Blog Posts - TheNewU

THE LIGHT OF LIFE

2/14/2024

February 14, 2024 THE LIGHT OF LIFE

John 8:12 “Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
1 Thessalonians 5:5 “For you are all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night or of the darkness.”
Romans 13:12 “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

If you read the news, listen to the talk on the street, and observe the brokenness and discord all around, it becomes obvious we live in a dark world. If you find yourself trying to find your way in a totally dark room, you soon realize you need light. That describes life in the world; people who do not know Christ as Savior are lost and cannot find the light switch. However, we who know the Lord and walk according to the Spirit, have the ‘light of life’ and we live in the light. Note that it is those who follow Jesus that walk in the light. All that Jesus did and all that He taught was light; in Him there was no darkness. The obvious is that if we are to live in the light, we must follow Jesus; and we follow Jesus by honoring and obeying His words and His teaching and by following His examples. Jesus came, demonstrating the kingdom of God-the kingdom of light-and that is our pattern. Of course we cannot keep His word by our own strength and determination; we do so because we have come to know know Him and to love Him and because He has joined us to Himself and made us new creations. Living according to our own preferences and desires is to live in darkness; there is no light other than Jesus. If and when we discover that we have some vestige of darkness, if there is anything about our thoughts, our motives, or our actions that is not light, let us ‘cast off any works of darkness;’ and let us ‘put on the armor of light.’ Light is an armor; walking in the light, we avoid many pitfalls that would cause grief and loss. His word is indeed a lamp to feet and a light to our path. In this dark world, we are so blessed to be able to walk in the light. Don’t take the light for granted. We all have others around us that are living in darkness and cannot find their way; let us be the light that points them to Jesus.

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on it’s lamp stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Blessings, Buddy

LET US DRAW NEAR

2/12/2024

February 12, 2024 LET US DRAW NEAR

Hebrews 4:14-16 “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and may fine help in time of need.”

Jesus willingly left heaven, came to earth, lived fully man, suffered and died on a cross that our sins might be forgiven and that we might be saved. Jesus knew suffering more than we will ever know; what sufferings He endured on earth He did so because He loved us. He lived a sinless life and was raised from the dead and now He is our high priest, seated at the right hand of the Father. The greatest concept, the greatest truth and the greatest belief we can ever get into our spirit, into the deepest part of our being, is that God loves you and I. He could have refused to come and die for us, but He did not refuse. The life He lived on earth, He lived as a man; He knows what it was like to live in flesh and blood, He knew the tough road of living in the flesh as a human. The verse above tells us that Jesus ‘was tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus, our hight priest, sympathizes with our weaknesses; when we stumble, when we fall, He does not chasten us or rebuke us; instead He forgives us and draws us back to Himself. As our high priest, He also intercedes to the Father on our behalf; what better priest could we have-one who is seated next to the Father! When we fall, when we have questions, when we do not understand, when we are fearful, when we are discouraged, let us draw near with confidence to our high priest that we might find help. The throne of grace is open to all 24/7. Even in the most difficult times and circumstances, let us never hesitate to run to Jesus, our high priest; when we do, we will find that He welcomes us and He gives us help.

Hebrews 10:22 “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (The blood of Jesus has cleansed us and now we are able to go to Him.)

Blessings, Buddy

BEING PURIFIED

2/10/2024

February 10, 2024 BEING PURIFIED

Titus 2:11-14 “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 purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

It is a great error to view salvation just as ticket to heaven. Thank God that trusting Jesus as Savior does mean we will spend eternity in heaven, but there is much more to our salvation. We do not earn salvation, but because we are saved, we are to be about certain things. One important thing we are to be about is to be denying anything about our lives that is ungodly as well as denying worldly desires. In other words, if I realize that I am doing something that is not godly or becoming of a follower of Christ, I simply must stop it. That sounds pretty simple; but that is what it all comes down to. Of course this cannot be done in the power of our own strenght; it is only by the power of the Holy Spirt in us that enables us to lay aside what is not pleasing to the Lord. The Holy Spirit also enables us to ‘put on’ the things that are pleasing to the Lord. It is key to remember that we have been redeemed and have been purchased by God; we now belong to Him-we do not belong to ourselves. Jesus gave Himself for us that we may be redeemed from all lawless deeds. Not only are we redeemed from all that is ungodly; He is also purifying us for Himself-for His own possession; and because of that, we are to be zealous for good deeds. We are not to be about good deeds to take credit for ourselves or to impress others; we do good deeds because that is the nature of God and a part of the new nature that He has given us. It is not burdensome to lay aside what is not pleasing to the Lord; rather, it is liberating to rid ourselves of what is ungodly and put on what is godly. Amaizingly, God has made us new with new identities; now we are able to live out of our new indenties-to live as God designed us to live. Let us thank God for redeeming us not only for heaven, but that we also might live as unto Him in the here and now.

2 Corinthians 7:1 “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Blessings, Buddy

A CONTINUAL FEAST

2/8/2024

February 8, 2024 A CONTINUAL FEAST

Proverbs 15:15-17 “All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.”

It is amazing how the word of God can drive a major point home in just a few words. I think most of us would be quick to say ‘amen’ to the verses above. The nature of man is to acquire more, thinking that more is always better. There is nothing innately wrong with material possessions, but if we think material possessions are what satisfies our deepest longings, we are mistaken. Another important good point in this verse is that ‘he who has a merry heart has a continual feast.’ The question is, how does one have a ‘merry heart.’ Some say that one is born with a merry heart-and that may be true to some extent. It may sound like the idea of a merry heart in this troubled world is a pipe dream-something unattainable. However, a merry heart can be a reality for all who know the Lord. A major truth we must understand is that a merry heart is not tied to circumstances. And having a merry heart does not imply that one will be free of trials and difficulties. I certainly cannot give three easy steps to having a merry heart; but there are some things that go hand-in-hand with a merry heart. One characteristic of a merry heart is that of being grateful and being aware of the blessings one has. Another is knowing in the deepest part of your being that God loves you, that He cares for you personally and that He is your provider. Also, learning the secret of being content with what you have is ever so important. (That does not mean it is wrong to want to improve, etc.) A merry heart is able to see what is good. Blessing others and serving others goes a long way in making the heart merry. The most powerful truths that should cause the heart to be merry is that we have been transferred to the kingdom of God; Jesus is our Savior; all of our sins are forgiven; God has given us a future and a hope; and we we have the Holy Spirit living in us to guide us, help us, empower us, and comfort us. We may complicate life and make it difficult by the choices we make, but the life that God calls us to live is not burdensome or complicated. We will have trials in life, but in Christ, we have been made overcomers in life. So, no matter our circumstances, we can have a continual feast because we have a merry heart. Perhaps we need to take ‘our foot off the gas,’ let go of what we need to let go, and enjoy the life that God offers us.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trust in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Blessings, Buddy

WE HAVE A STEWARDSHIP

2/6/2024

February 6, 2024 WE HAVE A STEWARDSHIP

1 Corinthians 16-17 “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will; I have a stewardship entrusted to me.”

You and I may not be called of God to preach the gospel (we are called to be witnesses), we are under a stewardship entrusted to us. Living under this stewardship has nothing to do with our ‘feelings’ or our ‘moods.’ That idea is certainly in opposition to our day and our culture where it is propagated that feelings are paramount. To me, the verses above have a message that we need to hear. God has joined us to Himself and now our identity is in Him. To be a member of His family brings with it certain blessings and certain responsibilities. It should be our heart to always do the things that are pleasing to Him; but there are times when we do not ‘feel’ like doing something we know that would be pleasing to Him; however, in those times we remain under the stewardship that has been entrusted to us. Not only are our actions under a stewardship, our responses, our motives, and our thought processes are also under this stewardship. For example; if someone does something that would cause me to be angry or irritated, I am not free to become angry or irritated, because I am under a stewardship to represent Christ in such situations. Christ lives in us and we live in Him; all of our life is to reflect His presence in us. Living under this stewardship is not burdensome, but on the contrary, we experience life to the fullest when we live according to our calling. I think you would agree that when we push through the feeling not to do something we know we should do and do it anyway, we are glad we did it. So, we may not be called to preach the gospel, but we are called to walk in a way that pleases Him in all we do. We are most blessed to be entrusted with a stewardship from God; because the Holy Spirit lives in us, we are able to be good stewards in this life-what a blessing.

1 Corinthians 4:2 “In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”
1 Peter 4:10 “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good steward of the manifold grace of God.”

Blessing, Buddy

NOT FLESH AND BLOOD

2/4/2024

February 4, 2024 NOT FLESH AND BLOOD

2 Corinthians 10:3-5,7a “For though we walk in there flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are talking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” “You are looking at things outwardly.”

We tend to be shortsighted; and we tend to focus on the wrong target. Because we are fleshly human beings, we deal in the fleshly-unless we have come to know the truth. The truth is that the major battle taking place is a spiritual battle; spiritual forces may use ‘flesh and blood’ (people), but the real warfare is in the spiritual realm. If we are indeed focused on the fleshly, we will not see victory. We live in the midst of ‘flesh and blood’ and we constantly interact with people, and sometimes conflict arises; when it does, we must remember that spiritual forces are at work behind the scenes. We must address the conflicts and the wrongs that arise, but we do so knowing that we are in a spiritual battle. The enemy uses people, but he also tries to influence the culture through subtle lies, tempting humans to believe what is untrue. Our battle is on at least two fronts; one is flesh and blood, and the other is a false narrative the culture adopts and promotes-a narrative that is contrary to the gospel. Everything, and every philosophy that is ‘raised up against the knowledge of God’ is a lie that must be exposed. In our own minds, we must guard against any thoughts that are contrary to Christ and the kingdom of God. We must rule over our minds, having our minds subject to the Spirit of God who indwells us. The Holy Spirit in us is ‘divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses;’ the enemy wants to build fortresses made up of lies that keep individuals captive and prevent them from experiencing the life of Christ. We must understand this: the devil does not care about us personally; his motive is to get back at God through His family members (believers); his scheme is to convince people to live according to their own ways and not according to the ways of God. Let us not look at things outwardly; we can identify the real enemy. We have the Holy Spirt who not only gives us discernment in this spiritual warfare, He also gives us weapons that are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. It is crucial for us to ‘take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ;’ we must not let our thoughts drift from the truth of the gospel of God; we must monitor our minds and be continually renewing our minds. We are in a battle, (believe it or not) but victory is assured for those who know God and walk according to His ways.

Ephesians 6:11-13 “Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

Blessings, Buddy

HE SOLD ALL HE HAD

2/1/2024

February 1, 2024 HE SOLD ALL HE HAD

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 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 as sold all he had, and bought it.”

Jesus often talked about the kingdom of heaven; He said the kingdom of heaven is ‘at hand.’ Jesus came, introducing and ushering in the kingdom of God on earth-and that is astounding! The kingdom of God invaded earth. Even though we lived in a fallen world, in a dark kingdom, we have been transferred to the kingdom of God if we have put our faith in Jesus as our Savior. The kingdom of this earth and the kingdom of God are far different; like light and darkness. As believers, the life we live should reflect the fact that we are living according to the kingdom that we have been transferred to-the kingdom of God. Living according to His kingdom is not a rule we must follow; living according to His kingdom is a result of knowing and understanding our new identity as sons and daughters of God. We have been made new creations; not refurbished. It is difficult to define the kingdom of God is one or two sentences; but we do know, and can recognize the fruits of living in the kingdom of God. For example; in God’s kingdom, there is love, patience, kindness, gentleness, peace, joy, hope, forgiveness, mercy, comfort, boldness, faith, compassion, a renewed mind, freedom, and the list goes on. You might think that I am delusional to think that we can live that way in the world in which we live-and I can understand why one may think that is the case. Yet-that is life in the kingdom of God-and it is for us. Remember, Jesus ushered in a NEW kingdom. Don’t misunderstand; to live in the kingdom of God does not mean a life free of trials and difficulties. It does mean that in the difficult times, we have the opportunity to respond in a kingdom of God way-and that is what it is all about. If we respond as the world responds, then obviously we are not operating in the kingdom of God-and the opportunity is lost to demonstrate His kingdom. Like the parable above, the kingdom of God is like a hidden treasure in the field-once we find it, we sell all and buy the field. This is saying that we place the ultimate high value on the kingdom of God-that we see it’s great value. When we find the treasure, everything else we have fades in value. The soul searching question is this; do we desire the kingdom of God above everything else in this life. The truth is, there is no real satisfying life outside the kingdom of God-and He has made it available to us.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Blessings, Buddy

WITHOUT FAITH

1/30/2024

January 30, 2024 WITHOUT FAITH

Hebrews 11:1,11:6 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarded of those who seek Him.”
2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

The word faith implies something other than logic and reason; faith is believing without seeing. When Jesus walked the earth, people could see Him, but only through faith could they believe He was the Son of God. Faith is not something we muster up in our own minds. Romas 10:17 tells us that ‘faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The word of God is the solid foundation for faith. With God, faith in Him is what is paramount. Yes, we have a mind and we have reasoning abilities; however, the life we live is to be based on faith that comes as a result of believing the word of God. We likely have many questions and may not understand the preplexities of life, but even so, we must make the choice to live according to our faith that believes that God is who He says He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. It’s a rather astonishing statement, but the verse above tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please Him. Some think that it is foolish to live by faith; they say we must be smart, use good common sense, and make logical decisions. For sure there is nothing wrong with being smart and using common sense; but our decisions and the choices we make must ultimately be made on the basis of faith. There will be times when logic calls for a particular action or response, but faith says something else that goes against logic. Sometimes logic and faint do not conflict. So, let us hear the word of God that we might have faith; then let us live by faith in our all-knowing, all-powerful God who is not limited by human wisdom and logic. We have every reason to have an abiding hope in God for all that He has in store for those who have placed their faith in Him.
1 John 5:4 “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”

Blessings, Buddy

January 28th, 2024

1/28/2024

January 28, 2024 KEPT IN PERFECT PEACE

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast, because He trust in You.”
Colossians 3;2 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Romans 8:6, 12:2 “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

A commodity in short supply in our day is peace. There is a lot we could fret over today and a lot of things that would rob us of peace. Yet, in spite of the turmoil surrounding us, God says there a way for us to live in perpetual peace. He has not said that we will be exempt from trials and diffculties, but He has promised us peace in the midst of the storm. That is amazing; that even when we experience great difficulties, and even when we encounter the not so big things that would irritate us or frustrate us, we can remain in the peace of God. Again, there are things that happen that we do not like and there are trials in this life just as Jesus said there would be; but in those times, we can have our minds steadfastly set on the Lord and without reservation trust Him. When we set our minds on ‘earthly things’ (fame, fortune, material gain, status, and the like) and not on the ‘things above,’ we will not experience the peace of God. To set our minds on fleshly things is death. It is not wrong to own material possessions nor to work in order to have the financial means to meet our needs; we are to see those things as gifts from God, but not put our security in those things. The world is always drawing us to conform to the ways of the world; rather than conforming to the pattern of the world, we have the opportunity of being transformed by renewing our minds. To renew our mind is to choose to think the thoughts that are based on the ways of God and the word of God-it’s that simple. With a renewed mind, we will know and experience the blessings that God has for us, and we will experience life that fulfills our deepest longings.
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Blessings, Buddy

January 25th, 2024

1/25/2024

January 25, 2024 NOT THE HEARERS

Romans 2:13 “for not the hearers of the Law are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”
James 1:25 “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Romans 8:2 “For the law of the Spirt of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

Nothing is more clear in the scriptures than the fact that salvation is based on grace and not on works. However, one can elevate this truth to the point that they can downplay the importance of good works; almost to the point that it does not matter what you do. We live in a culture that puts a premium on knowledge; knowledge is certainly important, but to obtain knowledge for the sake of knowledge is an empty goal. Even as believers, we can be guilty of being content just by attending bible studies and hearing good sermons. So, it is clear that we cannot be saved by good works or by works earn God’s love and approval. It is also clear that good works are crucial in the life of the believer. So-what’s the deal with works you might ask. Because the Holy Spirit lives us, because we have been made new creations, and because we have been made righteous in Christ, we do good works because that is who we are; good works are a result of who we are as sons and daughters of God. The commands in the scriptures are not rules we must keep; the scriptures reveal the nature of God. For example, the scriptures tell us to be givers-God is a giver; we are instructed to be patient-God is patient. The verse in James encourages us to look ‘into the perfect law, the law of liberty.’ When out of our new identity we ‘do the scriptures,’ we are blessed and we are liberated from the unfulfilling self life. The same verse tells us that we are to persevere; being about good works is to be a way of life where we act on the word of God. Romans 2:13 tells us that the ‘doers of the Law will be justified.’ So, let us not be hearers only, but doers of God’s word.
John 14:15a “If you love Me, you will obey My commandments.’ (We obey Him because we love Him.)
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
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.”
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father.”
Titus 2:14 “Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.”
(To reemphasize: we are saved by grace, not by good works. But good works are a fruit of being saved.)

Blessings, Buddy