Blog Posts - TheNewU

ABOUNDING IN JOY

5/18/2025

May 18, 2025 ABOUNDING IN JOY

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
James 1:2 “Count it all joy, My brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.”
Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
John 15:11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

The joy that the above scriptures are referring too does not come from our own efforts to be joyful. And this joy abides even in the midst of difficulties; the roots of this joy run deeper than the trials we encounter. Let us not misunderstand; joy is not always expressed in laughter; there are times that we are burdened and in need of the comfort that God gives. The joy that is constant in all circumstances comes from God. However, God does not automatically zap all of His people with joy; experiencing joy is a by-product of believing God, loving Him, knowing Him in a personal way, and seeking Him first. If we are pursuing our ways and living according to our own preferences, we will not know the joy of the Lord. One primary reason that this joy is not dependent on circumstances is that God is a God of hope. Even though we may be experiencing trials, we know that God is working in the trials, that He has a purpose in it, and that He will bring us through the trial; even though we do not fully understand the ‘why’ of the difficulty and even though we cannot see how any good will come out of it, we can have hope in God-that He is in control. The very idea of hope is that we hope for what we cannot see. Because God is faithful, because He loves us, because He is all-wise and all-powerful, and because the Holy Spirit is at work in us, we have every reason to put all hope in God. Again; Jesus said we would have trials in life; sometimes things go wrong for us; sometimes we do not feel like laughing-but that does not change who God is. No one likes trials, but according to James 1:2, we can rejoice in the trial because we know that it is producing something good. So, the key point for us is whether our joy is tied to how we interpret what’s taking place around us in the the here and now, or is our joy rooted in our God who loves us. Jesus desires that His joy be in us and that our joy may be full; it is indeed the joy of the Lord that we need.

Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forever.”

Blessings, Buddy

OUR STRUGGLE

5/16/2025

May 16, 2025 OUR STRUGGLE

Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. 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 this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and have done everything, to stand firm.”

As a starter, we must realize that we are in a battle; if we do not know that there is a war going on, then surely we have our heads buried in the sand. There are physical wars going on in various parts of the world, but the greater battle that all are in is a spiritual war; behind the physical wars, spiritual forces are at work. It is critical to have the proper gear and proper training if one is going to be victorious in battle; God equips us and trains for battle. Much could be said about spiritual warfare, but today, let’s just look at one aspect of this spiritual warfare-the part about ‘our struggle not being against flesh and blood.’ I am sure that we all have, or have had people who oppose us, argue with us, attack us, are inconsiderate of us, are divisive-or whatever; but what we must understand and what we must remember is that behind the conflict they bring, there are spiritual forces at work. And these spiritual forces or not just some imaginary force-they are real forces-‘rulers and powers, spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.’ We also must be wise to the schemes of the devil; he will do whatever and use whatever to bring strife and discontent. On our own, we are no match for the forces we face; BUT the forces we face are no match for God! God has given us armor to wear and to use. God’s armor includes His word, prayer, worship, wisdom that He gives, faith, boldness-and all that the the Holy Spirit equips us with. Depression, anxiety, fear, indifference, loneliness, hopelessness, conflicts with people, unrest, and whatever, is a sign that the enemy is at work. But, we do not have to live with the enemy occupying any ground in our lives-our enemy can be expelled. I love how Paul said it “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.” We have the power to recognize and overcome the schemes of the enemy. Let us put on and use the armor of God; let us and those around us walk in love, peace and joy, and in victory as a result of God ruling and reigning in our sphere.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the 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 taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”
Blessings, Buddy

WE SERVE A GOOD GOD

5/13/2025

May 13, 2025 WE SERVE A GOOD GOD

Psalm 100:5 “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations.”
Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Perhaps we need to stop and reflect on the fact that God is good-always. No matter our present circumstances, God is good. No matter what, God is good. Thank God for His unfailing and everlasting mercy. There are times when we may have difficulty seeing the goodness of God, but that does not change the reality that He is good. It is an indication that we are growing in the Lord when we can by faith see His goodness and mercy in the difficult times. In Psalm 23:6 we may miss the point of the goodness and mercy of God following us; a more accurate word for follow is pursuing. The goodness and mercy of God is pursuing us-chasing us down. Someone called the goodness and mercy of God the hounds of heven-they have picked up our trail! So, as a bedrock of our faith, let us live in and revel in the goodness of God; let confess with our mouths that He is good. Even in the midst of trials, speak the words “God is good.” We are in good hands; He has us! An old friend of mine ended every prayer with the words “God, we are coming through-sink or swim.’ Relax, be at peace, because our Father is good.

Blessings, Buddy

CHRIST FORMED IN US

5/11/2025

May 11, 2025 CHRIST FORMED IN US

Galatians 4:19 “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you”

The letter to the Galatians was written to address a problem that had developed among the believers. The Galatians had gladly received the gospel that Paul had delivered to them, but later, they turned from grace and reverted back to living under the law. This blog is not about that but about a phrase we find in the verse above; and that phrase is ‘until Christ is formed in you.’ Those six words go a long way in summarizing the goal of the gospel and the heart of God for us. It is just that-it is God’s heart and His plan to have Christ formed in us. The idea of Christ being formed in us is not just for theological discussions but is for every child of God. Christ being formed in us is something that happens; its a real deal. It means that we become expressions of Christ in greater and more visible ways. We each have unique personalities, but amazingly, we are vessels through whom Christ desires to express Himself to us and to the world around us. The ‘laboring’ that Paul was doing was teaching, presenting and demonstrating the gospel message-the gospel of God. We also must be about digesting the gospel and adjusting our lives to the truth of the gospel; in no way are we to just take life as it comes with a ho-hum attitude. Our life on earth is crucial; there is a laboring that needs to take place on our part; we are in a battle against spiritual forces that would turn our hearts from the work that God desires to do in us. The kingdom of God has come to us and now we have Christ living in us and that without a doubt should impact our lives in a great way. Actually, our life has died and it is now Christ living His life in us. It’s not us and Christ-we have become one. Christ has certain attributes; as He is formed in us, we express those same attributes. Christ being formed in us is on-going, a process; but the big question for us is that process active in us now. The good news is that this laboring we must be about is not a labor that is burdensome or tiresome, but rather it is a laboring that energizes. Christ gives life, hope and peace. Finally, we have a Helper, the Holy Spirit, that enables us to have Christ formed in us.
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

WHAT TO PUT ON

5/9/2025

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

GOD HAS NOT GIVEN

5/7/2025

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

THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR

5/3/2025

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

ITS LIKE A MUSTARD SEED

5/1/2025

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

PERFORMS ITS WORK

4/28/2025

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

LOOKING AT WHAT IS NOT SEEN

4/25/2025

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