Blog Posts - TheNewU

EVERY GOOD THING

8/13/2024

August 13, 2024 EVERY GOOD THING

Philemon 4-6 “I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints; and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.”

The book of Philemon is a letter written by Paul to Philemon urging him to receive Onesimus, who had done Philemon wrong, back as a brother in Christ. In the verses above, there is a statement made that gives us a good and proper insight as to how we should view ourselves; it’s an issue of identity. Paul prayed that Philemon would know ‘every good thing which was in him for Christ’s sake.’ At the outset, we must know that apart from Christ, there is no good thing in us; all truly good things come from God. However, if we know Christ as our Savior, He is in us and He has deposited many good things in us. And these good things in us or for His glory and honor. One primary good thing in us is that we are now able to bless others, even if they have done us wrong in some way. We are able to extend forgiveness and do the things that lead to life for those we relate too. There are many good things in us: we can show hospitality; we can give as the Spirit leads; we can help others who need our help; we can express gratefulness; we can encourage others; we can be compassionate-and the list goes on. It is not of God for us to view ourselves in a negative light; or to feel that we are lacking in some way and that we have nothing to contribute. We are to be humble in Spirt, not arrogant or prideful, because it is only by God’s grace that we have these good things in us. God put good things in us not to hoard or to hide, but to bless others and to demonstrate the character of God. The blessing is that as we use and walk in these good things, we are blessed in the process. So no matter of your background, no matter of your status in life, and no matter of past failures, God has put many good things in you-use them!
James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
1 Peter 4:10 “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.”
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Blessings, Buddy

ALERT AND SOBER

8/11/2024

August 11, 2024 ALERT AND SOBER

1 Thessalonians 5:2,4-6,8 “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.” “But you brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.” “But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.”

There is a tendency to coast in life; it seems that life just goes on day after day no matter what we do or do not do. Discipline, alertness, diligence and expectancy are not a part of our life automatically; they are ours by choice. Most like routines; however, being committed to routines can rob us of opportunity. There is nothing wrong with routines; we just have to know that life is bigger than our routines and we must be willing to forgo our routine if and when God allows something to interrupt our routine. (Excuse me for getting a little off track-I am just saying that how we live daily is super important.) As a starter, do we “know full well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief?” Let us not forget that as sure as you are reading this, there is such a thing as the ‘day of the Lord.’ Being fully convinced of that fact surely impacts how we live; we are either alert to that fact or we are not. God is warning us that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. (A thief once broke into our home while we were away-and it was at night.) God telling us that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night is not to cause us to fear, but is a graceful warning from God on what awesome day lies ahead. If one is living in darkness, then it is a fearful thought to know that He could come at any moment. The good news for believers is that God has made a way for us to not be overtaken on that day when He suddenly returns. We will not be overtaken if we live daily in the light-we are sons of light and sons of day. Because of that magnificent day that is surely coming, we must remain alert and sober. We are to live in the ways of the Lord; to always be seeking to please Him in all we do. We are to put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of salvation. Our salvation is so much more than a ticket to heaven-its a way of life. In all we do, let us be mindful of the fact that there is a day of the Lord yet to come. His returning will be the most glorious day one can imagine for those who are keeping themselves ready and looking for His return.
1 John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears we may have confidence and not shrink back from Him in shame at His coming.”
Hebrews 9:28 “So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not do deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.”
Blessings, Buddy

INCREASE AND ABOUND

8/9/2024

August 9, 2024 INCREASE AND ABOUND

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

To love and to grow in love is of God. We cannot conjure up the love that comes from God. It was Paul’s prayer that the ‘Lord would cause us to increase and abound in love.’ If we know Jesus as our Savior, then there Is a desire to increase and grow in love. Because we are in Christ and He is at work in us, then we must be pursuing what He is doing in us-and that is, transforming us to His own image. So, as Christ loved, so are we to love. The worldly love, the love that is not of God, is a selfish love; the love that God works in us is an unselfish love. Someone said that if we do not have the best interest in our hearts for another, then we do not love that person. There is a reason and a motivation for the love of God to be abounding and increasing in us; when the love of God is expressed in and through us, He will establish us unblamable in holiness when He returns. For that reason, we must not take lightly the call of God to grow and increase in love. There is no time to coast in our walk with the Lord; God has a purpose, and a big part of that purpose is transforming us into His own image! It should be our deepest and greatest desire to work out what God is working in us and cooperate with Him as He transforms us into His image. As alluded to above, we cannot work up the love of God; however, becasue we have been made new creations and have been given the Holy Spirit, we can experience God’s love and we can be expressions of His love to all. It’s a serious issue; only by God’s love abounding and increasing in us will we be found unblamable in holiness when He returns-and His love brings blessing in the present. So the Lord causes love to abound and increase, but we have a part in responding to what He is doing.
1 John 4:8-9,12 “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.” “No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.”

Blessings,
Buddy

POWER AND LOVE AND DISCIPLINE

8/7/2024

August 7, 2024 POWER AND LOVE AND DISCIPLINE

2 Timothy 1:6-7 “And for this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”
1 Peter 4:10 “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

Timothy had received a gift form God and Paul was admonishing him to ‘kindle afresh’ the gift that God had given. But let us remember that if we know Jesus as Savior, then we too have received a gift from God. We may at times forget that we have been gifted of God and just as with Timothy, we need to kindle afresh the gift that is within us. Note that we are not to wait on God to kindle afresh the gift (or stir it up); that is something we are called to do. The gift that God has put within us is not primarily for the purpose of blessing us, but for blessing others. Because we are gifted to bless others, we cannot live isolated lives; it is necessary to have contact and relationships with other believers if we are to use our gifting. This does not mean that you have a be a socialite or constantly involved with people; but we are to have some involvement with others as God leads. Paul gives us another good reminder; he reminds us of something we might loose sight of. Because we are in Christ and He is in us, we have been given a spirit of power and love and disciple; he has not give us a spirit of timidity. We each have different temperaments and personalities; some have a type A personality and some have a more gentle and quite spirit. But in either case, being timid in spirt is not from the Lord. The life we live is to reflect this gifting that God has put in us. We have the power of God to do whatever God puts in front of us to do; all things are possible in Him. God does not know defeat; and we are in Him. No matter how unlovely the world is, God has given us a spirt of love; a love that overcomes the world and all it’s darkness. And, we have been given a spirit of discipline. We may find this one more difficult to embrace-especially if we tend to be undisciplined. To be disciplined is to choose to do what needs to be done. We are not inadequate; God has put His Spirit within, has given us spiritual gifts, has given us power and love and discipline, equipping us to be about fulfilling the ministry that He has given us.
Romans 12:6 “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them:”
1Peter 4:10 “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another;”
1 Corinthians 4:20 “For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.”

Blessings, Buddy

IT’S NOT THAT DIFFICULT

8/5/2024

August 5, 2024 IT’S NOT THAT DIFFICULT

Ephesians 4:29-32 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirt of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

We have the power to let; and that is a great power. God did not make us as robots; as creations of God, man is free to choose. The word ‘let’ is used often in the New Testament. In the above passage, let deals with the words we speak. In the book of Revelation there is a section describing Christ, and part of the description pictures Christ as having a sword in His mouth. I recently heard someone say that we have a sworn in our mouth-and its called a tongue. With our sword (our tongue) we can injure others or we can build them up. This passage in Ephesians has a very simple, yet very powerful admonition; ‘Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth,.’ You cannot miss the point. Because the power of the words we speak or so powerful, we must guard our words carefully. We are to speak words that edify-words that build up and encourage. We must not be guilty of simply responding to others the way they respond to us; just because someone speaks unwholesome words to us is no excuse for us to respond likewise-its best to take the high road and respond with grace. Our words can meet the need of the moment and they can show the grace of God. When we speak unwholesome words, we grieve the Holy Spirit. A second let in this passage is about letting certain things go-again, that is a great power. We can actually let dark and damaging things go; such as bitterness, wrath, anger and malice. What a blessing for us and others to lay these things aside. We have the choice of being kind, tender-hearted and forgiving. An amazingly, we can be imitators of God! Wow! You can sum all of this up by the command to walk in love, just as Christ loved us. To live according to this passage cannot be done in our own strength; however, even though God has made this available to us, we must choose to walk in what He has provided.
1 John 2:5-6 “But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”
1John 5:3 “This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome,”

Blessings, Buddy

DO WHAT IS RIGHT

8/3/2024

August 3, 2024 DO WHAT IS RIGHT

Acts 10:34-35 “And opening his mouth, Peter said: I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right, is welcome to Him.”

This is one of those verse that seems so simple, we pass over it. However, this passage has a message for us. To begin with, Peter ‘opened his mouth.’ When opportunities present themselves, we must open our mouths as speak what God would have us speak. In the first part of Acts 10 God made it clear that the gospel was for the Gentiles as well as the Jews-and that was a shocker for the Jewish leaders of that day. The point is that Peter was willing to do an about face and to lay aside his convictions that were not in line with the gospel. Many are unwilling to change what they believe even though it may be in conflict with the gospel. God revealed to Peter that God does not show partiality; our culture is based on partiality. It is refreshing to see that God does not show partiality-and neither should we. I have to admit that when I see someone that is dressed really weird or is unclean looking, or whatever, my tendency is to avoid that person-and that is not pleasing to God. (God forgive me and may I not show partiality.) Another seemingly simplistic truth we see in this passage is that God welcomes those who fear Him and does what is right. How could that be more clear? If we have a healthy fear of God, our actions will reflect that. This fear of God is a reverence for God and a deep awareness that we are each accountable to Him for the life we live-that’s a healthy fear. The admonition to ‘do what is right’ is refreshing and uncomplicated. Because He is holy, we are to be holy in conduct. Our motive for doing what is right should not be to earn His approval or to avoid chastisement, but we do what is right because that is who we are in Him. So, let’s keep it simple; let’s have a healthy fear of God and do what is right; when we do that, we are welcomed by Him. I might add; we do what is right in His eyes, not ours.
James 4:17 “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Blessings, Buddy

SEATED WITH HIM

8/1/2024

August 1, 2024 SEATED WITH HIM

Ephesians 2:5-7 “even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

God is up to something-and its big! We were all dead in our trespasses, BUT God raised us up-made us alive together with Christ. Did you get that? We were dead-as dead as could be. Not only were we made alive and raised up, we were also seated with Christ in the heavenly places. That sounds awesome-but what does it mean to be seated with Christ in heavenly places? I don’t know exactly-but I have some ideas on what it means. To be sure, being seated in heavenly places is real-it’s not just for theological discussion or class room debate. Through out the New Testament we see that we have been joined to Christ, made one with Him, and will always be with Him. So even though we live in a physical body on planet Earth, we are at the same time seated with Him in heavenly places! We are not just mere human beings; we have been made new creations-creations unlike the world has ever seen. We have the Spirit of God living in us and we live in Him. We will not be eternal beings someday; we are eternal beings now. Being in Christ means just that-we are now IN HIM. Because we have been made new; because we are in Him and seated with Him in heavenly places; and because we have the mind of Christ; we can think as God thinks; we can view the world and circumstances just as He does; and we can respond as Jesus would to all situations. Many neglect or underestimate the salvation we have in Christ-how sad, considering the price God paid for our salvation. Surely it grieves God to see His children living beneath what God has made available to them in their position in Christ. A major problem many believers face is that they are locked into perceptions from the past that blind them to the truth of the gospel. May we have our eyes opened to who we are in Christ and may it impact our daily lives. The awesome blessing we have is that we can now live super-natural lives-even in our temporary physical bodies-all because of what God has done on our behalf. Remember, the truth is that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places-and that changes everything.
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 loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Colossians 3:1 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”

Blessings, Buddy

FROM ONE FATHER

7/30/2024

July 30, 2024 FROM ONE FATHER

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. “

We hear it often: ‘God is our Heavenly Father.’ That is certainly true. However, I suspect that many know this truth only in their minds-they sincerely believe it to be true. This was personally true for me; for many years I would be quick to say that God was my Father. But just a few years ago, God worked in such a way that I began to know in my spirit, in the deepest part of my being, that God truly was my Father-and what a difference it made. I cannot fathom how the Creator God, the God of all power, wisdom and knowledge is my Father. God knew us long before we were born; He even ‘weaved us together in our mothers womb.’ Jesus came to redeem us back to our Father; He is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters. Here is a major thought-and a truth-to meditate on: what are the implications of God being our Father? Here we go: because God is our Father, what do we have to fear? What do we have to worry about? Why should we have doubt? Why be anxious? The amazing thing is that when in the very core of our being we know that God is our Father, our life changes radically. Sure, we face trials and difficulties, but because God is our Father, we know that He is at work and that He is watching over us and using all things for our good and for His glory. Nothing is outside of God’s ability to use it for His purpose. Our Father will comfort us and guide us, but He will also correct us when we need it-that’s His love at work. Also, there is no need to fear sickness; God is bigger than sickness. Even though we live in a fallen word where there is discord and trials, our Father is still in control and He is working all things for His ultimate purpose. Our Father never leaves us or forgets about us; He watches over us. I go back to what I said above; if God is our Father, what do we have to worry about or fret over? It really sounds to good to be true-but it is true! We must be about our responsibilities in life and we have to work through some ‘stuff,’ BUT God is always at work in us and He is transforming us into His own image in the process. Let us ‘take our foot off the gas,’ let us relax in God, let us enjoy our Father, let us lay aside the fretting and worry, let us find time to laugh, let us enjoy those in our circle of relationships. Let us not forget that God came that we might have abundant life-even in the difficult times. We have been born of God-and that is major.
Isaiah 64:7 “Yet, Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay and you our potter: we are all the work of your hand.”
1 John 3:1 “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.”

Blessings, Buddy

LIVING FOR HIM

7/28/2024

July 28, 2024 LIVING FOR HIM

2 Corinthians 5:14-15, 17 “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 agin on their behalf.” “Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

May it be that we are controlled by the love of Christ. There are many things that could control us; such as fear, doubt, the love of money, anxiety, temper, impatience, a desire of recognition, our career—and the list goes on. The good news is that just as Paul experienced, we too can be controlled by the love of Christ. Being controlled by the love of Christ simplifies life and enables us to enjoy what God has given. Godly love works toward what is good for others. Being concerned and focused on the good of others can be what controls us and motivates us; and it eliminates of a lot of distractions that would that would draw us away form the things of the Lord. Do not misunderstand; being about blessing others, does not mean that we cannot enjoy some things personally. It’s a matter of the heart; do we have within out heart an abiding desire to be a blessing to others as Gos has blessed us? Christ is the supreme example of desiring the best for others; He gave His very life for us that we might live! It just makes sense: because He died for us, we should live for Him. His death was for all of us. Not only did He die for us, He rose from the dead for us! Because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for us, many blessings were extended to us from the Father; our sins forgiven; we are reconciled to God; we have been joined to Him, AND we were made new creatures-new creations. As new creations with new hearts and new minds, we are able to live for Him and to walk in His ways. We have been fully restored to our Father and now can be controlled by the love of Christ. What a blessing!
Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
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

A FRAGRANCE OF CHRIST

7/25/2024

July 27, 2024 A FRAGRANCE OF CHRIST

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 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 the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?

I wonder how often, if ever, do we see ourselves as being a ‘fragrance of Christ,’ or a ‘sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place?’ Obviously, God called Paul to have a major role in establishing the church and Paul was faithful to the calling of God. But the truths he lived by are the same truths we are to live by. We must understand that what Paul, and other New Testament writers wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was written for us. In fact, all of the New Testament is a ‘guide book’ on how believers are to live; of course, it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can live according to the ways of God. So, here is the point for us: we can be; we are called to be; and we should be a ‘sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place,’ and a ‘fragrance of Christ.’ This is not simply a ‘pipe dream,’ or something reserved for theological discussion, and is not reserved for a select few. And think about this: how awesome is it that you and I can indeed be an aroma and a fragrance of Christ-in every place! For this to be, something has to change. We live out of and we express what is in our hearts-and that is the secret to being a fragrance of Christ in all places. For example, for the one who loves professional baseball, you do not have to remind him to turn the tv on to watch his favorite team play-he just does it because it’s in his heart to do so. God knows that in our own strength we cannot live according to His ways-THEREFORE, He gives us a NEW heart. We must ask the Spirit to reveal to us our new identity as we read and meditate on His word. It is true; when we are living in His ways, He always leads us to triumph in Christ! Whether we are at work, at church, at the coffee shop, or at home, we can be a sweet aroma and a fragrance of Christ. Our lives, our demeanor, our attitudes, our responses, and our words can reflect Christ to those around us-how awesome that is! ‘Who is adequate for these things?’ How we could be a fragrance of Christ is beyond comprehension and its beyond our own ability; yet, that is exactly what God has made possible and what He desires.
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good words, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Blessings, Buddy