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IF WE ABIDE

9/8/2025

September 8, 2025 IF WE ABIDE

John 8:31-32 “Jesus was therefore saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”

Many blessings come to those who abide in the words of Jesus. Abide as used in the scriptures is defined as “To remain in, continue in, and live by the teachings of Jesus Christ, letting His words become a fundamental part of one’s life, thoughts, and actions.” Occasional reading of God’s words is not abiding. God’s written word is unlike any other book ever written because it is written by God the Creator through inspired men, the God that is all knowing and the God who knows us better than we know ourselves. His word is not merely a source of information; His word is a living word, revealing eternal truths. His word does not grow old or become outdated. To abide in His word is to be shaped by and guided by the truths found in His word. Devotions are good, but if we have our ‘devotion’ and then go our way, and not be impacted throughout our day by the time spent in our devotion, we are not abiding. I say all that to say for us not to be guilty of reading God’s word only for the sake of knowledge; but let us view the word as what it is-the living word of God given to us that we might discover the truth that sets us free. It is a miracle that His words have a way of setting us free; we need to be set free from ourselves, and abiding in His word does just that. The big issue is whether we live according to our own dictates and understanding or according to gospel-the gospel of good news. God’s word is not just about salvation and about going to heaven, and His word is not just for theological discussions; His word is about life and how to live it to the fullest. It is a fact that our old nature-human nature-is not in agreement with the word of God. Just one example: human nature is about getting while God says it’s better to give than to receive; and sure enough, we feel good when we give. We often use the word ‘disciple’ in a light way; a true disciple of Jesus abides in His word. Let us be disciples of Jesus; it’s the only way to life abundant.
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the intentions of the heart.”
Luke 4:4 “But Jesus answered him, saying, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”

Blessings, Buddy

RUN THE RACE

9/6/2025

September 6, 2025 RUN THE RACE

Hebrews 12:1-2 “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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Each of us have a race set before us; a race we must run. In a sense, there are many races to run, whether it’s a race to be faithful in our work, in our families and in our communities. But there is one over-arching race we as believers we are called to run; and that race is about fulfilling the purposes God has for us. In the word of God, we learn of the desires and plans that God has for us, and living out His plans and desires is THE race. Really, there are not many races set before us; the race we are to run touches every part of our lives. Whether it’s about our careers, our home life, our involvement in church, the race set before us impacts all we do. In whatever we do, the life we live is to reflect the life of Christ in us. This passage gives us a serious warning; if not careful, we allow encumbrances that would slow us down and hinder our running the race. There are many things that could be an encumbrance for us. Also, there are some sins that ‘so easily entangles us.’ For example, I have heard believes say that they are impatient people; for them that is the sin that so easily entangles. Each of us must be alert to the sins that would entangle us. The word is for us to lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us. Running our race requires endurance, and endurance implies that there will be obstacle to overcome. To run a race effectively, we must have a goal; we are to ‘fix our eyes on Jesus’ who ran His race and who gives us the strength to run our race. Jesus is the example for us. Running the race is not a cake-walk; it requires discipline, commitment, endurance, and the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. Running our race faithfully will be rewarded.
Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
PS: Do not let pass failures and bad decisions hinder our running the race.

Blessings, Buddy

OUR PROVIDER

9/4/2025

September 4, 2025 OUR PROVIDER

Matthew 6:30-33 “But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do for you, O men of little faith? Do not be anxious, then, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ Or ‘What shall we drink?’ Or “With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your Heavenly Father knows you need these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things will be added to you.”

For many, I am sure that what is said in this passage of scripture seems like a stretch or even a pipe-dream. Some translations say to ‘give no thought to what you shall eat….’. Surely in this competitive, uncertain, and high-price economy in which we live it is completely normal to worry about or be anxious about being able to secure what we need. Right? That seems logical. But yet, what God is telling believers is not logical according to the world’s viewpoint; He is not limited to what man considers logical and practical. The truth presented in these verses takes us to an entirely new way of living and a new way of thinking. A basic concept of the gospel is that God is our provider; one of the names of God is Jehovah-Jireh, which is translated as ‘the Lord our Provider.’ It may very well seem to good to be true, to not be anxious about our provisions, but indeed it is true. It is a matter of our having absolute trust in God as our provider. This does not imply that we are not to work and be diligent, but it does mean that it is God who gives us the ability and the opportunity to work. Seeing God as our provider is the key to not being anxious. There are some who are not able to work, yet, God provides for them as well. The key to all of this is for us to first seek His kingdom and His righteousness; when we do, He adds all we need! That’s the difference. It is another subject, but part of this is learning the secret of being content. We must reject the idea of our culture that is constantly telling us that more is always better. Living in contentment, knowing that God is our provider is the best possible life to live on this earth. If God provides for the birds of the air and the grass in the fields, surely He will provide for us.
Luke 12:24 “Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet, God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!”

Blessings, Buddy

OUR PROVIDER

9/4/2025

September 4, 2025 OUR PROVIDER

Matthew 6:30-33 “But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do for you, O men of little faith? Do not be anxious, then, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ Or ‘What shall we drink?’ Or “With what shall we clothe ourselves?’ For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your Heavenly Father knows you need these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things will be added to you.”

For many, I am sure that what is said in this passage of scripture seems like a stretch or even a pipe-dream. Some translations say to ‘give no thought to what you shall eat….’. Surely in this competitive, uncertain, and high-price economy in which we live it is completely normal to worry about or be anxious about being able to secure what we need. Right? That seems logical. But yet, what God is telling believers is not logical according to the world’s viewpoint; He is not limited to what man considers logical and practical. The truth presented in these verses takes us to an entirely new way of living and a new way of thinking. A basic concept of the gospel is that God is our provider; one of the names of God is Jehovah-Jireh, which is translated as ‘the Lord our Provider.’ It may very well seem to good to be true, to not be anxious about our provisions, but indeed it is true. It is a matter of our having absolute trust in God as our provider. This does not imply that we are not to work and be diligent, but it does mean that it is God who gives us the ability and the opportunity to work. Seeing God as our provider is the key to not being anxious. There are some who are not able to work, yet, God provides for them as well. The key to all of this is for us to first seek His kingdom and His righteousness; when we do, He adds all we need! That’s the difference. It is another subject, but part of this is learning the secret of being content. We must reject the idea of our culture that is constantly telling us that more is always better. Living in contentment, knowing that God is our provider is the best possible life to live on this earth. If God provides for the birds of the air and the grass in the fields, surely He will provide for us.
Luke 12:24 “Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet, God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!”

Blessings, Buddy

PERFECT LOVE

9/2/2025

September 2, 2025 PERFECT LOVE

1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love cast out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love.”

As so often is the case in the scriptures, one verse presents life changing truths. The above verse is one of those verses. Many live with fear; fear of sickness, financial loss, death, rejection-and the list goes on. Fear paralyzes and robs us of life. At the outset, it must be understood that the love that cast out fear is not a human love; it is the love of God. Human love is often a selfish love and at some point it fails. If we are dependent on or if we are trying to find our security in the love of another person, we will not be fulfilled; if they fail to express love as we think they should, we become unsettled. But God! God’s love is perfect and is totally unselfish; His love is certain and unconditional and His love has our best interest at heart-always. Here is the crucial part: we can believe with our minds that God loves us-we have heard that for a long time; but everything changes, all fear is cast out when we experience His love-when we know in the deepest part of our being that God loves us personally. After all, when the God who created the universe, the God who has all power and wisdom, the God of all eternity, loves us, what is there to fear? Zero! That may sound to good to be true, BUT it’s not-it is absolutely true. We cannot ‘understand’ the love of God or why He loves us, we simply have to receive it. His love defies logic. So, if we are struggling, or feel fearful or insecure, the answer lies in the love that God has for us. I don’t have three easy steps on how to experience the love of God; but if you seek Him first and simply ask Him to reveal His love for you, He will in His own way and in own time express His love for you.
Romans 5:5 “and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirt which has been given to us.”

PS: God has already demonstrated His love for us.

Blessings, Buddy

THAT YOU MAY HAVE LIFE

8/31/2025

August 31, 2025 THAT YOU MAY HAVE LIFE

John 5:40 “and you are unwilling to come to Me that you may have life.”
1 John 5:12 “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

Sadly, the first verse above describes much of the world’s population today. Simply by going to Jesus and by receiving Him as God’s Son, the Savior of the world, is the only way to have life; not mere physical life, but life as designed by God. There is no such thing as real life apart from the life that comes from God. As 1 John so clearly says, ‘He who has the Son has life.” So, life and the Son go hand in hand. This Ilfe that comes from the Father is eternal, but it also a life that can be experienced here and now in this flesh and bones-even in this fallen world. The physical life lived by the one who does not have the Son does not even compare in any way to the life that comes from God. As believers we must guard against just living a natural sort of life; if not alert, we succumb to doubts, fears, anxiety and the such, and not experience the full, genuine, rich life that comes from God. The life that we receive from the Son IS the life of God. There is no one sentence definition defining the life of God-it’s bigger than definition. As we read the scriptures, we learn of the nature of God and we see His attributes, and the good news is that He wants us to know Him and experience Him in personal ways. As we learn of Him and as we discover our identity in Him, we begin to experience His life through the working of the Holy Spirit in us. When we experience the life that comes from God, we experience love, joy, peace, contentment, hope, boldness, patience, kindness, gentleness and the like, we are experiencing the life of God. This life of God is not something we have to work-up or strive for; it is the gift of God-it’s the presence of God in us. It is amazing, but we have the opportunity for Christ to live His life through us.
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
John 11:25 “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me, shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Blessings, Buddy

RETURN TO YOUR REST

8/28/2025

August 29, 2025 RETURN TO YOUR REST

Psalms 116:7, 4:8 “Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.” “In peace I will lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

There are times when we need to talk to our souls, mainly giving instructions. Our souls can and do at times become downcast. In Psalms 43:5a, the psalmist asked his soul “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” Obviously, there are many things that could cause our souls to be downcast, whether it is sad news, loss, sickness, broken or struggling relationships, disappointment; or we may not know the reason our soul is downcast; sometimes depressing thoughts just seem to come out of nowhere. It helps to know that everyone has to deal with a disturbed or downcast soul at times. However, there is a remedy for the downcast soul and it primarily is a matter of taking dominion over our souls-we must not let our soul be independent of our spirits-and our minds. The b part of Psalms 43:5 hits the nail on the head when it tells the soul “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”There is no situation so dark and desperate that prevents us from putting our trust in God and praising Him because He is our God. It’s good to be at the place where we can say to God “If I loose everything, if my health fails, If others forsake me, my life is in your hands.” Even when we do not have a clue as to why our soul is downcast, we can still make the choice to put our trust in Him. We can do things that lead to a soul that is at peace; such as reading God’s word, immersing ourselves in worship music, reading what is up-lifting, spending time with friends, and very importantly, finding ways to bless others.
Isaiah 26:3-4 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.Trust in the Lord forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.”

Blessings, Buddy

KNOWING THAT

8/27/2025

August 27, 2025 KNOWING THAT

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

Having a reason motivates us to do whatever it is we need to do. Doing something when we have no reason is a real downer. The ‘banner over our life,’ the over-arching view of ourselves should be that we have been purchased by God, our sins are forgiven, we have been made new with a new identity, we live to glorify God through our actions, we have been given a spiritual gift, we have a ministry, and we are destined for heaven. We must not separate what we do into ‘secular’ and ‘spiritual.’ All we do is to be done out of our new identity as ones who belongs to God and ones who reflect the character of God. ‘Therefore’ is an important word; because of who God is and because of who we are in Him, we ‘therefore’ are to be steadfast, immovable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord. The ‘work of the Lord’ is all inclusive; it’s more than bible study, attending church or teaching a class. Choosing to walk according to the Spirit instead of the flesh is a work of the Lord; helping someone in need, being a giver of time or resources, being faithful and diligent, encouraging others-are all works of the Lord. It’s awesome to realize that our life has a big purpose-a purpose set by God. We are flesh and blood-but the Spirit of God has taken up residence in us and His presence brings about a supernatural life; a life unlike the life of those who do not know Him. Only by the work of God in us and our working with Him as He works in us can we be steadfast, immovable and abounding in the work of the Lord. Sure-there will be trying spiritual and physical times and times when we need to renew our minds, but remembering who we are motivates and renews us and enables us to abound in the work of the Lord. Knowing that our work in the Lord is not in vain is motivation and reason to keep on keeping on in the work of the Lord. What we do daily matters in the kingdom of God. We have every reason and every motivation to be faithful in the calling we have from God. If by chance, we have failed along the way, He is always calling us back to Him and to the plans He has for us.
Colossians 3:23-24 “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Jesus.”

Blessings, Buddy

A NEEDED REMINDER

8/25/2025

August 26, 2025 A NEEDED REMINDER

Psalms 24:1 “The earth is the Lords, and all the fullness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein.”

It goes without saying, but if you focus on what is taking place in the world, it can easily lead to dismay, depression, anxiety, fear and hopelessness. Psalms 24:1 is a reminder we need to hear. Sure, there is a lot of horrible things going on in the world, but the fact remains that the earth is the Lords. You might ask “If the earth is the Lords, why all the problems?” That is a good question and our answer to that question is all important. In the beginning, God placed Adam and Eve in a perfect world; but you know the story, sin entered the heart of man-and the downfall. God knew sin would enter His perfect creation, BUT God had a plan of reconciliation in place. The sacrifice of His Son was the plan; His Son would bear the penalty of the sin of man. The reconciliation and restoration of man as well as the creation is in progress as I write this-right now. The Old Testament pointed to Jesus as the Savior of man and the New Testament or New Covenant reveals in great detail just what it mean to be saved. I say all that to say, be patient and be confident that God is ruling over all in spite of what we may see with our eyes. We are in the process of being transformed into His image and we have been made over comers in this world. So let us focus on the works and plans of God and work with Him as He works in us. If we focus on anything else, we will be greatly disappointed. Be encouraged with truths from God’s word
Psalms 22:27-29 “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will worship before Thee. For the kingdom is the Lord’s and He rules over all nations.”
2 Peter 3:8-9 “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness.”

Blessings, Buddy

CONTENT IN EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE

8/23/2025

August 23, 2925 CONTENT IN EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE

Philippians 4:11-13 “ Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Like so many of the scriptures, this is without a doubt counter-culture. The culture of the world says that one should always be on a path where they are receiving more and more and they should always be becoming more prosperous. To live a life as described by Paul in this verse requires the work of the Holy Spirit; a work that transforms in the inner most part of our being. The issue is not how much or how little one has, or what the circumstances are at the moment. The real issue is that of being content in any and all circumstances. This may sound paradoxical, but it is a work of the Spirt in us, and it is also something we learn. We learn as we walk with the Spirit and work with Him as He works in us. We will walk through difficulties, but the Spirit of God will be with us and will strengthen us in such times. It is amazing, but Paul had learned how to be abased, and how to abound. I read about a CEO of a major corporation who lost his job due to company downsizing. He applied for jobs, but was turned down for being over qualified. A long story- but he eventually saw an ad for a job as a cook cooking potato fries at Chick-fil-A. He got the job and decided he would be the best potato fry cooker anywhere. He had promotions and eventually became a store operator. Sorry for the long story-but you get the point. We must believe and know that God is ALWAYS present with us. Our part is to seek to learn of Him and to make the choices to walk in His ways. It is a mystery, but we can be full and we can be hungry and we can abound and also suffer need. That is the miracle part; that is the part that the worlds culture has no understanding of. The key statement that Paul made was that He ‘could do all things through Christ who strengthens him.’ That is not true just for Paul; that’s for you and I as well. Let us, with the Spirit working in us, be lifted out of the culture of this world and discover a ‘higher-plain’ of living. Again, there is no way we can have a lasting contentment without knowing that Christ is our life.
2 Corinthians 12:10 “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Blessings, Buddy