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Wash Day

4/2/2023

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April 2, 2023.                                        WASH DAY


Revelations 22;12-14: “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alfa and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their clothes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by gates into then city.”                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                 Growing up in the country in a day when we had clothes lines for drying our clothes, my Mom had a ‘wash-day’ on which she would wash and hang out the clothes-of course it had be on a sunny day for drying. The passage of scripture above talks about washing ‘our robes.’ It is a good analogy; obviously its not referring to the clothes we wear but to our person-who we are-our life. It’s interesting that this passage is in the last chapter of the bible; I take it as a final admonition or a final word that must be heard; you could see it as a warning, or you can see it as a promise. However we see it, the message is clear. Whether we believe it or not, a day is coming when earth will be no more and all believers will be living in heaven in the presence of God; all who rejected Christ will not be there-they will spend eternity with Satan. What an awful thought. The message we must take from this passage is that this awesome day is coming and we need to be about making ourselves ready for that day. The message of this verse is not ‘high and lofty’ and is not ‘super spiritual’ and is not reserved just for a few; it has practical ramifications. Certainly our relationship with God and our being saved is a spiritual issue-it is by faith that we come to know God because of His grace-that is the beginning point. We are saved, but we are also being saved-we are to walk out our salvation. Even though we are saved by grace and because we are now a part of God’s family, we are to be about doing the good deeds and living out this life as He has called us too. Because God has made us righteous and His Spirit lives in us, we are to be expressing the righteousness of God in what we do. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17. So, let us be good stewards of God while on this earth, representing Him in all we do; by doing this, we will be preparing for and making ourselves ready for that day when we take up residency in heaven and we will hear the Father say to us “Well done good and faithful servant!” And let us not overlook the fact that He is coming quickly and His reward is with Him!  


John 14:2-3 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
        
1 Corinthians 2:9 “But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor them heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him-‘“


Blessings,


Buddy

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WATING

3/29/2023

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​March 29, 2023                                      WAITING


Isaiah 40:31 “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”


Psalm 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”


Lamentations 3:25 “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.”


Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”


2 Peter 3:8 “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
 
No one enjoys waiting; we may get impatience because the line of cars at the fast food pick-up are not moving fast enough. We live in a instant culture-we want it now. The ability to wait patiently seems to be a lost character quality. However, in the kingdom of God, waiting is a virtue. God is not limited by time-He is not in a hurry; God is steadily accomplishing His purposes in the world and in our lives. If needed, we must adjust our mindset to view our time on earth as time we spend working with God as He is about fulfilling His purposes. If God does not answer our prayer the way we want Him to and when we want Him to answer, then we can be assured that however God responds to our prayer, it is the best thing for us. If we are walking in the ways of the Lord and our hearts are turned to Him, God hears our prayers and He will answer our prayers in the proper way in the proper time. Waiting on the Lord is not a waste of time, but a practice of trusting our loving Father. We can cast all our cares on Him because He cares for us. 1 Peter 5:7. Waiting does not mean that we are to be idle; waiting is actively exercising our trust in Him and being about what He calls us to be about while we wait on Him. If our trust is truly in God, we will not be discouraged as we wait because we know God’s timing and God’s plans are always what is best. When we actively wait for the Lord, our strength is renewed because we trust in Him, and we have courage to deal with whatever we face, knowing that our God is faithful. God takes pleasure in us when we wait on Him and He is good to those who wait on Him. We are encouraged by God to not give up, even when circumstances are most difficult and even when we do not see the fruit of our labor or our prayers are not answered like we want them to be answered. Let us be resolute in our faith that God is for us and He will fulfill His purposes in us.


Psalm 33:20-22 “Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in You.”     


Blessings,  Buddy
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March 26th, 2023

3/26/2023

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​March 26, 2023.                             RESURRECTION


John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall  live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?                                         


1 Peter 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”


Romans 6:4, 8:11 “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.”   “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your moral bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”


We often hear about the resurrection of Jesus, especially during the Easer season. Because we hear so much about it, it’s possible that we loose the impact of Jesus being raised from the dead. Certainly the birth of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus are the two greatest events of all of human history. As awesome as the birth of Jesus was, it would be to no avail if He had not been raised form the dead. When the deceased body of Jesus began to breath again, when His heart began to beat again, when He walked out of the tomb, death and sin were defeated-once for all! Death seems like such a powerful force-so final; BUT Jesus overcome death; death for the believer no longer rules. Jesus walking out of the tomb that early morning ushered in a new day-a day that changed everything. The resurrection of Jesus meant that the sin issue was dealt with for all who would trust Him as Savior; it meant that those who believed in Him would be saved for all eternity; it meant that believers could walk in newness of life; that those who put their faith in Jesus could experience joy and have a hope for the future. Just as Jesus died and was buried, we too are to die to ourselves and be buried with Him and then raised to new life; that is what water baptism symbolizes. The amazing promise is that those who believe in Him will never die-even though their natural body dies. The resurrection is all about life, forgiveness, newness, hope, and being made a part of the family of God. Whatever trials we may be facing at the present, let us be focused on the fact that Jesus overcame death and sin, and now we can share in His resurrection and experience His life in us.


Matthew 28:6 “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.” 


Blessings,


Buddy




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NOW WE. HAVE. RECEIVED

3/22/2023

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March 22, 2023                 NOW WE HAVE RECEIVED


1 Corinthians 2:12-15 “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those things taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thought with spiritual words. But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man.”


Those who do not know God as Savior have great limitations; one being that they are limited to living life solely based on human wisdom. Another limitation is that they are subject to the spirit of the world, a spirit which is self-centered-and that alone leads to all manner of conflict. In contrast, those who know God as Savior have received the “Spirit who is from God, that we might know things freely given to us by God.” The natural man, the one who does not know God, cannot understand or accept the things of God because they foolish to him and he cannot understand them because they are ‘spiritually appraised,’ and he is void of the Spirit. So, the big plus for us is that because we have the Spirit of God living in us, we can know the things given to us by God; we are taught by the Spirit! We are not limited to our minds; we have the Spirit of God who reveals to us the things we have been given by God. We are not dependent on mere human wisdom-we can be guided by the Spirit of God. We could not give an adequate list of the things given to us by God, but it would include such things as a wisdom from God; eternal hope; peace; joy; a spirit of forgiveness; patience; kindness; perseverance; faith; love-and the list could go on. Let us be continually appraising all things by the Spirit of God and live according to the ways of God. God gave us a wonderful and amazing mind, but the mind must be under the influence of the Spirit. 


1 Corinthians 2:15-16 “But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that He would instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”


Blessings, Buddy


 


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THE MEDITATION OF THE HEART

3/19/2023

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 March 19, 2023                          THE MEDITATION OF THE HEART


PSALM 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”


Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is is excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”


The meditation of our heart, what our mind dwells on, affects and impacts our lives more than anything we do. Thoughts are powerful; thoughts precede action. Our basic perception of life and of circumstances, and of the world in which we live is ever so important. But even in light of the power of what we meditate on and the power of our though life, we tend to overlook or not give consideration to the state of our thought life. God has given us much instruction concerning how we are to think. A all-important truth to remember is that we a spirit with a body, not a body with a spirit; our minds or to be in subjection to our spirit; we have the responsibility of managing and directing our thought life. It’s quite simple; we can think according to how our Creator designed us and have life and peace, or we can chose not to think according to the ways of God-not according to our design at creation, and suffer the consequences that will surely come. This is much more than being a ‘positive thinker;’ it is about having a mindset in life that is rooted in God; we are not to bury our heads in the sand ignoring the challenges that come our way.  With the mindset that comes from God, we are able to deal with difficulties, we are able to be over-comers, we are able to respond to conflict in a healthy manner, we are able to bless and encourage others, we are able to extend grace and forgiveness where needed, we are able to bear the burdens of others, and we have an abiding hope even in the most difficult tines. As a general rule, our words flow out of our hearts; if our words are wrong, then we should take a look at our hearts. So, let us take regular evaluations of our thought life; let us manage and take dominion over our minds and continually be instructing our mind what to think-what to meditate on. 


Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”


Blessings,


Buddy
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March 14, 2023  NO  CONDEMNATION

3/15/2023

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March 14, 2023                                             NO  CONDEMNATION
Romans 8:1-2 “There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
A feeling of condemnation robs us of the life that is available to us; feeling condemned, or guilty drains our energy and causes us to be without vision for the future.  We all have reason to feel condemned and guilty because we have all done things or said things that were obviously wrong. However, the gospel has good news concerning our being guilty of wrong doing. Jesus came to forgive us of our sins-our wrong doings; He bore our sins on the cross. The sin issue was dealt with once for all. We ARE forgiven! We are free from guilt and shame! No longer do we have to live feeling condemned-no matter our past. Some have trouble forgiving themselves and that indicates that pride is an issue in accepting the fact that they sinned. Now, here is an important truth that we must not overlook. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, AND who do not walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit. The sobering reality is that as a believer, one who professes to know Jesus as Savior, can choose to live according to their own dictates-that is living according to the flesh. If we yield to our flesh, we will not experience the life of Christ and we will have a sense of not being right spiritually. Some believe, and maybe rightly so,  that the Holy Spirt does not convict believers of sin but of righteousness-and that could be debated. But for sure, the Holy Spirit is at work in us telling us the way in which we should walk. A lot could be said here, but the main point is that for those who are in Christ Jesus and who walk according to the Spirt, there is NO CONDEMNATION. Walking according to the Spirt means that we are being sensitive to the work of the Holy Spirit in us and we are choosing to live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.
PS: We at times we may feel condemned by a bad decision we made even though the bad decision was not necessarily a sin-it was just a bad decision. Even in such cases, if we are walking according to the Spirit, we simply acknowledge our bad decision and continue in the life that we have in Christ. He is more than sufficient for everything pertaining to life.
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Hebrews 10:22 “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from and evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Blessings,
Buddy

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Update

3/15/2023

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Having trouble with my computer. Will post as soon as I can 
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AND  WE  KNOW

3/12/2023

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March 12, 2023                                                AND  WE  KNOW
Romans 8:26-29 “And in the same way the Spirit helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings to deep for words; and He who searches the heart knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called to His purpose.”
In the midst of difficult times, it is good to ‘know that God causes all things to work together for good.’ This verse is often quoted when one is trying to find comfort in troubled times. However, all things do not work together for good for all people; there is a qualifier. This promise is for those who love God and to those who are called to His purpose. Does that mean that we have to be perfect to experience all things working for good? No. But it does mean that we must love God-really love Him; it means that our heart must be turned to Him and that we are desiring to live according to His ways. With that being said, let us move on to the main point of today’s subject. First, it is comforting to know that the Spirit knows our weakness and that He helps our weakness. We are called to be people who pray; yet there are times when we do not know how to pray as we should; sometimes we do not know what to pray for. There are times when we just have a ‘groaning’ within-not having words to express our hearts. However, the Spirit of God intercedes for us and He knows exactly what our need is and He presents that to our Father! And, He always intercedes for us according to the will of God! Let’s face it; we do not always know what the will of God is in certain cases-but the Spirit does. We have been purchased by God and we belong to Him and we now fit into His plans; we are not yet fully redeemed, but He is in the process of transforming us into His image-and we will be conformed to His image. The ‘causing all things to work together for good’ is a part of the process of us being conformed to His image. Our Father never ignores us nor does He ever give up on us-He is totally committed to fulfilling His purpose in us-even thought at times we are not aware of His work in us. We can find rest and we can rejoice in the fact that God’s plans and purposes for us will come to pass and that the Spirit of God is always helping our weakness!
Philippians 1:6, 2:13 “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”      “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
Blessings,
Buddy

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ATTAINING  TO  ALL  THE  WEALTH

3/9/2023

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March 9, 2023                                     ATTAINING  TO  ALL  THE  WEALTH
Colossians 2:2-3, 1:26-27 “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.”   “that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
God has chosen to reveal to us the mystery that has been hidden from past ages; we did not come to understand and learn of this mystery by our own intellect or by our own understanding. Even though He has revealed this mystery, it seems that even some believers do not yet get it. Those who do not know Christ as their Savior have no understanding of this fantastic mystery that has been revealed. The mystery is ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ The mystery of the ages is stated in just seven words! We may without much thought or consideration be quick to agree that Christ is in us and He is the hope of glory. However, once we begin to meditate on this fantastic reality, we begin to see more clearly its impact and how it is absolutely a life-changer. The all-powerful, the all-knowing, the all-wise, the One who created the universe, through Christ, now lives in us! Christ being born as a man and later giving His life as an offering for our sins, thereby redeeming and restoring us to the Father and then coming to  dwell in us is the mystery! Now, God lives in us-in you and I!! We cannot grasp the full impact of that reality, but we can certainly begin to understand just how awesome it is to have the presence on God in us 24/7. Having Christ in us changes us at the core; we now have access to the wisdom of God; we have understanding of the issues of life; we have power to live in a godly way; we have a new mind with which we can think as God thinks; we have a new nature that is like the nature of God; and we have the fruit of the Spirit being expressed in and through us. Because God lives is us, we live a super-natural life. Also, very importantly, Christ being in us is a seal or a pledge from God that we belong to Him and that one day we will be with Him in heaven and reign with Him for eternity. There is one catch to all of this; if we are to experience the life of Christ in us-we must make the choice to live according to the Spirit and not according to our flesh. Let us be continually desiring and seeking to attain to all the wealth that comes from understanding this great mystery-that Christ is in us and in Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Or do you not realize about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?”
Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Blessings,
Buddy

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BE  FILLED  WITH  THE  SPIRIT

3/7/2023

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March 7, 2023                                        BE  FILLED  WITH  THE  SPIRIT
Ephesians 5:18 “And be not drunk with wine, is which is excess, but be filled with the Spirit,”
Acts 4:8a, 13:52 “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit,”  “And the disciples were continually filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Romans 8:9 “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of God does not belong to Him.”
Without the presence of the Holy Spirt in us, it would be utterly impossible to live life according to the ways of God-according to the scriptures. Some may think of the Holy Spirit in an abstract way or view the Spirit as a mysterious being. However, the Holy Spirit is real; He is the Spirit of God. Before Jesus ascended back to the Father, He told the disciples that it was good for Him to go because He would ask the Father and He would send the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) who would be with us forever. John 14. The Holy Spirit does not force Himself upon us; in fact, we can grieve, or quench, the work of the Spirit; BUT, we can also yield to the Spirit and be led by Him and used by Him. God gives us a command to be filled with the Spirit; it is amazing that we can choose to be filled with the Spirit. The Spirit is continually drawing us to God, but we must respond to His drawing. To be filled with the Spirit means that I yield myself to the Spirit and that I follow His leading. There are no three easy steps to be filled with the Spirit, but it involves turning our hearts fully to the things of the Lord; reading and obeying the word of God; dying to ourselves and yielding to God; and presenting ourselves to the Lord; this is not some mysterious thing we do; in one sense, it is the practical thing we do since we belong to God. The Spirit does not normally speak to us in an audible voice; in a gentle way He gives us a sense of how He is leading or what He is saying to us; He prompts us to do a particular thing; and He opens certain doors and He closes certain doors for us. It is the role of the Holy Spirit to reveal the Father to us; to show us His ways and to give us power to live according to the ways of God. Countless books have been written about the Holy Spirit and certainly I cannot add to what has been said; but for us today, let us empty ourselves and yield to, and be filled with the Spirit of God.
John 16:13 “But when He, the Holy Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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