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ANXIOUS  ABOUT NOTHING

9/24/2024

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September 24, 2024              ANXIOUS ABOUT NOTHING


Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.”


Really? Be anxious for nothing? Surely God does not expect us to live in this hectic, broken world without be anxious about some things, does He? There are lots of things that could and do go wrong; such as our health, finances, job, relationships, war, crime, accidents, etc. In other words, there is plenty to be anxious about. However, as illogical as it may sound, it is God’s plan and His desire for His children to live without being anxious. God knows that there are things in life that could cause us to be anxious; He knows that we live in an imperfect world. In fact, Matthew 6:34 tells us that “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” So, God knows that we face that which could cause us to be anxious. Yet, God calls us not to be anxious about anything. The key to living without be anxious is to live with a genuine, unmovable trust in God. We deal with potential anxiety by turning our hearts and our minds to the Lord, praying to Him with thanksgiving, letting our request be known to Him. We talk to God about the thing before us that would cause us to be anxious; as we do, we experience the peace of God. When anxiety knocks on your door, do not open the door. God invites us, and commands us to cast all of our anxieties on Him, because He cares for us. Don’t miss that-He cares for us. So, yes, we will have trials and difficulties in this world; lets accept that reality, but not become anxious about what could happen. One of the main truths that we must cleave to is that in God’s timing, all things will be made right; we know the end of the story. Trials come our way, but we know where we are headed. Also, a vital part of not being anxious is to worship and praise God. When we turn our attention to God through worship, it gets our attention off of the lesser things and puts our focus on God who loves us and who is more than able to meet every need we have. Let us rsvp to God’s invitation and tell Him that we are casting all our anxieties on Him. This does not mean that we bury our heads in the sand nor  live in denial; but it does mean that we give our anxieties to God, trusting Him to work good through the circumstances. God knows everything; He does not forsake us; He cares for us; and He tells us how to live. Yes; we can live free of anxiety. Take a close look at the closing verse, meditate on it and understand what God is saying to us.
Matthew 6:26-27 “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow not reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”


Blessings, Buddy
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HAVING BELIEVED

9/22/2024

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September 22, 2024                 HAVING BELIEVED 


Ephesians 1:13-14 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.


The truth found in this verse should take care of any thoughts of us not being valuable to God or of us having a poor self image. When we heard the message of the gospel and we believed, something awesome and miraculous happened to us; God gave us the Holy Spirit as a seal. The Holy Spirit is a pledge from God that we belong to Him and that we have an inheritance reserved for us. Think about it. We, you and I, are God’s own possession; we belong to Him-not to ourselves. We have been purchased by God. When we are sealed in Him, we are sealed! It’s a done deal that we have been redeemed for God’s own possession. This reminds me of when I was working in the retail business. Someone would come to the store and put an item on layaway; they would pay a certain amount down and come back a later date to pay the balance and get what they had put on layaway. The amount they paid down reserved their merchandise. Understanding that we are God’s possession should have a great impact on how we view ourselves and how we live. Our bedrock view of life should be that we are in Him and He is in us; all of the blessings and promises of God come to us because we are in Him. There is no room for pride or to take credit in what we have accomplished; apart from being in Him, we can do nothing of lasting value. His life in us and us being in Him enables and empowers us to do the things we need to do and to fulfill our purpose in life. Viewing ourselves as being in Him and not being our own does not rob us of life; rather, it gives us life to the fullest and fulfills our deepest longings. 
Ephesians 13-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the divine intention of His will,”


Blessings, Buddy 
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TAKE CARE

9/20/2024

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September 20, 2024                    TAKE CARE


Luke 8:16-18 “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed, but he puts it on a lamp stand, in order for those who come in may see the light. For nothing is hidden that shall not become evident, nor anything secret that shall shall not be known and come to light. Therefore take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him shall more be given, and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken taken away from him.”


For sure, there is one good point in this passage that should serve as a permanent guiding principle that we live by 24/7. And that is knowing that  nothing is hidden and knowing that all will come to light. Our thoughts, our motives, and our actions will all be exposed by the light. It is a sobering reality, but it is foolish to think that the things we do or our thoughts will remain a secret forever. I know that this may come across in such a way that makes us fearful; but that is not the intent. Living with this awareness is actually a safety net for us. Let’s be honest; we have all been guilty of wrong thoughts, wrong motives and wrong actions. But, as we grow in the faith and in our relationship with the Lord, we become more pure in thoughts, motives and deeds. This is somewhat a paradox; God forgives and restores, but it is also true that everything will be brought to the light; it may be brought to light to us personally, or it may be brought to light in a public way. Here is the positive aspect of this; it’s true that all things will come to light, but how we confess our wrongs and how we turn from it will also come to the light. We have all sinned, but God has made a way for us to be forgiven and made whole and made pure. We can now live in a way that does not bring shame and regret; we can live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord. God does not bring things to the light to condemn us; He brings things to the light that we might be healed from our wrongs and be made whole. God is truth, He is holy, He is righteous and He is pure; He has no part with sin. He calls us to be holy as He is holy-AND we can live holy lives; does not mean we are sinless, but it means we are quick to turn from sin and continue walking with Him. I do not fully understand the last verse above, but I know that as we walk in the light, as we walk in His ways, we receive more and more from Him; and when we do not walk in His ways, we lose out on what He has for us. The major word for us is to ‘take care how we listen.’ We desperately need to hear what God speaks through His word and through His Spirit; if we hear and embrace His words we are blessed; if we do not hear and embrace what He says, we miss the blessing He has for us. 
Matthew 11:15 “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”


Blessings, Buddy
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September 18th, 2024

9/18/2024

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THAT YOU MAY BE FILLED

9/15/2024

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September 15, 2024             THAT YOU MAY BE FILLED


Colossians 1:9b-12 “to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”


This passage may sound to good to be true; however, if we do not at times feel that the gospel is to good to be true, we have not yet begun to grasp the truth of the gospel. Remember, the gospel is about the Kingdom of God. The gospel is not about making us better or enabling us to live a ‘better’ life. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world, this darkness, have nothing in common. Yet, as powerful and as awesome as the kingdom of God is, God has made it possible for us to live in His kingdom here on earth-right smack dab in the middle of the darkness. God is not limited or hindered by darkness; He is able to do His work anytime and anywhere. Here in a world that has lost it’s way, where sin abounds, God is at work, enabling His people to live in His kingdom here on earth. God does not hold back on His blessings; He is extravagant in His grace and love for us. He does not want us to be partially filled with spiritual wisdom and understanding, but wants us to be filled with wisdom and understanding. When we are filled, we are able to walk in a way that is pleasing to Him and we bear good fruit; and we increase in the knowledge of God; and we are strengthened with all power according to His might! Wow! This is exactly what God has in mind for you and I. Because of His work in us, we can be steadfast and patient in a confused and hurried world, and we can live with joy. It is no small thing that God has delivered us form the domain of darkness and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son. As said above, this may sound to good to be true-BUT it’s not-it is the plan on God for those who know and follow Him. The plans of God are not a pipe dream or just for theological discussion; they are for you and I in the here and now. 
John 14:16 “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.”
John 14:26 “But the helper, the Holy Spirt, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”


Blessings, Buddy
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WHO BENEFITS

9/13/2024

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​September 13, 2024                  WHO BENEFITS


Psalm 150:1-2 “Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! 
Hebrews 13:15 “Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name.”
Psalm 115:1 “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness.”


Since there are numerous verses in the Bible that tell us to praise and worship God, one might ask if God is on an ego trip. However, God does not need anything; He is God; He does not need our praise and worship. We are exhorted to praise and worship Him because it benefits us-it’s for our own good. Praising God has a way of getting our attention off of lesser things and on what is truly important; it has a way of ridding us of anxiety. When we praise God we are reminding ourselves of His goodness and His faithfulness and His love for us. God wants us to have joy and peace, even in a world of chaos and darkness. Even when everything is wrong; even in the most unpleasant and trying times, God offers us joy and peace that are found only in Him. Someone said that “Peace does not eliminate the trials, but it accompanies it.” We are all faced with situations and circumstances that would very easily cause us to be anxious; but God has given us a weapon to fight against being anxious, and that weapon is the praise and worship of God. God is not naive; He is well aware of the trials that come to those who live on planet earth. Amazingly, God makes it possible for us to experience His joy and peace in a real, tangible way. So, no matter what we are facing, let our lips offer up praise and worship to God because He is good-He is faithful, He is all-powerful, and He loves us. We are indeed in good hands with Him. 
Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 103:2 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”


Blessings,
Buddy




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A HIGHER PURPOSE

9/11/2024

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September 11, 2024                A HIGHER PURPOSE


2 Corinthians 5:14-15 “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”


This is another passage that cuts right to the core. Paul stated that it was the love of Christ that controlled him; and that should also be what controls us. If we believe it and embrace it, it’s a major, life changing fact that Christ died for us. The perfect, sinless Son of God, Christ Jesus, shed His blood on a cruel cross-for you and I. On one particular day over two thousand years ago, Jesus was beaten and nailed to a cross-for you and I. And here is the point we must get; because He died for all, all died. The old us has died. A major change has taken place; as believers, because Jesus died for us, we are to no longer live for ourselves. That’s big. The culture in which we live is all about living for self. The lie of the culture is that if we live for ourselves, we will be fulfilled and will be ‘happy.’ As believers, it is critical that we come to understand and embrace the fact that we are to no longer live for ourselves but we are to live for Him who died for us. Living for Him is an issue of the heart and an issue of who is in control. Living for Him does not necessarily mean we are to quit our job and move to a foreign mission field. It does mean that our motives change; living for Him means that we do the things that are pleasing to Him. The commands in the New Testament reveal what pleases Him. When we love one another and prefer one another, when we help others who need our help, when we bear one another’s burdens, when we give as He leads, when we pray for and encourage others, when we seek Him first, when we are kind, when we speak the truth in love, and when we are connected to the body of Christ, He is pleased and we are living for Him. He may call us to a major life style change, but more likely, He calls us to ‘bloom where we are planted,’ and to be conduits of His life to those around us. As said above, Paul said that he was controlled by the love of Christ; that certainly refers to His love for us, but there is more. His love for us changes us on the inside, but it also finds expression through us that touches the lives of others; His love in us reflects Him. Also, living for Him has a way of simplifying our lives; life gets complicated and unfulfilled when we are pursuing the things that we mistakenly think will satisfy us.
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 live by faith in the Son of God, who loves me and gave Himself for me.”
Colossians 3:23 “What ever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not to men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”


Blessings, Buddy
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MOMENTARY LIGHT AFFLICTION

9/9/2024

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September 9, 2024             MOMENTARY LIGHT AFFLICTION


2 Corinthians 416-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”


For sure, we may have difficulty seeing afflictions as momentary and light. Yet, if we gain understanding of the gospel and we have the perspective of the kingdom of God and we know that we have an inheritance form God as believers, we will be able to see our afflictions as momentary and light. We must not be spiritually shortsighted but must keep the big picture of the purposes of God in mind. Knowing what’s coming for those who know God enables us to see this life on earth as momentary. Another reality we must accept is that our physical bodies are decaying! No matter how much attention we give to keeping ourselves in good shape and no matter what we do trying to improve our outward appearance, we are decaying. (I know that is a hard word-sorry.) That is not a doomsday or futile awareness; we should take steps to be in good health as our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Actually, accepting the fact that God designed us in such a way that our physical bodies wear out and one day we die helps us appreciate and value the time we have on this earth. The other good news is that the trials we endure are not just trials for no reason; the trials we endure are producing something-an eternal weight of glory. The message of this passage gets to the core of our culture; the culture focuses on the now and what is seen. The problem with that is that what is seen is temporal; to build a life on the temporal insures disappointment. The believers who lived during the early church days endured great affliction, yet they were overcomers in those afflictions because they were focused on the inheritance in the Lord that was reserved for them. So, while we live on this earth, let us be good stewards and view this life as being precious times we have to be the people God calls us to be; but also let us have our focus on all that God has in store for us and the inheritance that will be ours when we take our last breath. Finally, how blessed we are that our inner man, the real us, is being renewed day by day.
1 Peter 5:10 “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all the grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”


Blessings, Buddy
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September 07th, 2024

9/7/2024

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September 7, 2024                    ENSLAVED TO GOD


Romans 6:17-18, 22-23. “But thanks be to God though that you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed form sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”     “ But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in 
Christ Jesus our Lord.”


We take pride in our independence, but the truth is that whether we realize it or not, we are enslaved to something or to someone. Prior to becoming a believer, a follower of Christ, we were slaves to sin. We may not have been guilty of the sin of murder, theft or whatever; but we all had a sin nature from birth. We tend to grade sin as ‘big’ sin or ‘small’ sin; but in God’s sight, sin is sin. This idea of classifying some sins as small sins may actually cause us to not be alarmed by the ‘small’ sins we may be guilty of-we just allow them to continue. Anyway, we have been freed from the power of sin-and that is a big deal. It is saying that we no longer have to sin since we have been freed from the power of sin; when we sin, we do so by choice. Being freed from sin is half the story. The other half is that we have become enslaved to God. Obviously, being enslaved to God is a wonderful thing; it has many benefits in this life and the life to come. Let us not be consciously or unconsciously enslaved to the ways of the world or to our own passions and desires that are not of God. Being enslaved to God is the best thing that can happen to us; the ways of God lead to life and fulfillment and to life with no regrets. Being a slave of God means that our purpose is to do what He bids and do the things that are pleasing to Him; it means that we live for Him and not ourselves. The amazing thing is that as we live for Him, we find life. The good news is that no matter our past and no matter that we were slaves to someone or something other than God, when we receive Jesus as our Savior, we are set free from our past and the power of sin, and we are enslaved to God and His righteousness. No matter what we may think or believe and no matter our circumstances, the fact is that only as we become enslaved to God, will we find that which satisfies our deepest longings and find our true identity.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirt who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”


Blessings,
Buddy
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GRANTED TO US EVERYTHING

9/4/2024

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September 5, 2024            GRANTED TO US EVERYTHING 


2 Peter 1:3-8 “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control; and in your self-control, perseverance; and in your perseverance, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness; and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”


We have things to do! It is God who is ruling and reigning and it is God who initiates and who enables. As human beings, we have nothing to brag about or take credit for. With that being understood, we must know that we have a part to play in what God is doing; we have to work out what He is working in. This passage begins with an awesome truth. We may see ourselves lacking in certain areas, but the truth is that God has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness. This is primarily saying that through the Holy Spirt, we know how to negotiate life and we know how to live in a way that is in keeping with the ways of God. God has put within us what we need in order to live in victory and the power to not be overcome by the world and the trials we face. These things come not through our own strength, but through the true knowledge of Him; we gain the true knowledge of Him through His word. (Be alert: some misinterpret the word of God and some  preach a false gospel.) Here is another awesome truth; He has provided a way for us to become partakers of the divine nature. Wow! Another point we must not miss is that we are called to be diligent and ‘supply’ certain qualities to our lives. We are to add moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. We are not to wait for God to ‘zap’ us; we must actively add these qualities-it is God who gives us this ability. God has ‘granted to us precious and magnificent promises in order that we might partake of the divine nature.’ Now, let us be about adding these godly qualities. As we do, we will become useful and fruitful in the true knowledge of Christ. 
Colossians 2:9-10 “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”
2 Corinthians 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.”


Blessings, Buddy
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