Blog Posts - TheNewU

BECOMING PARTAKERS

7/6/2024

July 7, 2024 BECOMING PARTAKERS

2 Peter 1:3-4 “ 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 partakes of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”

Here is an awesome truth we may often overlook: we have been granted everything pertaining to life and godliness! In Christ we have been made complete and we have all we need! That may sound ludicrous, but its true. We tend to see ourselves as needy. Do not misunderstand; we are complete; but we are also called to be growing in the knowledge of God. It is like we have been introduced to life in Christ, and in this introduction, we learn that we are now complete, but we also learn that now we are in Him, and there is whole new realm of getting to know Him in greater ways. It is only by and through His divine power that we have all we need to pertaining to life and godliness. True, we need to do certain things in this life, but we do so out of a sense of completeness, knowing we have what we need to do whatever we need to do! We know about life and we know about godliness; we know what we need to do in life and we know how to do it; and we know how to be godly in all of our doings because He lives in us. For example; as a follower of Christ, we know that we should respond to situations just as Christ would-and we can because He lives in us. We can be demonstrations of the fruit of the Spirit-love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Life is full of opportunities for us to be light and to demonstrate the very nature of our God. God has given us precious and magnificent promises-and they are not just nice talking points-they are real and they are for the here and now, making a difference. And here is the BIG deal: all that God has done and all that He has granted to us is for the purpose of us partaking of the divine nature. What? We human beings can partake of God’s divine nature? Yes! The old sinful nature we were born with can be replaced by a divine nature-is that not awesome? This does not mean we reach sinless perfection; but it does mean that we we have the power and the choice to live according to the Spirt and not sin. We sin when we choose to yield to our flesh instead of the Spirit. So-in Him, we are complete and sin does not rule over us.
Colossians 2:10 “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.”

Blessings, Buddy

BUT ONE THING I DO

7/4/2024

July 4, 2024 BUT ONE THING I DO

Philippians 3:8-10 “More than that, I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, and not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 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 may 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 I was also laid hold 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.”

This is a rather long section of scripture; and we could spend much time digging into what Paul is saying in this passage; perhaps we can glean a couple of super important truths. First, to Paul, there was nothing more important that knowing Christ; Paul’s counted all things as lost compared to knowing Christ. And he did lose everything. This begs the question: is our pursuit of knowing Christ a casual pursuit or is it on the front burner of our life. To pursue Christ with all of our heart does not necessarily mean that we will lose everything as Paul did; but it does mean that things will not have a grip on us; we see them as being lesser-than knowing Christ. To truly know Christ, we must die to ourselves that He might live in us, and we in Him. But whether we lose everything or not, we realize that there is no greater gain than knowing Christ. For sure, gaining Christ is well worth the cost. The other point we must see is that Paul saw himself on a journey; his pursuit of gaining Christ was on-going; he did not see himself as halving arrived. A crucial thing Paul did, and a crucial thing for us to do is to forget what lies behind-successes and failures, and look to what lies ahead. It is good to have good memories, but they are just that- memories. Many struggle at living in the present because they look back with regret over the past; the past robs them of the present. Likewise, we can gloat over and relish the pass and think about all our successes, and miss the present. The point is, let us look forward and stay on the path of pursuing Christ and walking in His purpose for us. Christ is in us, but there is more to learn of Him and more to experience in Him. If Paul had not arrived, neither have we.
2 Peter 3:17 “but grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first His kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Blessings, Buddy

WHILE WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY

7/2/2024

July 2, 2024 WHILE WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY

Galatians 6:9-10 “And let us not lose 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.”

This verse is so immediate, so right now, and so easily understood. It must be said up front that our motive for doing good works should not be to gain God’s approval or acceptance; we are to be about doing good because GOD IS GOOD! When we do good works because He is good, we are living in our true God-given identity. If not alert, the demands and pressures of life can de-rail us from doing the good works we are called to do. Good works are an opportunity; not an obligation or burden. Good works liberate us, takes us out of the self-centered world. It’s not good works just for the sake of good works; the good works we do flow out of who we are and we do the good works as unto the Lord. Good works are bigger than us. The phrase that caught my attention was “while we have the opportunity.” We will not always have the opportunity to do good works-but we have opportunity now. No matter your age, your personality, your health, your financial status, or your background, there are good works you can do. A good work does not have to be something grand and glorious; a good work may be as simple as opening a door for some one or speaking a word of encouragement. The point is that in all we do, we can do it as unto the Lord-the big and the small. So, go ahead-do some good works and do not grow weary and do not lose heart. Do not look for a pat on the back for a good deed done; our reward comes from the Lord. The amazing thing is that we have no idea of the impact a good work may have on someone. Again; it’s simple; it’s doable; and it is freeing. God designed us to be a blessing to others just as He blesses us.
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Blessings, Buddy
Bfitzgerald10@gmail,com

GOD WILLED TO MAKE KNOWN

6/30/2024

June 30, 2024 GOD WILLED TO MAKE KNOWN

Colossians 1:25b-28 “that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man compete in Christ.”

The seemingly built in trait among humans as that we initially are excited to discover something new, but after a while, the excitement wears off. It’s like when we buy buy a new car; for the first couple months, we are excited to drive it; we wash it, and really ‘baby’ it; but then, the new wears off. The same can be true with the word of God; when we first discover a new insight into a particular scripture, we are excited and are quick to share what God has shown us. But, after a while, the new insight is just filed away into our scripture knowledge bank. If not alert, scriptures and the truth of the gospel can become ‘old hat,’ losing it’s impact. Be that as it may; there is a solution to this dilemma. The passion and the call of God for Paul was to reveal a great mystery that had been hidden for generations. Actually, Paul proclaimed and preached this mystery, but it is God who revealed it. The good news for us is that God willed to make known this mystery to His people-you and I. This great mystery hidden for ages; the greatest event to ever take place; the truth that completely changes everything is that by the work and will of God, Christ is in His followers! Yes-HE IS IN US. Christ in us is not just a theory to be discussed, or something peculiar to the apostle Paul. Christ in us is living and He is about expressing His likeness in and through us. Christ is in us with a purpose; He is about transforming us into His own image. He is in the process of transforming us, but at the same time, we are complete in Him-and that itself is a mystery- we have been transformed, and we are being being transformed. Christ in us demands a response; we can resist His work in us, or we can work with Him as He works in us. The main point of this passage is that God has chosen to reveal to us that Christ lives in us, and that means that all of the riches of Christ are in us! The presence of Christ is our hope. Because Christ is in us, we have the assurance that all of the promises of God will be fulfilled. His presence is awesome now, but ‘we ain’t seen nothing yet!’ So, let us tune in to the Spirit of God in us; let’s listen to Him and talk to Him; ask Him for wisdom; and be sensitive to His leading. Learning more about this mystery that has now been revealed, Christ in us, is the greatest life-time pursuit we could ever be about. Remember; it’s not theory; if you have trusted Him as your Savior, He is in you-right now.
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.”

Blessings, Buddy

WHOEVER IS WISE

6/28/2024

June 28, 2024 WHOEVER IS WISE

HOSEA 14:1-2,3b,9 “Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to Him, ‘Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips.’” “For in Thee the orphan finds mercy.” “Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous will walk in them, but transgressors will stumble in them.”

God used the prophet Hosea to pronounce judgment on the Israelites for their turning from Him. In the last chapter of this book, we see that God gives them the opportunity to turn back to Him; it pictures the compassion God has for His people. But even though God is a compassionate God, He will allow sin to have its way when His people reject Him and walk according to their own ways. Hosea is a book about the consequences of sin and it is also a book about God calling His people back to Him. The verses above are beautifully simplistic, but ever so powerful and so redeeming. In these verses, we see clearly just how loving and compassionate our God is. First, God simply says through Hosea, for His people to return to Him; to turn from what they were doing, from their iniquity that caused them to stumble. Is that awesome - just return; turn around, change your direction. God even tells them ‘to take words with you’ and He even tells them what to say! Only a few words need to be spoken to God-‘take away our sins and receive us graciously.’ They did not need to explain why or give all the reasons they had turned from Him; they just needed to acknowledge their sins. Once they returned to the Lord and received His forgiveness, they would praise Him with the fruit of their lips. (Another subject-the power of what we speak.) Because the Israelites had forsaken their Father God, they were like orphans. The good news for you and I is that we are no longer orphans-God is our Father! The last verse in this passage is a serious word for us. Are we wise, are we understanding in these things? Do we see the great peril waiting for those who turn from the Lord? Are we discerning? Do we know that God calls us to Himself? I love this part of the verse: “For the ways of the Lord are right.” If there is any confusion, it is only in our minds. We know the ways of God-and they are right-so let us walk in them; lay aside anything that is contrary to His ways. The righteous will walk in His ways, but the transgressors will stumble in them. I pray that everyone reading this will be ones who are walking righteously because He is righteous and because He has made us righteous.
Lamentations 3:22-23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Blessings, Buddy
[email protected]

LET

6/26/2024

July 26, 2024 LET

Colossians 3:15-17 “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

The word ‘let’ is an important word in scripture. The obvious implication is that God has already made provision and has already done what was needed for us to experience His life in us. Note that this verse does not say “Let peace rule in your hearts;’ but rather, ‘Let the peace of Christ rule in you hearts.” Peace is a wonderful thing to have; in our day, it seems to be a rather rare quality. Even in the storms of life and in the most difficult times, we can experience the peace of God because His Holy Spirit lives in us. We are also to let the word of Christ richly dwell within us. Again, not just any word, but the word of Christ. The peace of God and His word work hand in hand. In His word, we learn of Him and we learn who we are in Him and who He is in us. If we live by the standards and philosophy of the world, we will not experience His peace. His word is absolutely critical! His word IS wisdom. In His word, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we discover truths that lead to life-abundant life; and the life He gives is a life of no regrets. The instructions of this passage is in the plural-your hearts. As members of the body of Christ, living the Christian life is a community deal. If and when we isolate ourselves, we are more vulnerable to the attacks of our enemy. We are called to be teaching and admonishing one another in the things of God and to be provoking one another to love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24. We are also admonished to have a thankful heart; we can choose to be thankful even if we are in a difficult place. Expressing gratefulness and being thankful works wonders. Finally, once we let the peace of God rule in our hearts and we let the word of Christ richly dwell within us, we will find ourselves giving thanks to Him in all we do. The life of Christ is available to you and I.
Colossians 3:1-2 “Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Blessings, Buddy
[email protected]

TAKE HEED

6/24/2024

June 24, 2024 TAKE HEED

Colossians 4:17 “And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”

Although this admonition was for Archippus, I think it applies to all believers. All believers are in full-time ministry; we are to live as unto the Lord and whatever we do, we are to do it as unto the Lord. It is not in keeping with the gospel to define somethings, such as jobs, as ‘secular,’ and some things ‘spiritual.’ We have been bought with a price and have been joined to God and now we live in His kingdom, representing Him in all we do. Whether one is a pastor, or one is a clerk in the local store, both represent God. As a family member, as an employee or employer, as a neighbor, as a church member, or in any role we find ourselves, we have a definite ministry to fulfill in our sphere. We represent God in good fashion when we live and conduct our affairs out of our identity as sons and daughters of God. We are called to live out of the new person that God has made us; the new person we are in Christ looks like Christ-He was and is our example of how we are to live. Many things would distract us from our ministry and not understanding that we each have a ministry would result in us not fulfilling our ministry. It would be impossible to list all the opportunities for ministry, but it would include such things as helping, showing compassion, witnessing, sharing, encouraging, teaching, praying for others, being honest, having integrity, doing all we do as unto the Lord, giving, helping meeting pressing needs-and the list goes on. A lot of these various ministries simply flow out of who we are, out of the new person we are; for example, we are to be compassionate people all of the time because that is who we are. Concerning our meeting needs, we cannot meet every need we see nor are we called to do so. However, we must listen to the Holy Spirt as He will direct us to when and how we are to be a part of meeting the needs of others. It is ever so important for us to follow the leading of the Spirit-to believe that He will direct our steps. So, let us not be negligent or distracted, but let us fulfill the ministry we have been given.
Ephesians 4:12 “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;”
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”
Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Blessings, Buddy
[email protected]

GOD OF ALL COMFORT

6/22/2024

June 22, 2024 GOD OF ALL COMFORT

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the Father of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.”

We all go through difficult times and various afflictions; Jesus warned us that there will be trials in life. However, we can thank God that ‘He is the Father of mercies and the Father of all comfort.’ When we are suffering and when are hurting, we need to be comforted; we do not to endure and to suffer alone. God has made, and He makes, provision for us in the difficult times. He is our provision; He comforts us as no one else can. He also can and often uses other believers to comfort us. To be comforted does not mean that the trial or affliction is taken away; it means that there is someone who bears the burden with us, one who feels our pain. God has designed the body of Christ in such a way that we need each other; God never intended for us to go it alone or to be independent of the body. Others may be a part of the process of comforting us, but it is God Himself who comforts us however He chooses to do so. Jesus suffered and was afflicted and God felt the pain of sacrificing His Son. God may comfort us by sending someone to be by our side; He may give us a scripture; or may lead us to read something that blesses us, or whatever way He chooses. But the greatest comfort is His presence with us; when we sense His presence, His being with us, we are comforted in a way that cannot be explained. Simply being in the presence of the Father of mercies and the Father of all comfort is sufficient. So, let us not be surprised by the difficulties and trials that come our way; but let us receive the comfort that our Father gives; let us resist suffering alone. One reason for experiencing the comfort of God is that we might be able to comfort others with the same comfort we received from God in our difficult times. We are comforted when we trust God; when we know that He is working all things for good; when we are reminded that God never forsakes us; and when we remember that His plans for us will come to fruition; and most importantly, when we experience His presence with us. Our comfort is abundant through Christ.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”
Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Blessings, Buddy

ALWAYS SOWING

6/20/2024

June 20, 2024 ALWAYS SOWING

Galatians 6:7-10 “Do not be deceived, for God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 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 opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”

The law of reaping and sowing is just that-a law; it always works. We are warned not to be deceived concerning this law of sowing and reaping; we must not be deceived into thinking that it does not really matter what I do, that my actions have no lasting impact. We may think of sowing and reaping in a negative light; thinking we better be sure we do not sow bad seeds. We must be conscience of the fact that we either sow to our flesh or we sow to the Spirit. It’s a fact; if we sow to the flesh, we reap bad fruit, and if we sow to the Spirit, we reap good fruit. The awesome, good news truth is that the law of reaping and sowing is a promise form God; if we sow to the Spirit, we reap good fruit-and that’s an open door! Sowing to the Spirit is about following the leading of the Spirit and about living according to the ways of God. It’s really simple; as the verse above tells us, we are to do ‘good to all men;’ not mere human ‘goodness,’ but the goodness that comes from God-because He is a good God. We are not to loose heat in doing good even though we may see no good fruit and we are not to grow weary in our sowing. An important aspect of sowing and reaping is that we sow now, and later we see the harvest. Sowing to the Spirit also means that we sometimes have to see past the immediate and be willing to not be guided by what seems logical. So, let us be about living life not totally focused on ourselves; rather, let us look for opportunities to sow into the lives of others. The amazing truth is that God allows us to represent Him in this world; and because He is good, we go about sowing good seeds.
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.”
Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.”

Blessings, Buddy
[email protected]

A WORTHY GOAL

6/18/2024

June 18, 2024 A WORTHY GOAL

1 Timothy 1:5 “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

I love and I appreciate how simple, how easily understood, how liberating, and yet how powerful the scriptures are. If the word of God seems complicated, it is only in our minds that it seems that way. Paul wrote a lot of the New Testament and taught extensively; he was a brilliant, and well educated man; yet those credentials is not what made the difference; Paul had the impact he did only because God chose to give him much revelation in the things of God. It may come across as overly simplistic, but I think the above verse is an excellent summary of all that Paul wrote under the leading of the Holy Spirit. Paul had a goal in writing his epistles. He begins by saying that the goal is for believers to have love from a pure heart. That says a lot! It’s not about human love, but about the love of God flowing out of us. God’s love is totally unselfish; He delights in blessing. And, it is love from a pure heart. In fact, you can’t have one without the other; love and a pure heart go together. God has given us a new heart, and this new heart is a heart of love. We do not have to try in our own strength to love or to have a pure heart; love and being pure comes from the new creation we are in Christ-it is automatic. (We can revert to living out of our old nature.) Remember; we have an old self that resist the Spirit in us, but we have a new self that is in the image of God-wow! So, Paul is talking about the new person we are. We have all at some time had a bad conscience-and how miserable that feeling is. But by living out of who we are and by hearing and acting on the instructions of the word of God, we live with a good conscience-PTL. What a blessing to be at peace with all men, to have differences settled as much as we can on our part, and to be able to sleep at night. A sincere faith is all about receiving the word of God without dispute and believing in our hearts that the scriptures are the words of God. A sincere faith embraces the word of God and desires to be led by the word of God. So, the same goal that Paul had for the believers of his day are still very relevant for us today. Let us not coast, but be about having the goal fulfilled in our lives; let love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith be what defines us.
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