If The World Hates You

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.” (John 15:18-21 NASB1995)

 

What does it look like if we are “of the world”? It means that we belong to the world, that we are in a relationship situation with the world, and that we are like the world in thought, in word, and in deed. We participate with the world in the things that they do and watch and listen to and read, etc., and we lack discernment in choosing what is of God over and above what is worldly and fleshly. And this is not a condemnation of all things in the world, but of those things which are fleshly and not of God and of his will for us.

 

“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15-17 NASB1995). We are not to give preference to the world, i.e. to the lusts of the flesh and of the eyes, and the pride of life, which are not from God.

 

So, this does not mean that we go hide in a cave somewhere so that we are not part of this world at all. For, although Jesus called us out of the world, he called us to go out into the world to make disciples of people of all nations. And this is not to say that everything in the world is evil, for God gave us many things in this world to enjoy, too, like nature, and music, etc. But we need to be people of discernment who are not taking into our minds, eyes, ears, and hearts what is ungodly and immoral and of the lusts of the flesh.

 

And then it is about how we spend our time, and on what we spend our time, and whether or not God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – has first place in our lives, or if we make him take a back seat in our lives so that we can indulge in the pleasures of what this world has to offer us. For our relationships with Jesus Christ are not for Sunday mornings only, or only when we have our times of “devotions.” But Jesus is to have our all, and he is the one who is to be leading us in the way that we should go each day.

 

So, if we are all caught up in the world, and in all the things that the ungodly of this world participate in on a daily basis, and Jesus Christ is more of an afterthought, and someone we only mention “in church” or during “family devotions,” then we have it all backwards. For he is to be our life, not just a small section of it, and he is to be the one guiding and directing our lives, via the Holy Spirit living within us, so that our lives are now in line with his will and purpose, and we are now doing what pleases him, and not the flesh.

 

Then the world will hate us because we are different (unlike) the world, because we are being conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. But please understand here that “the world” is not just the “unchurched,” but they are those who participate in “church gatherings” religiously, too, but whose lifestyles match more with the world than they do with Jesus Christ and how he lived when he lived on this earth. And so we may be hated and rejected by much of what is called, “the church,” too.

 

And Jesus Christ sets the example for this, too. For who were his strongest opponents and persecutors? They were not the “unchurched” of the world, but they were the rulers and teachers of the law and people of influence in the temple of God. They were the “church people” who hated and rejected Jesus and who falsely accused him of what he did not do, and who hounded him continually, trying to trip him up with his words, and who eventually had him put to death on a cross, hoping to put an end to him and to his words.

 

So, if you are following Jesus’ example with regard to how he lived and the things that he did and that he said to the people, don’t be surprised if you are hated by much of what is presently called “the church,” because so many “churched” people are being fed the lies of Satan and not the truth of the Scriptures. And so many of them are buying into a cheapened alteration of the gospel which Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught. And so they are not going to warm up to those who are teaching the truth of God’s Word.

 

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).

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

 

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

 

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

 

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

 

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

 

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg

 

Caution: This link may contain ads

 

If The World Hates You

An Original Work / December 9, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

All About Love

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:12-14 NASB).

There are three main components to our Lord’s commandment that I see here, and so I am going to look at each of the three parts individually, but then I’ll also look at how the three must all be a part of the same whole.

Love One Another

Now, for us who are English speaking people, we must understand that this word “love” is not of human flesh. It is not centered in our emotions nor in the ones we are loving. We love others regardless of whether or not others love us in return, or even if they hate and despise us, in return. For this is loving like God loves, like Jesus loves us. For Jesus didn’t give his life up for us on that cross because of how wonderful we are, but while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. So this love is self-sacrificial, and it is unselfish.

And this word translated in the English language as “love,” in the Greek interlinear it is the word “agapē,” which means “to prefer.” It is used in the Bible in the context of either preferring what is evil (this one very little) or preferring what God prefers (which is how it is used primarily). And what God prefers is all that is holy, righteous, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord’s commands. So this love is morally pure, upright, honest, and faithful in its love for other people.

Lay Down Your Life

And, as already was mentioned, this love is self-sacrificial and unselfish, and it is willing to die to show the love of Christ for the people of this world. It is willing to be hated by other humans in order to love them with the love that Christ had and has for us. And in what ways did Jesus demonstrate this love? Well, he spoke the truth in love to the people, whether they wanted to hear it or not, and whether they liked him or hated him in return. He told them the truth they needed to hear even though, for him it meant his death.

So, when we love others like Jesus loved us, it is not about a popularity contest. It has nothing to do with whether people love us in return. It is all about what they need and us supplying them with what they truly need (not necessarily want), as we are able, and as we are led by the Spirit to do so, even if it costs us friends, family, church family, and other humans who might reject us and turn away from us, because we are just too weird for them. It is what it cost Jesus in order for him to show us his love for us.

Do What God Commands

If we are going to love God and our fellow humans with this kind of love, the way in which God loves us, we must be those who are walking (in conduct) in obedience to our Lord’s commands. This is not to say that we will always do this perfectly, or that we will never fail (1 John 2:1-2), but the Scriptures make it quite clear that if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to our Lord and to his commands (New Covenant), that we do not know God, we are not in fellowship with Christ, and we will not inherit eternal life with God.

So, obedience to our Lord’s commands is not something to be dismissed, nor is it just a recommendation which we are free to ignore. It is a requirement of God, not as a means of earning our salvation, but as a love response to God for saving us from our sins. Yet, it is not optional. In the Scriptures we learn that obedience to our Lord’s commands = faith, and that disobedience to his commands = unbelief, which results in separation from God and us not having the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God in heaven.

The Scriptures Teach

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).

For 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).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

In Harmony  

Based off Romans 12:9-21; 1 Peter 3:8-17

An Original Work / September 2, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Love each other truly. 

Cling to what is good.

Hate all that is evil. 

Never lack in zeal.

Serve the Lord with fervor. 

Joyful in hope be;

Patient in affliction; 

Praying faithfully.

Honor one another. 

Live in harmony.

Share with all God’s people

Who are found in need.

Do not be conceited.

Sympathetic be.

Love, and show compassion

In humility.

Keep your tongue from evil.

Peaceful you must be.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

God sees who are righteous;

Listens to their prayers.

But He’s against evil – 

Is His to avenge.

Do not fear what they fear.

Suffer patiently.

In your hearts, make Christ Lord.

Serve Him faithfully.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

https://vimeo.com/112832903 

All About Love

An Original Work / December 9, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Branches Not Bearing Fruit

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.” (John 15:1-6 NASB1995)

We read in Romans 11 about the branches which were broken off from the “Olive Tree,” which was not a literal tree, but which symbolizes biblical Israel, i.e. Jesus Christ. Once Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross to put our sins to death with him, and then he was resurrected from the dead, God’s covenant people (Israel, the branches) now included all Gentiles who believed in Jesus Christ and who followed him in obedience. And all Jews who refused Jesus as their Messiah were cut out of Israel (the tree).

I see this as paralleling with this passage of Scripture in John 15, only here Jesus is symbolized by a vine of which we are the branches. And the message is fairly of the same nature. Every branch in Jesus Christ, the vine, that does not bear fruit (spiritual results according to God’s word), he takes away (removes from the vine). And if one of the branches does not abide in the vine, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. Similar results as above.

For we read in 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Hebrews 3:1-19; and Hebrews 4:1-13 that all those who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years who did not obey God, but who chose the path of sin and rebellion, instead, were put to death by God. And not only did they not get to go into the Promised Land, but they did not get to enter into God’s eternal rest because of their disobedience, which God referred to as unbelief. And he referred to obedience as belief. And these things were written down for us so we don’t follow their example.

All of this has the same message. If we profess to be part of spiritual Israel, the body of Christ, by faith in Jesus Christ, but we do not bear spiritual fruit in keeping with repentance, and we do not abide in Christ, i.e. we do not obey him and his commandments, and so we do not conform to his will and purpose for our lives, and so we do not follow his leading, and so we do not continue in and remain in him, but we go our own way, instead, then he will throw us away unless we repent and we obey him in doing what he says.

Jesus taught it, and his New Testament apostles taught it, and we can read about this all throughout the New Testament writings. We cannot just claim that we are in Christ but then keep living in sin, and not in obedience to our Lord in walks of surrender to the will of God for our lives, and then expect God to forgive us of all sins and to let us into his heaven when we die. But sadly that is what many people are teaching and believing. But please know that is not the gospel taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles.

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).

For 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).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

So, believe and live the truth of God’s Word, and reject all of Satan’s lies.

Seek the Lord  

Based off Isaiah 55

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Musical Instrumentation by Mark Bradley

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him. 

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you, 

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

https://vimeo.com/379408296

Branches Not Bearing Fruit

An Original Work / December 9, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Being Taught by The Holy Spirit

“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 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 said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” (John 14:25-27 NASB1995)

Jesus Christ was speaking to his disciples. He was letting them know that he was going to be leaving them, but that one day he would return for them. In the meanwhile he was going to prepare a place for them, so they were not to be afraid. And this parallels over to the Jewish marriage of that day where the bride and the groom signed a marriage contract, but they did not consummate their marriage until after the groom went and prepared a place for them and then he returned for his bride and he took her to be with him. 

In the meanwhile, the bride and the groom were to be faithful to each other, even though they had not yet united with each other physically. And it is the same with our relationship with Jesus Christ. By faith in him we enter into a marriage covenant with him. But while we wait for him to prepare a place for us, and for him to return to take us to be with him for eternity, we are also to remain faithful to our husband, Jesus Christ, by walking with him in obedience to his commands, and by putting sin to death daily, by the Spirit.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

And then Jesus went on to talk about how, if we claim that we love him, we must be his followers who obey (keep) his commandments (now The New Covenant). He said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me” (John 14:23-24 NASB1995). So, if we refuse him, we do not love him, and we do not know him.

These things, and more, were what Jesus spoke to his disciples while he was still abiding with them on the earth. But Jesus was not going to leave them alone. So, after he was resurrected from the dead, and he had spent about 40 days revealing (showing) himself alive to many people, he ascended back to heaven to be with God the Father. And later on he sent the Holy Spirit to indwell his followers. And since that time, all of us who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within us.

And the purpose of the Holy Spirit living within us is to be God/Christ living within us in the person of the Holy Spirit. And he is to teach us all things pertaining to Christ. So the Lord does not speak to us, his servants, only through his written word, but he also speaks to us through the Holy Spirit living within us. But what we believe we are hearing from the Holy Spirit within us must not contradict the teachings of Christ. For example, the fruit of the Spirit is self-control, not the things which have us out of control.

And why do we need the Holy Spirit? Well, as we read the Scriptures, we need the guidance of the Holy Spirit in understanding what they teach us and how they are to be applied to our lives. Also, God assigns each of his servants a particular body part within the body of Christ, as a whole. But the written Scriptures do not tell us what our specific body parts and callings from God and the gifts of the Spirit are for each of us individually. So, the Spirit leads us in knowing what God has assigned for us individually.

Since Jesus Christ is no longer with humans on this earth in person, he sent his Holy Spirit to indwell his followers to be Jesus living within us, talking to us, and giving us guidance and direction in the way the Lord would have us to go each and every individual day, like Jesus spoke to people individually when he lived on this earth. The Scriptures speak to us all collectively, but the Holy Spirit within us speaks to us individually so that we know what God has for us to do and to be and to say each and every day of our lives.

[Mark 13:11; Luke 2:26; Luke 4:18-19; Luke 10:21; Luke 12:11-12; John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:13; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:17-18; Acts 11:12; Acts 13:2; Acts 16:6-10; Acts 20:23; Romans 8:9,14; 1 Corinthians 2:14-16; 1 Corinthians 12:7,11,18; Romans 12:1-8; Ephesians 4:1-16]

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

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

Caution: This link may contain ads

Being Taught by the Holy Spirit

An Original Work / December 8, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

If We Love Jesus Christ

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” ”He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.’” (John 14:6,15,21,23,24 NASB1995)

Our God, the one and only true God of the universe, is Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. So, not one of us can believe in God the Father and not believe in Jesus Christ, God the Son. So all who profess to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but who reject Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, do not truly believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So, all Jews who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah do not believe in the same God as we do who believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Master.

For no one can come to God the Father except through Jesus Christ, and none of us can believe in Jesus Christ unless God the Father first draws us to Christ, i.e. unless he first persuades us as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die to sin and to obey God, as those who profess faith in our Lord Jesus. For faith in Jesus Christ requires that we deny self, die daily to sin, and that we walk (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands under the New Covenant.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 6:44; Luke 9:23-26; Acts 26:18]

Now there are many people today who are teaching a gospel of salvation absent of death to sin and walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. For they are teaching that we are saved and on our way to heaven based merely on a verbal confession of Christ as Lord and belief that God raised him from the dead. But that is being taught out of context, and it ignores the bulk of the teachings on the gospel of our salvation which insist that we must deny self, die to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience.

But if we love Jesus, we will obey his commandments, and we will be loved by him and by God the Father. But if sin is what we obey, and not God’s commandments, then we do not love God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and we don’t know God, and we are not in fellowship with Jesus Christ. And so we don’t have salvation from sin and eternal life with God, which is promised to all who believe in Jesus, who are dying to sin daily (in practice), and who are following our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands.

For our faith in Jesus Christ is not based on the teachings of other humans, many of which distort and alter the truths of the Scriptures to make them less offensive and more attractive to human flesh and to the world. But our faith in Jesus must be based on the teachings of the Scriptures taught by Jesus Christ and by his New Testament apostles, taught in their correct biblical context, and not out of context which many do in order to deceive. And then we will know the right way in which we are to go by faith in 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).

For 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).

So, please read the Scriptures in their appropriate biblical context so that you are learning the truth spoken by Jesus Christ and by his New Testament apostles, and so you are not relying upon other human beings in our day and time to actually teach you the truth of what God’s word teaches us.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

My Sheep  

Based off John 10:1-30 NIV

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full… 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263 

If We Love Jesus Christ

An Original Work / December 8, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Jesus Christ and Santa Claus

I got on YouTube today, and I clicked on a link to a particular church’s Sunday gathering, and I was immediately struck in my spirit by the shirt the pastor was wearing in front of his congregation. The shirt read: “The Boys Are Back in Town!” And underneath that was, “Merry Christmas!” And the caricature was of Jesus Christ and Santa Claus together on a sleigh riding through the air. Santa was in front, and Jesus Christ was pictured further back and partially behind him. Both were laughing. And the caricature of Jesus had his arms out at the side, and Santa’s arms were lifted upward. 

And I was appalled! What blasphemy! It upset me to the core! How could a “man of God” who pastors a church congregation wear such a shirt? And then I recalled a writing the Lord had given me originally in 2018 titled “Christ’s Dismissal,” which I will share parts of here with some additional comments added. For it really helps to explain why I was so appalled at this pastor’s shirt he was wearing in front of his congregation as he prayed and as he preached his sermon to the people.

Christ’s Dismissal

Christmas, as it has come to be known, is largely considered to be a Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, God the Son. But there is another (false) god that is celebrated on Christmas Day, and his name is Santa. So, what does the word “Christmas” literally mean? Well, the first part of the word is Christ, meaning the Anointed One, meaning Jesus Christ, the Son of God (See: Isaiah 61:1-3; Luke 4:18-19).

But, what about the word “mas”? What does that mean? Well, it is generally held that the word “mas” means “dismissal.” Yet, whether you agree with that or not, it doesn’t really matter, for I believe we shall see here, by the evidence itself, that indeed that is what is intended.

Satan and His Angels

From what I have been taught, and from what I understand, Satan used to be an angel in heaven, but he wanted to be God, and so he rebelled against God along with about a third of the angels, and so God cast them down to the earth (Isaiah 14:12-14; Luke 10:18; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 9:1; Revelation 12:3-9).

“How you are fallen from heaven,

O Lucifer, son of the morning!

How you are cut down to the ground,

You who weakened the nations!

For you have said in your heart:

‘I will ascend into heaven,

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;

I will also sit on the mount of the congregation

On the farthest sides of the north;

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,

I will be like the Most High.’” Isaiah 14:12-14

Now, let’s think about Santa Claus for a moment. Where does he live? The North Pole (“on the farthest sides of the north”). How does he deliver gifts to children all over the world in a single night? He rides on a reindeer-driven sleigh up in the sky, on the heights, or “above the heights of the clouds.” And on the pastor’s shirt today, Santa was pictured in a sleigh above the stars of God in a position next to, but in front of (superior to) Jesus Christ.

And what attributes is this false god Santa given? He is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent, meaning he is present in all places at all times, he is all-knowing, all-seeing, and he is all-powerful. And what this means is that he has been given the attributes of Almighty God, because he, Santa (Satan), wants to be God. And the shirt pictured him in a position as though he is God, like God is Father, then Son, then Holy Spirit, in that order.

Don’t believe me? Well, Santa knows when every child across the world is sleeping and when they are awake. He knows when they have been good or bad, too. He is also able to be in multiple department stores all across the world, all at the same time, holding children on his lap, promising them presents they will most likely never receive. And he is able to magically deliver gifts to every child on the globe – that is the ones who have been good, so he says – and in a single night, too. So, he must be able to see all, know all, and be everywhere all at the same time, and be all-powerful, too.

The Christmas Deception

What is the central focus of the celebration of Christmas, in reality? Is it not the buying of gifts, many of which people do not need, and many of which those buying them cannot afford? And is it not about Christmas trees and decorations. And, then there is all the baking of cookies, and the shopping, and the Christmas cards, and the new clothes and shoes and hats, and all the parties and games, and for some, raunchy Christmas movies, too.

So, what does any of that have to do with Jesus? Well, they say that Jesus was given gifts when he was born and thus we give each other gifts when we celebrate his birthday. But does that even make sense? Some will say Jesus was our gift and thus we give each other gifts, but that doesn’t make sense, either. For the gift of Jesus is the gift of salvation from sin, so the gift we should give each other is the message of how we can all be forgiven our sins and be delivered from our bondage, and now walk in Christ’s holiness.

And, when we celebrate each other’s birthdays, who gets the gifts? The person with the birthday, right? So, if we are truly celebrating Jesus Christ, then should he not be the one to receive our gifts? And what gift does he want from us? He wants are all on the altar of sacrifice laid, living holy lives, pleasing to him, no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but transformed in the renewing of our minds away from what is sinful to walking in Christ’s righteousness and holiness, in his power and strength.

Also, when we celebrate each other’s birthdays, does everyone in the room, besides the one with the birthday, all congregate together and give each other gifts, and then pass around pictures of what we looked like when we were helpless babies, while the one having the birthday gets ignored? But that is what people do, isn’t it, when they picture Jesus as a helpless baby in a manger, and they put a manger scene somewhere in their houses, and then they all gather together and give each other presents and play games and eat lots of food and watch movies, too? (If that is what you do.)

Ok, so let’s go back to Santa, for he plays a huge role in this deception, too. For, while Jesus Christ is pictured as a helpless baby in a manger doing nothing but just lying there, Santa comes on the scene in all his glory. And he promises to bring gifts to children and to ride through the sky on a sleigh and to deliver gifts across the globe on a single night. And he asks children across the world to write him letters (like prayers) requesting what they want from him. And, children, who have long awaited his return, are anxiously anticipating his soon arrival (like Jesus’ return one day).

So, who has the hearts of children on Christmas? Jesus Christ? Or Santa? And, who wanted to be God? And, who masquerades himself as an angel of light? Santa (Satan). And, what has the hearts of most adults during the Christmas holidays? Shopping, presents, parties, food, games, movies, etc.

Know the Truth

The whole point of Christmas, from the point of its creators, is to dismiss Jesus Christ in favor of Santa, a false god, who is truly Satan who wanted to be God. It is to dismiss Jesus Christ in favor of gifts, commercialism, greed, worldliness, and idolatry. Jesus is pictured as a helpless baby in a manger on purpose, while Santa, a false god, is given the attributes of Almighty God, and he steals the hearts of children away from God; away from Jesus Christ.

So, don’t listen to these thieves and robbers who want to pull us and our children away from pure devotion to Jesus Christ. Don’t give your hearts away to false gods and idolatry and commercialism and to ignoring Jesus.

If truly you want to celebrate Jesus Christ, then do it the way Jesus says. He says to remember him by remembering his blood that was shed on the cross for our sins, and by remembering his body which was given for us in his death so we can die to sin and live to righteousness. And this remembering of him is not a mere formality or a mere ritual we go through, either.

For, when we remember him and what he did for us, we examine our own hearts to make certain that we are worthy to partake in his blood and his body via confession of sin, in true repentance, and in committing our lives to our Lord and to his service. For, what he wants from us are not our festivals and our parties, which he largely hates, in reality. But what he wants is our all on the altar of sacrifice laid, our hearts, thus, under God’s control.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

Caution: This link may contain ads

Jesus Christ and Santa Claus

An Original Work / December 7, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Resurrection and The Life

The context here is the story of Jesus’ friend Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, who was sick and died. Jesus did not get to him before he died, so when Jesus did arrive, Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 

“Martha, therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet him, but Mary stayed at the house. Martha then said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.’” (John 11:20-27 NASB1995)

But when Jesus arrived at the tomb of Lazarus, and the stone had been removed from the tomb, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” And Lazarus came forth, no longer dead, but alive (John 11:38-44).

But now I am going to focus my attention here on verses 25-27 and look at what that means for us today. For to believe in Jesus Christ means to be “born again” of the Spirit of God. By God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in the Lord Jesus, our old lives of living in sin and for self are put to death with Christ at the cross, because of what Jesus did in putting our sins to death with him when he died on that cross. Then we are resurrected with him to walk in newness of life in him, as those who obey him and his commands.

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).

Therefore, what it means to believe in Jesus is not words only. We cannot merely mouth words of confession of Christ as Lord and Savior and expect that all our sins are now forgiven, and that heaven is our eternal destiny, if we do not, by God-provided faith in him, deny self, die to sin daily (in practice), and walk (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. For belief in Christ is the persuasion of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of God’s requirement that we deny self, die to sin daily, and follow him in obedience to his commands.

So, what this means is that, even if we die in our bodies, and we no longer have the physical breath of life within us, because we have now departed from this sinful world for forever, if we believe in Jesus (as described above), then we will live for eternity with God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. And all of us who walk by faith in Jesus Christ in holy living, pleasing to God, in obedience to our Lord’s commands, and no longer as slaves to sin, we will never die spiritually, but we will live with our Lord for eternity.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

A Believer’s Prayer 

An Original Work / July 31, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

With my whole heart, Lord, I pray 

To be Yours, and Yours always.

Lead me in Your truth today.

May I love You, and obey.

Lead me in Your righteousness.

When I sin, may I confess;

Bow before You when I pray;

Live for You and You always.

Love You, Jesus, You’re my friend.

Life with You will never end.

You are with me through each day,

Giving love and peace always.

You will ne’er abandon me.

From my sin You set me free.

You died on that cruel tree,

So I’d live eternally.

Soon You’re coming back for me;

From this world to set me free;

Live with You eternally.

Oh, what joy that brings to me.

I will walk with You in white;

A pure bride, I’ve been made right

By the blood of Jesus Christ;

Pardoned by His sacrifice.

https://vimeo.com/114796263

The Resurrection and The Life

An Original Work / December 7, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love