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INCREASING AND ABOUNDING

7/21/2025

July 21, 2025 INCREASING AND ABOUNDING

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 do also for you; so that He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.”

As we live this Christian life, there is not a place for coasting or plateauing spiritually. Throughout out life we are to be growing in the faith and in the knowledge of God. In the verses above we are called to be increasing and abounding in love for one another and for all men. This is true because God IS love and He lives in us; it’s only natural for us to be about expressing His presence in us. The love that we are to be increasing in is the love that comes form God. The love that the world knows is basically a selfish love whereas the love of God is a totally unselfish love. Human love fails, but the love of God is steadfast, never failing. The one who does not know God cannot live in or be expressions of God’s love; but for the believer, Romans 5:5 is great news: “And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirt, who has been given to us.” We can now love with the love of God; human love has been superseded by the love of God! We cannot underestimate the power of the love of God that has been poured into our hearts. This means that our actions and our general view of life, our mindset, is motivated by the love of God in us; we no longer have to perform or ‘try’ to live as God would have us live-and that is more awesome news. We are free and we are able to love as God loves. His love is unoffendable, is patient and kind. (See 1 Corinthians 13 for a look at the love that flows from God.) You may be thinking that “This all sounds good, but after all, I am human.” This can indeed sound to good to be true, BUT it is true; the new heart that He has given us is a heart full of His love. Are we perfect? No. But when the Holy Spirit lets us know we are not loving as God loves, we can confess that and immediately return to living in His love. I have said all of this, but the main point I wanted to make was for us to be increasing and abounding in our love for one another. May our love not be a ho-hum type of love, but may it flourish. As the years pass, our love for others can be increasing and abounding.
1 Corinthians 13:13 “But now abide faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.”
1 John 4:16 “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him.”

Blessings, Buddy

CLEANSING OURSELVES

7/19/2025

July 19, 2025 CLEANSING OURSELVES

2 Corinthians 6:17-7:1 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate, says the Lord. And do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you.
And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

These verses do not make the headlines in our culture; and sad to say, they are not often talked about in Christian circles. They are contrary to our culture that denounces moral absolutes and promotes the idea that each individual decides what is right in his own eyes. Our culture cast off restraints and encourages every one to express themselves in any way they choose. However, the culture can do whatever it wants to do, but God has His own ‘culture’ and it has always existed and will always exist. In His kingdom (culture) there are absolutes that cannot be broken without suffering the consequences-and that is what the culture of the world despises and denies. God is sovereign whether one believes it or not. As alluded to above, many professing believers have knowingly or unknowingly bought into the worlds culture; many find it difficult saying that certain things are sin-they do not want to ‘judge’ anyone. Don’t misunderstand, we are not called to judge, but we are called to recognize sin and abstain from it, and as God leads, exhort and admonish others to stop sinning. (See 1 Corinthians 15:34.) God is holy; He has no sin; He is pure; AND He has called us to be holy in conduct. If we say we love God but continue in sin, we are desperately deceived and we lie. Loving God demands our holiness. Holiness is not a matter of being better than someone else, and it’s not a matter of keeping a list of all the good things we may do. We are holy because Holy God lives in us and He has set us apart; we are the temple of the Holy Spirit—how shall we continue in sin? So, for us-let us not participate in anything that is unpleasing to God; if we find ourselves in a compromising situation or we are being caught up in what is sin, let us be quick to come out or leave whatever sin we are committing. For sure, we will have contact and dealings with those who do not know God and we are not to shun them, but we are to be a light that points them to God who forgives and who loves. The main point for us is not to be participants in what is ungodly. We have a great promise; when we come out of what is sin, God will welcome us and He will be our Father. Because of who God is, let us ‘cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. This is a healthy fear. Let us be bold and put away anything that is not pleasing to the Lord.

Romans 6:12-13 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lust, and do not go on presenting 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.”

Blessings, Buddy

PS: This is not saying that we must be perfect and never sin; but if we sin, we confess it and then continue to walk according to the Spirit.

WHAT DOES GOD REQUIRE

7/16/2025

July 16, 2025 WHAT DOES GOD REQUIRE

Micah 6:8 “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

We tend to complicate things, including our relationship with God. It seems we are continually being admonished to be about certain ‘spiritual’ activities that will bring about spiritual growth, to lay certain things aside and be more diligent in getting our life right with God. Don’t get me wrong; spiritual disciplines and evaluating our life with God is a good thing. But, there seems to be a subtle message ‘out there’ that tells us we need to do more, know more, strive more in order to be right spiritually and to be right with God; like we do not quite measure up or that we are lacking in some way. Colossians 2:10 tells us we are complete in Christ. I fear that many of us live like the proverbial rabbit who never catches the carrot that he is chasing. The good news is that we can ‘find Jesus’ and the life He offers and enjoy life with Him. If we take the scriptures at face value-believe what they say, it almost seems that the message of the gospel is to good to be true. We have heard it often, but Jesus told us that He came that we might have abundant life. John 10:10b. God desires that we live in peace and that we experience joy and hope; that we be anxious for nothing; that we fret not; and that we be filled with the Holy Spirit. His promises and desires for us hold true even in the difficult times. We speak a lot about the trials of life that we all face, but there are also times when we are not in the midst of the trial. In trials or not, we can ‘act justly, and love mercy and walk humbly with our God.’ In addition to our tendency to complicate things, we may also tend to over-analyze things. Over-analyzing can lead to indecision and it can cause us to be anxious. We should give careful thought to what we do, but the fact is that we cannot figure it all out and we certainly do not know what the future holds. But our God will direct us and give us His wisdom if we ask for it; we can be at peace even as we deal with the issues of life. I know I am rambling at bit, but the point is that God does not complicate life, and He does not burden us down; He came to rescue us from our ways-the ways of fallen man-and He offers us His life and all that comes with it. So, take a deep breath, relax, and enjoy, and be thankful for the life we have in Him.

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

Blessings, Buddy

KEPT IN PERFECT PEACE

7/14/2025

July 14, 2025 KEPT IN PERFECT PEACE

Isaiah 20:3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trust in You.”
Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 2:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

A lot of things calls for our attention. Our minds are working 24/7. Through our iPhones/laptops we have immediate access to world wide events, and that can certainly overload the mind and have adverse affects on our spirts and souls and rob us of peace. The good news is that there is a solution for this dilemma. When we are not experiencing peace, when we are discouraged, when we are anxious, and when we are fearful, one thing is evident-our trust in God is broken. There is a certain peace that comes when everything is rosy (I thought you spelled it ‘rosey.) and going our way-that peace is based on circumstances. The peace that comes as a result of trusting God is not dependent on circumstances. Just about everyone says that they are ‘trusting God;’ we are talking about a genuine trust in God no matter the circumstances. Back to the mind. The key word in Isaiah 20:3 is ‘stayed.’ To have our mind ‘stayed’ on God is to have as a bedrock our belief and our trust in God; it is to believe from the deepest part of our being that God is supreme and that everything about our lives revolves around Him. Trust is defined as “Assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.” We cannot bring about peace on own accord; peace comes and our souls and spirits and our minds find rest and peace when our trust is in God in all circumstances. Sometimes, maybe often, things happen that we do not like; sometimes we experience pain, hurt and disappointments; and sometimes we suffer a wrong done to us; but even so, we can have peace. This peace of God ‘surpasses all understanding;’ we just cannot explain in. When everything is telling us to worry and fret, His peace rules. The word for us is to have our minds stayed on Him and to set our minds on things above. Those who do not know God do not have access to the peace of God; but we are blessed in that we do have access to the peace of God-and that access is to have our genuine trust in God.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”

Blessings, Buddy

A MERCIFUL AND FAITHFUL PRIEST

7/12/2025

July 12, 2025 A MERCIFUL AND FAITHFUL PRIEST

Hebrews 2:16-18 “For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

Jesus understands. God saw the plight on mankind-that he was lost and bound by sin, without hope and unable to save Himself. God did not save us from afar; He sent His Son to be born as a man and and He became like us in all things! That is amazing; the Son of God leaving heaven and coming to earth and being made like us in everything. Jesus experienced life on earth; He experienced being hungry, getting tired, being rejected, seeing sickness and the brokenness of man, spending time with friends-all the ups and downs of life on earth. YET, He did not sin. Jesus fully understands life on earth-He has been here. Between us and a Holy Righteous God, Jesus stands as our merciful and faithful priest. Do not misunderstand; Jesus does not only understand that we live in a dark, sinful world; He also delivers us from the power of sin. Do not make the mistake of having the view that since we are human beings, we are sinners by nature. We sin when we walk according to our old flesh; but He has made us new and has given us a new nature and we can now walk according to the Spirit, free from the power of sin. There are times when we choose or allow sin; in such times, what a blessing it is to be able to confess our sin to our ‘merciful and faithful priest,’ knowing that we are forgiven. Because Jesus experienced life in a world of darkness, and because He is compassionate and merciful and because He loves us, He is able to come to our aid when we are tempted. What a blessing it is to know that GOD HELPS US! Let us understand that we are not alone in this life; even if live alone, even if we are in prison, or in someway isolated from people. God is with us us; we have a priest who sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us and He is always ready to hear us and help us.
Romans 8:34 “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died-more than that, who was raised-who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

Blessings, Buddy

MARCHING ORDERS

7/10/2025

July 10, 2025 MARCHING ORDERS

Philippians 3:10-13 “that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, in order that I might attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

What is it that motivates us? Often, our motivation comes out of the necessity to provide for the physical needs of ourselves and those around us as; and we are often motivated to acquire the things that we believe will bring us pleasure. Those motivations are not wrong or evil-it depends on the condition of our heart. With that being said, lets look at at the really important sources of motivation that have tremendous short term and long term benefits. First, we live in a temporal world where all things end and/or wear out; But God’s kingdom is eternal and the things of God are eternal. That should get our attention. Another mystery is that we can be content and at the same time be pursuing something or pressing on to something greater. Pursing the things of God and seeking to grow in our knowledge of Him brings about lasting peace in us. We can experience many of God’s blessings here on earth, but there are yet much greater things that we will experience when He returns for His people. The greatest thing we could ever accomplish is being ready for His return. If we are to be found ready at His return, then we must be about fulfilling the call He has for us in this life and we must be about getting to know Him in greater ways. So, let us forget what lies behind and let us be pressing on in increasing in our knowledge of Him. We are in an awesome race, and the prize is before us.
1 John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink from Him in shame at His coming.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23 “Now may the God of peace sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Blessings, Buddy

WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION

7/7/2025

July 8, 2025 WORK OUT YOUR SALVATION

Philippians 2:12-13 “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. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.”

Our salvation is a huge deal and it is so much more than a ticket to heaven. Our salvation is the starting point for us being transformed into the image of God and it is an ongoing journey. It’s somewhat of a mystery, but we have been transformed and we are being transformed. We have been transformed from who we were and have been placed in the family of God, but having been placed in His family, we are being transformed into His likeness-we are becoming like our Father. Once we see just how awesome and even radical it is that we have been transformed and are being transformed, surely we see that we must be about ‘working out our salvation with fear and trembling.’ Salvation is a work of God, but we have a part to play in ’working it out.’ And here is the big thing: sure, we are blessed to be joined to God, but we are saved for His purposes and for His good pleasure-it’s not all about us-we have a higher purpose. The truth for us to embrace is that our salvation has both tremendous spiritual and practical implications. Our heart-beat, our passion, and our ambition should be to be expressions of the work that God is doing in us. The verse above reflects as an example the practical side of God at work in us when it instructs us ‘do all things without grumbling or disputing.’ Our actions prove who we are and who we belong to. Considering the fact that our life-our responses, our attitudes, our motives, our words-transmits a message to all; certainly we should be about working out our salvation with fear and trembling.’ This fear is not being afraid, but it is a healthy fear that motivates; we should have a healthy fear of missing what God has for us.
Philippians 1:9-11 “And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more in real knowledge and 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.”

Blessings, Buddy

July 05th, 2025

7/5/2025

July 5, 2025 TO HIM WHO IS ABLE

Ephesians 3:16-21 “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

This is another passage that may seem to good to be true. Can we really expect this prayer to be answered in us? As incredible as it may sound, this is exactly what God desires to do in us. God living is us is no small deal; He is about us living according to His power; not by self determination or by our best effort. Indeed, in Christ, we live a super-natural life in the here and now. We may be guilty of lowering the bar, or having low expectations of what God wants to do and can do in and through us. God redeemed us for a great purpose; He transferred us from a life apart from God and placed us in His kingdom, which is a kingdom of light. In His Kingdom life is different; life is no longer a ho-hum or same-o same-o life. There is one proviso; to experience all the fullness of God, our hearts must be turned to Him and we must be seeking Him first. All people, whether saved or lost, experience some of the blessings of God-the rain, the order of creation, and the such. I am convinced that there are levels of experiencing God; but we do not by our own effort advance to a higher level. Through faith and through believing what God says and by having a heart that desires Him more than anyone or anything, we experience more of God. God wants us to be strengthened with power in the inner man through His Spirit, so that He may dwell in our hearts through faith; to be rooted and grounded in love, and to know the love of Christ; and to be filled up to all the fullness of God! God can and will do exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or think! If our hearts are turned to Him, if we have a sure faith in God, then let us believe in a big way, and expect God to do great works in us and through us. Do not misunderstand; God has never promised us a life of ease or a life free of trials; but the difficulties of life do not negate the plans and purposes of God; through Him we more than conquer. So, no matter your present circumstances, be encouraged and expect God to do great things.

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly.”
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Blessings, Buddy

THAT WE MAY KNOW

6/29/2025

June 30, 2025 THAT WE MAY KNOW

Ephesians 1:18-19b “I pray that the eyes of your heart be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”

When I read this passage, I am always reminded of a particular night several years ago. As I was pulling our trash can up to the road one night for next morning pick-up, I simply looked up at the clear starry sky, and I heard in a distinctive voice in my spirit that said “The God that made those stars is your Father.” I had not been thinking about or reading a book about God being my Father; God just spoke that into my spirit. Had you asked me before that night if I believed God was my Father, I wold have said ‘Sure I know that.’ I had been a believer for many years and active in church. But that night, in a way I can’t describe, I KNEW in every ounce of my being that God was my Father. My immediate response was “Since the God who made those stars is my Father, what is there to fear and what is there to worry about — absolutely nothing!” I was just carrying the trash out when God enlightened the eyes of my heart. We need to study the word of God and we need to be about doing what God calls us to do, but we also need to be asking God to open the eyes of our hearts; our study alone is not enough. When God opens the eyes of our hearts, we are changed from the inside out; our perspective of life changes for good, we find a hope that is based on the character of God and we experience the ‘surpassing greatness of His power toward’ us. So, it is good and pleasing to God when we ask Him to open the eyes of our hearts; He reveals truth to us in many different ways and He does it in His timing. We can’t choose the how and the time, but for sure He will reveal His truth to those who seek to know Him above everything else.
Luke 24:45 “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”
1 Corinthians 2:12 “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God.”

Blessings, Buddy

HEARING AND ACTING

6/28/2025

June 28, 2025 HEARING AND ACTING

Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.”

In Matthew we find the familiar parable where Jesus exposes the foolishness of building a house upon the sand and the wisdom of building a house upon the rock. Obviously, the house built upon the rock survived the heavy rains, the flood and the winds, whereas the house built upon the sand did not withstand the storms. The obvious point Jesus was making was that if we are hearing the words of Jesus and building on His words-the word of God-our work will survive the storms; but if we hear His words and do not act on them, what we are building will crash when the storms come. We are all building a house; we must be careful how we build as the quality of what we build will be judged. A house must have a solid foundation in order to stand against the storms; Jesus is the rock, He is the sure foundation. A house may look really great, but if the foundation is faulty or unstable, it is simply a matter of time before it falls or becomes unlivable. It is abundantly clear form many scriptures that we are not only to hear the words of Jesus, but we are to act on and obey the words of Christ. Intentions to obey the words and the commands of Jesus are no substitute for obeying; intentions produce no good fruit-it’s the action that matters. Of course we do not obey His words in order to be saved or to gain His approval and love; we obey Him because He loves us and we love Him, because He is Lord, and because it is the only wise thing to do. We must be on guard for hearing His word and agreeing with it, and then not acting on it. For many, information and knowledge is king; this is even true in Christian circles. We may think that by ‘knowing God’s word’ we are good. The truth is that one may have extensive knowledge of the word of God and yet what He is building will not stand when the storms and the trials come if he is not obeying the words of God. Let’s look at just one example: Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. We first must hear those words, but then act on it by actually being or becoming a giver; there are many ways to give, including giving our time, out of our resources, or giving words that build up and encourage. Let us be quick to hear and also quick to act on the words of Jesus; by doing so, we will be wise builders and what we are building will survive the storms as well as the test of time.

John 14:21 “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.”

Blessing, Buddy