Distracted and Ignoring Jesus?

Luke 10:38-42 NKJV

 

38Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

 

41And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

 

Now, this is one of those passages of Scripture which can easily be twisted to make it say what it does not intend. For this is not condoning laziness and slothfulness, nor is it condemning servanthood and working for the Lord. For if we follow Jesus and his teachings all throughout the gospels we will learn that he taught the critical nature of servanthood, of obedience to God’s commands, and of doing the work that God has called us, as his servants, to do. And we are given all kinds of instructions on what we must do, too.

 

So, what is the message being conveyed here? We can be so busy serving the Lord and doing the good that we ought to do, that we neglect our times spent with him in his word, sitting as his feet, listening to his counsel, his wisdom, and his direction, and in order to know his purpose that he has for our lives. We can be so busy doing good deeds, and even serving others, engaged in many different ministries, perhaps, but miss out totally on our relationship with him and what he wants to lead us to do in ministry.

 

Yet, it is good to do good deeds. It is a good thing to serve others. For Jesus 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.” For we are to always be abounding in the work of the Lord. And we are to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him. This is God’s will for us.

 

[John 15:1-11; Romans 2:1-11; Romans 6:1-23; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Galatians 5:6,16-24; Galatians 6:7-8; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 5:3-6; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:21; Titus 2:11-14; Titus 3:8; James 2:17; 1 Peter 1:17-21; 1 Peter 2:24]

 

So, Jesus is not against us doing works, provided they are works that are good and which are beneficial for others, and/or that they are the works God has called us to do, as his followers, and that they are not the works of the devil. But we need to be led by the Spirit. And we won’t be led by the Spirit if we are so busy doing the “good deeds” we believe we ought to do, but while we neglect our relationships with Jesus Christ and his teachings and his instructions to us in holy living and in obedience to his commands.

 

For we can be “good deed doers” and still be walking in the flesh. We can be people who are generous in our giving, who help the needy and who feed the poor and who do all kinds of helpful things in our communities, but still not be in genuine relationship with Christ. We can be “busy bees” doing all kinds of good things and still not know Jesus and his will and his purpose for our lives, and still not be serving him and doing what he has called us to do, as his followers. So we need to be listening to Jesus so we can be only his.

 

In Christ Alone

 

By Stuart Townend & Keith Getty

 

In Christ alone my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, my song;

This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My Comforter, my All in All,

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

 

In Christ alone! - who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless babe.

This gift of love and righteousness,

Scorned by the ones He came to save:

Till on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied -

For every sin on Him was laid;

Here in the death of Christ I live.

 

There in the ground His body lay,

Light of the world by darkness slain:

Then bursting forth in glorious day

Up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,

For I am His and He is mine -

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

 

No guilt in life, no fear in death,

This is the power of Christ in me;

From life's first cry to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man,

Can ever pluck me from His hand:

Till He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

 

https://youtu.be/m_063OI38RQ?si=JbjKhHrSaKk8WwBT

 

Caution: This link may contain ads

 

Distracted and Ignoring Jesus?

An Original Work / May 13, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Go and Do Likewise

Luke 10:25-37 NKJV

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” 27So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 28And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” 29But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 

33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 

36So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” 37And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

We are proved to be true followers of Jesus Christ not just by the words that we speak, but by what we do, by how we live in practice, and by how we treat other people, especially those who are different from us. If we can speak it, but we don’t live it, our faith is worthless. And if we only show love and kindness and compassion to others who are like us, while we ignore the needs of others who are not like us, then that is not love. That is prejudice. And none of us are to be prejudice against others who are not like us.

But should we be sensible people who use caution and discernment? Absolutely! For there are many con artists out there who prey upon the kind and the loving people of our generation who are vulnerable to being taken advantage of. And sadly, con artists are just about everywhere we look these days, for there is so much deception. And many kind and loving people are being taken for a ride. So we need to couple love and compassion with wisdom and discernment. We need to pray to our Lord for his direction.

But utilizing wisdom and discernment is never to be used as an excuse for ignoring legitimate needs in other humans when we are quite capable of helping them. We should always pray for wisdom to know the right steps to take and for counsel in knowing the best way to help. And sometimes the best way to help is not to give them money, which we suspect they are going to immediately spend on drugs and/or alcohol or for any kind of illegal activity. But the best way to help may be to offer them a meal, instead.

The man on the side of the road beaten, stripped of his clothing, and half dead is pretty obvious that he is in need. But sadly so, there are people who fake such things as this to call out to the vulnerable and to the kind and to the caring people of this world as a way to trap them, and perhaps to take advantage of them in more than one way. For we live in a day and time when we cannot trust that everyone is who they say they are, doing what they say they are doing, and in need in the way that they proclaim.

In other words, scam artists are all over the place, on the street corners, in the marketplaces, in malls, in parking lots, in grocery stores, on the internet, on television, on the radio, in advertisements, in text messages, in phone calls, in emails, and in the gatherings of the church. Some of them are pastors of church congregations who take advantage of the people for their own advantage. And some of them are our government heads who fake loyalty to their devoted followers but who are robbing them blind, instead.

And I am not a cynical person or an untrusting person, generally speaking. I have a heart for the hurting. But I am of great compassion for the hurting and the vulnerable and for those who are being taken advantage of by scam artists. My heart goes out to the hurting. And I am a generous and giving person who has been taken advantage of many times by the crooks of this world. And because I love, and because I care, and because I don’t want people to be hurt and to be taken advantage of I speak the truth to people.

So, yes, don’t be selfish. Don’t be snobby. Do not ignore legitimate needs in others who you know are hurting and who are truly in need of help. But be wise and discerning, for you might not only do damage to your own life, but you may, by helping some people, help them to their own demise or to the demise of others who they intend to hurt, to abuse, and to take advantage of via your generosity. So always pray for discernment to do the right thing. Get your wisdom from God, but never stop caring for and helping others. 

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

Go and Do Likewise

An Original Work / May 12, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Cost of Discipleship

Luke 9:57-62 NKJV

Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” 58And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

59Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

61And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” 62But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, discipleship is not optional. It is required. 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 (Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

So, when someone says that they want to follow the Lord wherever he goes, he makes it clear that this is not a party, not a game, and not something we just claim with our lips, but there is a cost to following Jesus with our lives. And it involves self-denial and death to sin and walks of obedience to our Lord in surrender to his will. And it engages hardships and sufferings and persecutions with no guarantees of comfort or physical or financial security. This is high risk, but it is all worth the risk of what might happen to us if we go with Jesus where he takes us and if we make a difference in other’s lives.

Thus, when we believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, it is not just so we can get our sins forgiven so we can escape hell and go to heaven when we die. It means leaving our former lives behind us to follow Jesus wherever he leads us in doing whatever he calls us to do. And we do not get to set the conditions. This is not an “if you, then I will follow.” It is not a, “let me do this first, and then I will follow,” either. And it is not something we just try out for a while to see if we like it before we decide if we want to stay. This is death to our old lives and total commitment to God.

And the thing of it is, God knows our hearts. He knows what’s in our minds. He knows what we are thinking. So he knows what our commitment level is, too, and if we are in it just for what we can get out of it, or if we are in it because we love God and we want to leave our former lives behind us to follow him wherever he leads us. So, if all we do is “pray the prayer” or make a verbal confession of Jesus as Lord, but we don’t go beyond that to surrender our all to him, and to follow him wherever he leads us, then we are not with him, and we are not fit for his kingdom because self is our god.

And this is not claiming that we will be absolutely perfect from this moment forward, but it is also not a pledge based on a false premise that we can continue living in sin, in deliberate and habitual disobedience to our Lord’s commands, and still have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God. For if that is the case, we have gotten on the wrong ship, and we are sailing in the wrong direction, and heaven is not our eternal destiny. So please know that lip service only will not land us in heaven. We must be willing to go the distance because we love God and we desire him as LORD.

[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; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; 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 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

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

The Cost of Discipleship

An Original Work / May 12, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

How Jesus Regarded Women

I am reading in Luke 7:36-50 NKJV (one of my favorite Bible stories) about a woman who had a reputation of being a sinner. Upon hearing that Jesus was eating at the home of a Pharisee, she went to his house, and she

 

37“brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.”

 

She, thus, demonstrated her repentance of her sin and her heartfelt worship of our Lord Jesus and her desire to be forgiven and to change her life course.

 

But Simon, the Pharisee, did not see her through the eyes of Jesus, and he hypocritically judged her because of her reputation. He, thus, showed no compassion towards her whatsoever, but he saw her as a “throw away.” And so Jesus told him a parable to show him the love that the woman had for Jesus. And then he turned to the woman and he said to Simon:

 

44“Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

 

My whole life of 76 years I have seen many women being treated as though they are less than men, as though men are to rule over them in such an authoritative manner that they should be regarded as slaves to order around and to use and abuse. They were not given the same rights as men, nor were they paid equally as men for the same amount of work. And they were not given the same amount of respect and honor as many men received, either, even if they earned it and they deserved it. But some things have changed. Some things have gotten better. But not all; not by everyone.

 

But if you read the teachings of the Scriptures you can see that is not how Jesus treated women. There was one case where Jesus tested the faith of a woman who was not a Jew, and she passed the test, and Jesus honored her for her faith. Some might think he was unkind to the woman, but Jesus treated women with honor and with respect. He valued women enough, in fact, to lead one to share the gospel with the people of her city, to direct others to share the good news of his resurrection with his men disciples, and to forgive one who had been caught in adultery and to spare her from death.

 

See: [Matthew 26:6-13; Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 5:25-34; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 2:36-38; Luke 7:36-50; Luke 10:38-42; Luke 24:1-12; John 2:1-11; John 4:1-42; John 8:1-11; John 20:1-18; Acts 2:17-18; Acts 21:9; 1 Corinthians 11:5]

 

And then if you read the teachings on marriage in the Scriptures, women are not treated there as though they are slaves and less than men and people to be stomped on and used and abused, either. We read in the Scriptures:

 

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24 KJV)

 

“For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.” “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her.. husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself” (see Ephesians 5:3,15-33 to get the whole context).

 

“Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.” (Colossians 3:18-19 ESV)

 

“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” (Hebrews 13:4 ESV)

 

“Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:1-7 ESV)

 

The husband being the head, thus, does not mean that he is to dominate his wife, mistreat her, treat her as though she is less, or as though she is his slave. He is supposed to be one flesh with her, united with her in love, giving her honor and respect, treating her with value, loving her as Christ loves the church, and as husbands love their own bodies. And they are not to be harsh with their wives, nor adulterous, but making certain the marriage bed remains undefiled by remaining faithful and pure always. And they are to live with their wives in an understanding way, showing honor to their wives.

 

See: [Genesis 2:24; Matthew 5:28; Matthew 15:19-20; Matthew 19:4-9; Mark 7:20-23; Mark 10:6-9; Romans 13:9; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20; Galatians 5:13-24; Ephesians 5:22-33; Colossians 3:18-19; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; James 4:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7; 2 Peter 2:13-19]

 

So, in the church, we are to give women the same honor as Jesus gave them, and that he instructed their husbands to give to them. And we must realize that, although generally speaking men are to be the spiritual leaders in the church, that Jesus will use women in his service, instead of men, if women are willing and spiritually fit while men are spiritually AWOL (like the example given us in Luke 7:36-50). And he will send women out to the mission field (in person or on the internet) in place of men if the women are spiritually equipped while the men are “dropping the ball” because of sin.

 

And this is not to be taken as an attack on men or on women, but to share the critical importance of treating our women with honor, value, and respect, and to not treat them as though they are less just because they are women. And on the day of Pentecost, there were both men and women who were speaking to the people, and the people were hearing them in their own language. And it does not say that the men were in one room and the women in another. And Peter quoted Joel by stating that in the last days God’s daughters and sons will prophesy (preach, proclaim the gospel).

 

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

 

How Jesus Regarded Women

An Original Work / May 12, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Profaning the Name of Jesus

Luke 7:31-35 NKJV

And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? 32They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:

‘We played the flute for you,

And you did not dance;

We mourned to you,

And you did not weep.’

33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 34The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 35But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

There are many ways to profane the name of Jesus Christ and they are not all that obvious. Some of them are more subtle, but with the same results. I just learned today that the phrase “Jeepers Creepers,” coined in the 1920’s, I believe it was, was a replacement for using the name “Jesus Christ” as a cuss word. But it was still profaning his name, but which is an indirect version of a profanity. But whether profaning the name of Jesus is direct or indirect it is still profanity against our Lord, whether in actions or in words.

We live in an era today where the name of Jesus Christ is very much so being used as profanity, even by some people who profess faith in him. But profaning his name is profaning who he is in character and what he stands for in righteousness, whether this is being done in words or in deeds. For our actions often speak louder than our words. For it is easy to profess something with our lips, but it is harder to put what we profess into practice. And many deliberately and habitually do the opposite of what they profess.

The song by the name “Jeepers Creepers” is in a movie called “Going Places.” And in the story a sports store clerk poses as a famous jockey as an advertising stunt, but he ends up entangled in lies and having to ride a bucking horse. So this is an example of someone posing as something he is not for his own personal gain and it coming back to bite him, it appears. And the song lyrics have a romantic theme to them but also hint at someone cheating on someone with someone else who has hypnotic eyes (peepers).

So, not all profanity is verbal, in other words. And not all of it is verbally using the name of Jesus Christ in a way which is profane. But when someone professes Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and perhaps even speaks as though they are listening to the Lord and are doing what he says to do, but while they are deliberately, secretively, and habitually cheating on both Jesus/God and spouse, then that is profaning the name (character) of Jesus Christ, who he is, and what he stands for, which is righteous and holy living.

But then there are those who think that Jesus/God should come down to their level, and that he should do things their way, to please them, to make them happy. And if life does not go the way they want, they are critical of him, and they may even mock him or cuss him out for not giving them what they want, when they want it, and the way they want it. For many people treat God as though he is a genie in the sky there to grant our every request, but he is not! He is the only God of this world to be worshipped.

And there are those who believe in a false concept of who Jesus is and what he did for us on that cross. And so they think that if they profess the name of Jesus that they are secured to go to heaven when they die, but regardless of how they continue to live while on the earth. But Jesus put our sins to death with him on that cross so that, by faith in him, we will deny self, die to sin, and follow him in surrender to his will in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, all in the power of God, and not of our own flesh.

So, when we claim Jesus as our Lord and Savior, it should be our full intention and practice to follow him wherever he leads us in doing all that he has for us to do. And this doesn’t mean we will be absolutely perfect in every way from that moment forward or that we will never sin again against our Lord. But Jesus/God does “draw a line in the sand” in that area. And his word teaches us that if sin is what we practice (our habit), and obedience to our Lord and to his commands is not our habit, we don’t have life in HIM.

[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; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; 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 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

Better Is

Based in part off Proverbs 27

An Original Work / October 5, 2018

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Better is Love’s chastisement

From a friend,

Than to have your sins coddled

To no end.

Wisdom is seeing danger –

Flees from sin,

Trusting in your Redeemer,

Pure within.

Jesus is your salvation –

Freed from sin –

Giving you life eternal,

Without end.

Trusting in His provisions,

Peace within,

Simply by giving your life

All to Him.

Living your life for Jesus

Ev’ry day,

Tell of His mighty power,

Lives to save.

Listening to Him speaking

To your heart,

Tell of His grace which gave you

A new start.

https://vimeo.com/293958787

Profaning the Name of Jesus

An Original Work / May 11, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Ruin of That House is Great

Luke 6:46-49 NKJV

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” 

The picture the Lord is giving me of this today is that of those who make professions of faith in Jesus Christ, who claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but who do not agree with all that Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught as the gospel of our salvation. For it does not fit with their chosen lifestyles. And so they are not participants in the true gospel and of Jesus’ sacrifice on that cross to deliver us from slavery to sin. But they are outside of the true faith, still living to please the flesh, and not to please God.

And many of them are our leaders, either as teachers or pastors or deacons or evangelists, or as the president of our nation and our congress. Even though many of them claim Jesus as their Lord, they are not living according to his commands. For they do not worship the one true God in truth, but in performance only. For the god they truly follow is a pagan God of this world who gives them the liberty to live as they want while still claiming Jesus as their Lord. So they are fakes and phonies pretending to be Jesus followers.

The Lord, I believe, is having me focus this morning on the president of the USA, who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ, but whose behaviors, words, attitudes, decisions and treatments of other people, and of other nations, does not line up with the teachings of Christ. He is a man full of pride and self-glory, who has statues of himself erected, who is continually applauding himself while tearing others down, and who makes continuous insults, sneers, and cutting remarks about those who oppose him.

He is also hungry for the blood of our fellow humans with a strong desire to murder anyone who gets in his way of what appears to be world dominion. For it is no secret, except to those not paying attention closely, that the US government serves the elite and powerful people of the world who are truly the ones running the world. The US government, I believe, is the harlot who rides (serves) the beast. For the USA de facto government is the ruling class of the world, not our elected officials who we think are running things.

And I believe our government heads, being led by our president, are willfully participating in a political “Ponzi scheme” of sorts. First they “knock the squirrels out of the tree, and then they save them.” First they create the chaos so that they can come in as “saviors” to fix the problem. They lie to the people habitually about what they are doing, and about what other nations are doing, too. For their goal is for our “house” to collapse, i.e. for the ultimate collapse of the US government to bring us into the N.W.O.

But this isn’t just about what the US government is plotting against their own citizens and against the people of the world, but this is about all people in my nation (and in the world) who profess faith in Jesus Christ with their lips but whose hearts are far from God. For they are living outside the will of God, for they do not agree with the teachings of Jesus and of his New Testament apostles on the subject of what it means to believe in Jesus Christ and to have that hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with 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).

Those who follow Jesus and his teachings, who have by faith in him been crucified with him in death to sin, and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as those who are walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands, are secure in Christ. But those who give lip service to Jesus and who disregard his commands, and who live however they please, for the desires of the flesh, will not enter the kingdom of God. And the USA as a nation is about to come crashing down, I believe.

[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; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; 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 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

In Christ Alone 

By Stuart Townend & Keith Getty

In Christ alone my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, my song;

This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My Comforter, my All in All,

Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! - who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless babe.

This gift of love and righteousness,

Scorned by the ones He came to save:

Till on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied -

For every sin on Him was laid;

Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,

Light of the world by darkness slain:

Then bursting forth in glorious day

Up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,

For I am His and He is mine -

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,

This is the power of Christ in me;

From life's first cry to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man,

Can ever pluck me from His hand:

Till He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

https://youtu.be/m_063OI38RQ?si=JbjKhHrSaKk8WwBT 

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The Ruin of That House is Great

An Original Work / May 11, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Judging Good and Evil

Luke 6:43-45 NKJV

“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

There are many people today who are pushing for global unity, for all people in the world to join hearts and hands together in unity in singing “Kumbaya.” And what is meant by that is that we would all think the same, believe the same, and act the same, so that there would be no more divisions among us. And I believe that a lot (if not most) of the chaos we see going on in our nations is intentionally driven by those in positions of rule and authority and for the whole purpose to force the people of the world to be united as one.

But many do not recognize the significance of this supposed unity or what that will cost them regarding their freedoms. It may look good and sound good to have everyone in the world joining hands in unity with one another, but the ultimate goal of it all is to make us to all be minions under the control of a global order to where we have no more freedoms of expression, or beliefs, or actions, but to where we now would all bow to the beast (the New World Order) and to come under its control where we lose all freedoms.

But God made us all different for a reason. Yes, as followers of Jesus Christ we should all be united with our Lord and with the teachings of the Scriptures. And all of us should have, by faith in Jesus Christ, died with Christ to sin, and we should all be walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands in holy living, by God’s grace, and in his power at work within us. So, in that way we should be united as one body by faith in Jesus Christ. But God still made us uniquely who we are to serve him in our gifted areas.

He gave us different looks and personalities and giftedness and passions and callings. And he will use us in so many different ways if we are willing to obey him and to do what he says he wants us to do. So we are not to be carbon copies of one another. As Christians we should all agree on the fundamental truths of the gospel and of the teachings of Jesus and of his New Testament apostles. And we should all be putting into daily practice those instructions from the Lord, but still be uniquely who God made us.

For, within the body of Christ, we are all uniquely gifted of God with spiritual gifts, and we are all given by God our “body part” assignments, i.e. our individual callings of God in ministry to one another. And we are to put to use our spiritual gifts, and we are to serve in our “body parts” assigned to us by God, in His power, as led by the Holy Spirit. Yet we are not supposed to all be the same. So we should not try to put everyone in the same basket. Yes, we are all to obey our Lord’s commands, but still be uniquely us.

So, when we look to see what “trees” among us are bearing bad fruit, and which ones are bearing good fruit, we need to measure this by the teachings in the Scriptures regarding the gospel of our salvation and not by our own personal prejudices or who we think people ought to be, and how we think they need to be living. For God did not make us to be like everyone else and to do things the way everyone else does them. We are not to be “cookie cutter” Christians who all conform to a human standard not of God.

Thus, bad fruit and good fruit are not to be judged by human standards of society and social circles, even within the gatherings of “the church.” But all is to be determined by the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles as they teach us what is bad and what is good in the eyes of the Lord. And they teach us that if sin remains our practice (habit), and if obedience to God and to his commands is not our practice, then we are not of God, and we do not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with 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).

So, in making judgments regarding who bears bad fruit or who bears good fruit, make certain you are measuring by God’s standards of right and wrong and not by the world’s standards. For bad fruit can be disguised to look good on the outside, and good fruit can be hidden and/or attacked to try to make it look like it is bad. So just because it looks good on the outside, it does not mean it is good. “Wolves in sheep’s clothing” abound everywhere. So, make sure your judgments line up with what the Scriptures teach, in context.

[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; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; 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 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

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

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Judging Good and Evil

An Original Work / May 10, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love