Blog Archives - TheNewU

CORAM DEO

11/30/2021

November 30, 2021 CORAM DEO
Proverbs 15:3 “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.”
Psalm 139:3, 7-10 “You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.” “Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,”
I recently discovered a new word that speaks volumes. Coram Deo is a Latin term “referring to something that takes place in the presence of, or before the face of God.” To live coram Deo is to live one’s entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God.” (R.C. Sproul) This means that we are always conscious of the fact that God is everywhere present-He is omnipresent. Whatever we do, and wherever we go, we are under the gaze of God. Whether we realize it or not, God is everywhere present. Some may not be comfortable with the idea that all we do is under the gaze of God. However, when we know the love of God and when we are desiring to live in a way that is pleasing to Him, it is a blessing to know that He is watching over us. In Psalms 139:3 we read “You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways.” Our life is not compartmentalized; it is not divided into what is secular and what is spiritual; we may wear different hats, but we live one life. Some have the view that when they have a time of devotion, they are spending time with God; once they finish the devotion, they go about their life. We need to be aware of the fact that we have been joined to God and that we ‘live and move and have our being in Him.’ Acts 17:28. We are never separated from His presence-even when are pursuing our own ways. We can break our fellowship with Him, but we cannot ‘x’ Him out of our lives. What a blessing to live coram Deo; to live with the conscience awareness that God, our loving Father, has His gaze fixed upon us! In those times when we find that we are beginning to drift spiritually, we need to remember that God is observing our life and He is always drawing us to Himself. We could and should have the view that we are walking with God, under His care, and never out of His presence.
Jeremiah 23:23-24 “Am I a God who is near, declares the Lord, and not a God far off? Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see Him? Declares the Lord. Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? declares the Lord.”
Blessings,
Buddy

PRESENT YOURSELVES TO GOD

11/28/2021

November 28, 2021 PRESENT YOURSELVES GOD
Romans 6:11-13 “Even so consider yourselves dead to sin, once for all; but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lust, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.”
How we ‘consider’ ourselves in regards to sin is crucial. Many believers believe that even though they trust Christ as their Savior, they consider themselves as ‘sinners saved by grace-who continue to sin.’ It is true that we were sinners who were saved by the grace of God, but according to the scriptures, we should see ourselves as “dead to sin, once for all; but alive to God.” I am not saying that believers never sin; but I am saying that we have to power to say ‘no’ to sin. If and when we sin, it is because we choose to sin-or allow ourselves to sin. The good news of the gospel is that the power of sin has been broken and we are no longer slaves to sin. Not only are we to consider ourselves dead to sin, but we are to consider ourselves alive to God in Christ Jesus. Its sounds rather simple; but it is a matter of to what we present the members of our body; we make the choice whether we present our members to what is righteous, or to what is unrighteous. For example, I can choose to speak words that are righteous; words that bring peace; words that build up; and words of wisdom-EVEN when I may be tempted to speak unrighteous words. It’s not a matter of how I feel, but about presenting the members of my body to righteousness. (Our mind is also an instrument of our body-so that means that we must also present our minds to what is righteous.) We no longer have to present the members of our bodies as instruments of unrighteousness! Think of the blessings that would come if within our families, in the work place, in the class room, on the golf course, at the store, at the coffee shop-or wherever-we present the members of our bodies as instruments of righteousness. Even in the culture of church life, we need a major correction; we need more than mental agreement that the power of sin has been broken; we need to know that we are no longer bound to sin; we need to be those who, as a way of life, present our members as instruments of righteousness. Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. By considering ourselves dead to sin and alive to God and by presenting our members as instruments of righteousness, we will be light; bringing hope, encouragement, comfort and love to all. We are continually presenting our members either as instruments of unrighteousness or instruments of righteousness; let us present ourselves to God as those alive from the dead and live righteously.
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.”
Romans 6:4 “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
Blessings,
Buddy

CONQUERING FEAR

11/26/2021

November 26, 2021 CONQUERING FEAR
1 John 4:16, 18-19 “And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him.” There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us.”
When we come to truly know and experience the love of God, wonderful things take place in us; it’s not enough just to believe in our mind only that God loves us. Fear is an all too common malady among many. Fear is a terrible thing to live with: fear paralyzes us, robs us of joy and hope, dominates our minds, and negatively affects our emotions, affects our outlook on life, and etc. One can fear sickness, loss of what is so important to us, what others think about us, not being accepted by others, natural disasters, and fear of not being acceptable to God-the list could go on. The only love that has the power to cast out fear is ‘perfect love.’ This perfect love is found and experienced only in God. The good news is that we can know and experience His love; Romans 5:5 tells us that “the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Human love is far different from Gods love. God’s love residing in us changes everything. To know in the core of our being that the God who created the universe, the God who is all wise and all powerful, the God who formed us in our mother’s womb, and the God who rules, loves US; our life, our beliefs, our emotions, our thought life, and our actions are dramatically changed when we say ‘yes and amen’ to the verse that tells us that the ‘old things have passed away and that new things have come.’ 2 Corinthians 5:17. When we know His love, we find great comfort in the fact that HE is the potter, and we are the clay; there is nothing better than being clay in the hands of a loving God! Knowing His love does not mean that we are exempt from trials and troubles in this word, but it does mean that He uses all things for our ultimate good AND He will give us all we need to overcome whatever we face. Jesus endured sufferings and trials, but He overcame, and by His presence in us, so can we. To get a clear understanding of what pure love is, read 1 Corinthians 13. The acid test of our whether or not we know the perfect love God has for us is this: if we have fear, then we are not perfected in His love. You may be a believer, but yet you have not experienced His perfect love, if so, ask Him to reveal His love to you; read the scriptures, searching and seeking to know His love.
Isaiah 43:1 “Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.”
Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I be afraid?”
Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”
Blessings,
Buddy

SEATED WITH HIM

11/25/2021

November 25, 2021 SEATED WITH 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 heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
I must say that I do not fully understand what it means to be raised up with Christ and seated with Christ heavenly places. Even though I do not fully understand, I know it is true. We are in Christ, and He is in us; so where He is, we are there also; we have been joined to Christ! Our physical being is earth-bound; yet, our spiritual being in Christ is seated with Him in heavenly places! Wow! Before knowing Christ as Savior, we were spiritually dead, separated from God; but as believers, we have been born again, raised from spiritual death and made alive spiritually. I think the critical issue here is that of what or who is the power guiding and directing our lives; is it our self-determination, our preferences, and our logic? Our position in Christ-seated with Him in the heavenly places-is to be our ‘base of operation’ for life here on earth. What we do here, how we live day by day, should flow out of being seated with Him. We are so much more than mere physical beings; we are eternal spiritual beings who for the present, have mortal bodies. In Romans 8:11 we read “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.” The idea of being seated with Christ, implies a cease from striving; when we live in harmony with the life of Christ, we have blessed peace. Also, reigning with Christ (2 Timothy 2:11-12) implies that we are overcomers in life-not defeated by the trials that come. When we forget, when we chose not to live from our position of being seated with Christ, we live a substandard life where we become frustrated, unfulfilled, anxious, and in general, overcome by the difficulties we face. We can take no credit for being seated with Christ; it is only by His kindness that we are seated with Him. Finally, there is somewhat of a mystery in all of this-concerning the ages to come-“in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” I do not understand all of that, but I know God has awesome plans of us now and for the ages to come! We can see the awesome works of God in the present, and we can anticipate and look forward to the great and awesome things that are yet to come for all who are in Christ! “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
Colossians 3:1-3 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Blessings,
Buddy

SEATED WITH HIM

11/23/2021

November 23, 2021 SEATED WITH 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 heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
I must say that I do not fully understand what it means to be raised up with Christ and seated with Christ heavenly places. Even though I do not fully understand, I know it is true. We are in Christ, and He is in us; so where He is, we are there also; we have been joined to Christ! Our physical being is earth-bound; yet, our spiritual being in Christ is seated with Him in heavenly places! Wow! Before knowing Christ as Savior, we were spiritually dead, separated from God; but as believers, we have been born again, raised from spiritual death and made alive spiritually. I think the critical issue here is that of what or who is the power guiding and directing our lives; is it our self-determination, our preferences, and our logic? Our position in Christ-seated with Him in the heavenly places-is to be our ‘base of operation’ for life here on earth. What we do here, how we live day by day, should flow out of being seated with Him. We are so much more than mere physical beings; we are eternal spiritual beings who for the present, have mortal bodies. In Romans 8:11 we read “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.” The idea of being seated with Christ, implies a cease from striving; when we live in harmony with the life of Christ, we have blessed peace. Also, reigning with Christ (2 Timothy 2:11-12) implies that we are overcomers in life-not defeated by the trials that come. When we forget, when we chose not to live from our position of being seated with Christ, we live a substandard life where we become frustrated, unfulfilled, anxious, and in general, overcome by the difficulties we face. We can take no credit for being seated with Christ; it is only by His kindness that we are seated with Him. Finally, there is somewhat of a mystery in all of this-something to do with the ages to come-“in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” I do not understand all of that, but I know God has awesome plans of us now and for the ages to come! We can see the awesome works of God in the present, and we can anticipate and look forward to the great and awesome things that are yet to come for all who are in Christ! “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
Colossians 3:1-3 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Blessings,
Buddy

BORN OF GOD

11/21/2021

November 21, 2021 BORN OF GOD
John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, not or the will of the flesh, nor or the will of man, but of God.”
Ephesians 1:4 “Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him, in love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,”
Matthew 23:9 “And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.”
We may think that our beginning was when we were born; obviously, we had earthly parents to whom we were born physically…but there’s more-a lot more. It was not happenstance that we were born. Even though it may have been an unexpected pregnancy, or even an unwanted pregnancy, it was not such in the sight of God. Our parents may have had great excitement about our being born, but our being born was much more than two people wanting a baby. It is a major realization, a spiritual break through, for us to come to know that God knew us long before we were born physically, and to know that He is our real Father; we are Fathered by God! (God used our parents to get us here physically, and we should be grateful for the role our parents played in the process.) It is beyond comprehension that God knew us and chose us “before the foundation of the world” and that He formed us in our mother’s womb!!! To know that we were born of God has great implications for us. Because we are born of God, we must know that God loves us, and that is the most important truth to know in all of life. Because we are from God, and God is our Father, we do not have to live with a poor self-esteem—we are somebody—sons and daughters of the Creator God! We are ‘somebody,’ but not in an arrogant way; with humility we confess that we are here because of the grace and work of God. Because we are born of God, it is an indisputable fact that we have a purpose for being here; our over-arching purpose is to glorify and honor God with our lives. I had been a believer for many years, but one particular night, God revealed to me in a very clear way that He was my Father. My immediate though was “What do I have to fear or what do I have to worry about-nothing!” Let us spend time meditating on the above scriptures; let us ask God to awaken us to the reality that we are indeed born of God; that we are loved and cared for by Him; that we have a destiny; that we have a reason for living; and because we belong to Him, He is in the process of transforming us into the image of His Son.
Romans 8:29-30 “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.”
Blessings,
Buddy

KNOWING WHO IS APPROVED

11/19/2021

November 19, 2021 KNOWING WHO IS APPROVED
1 Corinthians 11:19 “For there must also be factions among you, in order that those who are approved may become evident among you.”
Faction has the idea of dissention, contention, and conflict. If you are part of a family, a church, a social club, or employed, you know about factions. Often, in the holiday season when families try to get together, factions often arise for whatever the reason. (When you take time to look at what causes the factions, it is normally something that is not a big deal-almost insignificant on the grand scale of things.) This was true when members of the early church met together to share the Lord’s supper-there were factions within the group. However, factions can serve a purpose: it’s possible to go from factions to unity. That’s where you and I come in. God enables us to rise above the factions; to see the bigger picture; to see that the presence and the life of God brings about peace and unity. It is indeed freeing to realize that we do not have to join the faction! Our appeal for unity and peace is based on the unity and peace we have in Christ; Christ is not divided; and we are a part of His body. Simply put-factions should not be. In our work place, in our church, or wherever we hang out-there will very likely be some who are not believers; yet I believe that God can use us to be peace-makers. I understand that there are some basic differences in the beliefs of believers and non-believers, and there are some things that the two cannot agree on, but God will give us a response that opens the door for peace. For us, let us know that factions are a part of life; but also let us know that God can use us to speak the wisdom of God and the peace of God in the midst of factions. Let us rise above dissentions.
Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Romans 14:19 “So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.”
2 Corinthians 13:11 “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.”
Blessings,
Buddy

ARISE AND SHINE

11/17/2021

November 17, 2021 ARISE AND SHINE
Isaiah 60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”
Ephesians 5:14 “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Isaiah 40:31 “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Sometimes we lose sight of the truth; we forget the basics; we become dull; we begin to coast and live on auto pilot; the routines of life become just that-routine; we live without vision; and we become responders more than initiators. Sorry for starting off this blog on such a negative thought! However, I know that in my own experience of life, I sometimes fall into one or some of these tendencies. Unless we guard against it, our familiarity with the scriptures, and even with our view and understanding of God, can cause us to lose the newness, the freshness, and the power of what it means to be a part of God’s kingdom. In God’s kingdom, there is no room for boredom and ho-hum living-no matter your age or your plight in life. One of the main ways of not becoming a casualty of ‘familiarity’ is to actively apply, or put into action the admonitions and the commands found in God’s word; if we fail at this point then we are living according to our own ways, and our ways always puts us on a downward slope. Let us hear the warning of Proverbs 14:12: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Walking in the ways of God always leads to life. Can we realize afresh, may the Spirit of God remind us, of what it means to be joined to Him, to be re-born, to be a child of God, to be forgiven, and to be the temple of the Holy Spirit? Because Jesus rose form the dead, we too can walk in newness. Romans 6:4. If our faith, our knowing God the creator does not energize us for life, then we are overdue for a spiritual check-up. Many mistakenly segment or compartmentalize the gospel and view some things they do in life as ‘spiritual’ and some things as secular or non-spiritual. The gospel of God, when the truth of it is grasped, dramatically impacts every part of our life; God living in us through His Holy Spirit makes all things new and takes us out of the ho-hum life and causes us to live a super-natural life. As believers, we go about many of the same task and routines as non-believers-we work, we play, etc., BUT there is a world of difference. As we walk with the Lord, as we live out of our new identity in Him, all that we do has purpose-has life- and is energized by God. The call of God for us to rise and shine has no age restrictions, nor any other restrictions, but is a call to every believer “for our light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon us”. God is not limited; God has done what is necessary for us to live life to the fullest-even in the difficult times. Daniel 11:32b gives us a tremendous promise: “but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” Are you, am I, doing exploits as a result of knowing our God, or are we living in a rut, on auto pilot, just taking life as it comes? God, the all-powerful One, the Creator, the life giver, lives in us-how can life be monotonous or boring? If we have lost the zest for life, let us take time to rekindle our love for Him; let us read His word to renew our acquaintance with Him; lets us obey what He says to us through His Spirit and through His Word; and let it be our heart to please Him in all we do. Go ahead-do some exploits!
Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law is happy.”
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,”
Blessings,
Buddy

BUT TAKE COURAGE

11/14/2021

November 14, 2021                               BUT TAKE COURAGE
John 16:19-20, 22, 33
“Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, ‘Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not behold Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me?’ Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy.”          “Therefore you too now have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you.”     “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
We for sure have dealt with sorrow and tribulation. However, as believers, we can experience peace even the midst of troubles and trials. Jesus was revealing future events to His disciples; He knew they would experience great sorrow when He would be crucified, BUT He also knew that their sorrow would be turned to joy. Even though the disciples had been with Jesus for three years, they had no knowledge or understanding of the events about to unfold. They did not understand that the death of Jesus meant that the Holy Spirit would be sent to live in them. The Holy Spirit came to live not among us, but IN us-and that makes the difference in everything. As great and awesome as it was to be with Jesus, it would be far greater for Him to live in them through the Holy Spirit. God understands that we have sorrow in this life, but He has made a way for us to overcome what faces us and to know the peace that He gives. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 reminds us that we do not grieve, or sorrow as those who do not know God. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is THE life-changer. His resurrection means that we are forgiven of all our sins; that we are His sons and daughters; that we have a destiny with Him; that we have been given new hearts, new minds, and a new nature; that we are complete in Him; and that we have been made overcomers in life. It does not mean that we are exempt from difficulties; but it does mean that we are not defeated by the difficulties. The world does not have the hope that we have, and the world does not have access to the Spirit of God who comforts and gives abiding joy. The word for us today is that Jesus gives us peace in the midst of trials, persecutions, and difficulties. Jesus knew the implications of Him dying for us and then being raised from the dead. Let us embrace the fact that we live post-resurrection. Now, the Holy Spirit of God, LIVES IN US this very moment and we are joined to God and we are safe and secure in Him, even when the storm rages about us. “but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
John 14:16, 26 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever.”       “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 have said to you.”
Blessings,
Buddy

TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD

11/12/2021

November 12, 2021                                   TO THOSE WHO LOVE GOD
Romans 8:28-31,35 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God those who are called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”        “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecutions, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
The promise that “all things work together for good” is not a blanket promise to all people; this promise is for a specific group of people-for those who “love God and or called according to His purpose.” (I am not certain that this promise applies to all believers; if a believer is living contrary to the ways of the Lord, do all things work together for good for that person? I think that ultimately things do work together for good for him as God even uses the fruit of our wayward ways to bring us back to Him.) However that may be, let us look at the promises that are for those who love God. Most would be quick to say that they love God; however, we may need to take a closer look at what does it mean to truly love God, and what are the evidences of a love for God. First and foremost, love is a matter of the heart. To love God means that we think about Him often; it means we want to do things that are pleasing to Him; it means that we want to get to know Him intimately; it means that we honor Him; it means that we desire to walk in His ways-to obey Him; and it means that we will be drawn to His word. The important thing to understand is that we do not do all of these things in order for Him to accept us or be pleased with us; we do these things because they are a result of loving God. The fruits of love just happen-it does not take effort to love-and that is the freeing part. If a young man is in love with a young lady, no one has to tell him to call her, make a way to be with her, to buy her flowers, do things that she enjoys-or whatever. So it is with loving God; knowing Him and being in fellowship with Him is our greatest desire in life. You may be thinking that “If I did all of those things, I would be perfect.” We may stumble along the way, and we may revert back to our self-life on occasion, but God is always drawing us to Himself, and the love for God that is rooted in our hearts will surface and our fellowship with our Father is restored. You and I are predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus-that is where God is taking us and no one or anything will prevent that. Our part is to love Him, and as the Holy Spirit guides us and equips us, we adjust our lives to the example we have in Jesus. Our ultimate calling is to be like Jesus! Let us find rest and peace in the fact that we cannot escape the love that God has for us and that He is for us; and if God is for us, who can be against us? Nothing cannot thwart His purposes. Knowing the plans God has for us and knowing His love for us, how could we not love Him, and how could we not desire to live according to His plans for us?
1 John 4:16-17, 19 “And we have come to know Him and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.”        “We love, because He first loved us.”
Blessings,
Buddy