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WHAT TO PUT ON

5/9/2025

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May 9, 2025                      WHAT TO PUT ON


Colossians 3:12-15 “And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of Christ rule in hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful.”


Just as we choose what clothes to put on, we choose what spirit to put on. This choice as to what to put on has major consequences both for us and those around us. We are born with unique personality traits, but these traits are not to define who we are. As believers, we have been chosen by God and we are not who we use to be; we have been, and are being, transformed into His image. We are not refurbished, we are new creations. As new creations, and having the Spirit of God living in us, we have the ability to ‘put on’ what is of God-what is like God. We are no longer bound to who we use to be, or to our past, or to our old temperaments, or to our surroundings and circumstances. It is nothing short of a miracle, but we can now put on the new self; a new self that is in the likeness of God. We are primarily known by our actions-how we relate to others; and our actions flow out of out of our hearts. For example, if I get angry because someone cuts in front of me in traffic, then I have anger in my heart and the traffic incident simply exposed what was in my heart. This is why it is so important to put on the new self; the new self is compassionate, kind-hearted, humble, gentle,  patient and forgiving. Paul summed this up by saying above all, we are to put on love;  the love that is of God produces in us good fruit-the fruit of the Spirit. His love in us cannot be contained; when we are walking in the love of God, we cannot help but be expressions of His love. Back to the traffic incident; I know how easy it is let rude drivers make us irritated and angry; I am not saying that we are perfect in all our ways all the time; BUT it is ever so critical that we know that God has given us a new heart; however, we must ‘put on’ this new heart. This is a major cross road-a major issue for all believers; we daily, even hourly, make the choice whether we will walk by the old self, or put on and walk according to the Spirit. Being made a new creation is radical; the new creature that God has made is in the likeness of God. What a miracle that flesh and bone like ourselves can be walking-talking expressions of the nature of God-even in unpleasant circumstances!


Ephesians 4:22-24 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”


Blessings, Buddy
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GOD HAS NOT GIVEN

5/7/2025

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May 6, 2025                     GOD HAS NOT GIVEN


2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.”


This is a familiar verse-but did you, do I get it? God has not given us a spirit of fear, but He has given us a spirit of power and of love and He has given us a sound mind. (This will be a short blog-Im having trouble with my IPad.) Many experience fear to some degree; but if we have fear, it is an intruder. Somewhere along the way we have gotten off track with what the scriptures tell us about fear. To live with fear as a constant companion robs us of the life God has for us. If we truly trust God and believe what He says in His word, then there is no place for fear. So, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but He has given us some wonderful gifts-power, love and a sound mind. Yes! Because God has given us these awesome gifts, we can now live with power, love and a sound mind-that’s God’s plan for us. If we find that we are not experiencing these gifts in our daily lives, let us read and study God’s word and learn of Him and what He has for us-and ask Him to reveal to us that this are His gifts to us. 


Blessings, Buddy




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THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR

5/3/2025

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May 3, 2025                    THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR


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 for one greatly appreciate how God is uncomplicated in His communications with His people. It is amazing how the scriptures in such simple and clear ways can reveal great truths. At the same time, the greatest theologians and teachers are challenged with the truth presented in the scriptures. I am convinced that it is man who makes the Christian message more complicated than God intended. There are some great books out there that do an excellent job in expounding on the scriptures; but the question I have is, concerning the scriptures, can anyone say it better than the Holy Spirit who inspired the writing of the scriptures. The point is, God gave His written word in order that His people could learn of Him, find comfort and strength in the time of need, and discover truths and instructions for life. Instead of us over-analyzing God’s word, let us accept it for what it is-the word of God to us. A verse that goes along with the above verse is Micah 6:8. “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Another verse is Matthew 11:29-30: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” It is refreshing to see that the goal that God has for us is that we have a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Wow! I get that. God calls us to purify our hearts. James 4:8. There are definite steps we can take to purify our hearts-that is an awarding endeavor. As our hearts are purified, we have a good conscience. What could be better than having a good conscience. Walking in the ways of God always leads to a good conscience. Finally, our faith can be sincere; we can receive the word of God as just that-His word. We can choose to believe His word and we can live on faith in who God is and what He has spoken in His word. A key element in the gospel message is that those who belong to God live by faith in Him. So, let us thank God that He has not left us alone to figure out life and how to live it; He has spoken and has revealed all we need to know about Him and about how to live as His people in a fallen world. 
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”


Blessings, Buddy
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ITS LIKE A MUSTARD SEED

5/1/2025

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​May 1, 2025                 IT IS LIKE A MUSTARD SEED


Mark 4:30-32 “And He said, ‘How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, we sown upon the ground, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, grows up and is larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches, so that the birds of the air can rest under its shade.’”


God has a kingdom-and its big, and its real! His kingdom cannot be shaken and no other kingdom can compare to the greatness of His kingdom. His kingdom is ever-lasting. And the good, good news is that when one believes and receives Jesus as Savior, that person is transferred to the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world share nothing in common. As new believers, we likely have a small view or limited understanding regarding the kingdom of God. Some have the view that the kingdom of God is something to be experienced in heaven after we die. As we grow in the faith, hopefully our understanding of the kingdom of God increases and we begin to see how it impacts our life in dramatic ways. If our hearts are turned to the Lord, we will begin to see that His kingdom is greater than we previously understood it to be. So, whatever our view of the kingdom of God is at the present, be assured that there is more to learn and discover about and more to experience in the kingdom of God. Having an understanding of His kingdom impacts how we live this life on planet earth. Let us be kingdom minded even as we are about the necessary routines and necessities of every day life on this earth. Even though we cannot see in a physical way the kingdom of God, it is nonetheless more real than what we see with our eyes. Like we cannot see the wind, but we can see the results and affects of the wind. May we set our sights on what is higher and better-the kingdom of God. God has destined His kingdom to expand fill the whole earth; we are blessed to be apart of demonstrating His kingdom in the here and now.
Daniel 7:27 “And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; His kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”


Blessings, Buddy
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PERFORMS ITS WORK

4/28/2025

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April 28, 2025                    PERFORMS ITS WORK 


1 Thessalonians 2:11-13 “just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a farther would His own children, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”


This may sound like a contradiction, but its not; we are complete in Christ, but we must also be maturing and growing in the faith. We are complete in Christ because we are in Christ and He is in us; we belong to Him and we are secure in Him. Now that we belong to Him, He is about transforming us into His image. We must not lose the awareness that when we read the Bible, we are reading the  word of God-not the word of man. We put ourselves in a dangerous place spiritually when we take the word of God in a casual way; when we come to a place where we think we do not need to be changed by the word of God. Growing in the knowledge of God and growing in the faith is a lifetime pursuit. Again, we can experience the peace of God, and at the same time have a desire to know Him in a deeper way. The point is that we must let the word of God perform its work in us. We cannot change ourselves, but God can! It is indeed a miracle, but the word of God, when believed and received, changes us at the core of our being. How awesome it is that God is about transforming us into His own image. That means that little by little, we are becoming like Him. The evidence of being transformed into His image shows up in our daily lives; our thoughts, our actions, our attitude, our desires, our responses all become more like Him. It is God at work in us, but we must work with Him as He works in us. That’s what it means when the scriptures exhorts us to work out our salvation. Philippians 2:12. Let us remember that we have the written word of God to read and study; in His word we discover who we really are-the children of God. May the word of God perform its work in each of us.
2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two- edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”


Blessings, Buddy
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LOOKING AT WHAT IS NOT SEEN

4/25/2025

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April 25, 2025              LOOKING AT WHAT IS NOT SEEN


2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “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 which 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.”


This passage certainly is contrary to the culture and to the ways of the world; the world system is built around what is physical and what brings personal satisfaction and pleasure. That our physical bodies are decaying is a repulsive thought to most; much time and money in spent trying to stop, or at least make it not so obvious, that our bodies are wearing out. This dread of getting old is understandable for the ones who does not know God; for them, death is the end of everything; they have no hope for life after death. I know a very brilliant man who is 82 years old, and he recently told me that when you die, ‘That’s it.” How sad. For those who know God as Savior, death is not the end; and because life with God after death is certain for believers, they have reason not to lose heart, even though their bodies are decaying. As believers, we should understand that the spiritual supersedes the physical; we have an ‘inner man’ and our inner man can be renewed day by day; we are spiritual beings; we are not a body with a spirit, we are a spirit with a temporary body. The afflictions we face, including getting old physically, can produce good fruit in us; if responded to the way God would have us respond, afflictions have a way of revealing the glory of God; and even as we suffer, we have peace and joy. This does not happen if we are looking at what is seen; for what we see is temporal. We must focus on the things of God, the spiritual, the eternal aspects of the kingdom of God. This does not mean that the physical is not important; God created the physical universe and we are to enjoy it. We have certain responsibilities in this world and we are to be good stewards of whatever God puts in our hands. Let us not have a dread of growing old; let us accept the fact that we are not going to change the aging process. For sure we should do the things that promote good health-that is being a good steward; our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. In spite of our afflictions, we can be renewed day by day and experience the blessings of God no matter our circumstances.


Colossians 3:1-2 “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”


Blessings, Buddy 
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GRATITUDE

4/23/2025

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April 23, 2025                        GRATITUDE


Colossians 2:6-7 “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 9:1 “I will give thanks to You, Lord, with all of my heart.”


Having a grateful heart makes all the difference in living life. Viewing and filtering the events of life through a grateful mindset is an antidote for being bitter, resentful, selfish, and ungrateful. No one enjoys the company of an ungrateful person. True gratitude comes from knowing the love of God and knowing that He is a good God and that He is working all things for good if we love Him and are walking in His ways. We must be ‘firmly rooted’ and continue in being ‘built up in Him’ so that we are ‘established in the faith.’ There is a correlation in being grateful and knowing and experiencing God. When we understand that the blessings God bestows on us are because of His grace and not because of what we do, we are grateful. One might say that they have certain possessions or blessings because they work hard for them; but it is is God who gives the power and health to work. It is true that all good things come from our Father above. James 1:17. It’s easy to have a grateful spirit when all is well; but even in difficult times we can have a grateful spirit for what God is doing in the process and can be thankful that He will not forsake us, but will comfort us and give us the strength to endure. Let us be grateful; God loves us and has restored us to Himself and He is our provider, our protector and He is our life.


Psalm 106:1, 107:21 “Praise the Lord, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”     “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for mankind.”


Blessings, Buddy 
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DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?

4/20/2025

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April 20, 2025                  DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?


1 John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”


We could never over-estimate the power and the impact of Jesus being resurrected from the dead. Think about it: Jesus, who is dead and buried, begins to breathe again-life has come back to a corpse. The good news of the resurrection has been proclaimed throughout the world for centuries; His resurrection changed everything! The all important question for every individual is “Do you believe this?” Jesus does not say that if we do certain things, if we live a  moral life, or if make sacrifices, we will live. He simply says that if one believes in Him, though they die, he will live. Believing in Jesus as the Son of God who died for us that our sins might be forgiven shall never die. That is awesome! Sure, we will die physically at some point, but the real us-our spirits-will never die. Life is much bigger than living seventy-or ever how many-years on this earth;  those who believe in Him are destined to live forever with Him. The word ‘believe’ is the crucial word; we act on what we believe. To say we believe in Jesus and yet have no desire to know Him or to follow Him, is suspect. Again, believing in Jesus is what is required to live forever with Him. We may stumble, we may fall, we may at times have doubt; yet truly believing in Jesus and accepting Him as our Savior, insures our relationship with Him. The resurrection of Jesus is THE hope-giver; His resurrection is the ultimate good news for all who believe in Him. No longer do we have to live in fear and uncertainty; no longer is life limited to life on this earth; and no longer or we held captive to the enemy of our souls. Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so are we raised from the dead (the old self); and just as Jesus received new life, we also receive new life. Death has been defeated! Hallelujah! Jesus rose victorious over the grave. Let us spend a life of celebrating Easter. 
Romans 6:4-5 “We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.”
Blessings, Buddy
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IN THE LIKENESS OF HIS DEATH

4/17/2025

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April 17, 2025          IN THE LIKENESS OF HIS DEATH


Romans 6:5-7, 11-13 “For if we have become united in Him in the likeness of His death, certain we shall be also in the likeness of HIs resurrection, knowing that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.”    “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lust, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”


Jesus laid His life down; He came to earth and gave His life that we might be reconciled to God and delivered from the power of sin. The major battle, the major issue, that each believer must deal with is being and living in the likeness of the death of Jesus. Death precedes life. As believers, we cannot escape the call to die to ourselves. When one is baptized as a new believer, knowing it or not, it is a picture of dying to self as the water represents a grave, and then. being raised up out of the water represents being raised from the dead. We must get it through ‘our thick skulls,’ and into our spirits that our old self was crucified with Jesus-even thought we were not born physically for centuries after Jesus was crucified. How we ‘consider’ ourselves is critical and it determines how we live as believers. We are instructed to “consider ourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Certainly we cannot misunderstand the instruction to not let sin reign in our mortal bodies but to be dead to sin. It is to our own hurt and it robs us of life to not consider ourselves alive to God; many believers consider themselves saved, but at the same time consider themselves to be sinners-and that is contrary to the scriptures. I’m not saying we never sin, but when we sin, it is because we choose to sin-we do not have to sin; we have been set free from the power of sin. Again, let us consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God. The passage above presents awesome truths; truths that reveal what mighty works Jesus accomplished in His death and resurrection on our behalf. He conquered the sin issue and has made us alive in Him. Instead of focusing on sin, let us focus on being alive in Him, freed from the power of sin. For us not to live in this truth surely grieves the heart of God. The lie of our enemy is that we are still sinners subject to the power of sin. God says we can live as those alive from the dead. Dying to ourselves is ongoing; daily, hourly we present ourselves to God, desiring to please Him in all we do. (1 John 2:1 says “if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Farther, Jesus Christ the righteous.”) Note the word ‘if’. 


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
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LIVING LETTERS

4/14/2025

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April 15, 2025                           LIVING LETTERS


2 Corinthians 3:2-3 “You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirt of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.”


Romans 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”


Letters are messages. To think of our life as being a living letter that is read by all certainly should have great influence on how we live. This begs the question “What is the message of my letter?” We cannot fabricate or muster up a life style that is truly godly. Romans 5:5 tells us that God has poured out His Love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit; and our letter flows out of His love in us. The letter of our life is written in our hearts; and this letter is reflected in the life we live. It is God’s plan and desire that we be a living letter of Christ! How awesome is that! To realize that the very life we live can be a picture of Christ is the greatest motivation we could ever have to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. The word of God is not a book of good suggestions; it is a book that reveals the ways and the character of God, our Heavenly Father. The word of God cannot be understood apart from the help of the Holy Spirt who guides us into all truth. When the eyes of our hearts are opened to all that God has said and done, it becomes our desire to live as unto Him. God’s life in us is all encompassing; it affects every aspect of our lives-our thoughts, our motives, our words and our deeds. Our focus is not to be on our life but on the life of Christ in us. When we experience His life in us, we will discover a fulfillment and a sense of completeness that comes only from Him. Let us take to heart the appeal Paul makes in the above verse and present our bodies as a living sacrifice and let our life be a letter that reflects the goodness of God.


1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”


Blessings, Buddy
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    Buddy Fitzgerald

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