Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 3,859
“You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:6-10 NASB1995)
The Scriptures teach that we are to be imitators of God, not in a mocking nor in a false to the truth kind of way, as some people do, but in truth and in righteousness we are to model our lives after the character of our Lord and after the teachings of the Scriptures on what it means to believe in Jesus Christ and to be a follower of Christ. And Jesus set the example for us to follow when he lived on this earth, and so did his New Testament apostles, although they were not perfect in every way as is God. None of us are!
And if our faith in the Lord Jesus is biblical God-persuaded, God-gifted, and God-honoring faith, which is of God and not of human flesh, we will die with Christ to sin, and we will be raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness, by the Spirit, in obedience to God and to his commandments. Sin will no longer be what we practice, by habit, but we will now follow our Lord in obedience to his will and purpose for our lives, empowered by God.
Now, if we receive the truth of the gospel of our salvation in truth, and in righteousness, and so we give up our former lives of living in sin and for self, and so we now surrender our lives to the Lord to do his will, it is going to cost us friends, the respect and support of some family members, our standing with the world around us, and perhaps loss of jobs and income, etc. And even in the gatherings of what are called “the church,” we may be rejected, cast aside as unwanted, persecuted, and treated as an outcast.
But if we accept these trials and tribulations in our lives as part of the cost of following Jesus with our lives, and if we do not give way to fear, and if we do not retaliate with hate, but we continue to show love, even to our enemies, then we may be able to set the example to other followers of Christ who are also suffering much for their walks of faith, in obedience to the Lord, as to how we should respond to our unjust suffering. So this may involve us sharing some of our experiences and how the Lord helped us to overcome.
For God does not promise his followers a life of ease and comfort. He promises us a life of suffering as Christ suffered for us and gave himself up for us so that we might die to sin and obey God with our lives, by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in the Lord Jesus. For through suffering we learn humility, patience, perseverance, compassion, and that our dependency has to be fully in the Lord and not in ourselves, and that God will empower us to defeat all enemies coming against us so that we may not lose faith.
And all that we suffer in this life God will use to make us more like him and to prepare us for the work of the ministry, so that we will be his servants and witnesses and messengers throughout the world in sharing with the people the truth of the gospel of our salvation, despite all opposition, rejections, and persecutions. But we have to yield control of our lives over to him, and we have to cooperate with his work of grace in our lives in conforming us to the people of God who he has planned for us to be.
And, as followers of Christ, we are to be those who are spreading the truth of the gospel to the people of the world. But we must make certain that what we are sharing is the truth and not the lies, for many lies are being spread in the name of truth via some people teaching Scriptures outside of their context and them making them say what they do not say if taught within their appropriate context. So be students of the Scriptures who study them in context under the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit of God.
For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
And..
By God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).
And..
The grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
Jesus, Who Rescues Us
An Original Work / June 17, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
The Scriptures teach that we are to be imitators of God, not in a mocking nor in a false to the truth kind of way, as some people do, but in truth and in righteousness we are to model our lives after the character of our Lord and after the teachings of the Scriptures on what it means to believe in Jesus Christ and to be a follower of Christ. And Jesus set the example for us to follow when he lived on this earth, and so did his New Testament apostles, although they were not perfect in every way as is God. None of us are!
And if our faith in the Lord Jesus is biblical God-persuaded, God-gifted, and God-honoring faith, which is of God and not of human flesh, we will die with Christ to sin, and we will be raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness, by the Spirit, in obedience to God and to his commandments. Sin will no longer be what we practice, by habit, but we will now follow our Lord in obedience to his will and purpose for our lives, empowered by God.
Now, if we receive the truth of the gospel of our salvation in truth, and in righteousness, and so we give up our former lives of living in sin and for self, and so we now surrender our lives to the Lord to do his will, it is going to cost us friends, the respect and support of some family members, our standing with the world around us, and perhaps loss of jobs and income, etc. And even in the gatherings of what are called “the church,” we may be rejected, cast aside as unwanted, persecuted, and treated as an outcast.
But if we accept these trials and tribulations in our lives as part of the cost of following Jesus with our lives, and if we do not give way to fear, and if we do not retaliate with hate, but we continue to show love, even to our enemies, then we may be able to set the example to other followers of Christ who are also suffering much for their walks of faith, in obedience to the Lord, as to how we should respond to our unjust suffering. So this may involve us sharing some of our experiences and how the Lord helped us to overcome.
For God does not promise his followers a life of ease and comfort. He promises us a life of suffering as Christ suffered for us and gave himself up for us so that we might die to sin and obey God with our lives, by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in the Lord Jesus. For through suffering we learn humility, patience, perseverance, compassion, and that our dependency has to be fully in the Lord and not in ourselves, and that God will empower us to defeat all enemies coming against us so that we may not lose faith.
And all that we suffer in this life God will use to make us more like him and to prepare us for the work of the ministry, so that we will be his servants and witnesses and messengers throughout the world in sharing with the people the truth of the gospel of our salvation, despite all opposition, rejections, and persecutions. But we have to yield control of our lives over to him, and we have to cooperate with his work of grace in our lives in conforming us to the people of God who he has planned for us to be.
And, as followers of Christ, we are to be those who are spreading the truth of the gospel to the people of the world. But we must make certain that what we are sharing is the truth and not the lies, for many lies are being spread in the name of truth via some people teaching Scriptures outside of their context and them making them say what they do not say if taught within their appropriate context. So be students of the Scriptures who study them in context under the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit of God.
For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
And..
By God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).
And..
The grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)
[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
Jesus, Who Rescues Us
An Original Work / June 17, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
