering comes; suffering should produce good fruit in us. As Christ suffered; we will also suffer. 1 Peter 1:3-6: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,….”

Blessings,

Buddy

Nov 20, 2014                                     WE  ARE  LETTERS

2 Corinthians 3:2-3: “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on the tablets of the human heart.”                                                           We tend to think that we live private lives, but the truth is that our life itself is a letter to all who come in contact with us. Even if one lives a life of seclusion, he nonetheless sends out the letter that he has chosen to live a life of seclusion; so he is thus known by others. The Apostle Paul was jealous of the followers of Christ as he wanted nothing other than the true gospel impacting their lives and it was his life ambition, his life calling, to see believers being transformed by the life of Christ. In the Old Testament we see where God’s law was written on stone, but in the New Testament we find the laws of God, or the ways of God, being written in human hearts. Because God has put His laws in our hearts, we no longer have to keep a list of “do’s and don’ts, but rather we can by our life now express what’s in our heart and this expression will reflect Christ Himself. As we come to understand this truth, we see that our lives or indeed letters, even letters of Christ! Because we are living letters, then it is imperative that we first know, and then express the gospel of Christ. The life we live is to be in agreement with the gospel; if not, then our “letter” sends a contradictory message. In a very practical way, for example, if our life is an expression of the gospel, we will  we will find ourselves loving one another, honoring  one another,  preferring one another, etc. and obeying  the commands that God gave to His followers.  All of the New Testament is a letter from God by which we come to truly know our Father and learn our true identity. The epic battle in life is all about whether we live life according to our own dictates and understanding or we live as people who have been transformed by the power of the gospel. It is possible for believers to live a life that is not consistent with the gospel so we need to pay close attention to how we live; making sure our “letter” is a letter of Christ. Paul warned believers not to turn from “the simplicity of the gospel” because only in the message of the gospel do we find abundant life. The enemy sees to it that we are surrounded with distractions that would get our focus on anything rather than the gospel of Christ. At the birth of Jesus, the angels proclaimed that the birth of Jesus was indeed good news to those living on planet earth- that includes us! A Savior was born; a Savior who would reveal the Father to those who believe; a Savior who would pay the price for our sin; a Savior who would introduce His followers to a new way of living; a Savior who would give us a future and a hope! Let us examine ourselves, let us be living epistles, living letters that reveal the very heart of Christ to all we come in contact with.

John 1:1-5: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

Blessings,

Buddy  

November 18, 2014                           CONTENT   WITH  WEAKNESSES

2 Corinthians 12:9-10: “And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weakness, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”                                   Certainly, the idea of being weak is not the way of the culture in which we live today. This is the day when one is to exert himself-be in control-demand attention-impress others and be entitled to whatever one wants. From television, magazines, the media, and books we find the promotion of self-empowerment , self-realization and self-fulfillment. Paul had a “thorn in the flesh” that he asked God to remove on three occasions but God choose not to remove this “thorn”. We don’t know exactly what the thorn in the flesh was, but whatever it was, it kept Paul form exalting himself. Paul’s response to God not removing the thorn is a response that demonstrates that the ways of God are in fact not the ways of man. God allowed Paul to see the value in weakness. God has chosen to work through the weakness of man so that the power of God may be demonstrated. Each of us are well aware of our own weaknesses but the good news is that our weaknesses afford opportunities to experience the power of God. We are not to let our weaknesses deter us from doing what God has for us to do. We are to walk in humility, but not in shame or in a sense of inability. When we die to ourselves, we can then accept our weaknesses and can be confident that God will make Himself know through our weakness. Paul had learned to be content with “weakness, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties.” Paul could be content in all situations because he had discovered that when he was weak, he was strong!  We have been made complete in Him-not in ourselves-and we now can live in His power being the person and doing those things that please Him. Like Paul, may we be “well content” in our weakness, knowing that our weakness is an opportunity for God to show Himself strong.

1 Corinthians 1:27: “but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things that are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, that just as it is written, “Let him who boast, boast in the Lord.”

(From this verse, you get the idea that we are nothing apart from God-and we are indeed nothing apart from Him.)

Blessings,

Buddy

November 14, 2014                              A  TREASURE  NOT  HIDDEN

2 Corinthians 4:7-9: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves, we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”                            In life there are times when we sense or feel “afflicted”, “perplexed”, “persecuted” and “struck down” just as Paul did, but perhaps not to the extent he did. It needs to be said that it is possible that we have to deal with these feelings or emotions as a result of bad decisions we make or by not having biblical thinking. For example, if I overspend, make bad financial decisions; I should not be surprised when I feel “perplexed” when I can’t pay my bills. However, even in my bad decisions, God can work for good. The realities Paul dealt with came his way because of his uncompromising stance on the gospel.  On every hand we find situations and circumstances that would defeat us or discourage us unless we put those times in the right perspective. It is somewhat comforting to know that even the Apostle Paul at times had to deal with a sense of affliction or of being perplexed or persecuted or even struck down.  If we find ourselves asking why certain “bad” things happen to us or to our friends or loved ones, we should at that time examine our perspective and make sure we have the proper Christian view of life in general. It is by no means wrong to be perplexed, etc. and in fact, if we live long enough, we will experience the same feelings Paul dealt with in the above verse. The point of danger is that if these “feelings” are not properly dealt with and brought into proper perspective, we will find ourselves retreating and taking our seat on the sideline of life, living in quiet desperation. It is our enemy’s desire to cause us to be defeated in life and he attempts to wage war in our mind-how we think-how we view life. When we realize the enemy’s tactics, we then see the absolute need to know the word of God because only in His word will we learn how to think as we should and as a result, we will have the right perspective when the battles come and will not be defeated. Also, some have the idea that because they have become a Christian, life should be all rosy and free of problems. The truth is that God does allow trials and problems to come our way, but He does so with a purpose in mind. It is God’s plan for us to learn how to become overcomers, how to take dominion, and how to rise above whatever it is that we are facing. It may be a stretch for some, but God is not only a God of love; He is also a God of adversity! Yes-God will allow adversity to come, but He has a reason for doing so, and it is based on His love for us.  So, what are we to glean from these verses? Because we have a treasure in us, the presence of God no less, we have the power to live as overcomers no matter what comes our way. We cannot live the life that God offers in our own strength. Even in the most difficult situations we will face, the very life of Jesus may be manifested in our earthly body! Yes, we may be afflicted, but we will not we crushed. We may be perplexed but we will not despair. We may be persecuted but we will not be forsaken. We may be struck down, but we will not be destroyed. Because Jesus died for us, His life will be manifested in our earthly body. His life in us IS the great treasure! It is absolutely critical that we welcome, that we grasp, that we hunger for, that we buy into the gospel-the word of God. Only by knowing the God of the Word will we overcome in life. The book of Revelation contains many awesome promises to those who overcome in this life-check them out. Most of the people I know are facing difficulties of some type-whether it be health, financial, relational, loneliness, lack of purpose, family or mental. May we be people of God and rise up and face head-on the challenges we presently face knowing that we have the treasure of all treasures WITHIN US-the life of Jesus! The world is in desperate need of overcomers. Be one.

Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Blessings

Buddy

Nov 12, 2014                                   STORING  UP  FOR  YOURSELF

1 Timothy 6:17-19: “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies with all things to enjoy. 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 indeed.”         It is always amazing to me how so much wisdom and truth is packed into just a few words. This passage of scripture presents truths that bring purpose to life when we begin to follow the instructions given. These instructions are addressed to “those who are rich in this present world”. When compared to the world standard, we have to admit that most Americans would be considered rich. It is true that because many are in financial debt, they may feel that they are not rich and they would argue that they have no extra to share. Be that as it may, no matter our financial status, we are not to trust or fix our hope on the “uncertainty of riches” and we are not to be conceited about what we own.  Without even knowing it, we can put or trust in our pay check, our 401 K, our insurance policies, our investments, our saving account, or even our good work ethic. We must know deep down inside that it is God who is our supplier. The fantastic truth we see in these verses is that God “richly supplies with all things to enjoy.” Just as an earthly father, God likes to see His kids enjoying what He gives. As is so often true, the ways of God are opposite of the ways of the world and we find a good example of that in this verse. You have heard it said that you need “to get all you can and can all you get”, and for many, that is their mode of operation. God has designed it in such a way that when we engage in good deeds and are generous and ready  to share, we discover real life; life without regret, a life of blessings, a life with peace within, a life that will ensure a “good foundation for the future”. As we align our lives with the ways of God we will truly find what is life indeed. Again, we don’t engage in good deeds, etc. in effort to earn God’s love, but we do so because He loves us and we are His children. Like Father-like son. It’s important that we understand and walk in our new identity. May each of us today put our total trust in God who supplies our every need and “gives all things to enjoy”.

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

Nov 8, 2014                           TAKE  PAINS  WITH  THESE  THINGS

1 Timothy 4:15-16: “ Take pains with these things, be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching, persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”                                               As a mentor to Timothy, Paul was encouraging the young Timothy to be steadfast and to continue maturing in the faith. Timothy was a young minister “in training”, but the instructions and admonitions to Timothy apply to us as well, even though we may not be a teacher per se. In one sense of the word, we are all “teachers” in how we speak and how we live. In the verse above, there are a few really key words that should get our attention. In the letter to Timothy, Paul gives specific instructions to Timothy and he tells him to “take pains with these things”. “Taking pains” implies that one has to sometime make hard choices, make decisions that will further the cause, and pay close attention to the task at hand. “Taking pains” means making the right decisions that will move us toward the goal. To be “absorbed” means that we do not allow other things to crowd out what we have purposed to achieve. If one does “take pain with these things” and is “absorbed in them”, his progress in the faith will be evident to all. Growth implies change, so if we are not changing, then there is no growth taking place. To give emphasis, Paul told Timothy to “pay attention to yourself and your teaching”. There is a need for us as well to pay attention to ourselves, to examine ourselves to determine if our lives are consistent with the gospel.  Let us examine ourselves and ask the Holy Spirit to point out any aspect of our lives that may not be pleasing to the Lord. To “persevere” means that we do not give up on the task no matter what is going on around us. It is interesting to note that Paul said by “doing these things”, Timothy would “insure salvation for Himself and for those who hear him”. As I have written in other previous blogs, salvation is much more than a ticket to heaven. We are told in other scriptures to “work out our salvation” and as we read the scriptures, we see that many things accompany salvation. To claim to be a Christian and yet not be experiencing  growth in the faith puts one in a precarious position. We are saved at a particular point in time, but our salvation is also continual-we are being saved. As Paul said, as we are taking pains, being absorbed, and persevering “in these things”, our progress would be evident to all. We must be alert to the tendency to stop growing as we age. Growing in the faith is to be a lifetime experience. Whether you are young, middle age, or older, take pains with your growth; be absorbed, persevere-let your progress be seen. Dare to dream. Dare to change. Dare to put the gospel on the front burner of life.

11 Peter 3:17-18: “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

Blessings,

Buddy

Nov 5, 2014                         HE  IS  COMING  BACK

1 Thessalonians 5:23: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.                        1 Thessalonians 3:12-13: …and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all men, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all of His saints.”                                                       As you read through the New Testament, you will see a number of references to the “coming of the Lord”. I believe that this awareness that the Lord would return for His people was a major factor in how the early believers conducted their lives here on earth. It is obvious that they believed that He could come again any day. The New Testament believers lived in the time of the ascension of Christ - they actually saw Him break the law of gravity-they saw Him leave the ground-wow! Can you imagine being there? So, for them, it was no problem to believe He would return one day. Seeing Jesus ascend was concrete evidence that all He said and taught and did while on earth was absolutely true and that He was indeed the son of God. All did not see Jesus ascend, we certainly did not see Jesus ascend, but by the scriptures and by the Holy Spirit in us, we know that Jesus did ascend back to the Father. It seems that the major theme, or certainly one of the major themes of the New Testament, is that of “being ready” for His return. The coming again of the Lord Jesus to earth to for His saints is the bedrock of our hope and it is the motivation of living life in such a way that we will not be ashamed at His coming. God does desire to find us holy, unblameable, established, complete, sanctified, and abounding in love for one another when He returns.                                                                                                                                    It is certainly true that we are called to live out the gospel and be “cultural changers” during our life time on earth, but it also true that we are to be looking for His return and our future with Him in heaven. May each of us be about preparing ourselves for His return and may we live as though He is coming back this very day. We He returns, we will be transformed immediately and our salvation will be complete and we will forever be with the Lord! It is no sacrifice on our part to be ready, but we are blessed as we prepare for His return-it’s a win-win situation.

Titus 2:11-14: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

Blessings,

Buddy

November 1, 2014                               BEYOND  REPROACH

Colossians 1:22-23: “..yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.”              We sometime may forget that through the death of Jesus we are “blameless and beyond reproach.” We have for many years heard about our sin nature and we tend to remember our sins of the past, and perhaps  the present, so we have difficulty in grasping the fact that we are indeed “blameless and beyond reproach”. We are not only blameless, but also “beyond reproach”. In my mind, being “beyond reproach” goes beyond being blameless-an awesome truth to realize. HOWE VER, there is a “if”, or proof, presented in this verse that may be difficult  for some to receive if grace is misunderstood.  “If” we continue in the faith, steadfast and not moved away from the gospel, we are “blameless and beyond reproach.” God has made it such that we have a part in working with Him in our salvation. In Philippians 2:12-13 we read: “So then my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”  We put ourselves in dangerous territory if we take our salvation lightly or if we are not working with God in working out our salvation. We must remember that God Himself is IN us calling us to work for HIS good pleasure.  Our salvation is so much more than a ticket to heaven; it is a day to day working out what God is working in us. Once we grasp this fact-that God is working in us daily-we will do the things that please Him and we will indeed be blameless and beyond reproach. We do not do what we do in effort to win God’s approval; we do what we do BECAUSE God has called us and He is at work in us and we do His works because it pleases Him. If and when we find ourselves drifting, discouraged, without passion, etc. we must awaken ourselves to the fact that God is in us working and if we are not giving expression to His work in us we are not in a good place and repentance is in order. Let us remember that God has called us and is working in us because He loves us, even to the point of sending His Son to die in our place.

1 John 3:22-24: “and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

Blessings,

Buddy