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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

LET US NOT LOOSE HEART

6/25/2025

June 25, 2025 LET US NOT LOOSE HEART

Galatians 6:8-10 “For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not loose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”

We may not be conscious of it, but we are always sowing. What we sow is vitally important because what we sow comes back to us in greater ways; a few seeds produces a big crop. We may argue or we may disagree, but the fact is that if we sow to the flesh, we will reap corruption. This fact hi lights the importance of sowing to the Spirit. We sow to the Spirit by listening to and following the leading of the Spirit and being about the things of God. Sowing to the Spirit is not some strange, undefinable deal; it is spiritual but it is also expressed in the natural. For example, we can sow to the Spirit by walking in integrity, by showing compassion in practical ways, by blessing others; we can do our work in a way that it is sowing to the Spirit. We do not do the good works we do so that we might gain His approval; we do the good works because God is good and He is always demonstrating His goodness. There are times when we do not see fruit from what we have sown, and sometimes we get physically tired; but nonetheless, we must persevere and keep on doing the good works He has for us to be doing. Doing goods works energies us and gives a sense of fulfillment. We are alive-we are living; and this is the day, and this is the time when we have the opportunity to express the goodness of God wherever we are. So the word for us is to not loose heart or grow weary in doing good. God will show us the works He has for us; there are no minor or insignificant good works when it’s the good works God leads us to do. Whether its mowing the neighbors grass or preaching to ten thousand, it’s all the same in God’s economy.
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath beforehand ordained, that we should walk in them.”

Blessings, Buddy

CALLED INTO FELLOWSHIP

6/23/2025

June 23, 2025 CALLED INTO FELLOWSHIP

1 Corinthians 1:9 “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We may think of Jesus being ‘out there’ somewhere or someone we have limited access to. However, we have been called into fellowship with Jesus; that is amazing. We, mere human beings, have been called into fellowship with the Creator of the universe. And note; God did not say that if we ask, or if we convince Him, He would allow us to fellowship with His Son; the amazing thing is that God has initiated, and invited, and has called us to fellowship with the Son. Remember, Jesus refers to us as His brothers (family) and He makes it clear that He and ourselves have the same Father-another amazing truth. Hebrews 2:11 and John 20:17. Our relationship with God our Father is a spiritual relationship but it is also a practical, real life, in flesh and bones relationship with our Father. (The verse above talks about being called into fellowship with the Son; but the the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one-so in a real sense our fellowship is with the triune God.) Our part is to know that God invites us into fellowship with Himself and then turn our attention to relating to God. Fellowship is about spending time with another and about sharing life and having conversation. For sure God is holy-and He is God-but even so, He calls us to fellowship with Himself. Our fellowship with God is hindered if we allow sin to be a part of our lives; but He is quick to forgive us when we confess our sin and to restore our fellowship with Him. So, let fellowshipping with our Father be the priority of our life; good thing flow out of our fellowshipping with Him.
1 John 1:3 “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.”

Blessings, Buddy

APPROVING WHAT IS EXCELLENT

6/21/2025

June 21, 2025 APPROVING WHAT IS EXCELLENT

Philippians 1:9-11 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

There is more; let us press on to the things of the Lord; we have not arrived. God is calling us to a higher plane-to a life that is in contrast to the life the world offers. It is ever so easy to live on a spiritual plateau-it’s comfortable living on the plateau. Throughout the New Testament we find instructions and admonitions regarding the ‘upward call of God.’ Philippians 3:14. Living according to the ways of God is to live with a new perspective of life where we find joy and satisfaction in giving, blessing, serving, and doing good deeds; this is true because we are living out of the new person that God has made us. We are not to settle for what ever level of love we have, but our love is to ‘abound still more and more.’ Is our love growing-or is it on that plateau? The love of God being active in us results in a real knowledge of Him and it gives us discernment and it opens our eyes to see and to discern the things that are excellent. In other words, growing in the knowledge of God and increasing or abounding in love, gets out attention off of that which is not of God and enables us to see what is truly important in life and to know what is of God. It may sound simple, but having the mindset that is looking for and approving the things that are excellent is super important-and it gives us a totally new mindset in life. Instead of being focused on all the things that are wrong, we can be ones who are looking for what is lovely and what is excellent. As we live this way and as we are about the works that God has ordained for us, we will be ‘filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ.’ If our love is abounding, if we are growing in the knowledge of God, and if we are looking for and approving the things that are excellent, we will be blameless and will be rejoicing when He returns. In fact, it is beneficial for the present and for the future to live in such a way that we will welcome His sudden return and have no shame or regrets for the way we have lived. So, let us not settle for life on the plateau; let us press on to what Gos has for us.

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 umblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.”

Blessings,
Buddy

IT MATTERS

6/17/2025

June 17, 2025 IT MATTERS

Romans 2:4-8 “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that that the kindness of the God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfish and ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.”

These verses are among those that may be a bit unpopular; you do not hear many sermons preached on this passage. We may think these verses are written to unbelievers, but apparently they were written to believers living in Rome. Once we read through this passage and reflect on it, we can find encouragement. Paul at first reminds us that God is kind, forbearing and patient, and because of that, we should be quick to repent from living out of selfishness and living according to our own dictates. It is a frightening thought to realize that as believers we can be stubborn and have an unrepentant heart. We can resist the leading of the Holy Spirit; we can choose to go our own way; and we can harden our hearts. These scriptures really capture our life; they reveal our motivations in life and they reveal our hearts. The BIG fact that we must not miss is that Jesus is coming back to earth AND and that will be a day of reckoning for how we have lived our lives. Do not misunderstand; we are saved by grace, not by works-but we are accountable to God for our life on earth. For believers who have lived the selfish and stubborn life, it will be brought to light. ‘And here it is: God will render to every man according to his or her deeds.’ Those who persevere in doing good will be blessed; but those who are selfish and do not obey the truth but live in unrighteousness, there will be wrath and indignation. (I do not understand all of this-but I get the main point.) I think this is the main deal; because God is good and because He lives in us, it stands to reason that we would be expressions of His goodness through our actions. God is for us; He desires that we experience life to the fullest in Him. Let us remember that God is about transforming us in to His image; the obvious is that if we are working with Him as He works in us in the transformation process, we will be becoming more and more like Him. So our actions, our doing what is good, is super important in the sight of God. Again, we do not do good works to earn our salvation or His approval, we do good deeds because He is good and His life is being expressed in us. The scriptures tell us that only God is good; anything done apart from God is not truly good.
Psalm 23:5 “He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.”

Blessings, Buddy

LET NO DECEIVE YOU

6/15/2025

June 15, 2025 LET NO ONE DECEIVE YOU

2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the tradition which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.”

In the first part of chapter 2 Paul is exhorting believers to be aware of the fact that our enemy, Satan, is all about deception. To this day, in the world in which we live, deception is the norm. The scriptures define Satan as an angel of light-he is a master schemer and deceiver. If it was not for the grace of God and Jesus coming to disarm Satan, all would be deceived. We need the wisdom of God if we are not going to be one who is deceived. There are many deceptive tactics that our enemy uses. It’s interesting to see how Satan tempted Eve, and then Adam to sin even though they lived in a perfect environment. Just as as example, many today have been led to believe that more is better-that more material possessions would bring us more happiness. Don’t get be wrong, there is nothing inherently evil in possessions; it’s just about knowing that possessions do not satisfy the longings of our souls-only God can do that. There are many deceptions. Another example is that even believers can be deceived to believe that the goal is Bible knowledge, while the real goal is a transformed life. But here is the good news: we do not have to fall to the lies of the enemy and be deceived. We can live in the truth; we can be renewed in our minds; and we can have the decrement that God gives. Even though that apple looks really delicious, we can pass it by. Just as Paul is encouraging the believers of his day to ‘stand firm,’ we also must continually stand firm in the gospel that has been given to us. We do not have to be fearful but we are to be wise to the schemes of the enemy and not be deceived but be strong in the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 5:4-6 “But you brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you Iike a thief; for you all are sons of light and sons of day, but let us be alert and sober.”

Blessings, Buddy