Blog Posts - TheNewU

CALLED TO BE PROACTIVE

2/26/2025

February 25, 2025 CALLED TO BE PROACTIVE

1 THESSALONIANS 5:14-15 “ And we urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the faint hearted, help the weak, be patient with all men. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Let’s face it. Sometimes, believers get out of line-they do things, say things, and have attitudes that are unlike Christ. The apostle Paul was quick to deal with and correct those who were living contrary to the gospel. The early believers lived in community where issues of the brothers and sisters were addressed. In our culture, we live more separated lives-and that is to our detriment in many ways. Also, in our culture, we are hesitant to intrude into the life of another; we are private; even though there are times we should speak into someone’s life, we are hesitant or even choose not to because of our privacy mindset. Anyway, even in our culture, may we learn how to admonish the unruly in a God-loving way; AND let us be willing to be corrected or admonished when we need it. As we read through this passage, we see that as believers, we are called to action. We must remember that life in the kingdom of God has it’s own ‘ways and means;’ it is unlike life lived according to the ways of the world. Life in the kingdom of God is a proactive life and it’s a life that reflects the character and nature of God. From these verse we learn that we are to be helpers-helping those who are having a difficult time-the fainthearted and those who are weak. Jesus ‘went about doing good;’ His love and compassion for all led Him to action. Just as Jesus was patient, we are to be patient with all people. We should discourage anyone (including ourselves) from repaying another with evil for evil. Instead, we should be seeking that which is good for others. When we have the heart of God leading us, we can and we will rejoice because of what He is doing in and through us. We should live with an attitude of prayer-presenting our request to Him and asking Him use us to bless others. This passage is not an exhaustive list of things we are to be about, but it does give us some clear understanding of the kind of things we should be proactive in; to be inactive in the things of God is something we must not be guilty of.
Matthew 7:24 “Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
John 13:17 “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

Blessing, Buddy

OUR MARCHING ORDERS

2/23/2025

February 23, 2025 OUR MARCHING ORDERS

Colossians 1:9b-13a “that you will be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of saints in light. For He has delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Som,”

If we belong to Christ, then He has a life for us; a life unlike the world offers. This life that comes from God is to be lived out daily. One cannot live according to the ways of the world and according to the ways of God simultaneously; they are mutually exclusive. The good news for us is that God has designed a way of life for us, and He has enabled us to live this life He has for us. We must know and believe that God desires the very best for us; thus He makes this awesome life available to us. God does not want us living in the shadows, uncertain of how to live life. God desires, and He makes it possible for us to be filled with His spiritual wisdom and understanding so that we may live in a manner that is pleasing to Him. Bearing good fruit in every good work should be the norm for believers. Throughout our days, we can and should be increasing in our knowledge of God. God strengthens us according to His might for living life. How awesome and rewarding it is for us to be steadfast and patient even as we live in a fallen world where strife and conflict are so prevalent. We cannot live this life by our own strength and will-power; He has qualified us and has given us the privilege of living according to His ways; He has made us new creations. Let us remember that God HAS delivered from the domain of darkness and HAS made us citizens of His kingdom. So, as we go about our daily lives, as we negotiate the nitty-gritty of life, let us do so as those who have been filled with the life of God-reflecting His nature, His character, His wisdom, His compassion, and His love. He has made us sufficient for life.
Colossians 3:23-24 “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”

Blessings, Buddy

GOD’S LOVE POURED OUT

2/21/2025

February 21, 2023 GOD’S LOVE POURED OUT

Romans 5:5: “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Ephesians 3:16-19 “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

We use the word ‘love’ in many different ways; perhaps we use it so often, we have watered down it’s meaning and impact. The love of God is far different from human love; human love is basically selfish and is limited. We may say we love someone, but we ‘love’ them because of how they make us feel, etc. The love of God is totally unselfish; His love gives and cares for the well-being of the one loved. You cannot explain the love of God; you can only experience it. We cannot earn His love or by some action on our part, become deserving of His love; His love reached down to us when we were sinners, separated from Him. We can thank Him that He has poured out His love into our hearts. That is amazing; human beings can be filled up with the supernatural love of God! The words ‘poured out’ carries with it the idea of being filled up to overflowing. We no longer have to live with the limitations of human love; we can now be expressions of the love of God! The love of God is pure and holy. Having His love poured out within our hearts has spiritual, emotional, and practical implications. The love of God in us enables us to respond as He would respond; instead of being irritated when someone does something we do not like, we can ‘return good for evil’ or speak peace and take the high road of the love of God. In place of judging, we have compassion. This does not mean that we never confront or oppose what is evil or wrong; God corrects and reproves, but it is done out of love. Just as Jesus laid down HIs life because He loved us, we too will find ourselves dying to ourselves when the love of God has filled our hearts. The good news is that when we live out of the love of God and when we die to our ways, we are fulfilled in ways never thought possible. God IS love; and now we can be “filled up with all the fullness of God.” May God grant to us the realization that He has poured out His love into our hearts-each one of us.

Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”

Blessings, Buddy

IN HIM

2/19/2025

February 18, 2025 IN HIM

From Ephesians 1.

It is of great significance that in the first few verses of the first chapter of Ephesians, we find the words ‘In Him’ and ‘In Christ’ several times. We may often here about ‘being in Christ,’ but the importance of that truth and the implications of that truth cannot be over-stated. Before the death and resurrection of Jesus, no one was ‘in Christ.’ In the workings of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus, believers are put in Christ-and Christ is put in them. Everything about the Christian life centers around this union of Christ and those who believe in Him. To be in Him is huge-to say the least. In this passage of scripture, we discover some of the benefits and blessings of being in Christ. First, we have ‘been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.’ ‘He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,’ ‘to be holy and blameless.’ In Him ‘we have redemption through His blood’ and the ’forgiveness of our trespasses’ ‘which He lavished upon us.’ He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His kind intentions.’ In Him, we have been ‘been sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.’ Our being in Christ separates or distinguishes us from those who do not know Him. Being in Christ is a super-nature work of God. Once we come to know and embrace this truth, our life is radically transformed. No longer are we mere humans; we now have the Spirit of the Creator God dwelling in us who empowers us, equips us and enables us to live as sons and daughters of God, reflecting the very nature of God. Being in Christ takes us out of what the world calls normal. Does all this mean we will have no trials and troubles-not at all. Just as Christ experienced trials and overcame them, we can do the same because He is in us living His life through us. This all has to do with us knowing our true identity in Christ. To learn of our God given identity, we must give ourselves to God’s word and we must meditate on and digest the truths we learn in His word. God can, but He does not normally ‘zap’ us with the truth of His word-we must seek to know the truth. So, let us not be guilty of living a ‘ho-hum’ life of mediocrity, struggling with and being overcome and defeated by the trials we face. God has made provision for us, and it is found IN HIM.
Ephesians 2:4-6 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus,”

Blessings, Buddy

OUR SUPPLIER

2/15/2025

February 15, 2025 OUR SUPPLIER

Philippians 4:6-7,19 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Many fret and worry about how they will get the things they need; they believe that it is up to them to secure what is needed. This viewpoint inevitably leads to a life of pursuing ‘things.’ So much of the world in which we live is materialistic, giving little or no time to what is much more important-the spiritual. In the economy of God-in His kingdom-we are given the good news that we can be anxious for nothing! That may seem to hard to believe. God invites us through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, to make our request known to Him. There is something healthy and wise in seeing God as the one who supplies our needs, and knowing that we are dependent on Him. He said that He will supply all our needs! Does this mean that we do not have to work? It certainly does not mean that. It does mean that God gives us the ability and the skills we need to work, and He supplies the work. The point is that we should understand that it is God who supplies-not ourselves. In this life there are many things that can cause us to be be anxious; but God gives the awesome command to be anxious for nothing! The key to not being anxious is to understand and believe that God is ruling, that He is all knowing and all powerful, that He has all wisdom, and that HE LOVES US. His loving us does not mean that we will face no difficulties in life. In ways we do not fully understand, He has purpose in the trials and He has told us that ‘all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.’ I hate to say it, but trials are a part of the process of being transformed into His image. In the midst of the challenges of life, God invites us to make our request known to Him-what a blessing; He will hear our request and He will answer in His own way-and that is where is submit our will to His will. When we come before God in this way, the peace of God will guard our hearts and our minds in a way that we cannot explain. So, acknowledge the trial, make your request to Him-what you want to see happen-but yield your desires to Him and trust Him for answering your request in the way that He knows is best-then leave it with Him and refuse to be anxious.
2 Corinthians 9:8,10-11 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;” “ Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgivings to God.”
Blessings, Buddy

PUT ON THE NEW SELF

2/13/2025

February 13, 2025 PUT ON THE NEW SELF

Ephesians 4:22-24 “that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lust of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

This is indeed an amazing passage of scripture. In a miraculous way, God has made us new creations-made in the ‘likeness of God-and yet, we have the power of choice to lay aside the old us and the choice to put on this new creation that God has made. In our Christian walk, we tend to focus on improving ourselves and becoming better Christians. We think that if we pray more, attend church services, give more, and have morning devotions, we are on the right path of becoming better Christians. Do not get me wrong-all of those activities are good. The question is what is our motivation in doing those good things. At some point in our Christian journey, we have to come to grips with what is this new creation, and how does it impact my life. Are we in the refurbishing mode or being made new mode. When we discover and when we come to realize that God has made us brand new creations and we learn that we can live out of this new identity, everything changes. Now, we have those devotions, we give, we gather with other believers-or whatever-because it is our new nature to do so; we do those things because we want to. Remember, our new self is made in the likeness of God! Wow! It is actually true that we can reflect the Creator God; we can think like He thinks; we can respond like He responds; we can care like He cares; we can love like He loves; we can forgive like He forgives. No longer are we under the burden of ‘trying’ to be a ‘good’ Christian. Do not believe the lie that says we are just humans who sin; the power of sin has been broken. Believe the truth that we can lay aside the old self-who we use to be-and we can put on the new creation that God has created. Being renewed in the spirit of our mind is part of the process of putting on the new self; it is critical that our minds be renewed according to the truth of God’s word. We can choose to walk or live according to our flesh, OR we can choose to live according to the Spirit-to the new creation that we are. Let us today renew our minds and live in our new, God given identity.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Blessings, Buddy

PARTICIPATION IN THE GOSPEL

2/11/2025

February 11, 2025 PARTICIPATION IN THE GOSPEL

Philippians 1:3-6 “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

The gospel is active; it is something to be lived out; it is to be what guides us through life; as Paul said, we are to be ‘participants in the gospel.’ Our salvation is the first step, our introduction to the gospel-the beginning point of a life-long journey. I remember that in my younger days, I thought that if I went to church on Sunday, the rest of the week was mine to do as I please-by going to church, I had done my good deed. Once we come to know Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us and His primary function in us is to transform us into the image of God-to make us like Him. Through this transformation process, God does not take away our power of choice. The transformation that He is bringing about is that our hearts are changed whereby we want to love Him and want to walk in His ways and to please Him in all we do. That is an amazing miracle because the natural heart of man is opposed to God. We participate in the gospel by embracing the message of the gospel and by enthusiastically obeying the gospel massage. Living out the gospel is a journey. When we are loving one another, caring for one another, giving to meet pressing needs, praying for one another, exercising our spiritual gift, being evolved in the body of Christ (the church), when we are expressions of the gifts of the Spirit-and the list could go on. Some may view the gospel as a book of theology or a book of good ‘suggestions’ and miss the point that the gospel is the way of life. You may be thinking all of this sounds good-but in reality, it’s beyond your reach. If that’s you, there’s good news for you and for all of us. First, it’s a good beginning to realize that it is impossible for us to live out the gospel in our own strength-and God knows that. However, God has given us the Holy Spirit to enable us to live according to the gospel. At the point of salvation, God makes us new creations-He is not about refurbishing us. This is radical-to be made new creations! We have been given new minds, new hearts and a new nature. God has not annihilated our old nature-but He has given us the power to lay aside the old nature and the power to put on the new nature. God has not made us as robots; the great work that God is up to is having a people who are choosing to love Him and to walk according to His ways. So-let us be active participants in the wonderful gospel that God has given to us. More good news; He will complete the work He has begun in us.
Matthew 7:24 “Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
Blessings, Buddy

DILIGENCE

2/9/2025

February 9, 2025 DILIGENCE

Proverbs 13:4 “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”
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.”
1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Just as sure as gravity always works, being diligent always produces good fruit. In the natural, even the one who does not know God will benefit from being diligent. However, for believers, there is a higher and greater dimension and a greater motivation for being a people who are characterized by diligence. It goes back to our design; God is diligent; and He created us in His image. In a very real sense, if one is not diligent, he is not living according to design. Being diligent may or may not bring financial reward or some other tangible reward, but there are greater rewards to be realized for being diligent as unto the Lord. We are to be diligent in spirit; we are to do what we do as for the Lord; certainly if we do what we do as for the Lord, we want to do it properly and with quality in mind. Something as simple as washing dishes or mowing the grass should be done ‘as unto the Lord.’ Note in the Proverbs verse above that it is the soul that is satisfied by diligence; being diligent, a job well-done, has a way of satisfying our souls. Our highest purpose for being diligent is not to be purely for gaining material possessions; we are to be diligent in what God has called us too and to what He has put in our hands to do. In being diligent in this way, our material needs will be satisfied. We must not separate or divide what we do into material and spiritual; we are to view our life and all we do as doing and abounding in the ‘work of the Lord.’ Jesus is Lord and all we are and all we do is to be done under His lordship. The diligent will be rewarded. Let us do the things that are pleasing to the Lord.

Luke 16:10 “The one who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and the one who is unrighteous in a very little thing is also unrighteous in much.”
2 Peter 3:14 “Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace.”

Blessings, Buddy

BUT TAKE COURAGE

2/6/2025

January 6, 2025 BUT TAKE COURAGE

1 Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.”
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulations, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

I do not think that those in the western world very often share in the ‘sufferings of Christ.’ For sure there is some ‘suffering’ that comes with being a professing Christian no matter where you live. Christians are often portrayed as being narrow-minded, uneducated, and ones who believe a book that is long outdated. With that being said, we certainly find that what Jesus said in John 16:13 is very relevant in our day; that is that ‘In the world you have tribulations.’
It is a given that ‘fiery ordeals’ and tribulations will come our way in this life; so we should not be surprised when they come. The truth we must not miss is that Jesus tells us to ‘take courage’ in the trials. That’s amazing; instead of being stressed and discouraged by the difficulties we face, we can take courage! In the natural, trials take life out of us and we live with discouragement. Not so for believers; the key is that Jesus lived in this world and He experienced trials like you and I will never face, yet He overcame the world. You might say that you are glad He overcame the world, but you are not Jesus. That gets us to the point we must embrace. A basic cornerstone of the Christian faith is that Jesus lives in us and that is what makes us different from the world and what makes us overcomers in the midst of trials. However, there is one caveat; to experience the overcoming life of Jesus in us, we must be walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. (That’s another whole subject.) It is about us knowing our true identity as those belonging to God. A great transformation occurs when we die to ourselves and experience Christ living in us. To die to ourselves is to acknowledge Christ as Lord and then yield every ounce of our being to Him, desiring above everything else to know Him more fully and to do the things that are pleasing to Him. So, the good news for us is we do not have to be defeated by our trials; because He is in us, we can miraculously take courage. We can take courage because He is working things for good for those who are walking in His ways. Sure-trials are no fun; but they serve a purpose and Jesus is with us as we go through the trials and He comforts and strengthens us. It is indeed a work of God that enables us to overcome the difficulties of life. Let us rejoice in the plans that God has for us as we await His return.
James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test of he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.”
Blessings, Buddy

THE SPIRIT OF CALEB

2/4/2025

January 4, 2025 THE SPIRIT OF CALEB

Numbers 14:24 “But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring Him into the land he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.”
Joshua 14:10-12 “And now behold, the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke the word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today. I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in. Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out as the Lord has spoken.”

The story of Joshua and Caleb is one of my favorites. Joshua and Caleb were the only two out of ten spies that believed that God would let them take possession of the promised land, even though giants lived in the land. Because Caleb had a different spirit about him, and because he followed the Lord fully, God promised that He would bring him into the promised land. It’s quite simple; Caleb followed the Lord fully-even when in the natural it looked foolish to some. I am forced to ask myself if I have a ‘different’ spirit and do I follow the Lord fully. Caleb is a great inspiration. God made the promise to Caleb that he would possess the promise land-but it did not come to pass for forty-five years! Caleb, and the children of Israel, faced physical enemies, and how they dealt with their physical enemies and life in the natural in the Old Covenant is a type or foreshadowing of the spiritual battles we face as those living in the New Covenant. Just as Caleb faced physical enemies, we face spiritual enemies; and just as Caleb drove out physical enemies, we must, with the power we have in Christ, drive our our spiritual enemies. We are spiritual beings who temporarily live in a physical body, but our battles are spiritual battles. For example; if we have anger and bitterness, then we are yielding to a spiritual force of darkness; and if that is the case, then that is the enemy we must drive out. Self, or flesh can be our biggest enemy, and dying to ourselves may be the biggest mountain we face-that is a spiritual battle. Caleb possessed the promise land; the promise land represents life in Christ. For us, as we drive out spiritual enemies, as we die to our flesh, we then possess the life we have in Christ. It is crucial that we recognize the lies of our spiritual enemies so that we can reject the lies. We must be grounded in the word of God and the ways of God and make the choice to walk in His ways. Our enemies are subtle and deceitful; and it is their desire to cause us to turn away from living as unto Christ. As Caleb remained physically strong in old age, we can remain spiritually strong no matter our age. Caleb was not intimidated by his enemies; he never wavered in regards to the promises of God; and He followed God fully. Caleb wanted the high country that God had promised. The ‘high country’ that God has promised every believer is abundant life in Christ. Even though our battles are spiritual in nature, often they impact the natural or physical. God has spoken to us and given us great promises; let us take and possess what He has given. God does not always answer immediately; so continue to seek what He has promised.

Joshua 14:14 “Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day, because he followed the Lord
God of Israel fully.”

Blessings, Buddy