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A TREASURE HIDDEN

8/11/2025

August 12, 2025 A TREASURE HIDDEN

Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. Again, the kingdom is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

( If you read Matthew 13 carefully, you will find that many have the events taking place at the end of the age out of order-check it out.)

We can make two important conclusions from this passage. One is that the kingdom of heaven is not obvious to the natural eye, and two, it’s worth everything and any price to find it. We are prone to be driven by and motivated by what we see with our eyes and what we perceive to be true or right. Even though we cannot ‘see’ the kingdom of God as it is spiritual, it is more real than what we see with our eyes and it affects and influences our natural lives in tangible ways. (See 2 Corinthians 4:18). God’s kingdom is bigger than life. We learn of the kingdom of God in His word, and by faith, when we receive Jesus as our Savior, we also receive the kingdom of God. Even though we become members of His kingdom, there is still the need to be seeking and learning of His kingdom. Once we experience life in the kingdom of God, nothing else satisfies; everything else is less than. We cannot escape living in the flesh in a fallen world, and there are certain responsibilities we must be about in this life here on earth; however, all we do here is done as representatives and agents of His kingdom. As members of His kingdom, we have been given the power to conduct our affairs in a way that reflects the kingdom of our Lord and Savior. Let us give up on seeking to find life anywhere other than life in His kingdom. The kingdom life is not mysterious and its not ambiguous; again, it’s more real than the temporal, natural world in which we live. We now live according to the ways of God; we have new motivations in life and we have higher and more worthy goals. And hear this: we-you and I-are God’s representatives here in this life; this truth deals with any poor self image problems and it does away with boredom and aimlessness. So, let ‘finding’ and experiencing His kingdom be our passion in life. And here is the good news: He has shown us His kingdom through His Son-and He desires for us to live in His kingdom.
Luke 12:32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Blessings, Buddy

LIKE A TREE PLANTED BY THE WATER

8/10/2025

August 10, 2025 LIKE A TREE PLANTED BY THE WATER

Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trust in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.”

This passage of scripture has awesome promises for the one whose trust is the Lord. Who or what we trust is an all important issue. Trust is believing with all of our hearts; trust believes even in face of all contradictory and adverse circumstances. Many put their trust in themselves, in their possessions, their jobs, their insurance policies, their savings and investments, their reputation, their accomplishments, their knowledge and in their ability to do whatever they need to do. It is certainly not wrong to have confidence, but it is the source of our confidence that matters. Truly trusting the Lord with our life is the only trust that is secure and eternal; putting our trust in anyone or in anything else is like building a house on the sand-it will not stand when the storms come. I like the analogy of being like a tree planted by the water; it extends its roots, and because the roots reach the source of life (water), its leaves will be green even when the heat comes and it is not anxious about the year of drought, and it will not cease to yield fruit. All the things mentioned above that many trust in will not pass the test of this passage. So, it is a good thing for us to prepare and be diligent in life, but the crucial thing is that our bedrock trust is in the Lord. It’s interesting that it says to ‘trust in the Lord’ and also that the Lord ‘is our trust.’ We can trust in the Lord because of all that He has done and is doing, but we also trust Him just for who He is-He is our trust no matter what’s happening around us. If you want to be blessed now and in the day the Lord returns, put your absolute trust in the Lord.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Blessing, Buddy

INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIVING

8/7/2025

August 7, 2025 INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIVING

Titus 2:11-14, 3:4-5 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purity for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”
“But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,”

Thank God that he does not leave us on our own to figure out how to live life. In God’s word, we find instructions on how to live life in such a way that we and others are blessed and He is honored. God’s grace has appeared to all men; Titus 3:4 tells us that God loves mankind. The book of Titus is a book of instructions, and it is quite detail in scope. Paul reminds us that we are not saved by good deeds, but he also emphasizes that we are called to be about good deeds because we belong to Him. Following is just a partial list from Titus of some of the good deeds we are to be about and some instructions we are to carry out; do not gossip, encourage others, love your spouse and your children, be sensible, pure and kind, be an example of good deeds, have sound speech, be beyond reproach, be under authority, show good faith, deny ungodliness and worldly desires, live righteously and godly, look for the appearing of Christ, be ready for every good deed, shun foolish controversies and strife, reject a belligerent man, meet pressing needs, hold fast to the word of God-and many other instructions for life are found throughout the New Testament. The point is that God’s word is not just a good book to read, and it is not just a historical book; the word of God is given to us that we might discover life as God designed. His word is not a list of do’s and dont’s, and His word is not to condemn us but to guide us. Outside of God’s word, there is no other book that reveals who God is nor who we are in Him. Some believe that life is all about fulfilling personal desires; the problem with that is that it simply does not work; the sense of pleasure that comes when a selfish desire is met, it short lived. God’s word deals with our hearts; God works in such a way that life flows out of our new hearts; we no longer have to search for what satisfies. Even though we live on this earth for the time being, we have been made a part of the kingdom of God and now we have the opportunity to live according to the ways of His kingdom-even in a fallen world. Let us not live according to our own understanding, but live according to the ways of God.

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is the good and acceptable and perfect.”

Blessings, Buddy

THE NEED TO HEAR

8/5/2025

August 5, 2025 THE NEED TO HEAR

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.”

An all important question for us, is what foundation are we building our life on. Jesus uses the analogy of building a house to stress the importance of hearing and acting on His words. To hear and act on the words of Jesus is the only way to build a firm foundation that will stand the test of storms and difficulties that come our way-and they will come. It’s two parts; hearing and acting. First, concerning hearing; we can hear, but not really hear. To truly hear is to turn our attention to what is being said, to let it sink in, to meditate on it, tuning out all other distractions. Concerning the acting on part; if we value what we hear, obviously, it would be wise to act on what we hear-to apply. One danger is that we tend to elevate knowledge; we may believe that knowledge is the goal. The goal should be to acquire the knowledge we need that equips us to do what we need to do. The major, overriding truth in life is that God has spoken and has made it abundantly clear the way that leads to life. When anyone builds upon any foundation other than Jesus Christ, that foundation will crumble at some point-it’s guaranteed. Many spend a life time pursuing material possessions and wealth; yet when they near the end of their life, it is a tragic emptiness, a life wasted-they missed the life God had for them. There are many things one can build their life on; hobbies, education, being admired by others, music, and whatever. It is rewarding for us when we take to heart the words of Jesus and begin acting on them. Just one example: God loves a cheerful giver and He said it is better to give than to receive. In light of that, let us look for ways to give; we can give a kind word, help someone, pray for someone, give financially, be an encourager-the list goes on. You get the idea; let us make a choice to act on what Jesus has said; let us be like the wise man who built his house on the rock.
James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Blessings, Buddy

DAY AFTER DAY

8/3/2025

August 3, 2025 DAY AFTER DAY

Hebrews 3:12-14 “Take care brethren, less there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ lest anyone of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our salvation firm until the end;”

It is wise for us to be conscious of the fact that it is possible for us to have an unbelieving heart and to fall away from the living God. And there is something else to be aware of; if we are living our lives without a living, vibrant relationship with God, if we are spirituality coasting, then we have fallen away from the living God. (I am not saying we have lost our salvation-that’s another subject.) God is not in to a casual relationship with His people! Either He is our Lord and He is our life, or He is not; He is not about being a ‘part’ of our life. Paul tells us to ‘take care;’ if we do not take care, then before we realize it, we are living ‘our’ life, pursuing our goals, doing what we want to do, and trying to work God into our schedule-and that is falling away from the living God. We must remember that sin is deceitful-and deceitful is just that-deceitful. If we chose to walk in sin, our hearts become hardened. Because falling away is a possibility, we are to be actively encouraging one another, and ourselves, ‘day after day.’ Today, there is a strong tendency to live independent lives, to be private; we must not yield to that but must be willing to be ones that encourage other believers to continue in the faith. What Paul says at the end of this passage is sobering; holding fast the beginning of our salvation is a fruit or result of our being partakers of Christ. If we find that we are drifting or becoming stale spiritually, let us recognize that and turn to the Lord and renew ourselves in the things of the Lord. We are not perfect; sometimes we live according to our flesh; but let us not continue to do so. The good news is that the Spirit of God lives in us and He is always leading us to life, and He is in fact our life. Our part is yielding to Him.

Hebrews 10:23-25 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who has promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”

Blessings, Buddy

LED IN HIS TRIUMPH

8/1/2025

August 1, 2025 LED IN HIS TRIUMPH

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifest through us the sweet aroma of His presence in the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to one an aroma from death to death, to others and aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?

I’m not sure we get it. Is it really true that God can/will always lead us in His triumph? You know the answer; God’s word is true whether we fully understand it or not. The awesome and amazing truth is that yes, when our heart is turned to God and when we are walking in the Spirit, God always leads us in His triumph in Christ. The key is that we are in Christ, and Christ is in God; and God is always triumphant. We have to know that we are not separated from God-ever. Wherever we go, in every trial and in every victory, Christ is with us. And hear this; we are a fragrance of Christ! Let that sink in. Our life, our countenance, our mindset, our words-all we are can reflect Christ. Through us, God manifest the sweet aroma of the presence of Christ in every place!! If you have a scent candle burning, the aroma fills the room; and if you move the candle to another room, the aroma follows. There is no ‘secular’ life for us; all we do and all we are is to be a reflection of Christ in us. The candle does not have to work at producing an aroma-it just happens; neither do we have to ‘produce,’ we simply reflect Christ. Christ leads us to do certain things, but the things we do are a reflection; we work out, or express what He is doing in us. Again, we are not producers, but reflectors. Out of our new hearts flow the life of Christ.
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I like by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Blessings, Buddy

NOW WE HAVE RECEIVED

7/31/2025

July 31, 2025 NOW WE HAVE RECEIVED

1 Corinthians 2:12-15 “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, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those things taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thought with spiritual words. But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man.”

Those who do not know God as Savior have great limitations; one being that they are limited to living life solely based on human wisdom. Another limitation is that they are subject to the spirit of the world, a spirit which is self-centered-and that alone leads to all manner of conflict. In contrast, those who know God as Savior have received the “Spirit who is from God, that we might know things freely given to us by God.” The natural man, the one who does not know God, cannot understand or accept the things of God because they foolish to him and he cannot understand them because they are ‘spiritually appraised,’ and he is void of the Spirit. So, the big plus for us is that because we have the Spirit of God living in us, we can know the things given to us by God; we are taught by the Spirit! We are not limited to our minds; we have the Spirit of God who reveals to us the things we have been given by God. We are not dependent on mere human wisdom-we can be guided by the Spirit of God. We could not give an adequate list of the things given to us by God, but it would include such things as a wisdom from God; eternal hope; peace; joy; a spirit of forgiveness; patience; kindness; perseverance; faith; love-and the list could go on. Let us be continually appraising all things by the Spirit of God and live according to the ways of God. God gave us a wonderful and amazing mind, but the mind must be under the influence of the Spirit.

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

Blessings, Buddy

BE STRONG

7/29/2025

July 29, 2025 BE STRONG

Ephesians 6:10-11 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.’

I do not know of a believer that has not, or is not experiencing trials and difficulties. Some trials we face are minor on the grans scale of things, but some trials we face ‘try our souls’ in tremendous ways. Personally, I and some members of our family are experiencing great difficulties. When the difficult times come our way, we can respond in different ways; we can allow trials to cause us to be anxious, to lead us to depression, to be fearful, or cause us to be greatly stressed. Also, sometimes a sense of anxiety, fear or depression just seems to come out of the blue, with no apparent reason. However, we can find comfort in the fact that God knows our state and He knows that life in this fallen world is no cake walk. Thankfully, God addresses this anxiety issue and gives us insight as to how we deal with it. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” That’s it in a nutshell. I am convinced that we should tell new believers that life as a follower of Christ is not a life exempt from trials. 1 Peter 4:12 tells us not to be surprised at the fiery ordeals that come our way. But, in John 16:33 God tells us that even though we will have tribulations in the world, we can have peace and be of good cheer because He has overcome the world! That’s an awesome verse. When we read above, “Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord,” let us be reminded of the words that God has spoken and the promises He has given us, and then let us be strong-that is something we can do because of what He has done. Our enemy, the devil, is out to distract us and to cause us not to walk in the ways of the Lord. HOWEVER, we can reject his lies and his deceptions; we can live in the truth of the gospel.
1 Corinthians 16:13 “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

Blessings, Buddy.

NOT BY ACCIDENT

7/27/2025

July 27, 2025 NOT BY ACCIDENT

Hebrews 2:10-11 “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying ‘I will proclaim Thy name to My brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will sing Thy praise.’”
John 20:17b “I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.”

This is bigger than life; what we are a part of is much greater than we know-even beyond our imagination. We may mistakingly think that we are here solely because our mother and father, or a man and woman, had a baby. When it is revealed to us in our innermost being that God is our real Father, our view of ourselves and our view of life drastically changes. Our earthly parents, no matter who they were, were simply the means by which God arranged our physical birth. Even though our earthly parents played an important role and certainly our upbringing had a great influence on us, our true identity is rooted in God, who is our Father. What a blessing that Jesus calls us and thinks of us as His brothers and sisters. In fact, Jesus came and suffered and gave His life to redeem us back to the our Father. As believers, we have been restored to our Father and can now live in relationship with Him. We have been redeemed! We were not redeemed because we did something to deserve it or was good enough; we are redeemed only because God loved us. God likes family, and He has made us a part of His family. With God being our Father does not mean that all will be roses in this earthly life. Just as earthly parents train up their child, God trains us to live as His sons and daughters, and even transforms us into His image. Because we are fathered by God, no matter who our earthly parents were, even if our conception was ‘accidental,’ and perhaps we grew up in unhealthy surroundings, we must remember that God knew us and formed us in our mother’s womb; we are important to God and loved by God; knowing this truth takes care of any poor self image. No matter our circumstances today, let us reflect on the fact that God knew us long before we were born physically, that He sent His Son to redeem us back to Himself, and that Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters.

Psalm 139:13-16 “For Thou formed my inward parts; Thou weaved me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from Thee, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Thy book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me.”

Blessings, Buddy

BE FILLED

7/25/2025

July 25, 2025 BE FILLED

Ephesians 5:18 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.”

I sometimes wonder if the Holy Spirit was taken from us, would it make a difference in our life. God choosing to send His Holy Spirit to indwell believers was a great miracle to say the least. The Holy Spirit living in us does not automatically mean that we are being led by the Spirit. Scripture instructs us to not to grieve the the Holy Spirit of God. Ephesians 4:30. Apparently we have a choice when it comes to following and being filled with the Spirit; and the choice we make has monumental consequences. It means that we either follow our own ways-which is scary-or we follow the Spirit of God. In Romans we see that our flesh battles against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; however, we have the power to not yield to the flesh and the power to yield to the Spirit. To be filled with the Spirit is not a complicated or drawn-out process; it is a matter of yielding to the Holy Spirit, acknowledging His presence, and telling Him that we want to follow His leading. Not only does the Spirit lead us, He also equips us to follow and to accomplish what He has for us. As Oswald Chambers says, the Holy Spirt does not normally speak to us in earth-shaking ways, but often speaks to us in a quite voice; as we walk with in Spirit for some time, it becomes more natural for us to walk according to His ways; He guides and we follow. The Holy Spirit is always pointing us to the Father and equipping us to live in a way that is pleasing to the Father. May we not quench or grieve the Holy Spirit by ignoring Him or by not following His leading; instead, let us be sensitive to His voice and quick to embrace His work in us. The Holy Spirt is vital for us being transformed into the image of God.
Romans 8:5 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy/Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.”

Blessings, Buddy