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SLAVES TO RIGHTEOUSNESS

1/31/2025

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February 1, 2025                    SLAVES TO RIGHTEOUSNESS 


Romans 6:16-19 “Do you not know that whom you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members of slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.”


We may not be consciously aware of it, but we are slaves to whomever or whatever we obey. We can ‘present’ or give ourselves to a person, materialism, careers, physical appearance , education, hobbies or whatever, and become enslaved and not even realize that anyone of these things can be the guiding force of our lives and the thing that energies us. Many are searching for that which satisfies their deepest desires and needs. We do not have to look far to see the ‘lostness’ and the frantic searching for life; the clear and simple message of the gospel shines as a light in a world that has lost its way. In the word of God we discover the keys to life abundant (that does not imply that life will always be free of trials and difficulties) and the good news is that the ways of God or not burdensome. Simply said, we can make the choice to present our selves to God; and that means we must turn from our ways before we can turn to His ways. Our heart and our desires can be to learn the ways of the Lord and hear His commands and instructions we read in the scriptures and then apply and adjust our life to His ways. God is righteous, and we are told in the scriptures above to “present our members as slaves of righteousness.” It is as simple as doing what is righteous-what is like God. Of course, we cannot be about doing righteous deeds in our on strength and by our own willpower; it is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can do the things that are pleasing to God. The other really good news is that God has given us a new nature and a new heart, and when live out of the new heart and nature we have been given, we naturally want to do the things that are pleasing in His sight. As believers, we have the power of choice; we can choose to go our way, or we can choose to present our members to God as slaves of righteousness. 


Matthew 7:21, 5:16 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.”     “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Blessings, Buddy
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THY KINGDOM COME

1/29/2025

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January 29, 2025                      THY KINGDOM COME


Matthew 6:9-13 “Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”


The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, and what Jesus taught them is known as the Lord’s Prayer. I love the simplicity of the prayer, not many words, but yet is powerful and it portrays for us a mindset that we should have as believers. For today, let us focus on “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” First of all, this verse does away with any viewpoint that planet earth is hopeless; the earth is filled with what is ungodly, but God has plans for this earth-He has not written earth off; the earth is the Lords. Rather than living according to the world, we should be living with a kingdom of God on this earth mindset. We are in great need for His kingdom to come where we live and we certainly need for His will to be done on this earth. As we live in the trenches-in the nitty-gritty of life, let us be about doing what is God’s will for us and let us be promoting His will wherever we can. Let us be light and be ones who speak about the kingdom of God and ones who live according to the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is far greater than any other kingdom and it is eternal-and we are a part of it! Living according to His kingdom has practical implications for us.  A kingdom mindset is focused on doing the things that are pleasing to our Lord; and we know what pleases Him-kindness, love, blessing others, dying to our ways, faith, serving, giving, good deeds, speaking the truth in love, forgiving others, bearing each other’s burdens-and the list goes on. The point is that we can be a part of bringing His kingdom to where we live-that is the exciting part; the kingdom of God is not limited to heaven. In Habakkuk 2:14 it is prophesied that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” The awesome thing for us is that we can experience His kingdom coming and His will being done in our sphere of life. Jesus came, introducing the kingdom of God, and all who believe Him are members of His kingdom.


Colossians 1:13-14 “For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”


Blessings, Buddy
 

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LOOKING FOR OUR INHERITANCE

1/26/2025

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January 26, 2025                      LOOKING FOR OUR INHERITANCE 


1 Peter 1:4-5 “to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Colossians 1:12 “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”
Ephesians 1:13-14  “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirt of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”     “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
Titus 3:7 “So being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”


How we conduct ourselves in this life is certainly important; we are to live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord and are to be good stewards of the grace of God. However, we are also to live with an expectancy of what is to come for those who know Christ as their Savior. Throughout the New Testament we see the word ‘inheritance’ numerous times.  An inheritance is something not yet received, but is something that one looks forward to receiving at a certain time. Believers have a rich inheritance reserved for them in heaven-which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away. Nothing can cause us to lose our inheritance as we are protected by God though faith-our inheritance is sure. We do not earn our inheritance; God has chosen to qualify us to share in the inheritance. Also, God has sealed us in Christ and has given us the Holy Spirit as a pledge of our inheritance; we are God’s possession-and God is jealous over His possession. I do not know in detail what our inheritance will be, but I do know that we will be with God for eternity and will experience life in heaven where God’s kingdom rules and there will be no strife, wars, conflicts, storms, disappointments, sickness, sadness,  depression, or loneliness; we will live in the light as children of God. When we contemplate the inheritance that is ours, we no longer dread leaving this life behind. Jesus told us that we would have trials in this life-and we do; but knowing what awaits us overshadows the present difficulties. No matter our present circumstances, let us focus on the inheritance we have in Christ; our inheritance is sure; it will not fade away.


1 Peter 1:13 “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at His coming.”


Revelation 21:7 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My Son.”


Blessings, Buddy
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WAITING

1/23/2025

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January 24, 2025                                      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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PURIFY OURSELVES

1/21/2025

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January 21, 2025                  PURIFY OURSELVES 


2 Corinthians 7:1 “Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”


Some think that it’s all up to God. However, it’s abundantly clear in scripture that  those belonging to God have certain responsibilities. As believers, we are to respond to what God has spoken through His word and to what the Spirit says to us personally. It is God who transforms us, but we have a part to play in the process. The word of God has many instructions as to how believers are to live as sons and daughters of God. The above verse gives us clear instructions as to what we are to be about as His followers. Because God is holy, He expects and desires that His people be holy. Because God gave His Son that we might be forgiven and saved, and because God has and does demonstrate His great love for us, our heart should be to be pleasing to Him in all we do. The instructions we have above are very practical in nature. We should be actively be about purifying ourselves. The word we need to note is ‘contaminates.’ We must be on guard to what would contaminate our bodies and our spirits. Obviously, we can be contaminated by what we look at, what we think about, what we listen to, and by not taking care on our physical bodies. These things really hit home; it affects what we watch on tv, on our computers and cell phones; and it affects the words we speak; our attitude and mindset; and what we listen to.   Do not misunderstand; as believers, we do not live by a list of rules; we are to live being led by the Spirt and led by a heart that desire to please Him with the life we live. We are to be about ‘perfecting holiness.’ Perfecting holiness means we are laying aside whatever is unlike Christ and putting on whatever is like Christ. If we reverence God, we will want to honor Him and be pleasing to Him from a pure heart. Often, it’s a ‘both and;’ God is pleased with us in Christ; but we have the privilege of pleasing Him with the life we live in this flesh and bone. So, let us be diligent to be daily purifying ourselves of anything that would contaminate our bodies and our spirits. If it’s not pleasing to God, lay it aside!
1 Peter 1:15-16 “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
Blessings, Buddy
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BE IMITATORS

1/19/2025

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January 29, 2025                      BE IMITATORS 


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 a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”


We may view imitating in a negative light as our culture values individuality and being original-‘being our own person.’  We use to use the phrase ‘copy cat’ in a critical way. Do not misunderstand; God created us with our own personalities; we are unique. This passage begins with an amazing statement; ‘Therefore be imitators of God.’ This is not a commandment to be fake or to put up a front. A basic truth we must remember is that we were created in the image of God. Also, we must remember that a transformation takes place in those who are in Christ. Being in Christ means that we have been given new spirits, new hearts and new natures. When we discover our identity in Christ, we have new desires and appetites and importantly, we have the power to walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. Imitating Christ is not something we must try to do in our own strength; we can imitate Christ only because He has and is transforming us into His own image. To imitate Christ is the highest privilege we have on this earth. It is amazing, but we represent Christ in this world-you and I; so as we imitate Him, we are being light. God is compassionate, forgiving, merciful, loving, full of grace, wise-and much more. As His children, and because we have the Holy Spirit living in us and enabling us, we can be imitators of God-today, right where we are.  
1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
1 Peter 1:14-16 “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lust which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.”


Blessings, Buddy
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FINALLY MY BRETHREN

1/17/2025

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January 17, 2025                           FINALLY, MY BRETHREN


Ephesians 6:10-11 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”


If we do not know first hand that we are in a battle, we are blinded or in denial. We must know who our real enemy is; our enemy is not of flesh and blood; people, no matter who they or what they do, are not our enemy. There is a bigger battle taking place; people may allow themselves to be pawns in the hands of our enemy, the devil, but they are not our enemy. In our ‘modern’ and ‘enlightened’ culture, many do not acknowledge, or even want to talk about being in a battle with the devil. But, there is good news for us who know God as Savior. God has not left us to fight this battle alone; He has given us the armor we need to stand against the enemy. We are in Christ and He is in us, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to live in us and to equip us to live victoriously. Let us take up and put on the whole armor of God. Our armor consist of the word of God, prayer, worship and faith, and it is also putting on the new person we are in Christ-in these we must stand. Whatever battle we face, we have what we need to overcome. The first step for us in simply to be aware that we are in a battle-we are on the battlefield. I love what Paul said; “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” After all said and done, let it be our ‘modus operandi’ to be strong in the Lord, and to stand against the rulers of darkness.


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 or not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds); casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ;”


Blessings, Buddy
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WITHOUT AND DOUBTING

1/15/2025

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​January 15 2025                       WITHOUT ANY DOUBTING


James 1:5-8 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let that man not expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double- minded man, unstable in all his ways.”


1 Corinthians 3:18 reminds us that the “wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” There is a difference in education and wisdom; one can be very educated but yet lack wisdom. Education is a good thing, but we are lacking if we do not have a wisdom that is not of this world. God is the only source of wisdom-and He generously gives wisdom to those who ask. There is a critical point when it comes to asking God for wisdom; we must ask in faith without any doubting. The words ‘without any doubting’ caught my attention. In God’s economy, there is no room for doubting and for living without faith. Since we as believers have been joined to God and made citizens of His kingdom, in a very real sense, our entire life, all we do is to be based on faith; the life of the believer is a life of faith. Even though we live in the world, we are not limited to the principles and the ways of the natural world; we are super-natural beings who have been made new creations. 2 Corinthians 5:17. It is clear-God likes seeing His people exercising faith. We do not know what the future holds; we must not lean to our own understanding as we make our journey through this life. If we need anything, we need the wisdom of God. Let us take the above passage at face value; God invites us to ask of Him in faith without doubting for wisdom-when we do, we can be confident that He will supply us with the wisdom we need.
Hebrews 11:6, 11;1 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exist, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him.”       “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”      


Blessings,
Buddy




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A SERVANT MINDSET

1/13/2025

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January 13, 2025                  A SERVANT MINDSET


1 Peter 4:10 “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”
Matthew 20:26-28 “It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
Galatians 5:13-14 “For you were called to freedom, brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”


This may come as a shocker to many, but life is not all about us! However, if you observe the lives of people, if you listen to conversations and if you listen to the news, you will conclude that many, if not most, live as though life is all about them. There is within the core of man a nature that impels him or her to search for that which satisfies his deepest longings. Such things as material gain, popularity, being attractive and physically fit, success in a certain field, or whatever-may bring temporary satisfaction but it is short-lived. But God has a solution that fulfills the deepest longings of our soul. The ways of God are contrary to the ways of the world; the world says to do whatever it takes to satisfy self, but God tells us to lay our lives down. What a contrast! It is a mystery and a miracle, but as we lay our lives down and take on a servant mindset, we find a sense of fulfillment. Our new nature finds joy and fulfillment when we serve, when we bless, when we give, and when we consider others above ourselves. 2 Corinthians 9:10 is an amazing verse: “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.” God sees to it that we never run of seeds to sow! Laying our lives down does not mean that we neglect our personal responsibilities, but it does mean that our mind-set in life is that we are here to serve. And let us not overlook the fact that our immediate family members are among those we are to serve. Jesus came to serve and He is our example; let us be about serving and blessing.


Proverbs 11:25 “Whoever brings a blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”


Blessings, Buddy
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LEAN NOT

1/12/2025

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    Buddy Fitzgerald

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