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

Love Instead of Legalism

Luke 6:6-11 NKJV

Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. 8But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. 9Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” 10And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 11But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

God instituted the Sabbath Day in the Old Testament times in order to give his people Israel a day to rest from their labors. Under the New Covenant God did away with the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, circumcision, dietary, and Sabbath laws. But when Jesus lived on the earth, the people of Israel were still under the Old Covenant, although Jesus was already moving them toward the New Covenant in his teachings. But the scribes and the Pharisees had the wrong perspective of what the Sabbath was created for, for it was not to punish the people.

So, Jesus posed the question to the scribes and Pharisees, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” Good question! And this goes right back to what Jesus said about the Sabbath when he said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (see Mark 2:27-28; also Luke 6:1-5). For the Sabbath was not created to punish the people, but it was something intended for their good, to give them rest from their labors, not so they will ignore the needs of the people.

And there are still “the religious” today who hold on to Old Covenant liturgical laws and who feel compelled to force them upon those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, even at the cost of not demonstrating the love of God to the people. They are more concerned with externals and rituals which have nothing to do with our salvation from sin and eternal life with God than they are with living holy lives, pleasing to God, in submission to his will and purpose for our lives. We call them the legalists who will attack people for not keeping rituals while they themselves sin against God and other people.

Are we, as followers of Jesus Christ, to obey our Lord and his New Covenant commands? Absolutely! But we are not bound by legalistic requirements that God does not require of us which have nothing to do with holy living and spiritual maturity and loving the people of the world. And God does NOT require of us that we attend services at a building once a week called “church,” and sing some songs, and listen to a sermon, then go home, live however we want, and then repeat the same routine the next week. He requires we die to sin and obey him in living holy lives, pleasing to God.

And, as far as us gathering together as the church, the body of Christ, the Scriptures teach that we are to do this daily, but not in any one specific location or day of the week or time of day, and not necessarily with all the same people every time, either. And the location doesn’t even have to be physical. For we are to worship God in spirit and in truth anywhere. So it could be a gathering with other Christians via a phone call or texting or video conferencing or on internet discussion sites where we have the freedom presently to share our faith and to encourage one another.

But we have Pharisees living among us today who believe if we are not in a building called “church” every Sunday morning, going through their routines, that we must be out of God’s will, or we must be backslidden. And they will condemn us and even snub us for being “unchristian” by their perspective. But the Scriptures teach that we are to gather daily, and for mutual edification and encouragement, and where we can utilize our spiritual gifts and serve in our “body parts” assigned us by God. And for me, that has been the internet, which is where God sent me nearly 22 years ago.

Obey God and his commands? Yes! Live holy lives pleasing to God? Yes! Turn from your sins and now serve the Lord with your lives? Yes! But don’t get caught up in legalism and having to go through certain ritualistic routines and then totally miss the purpose for the church. For we the people of God are the church, and we are to gather together so we can minister to one another and to help one another to follow the Lord and obey his commands and to not fall into sin or be led astray by people in their deceitful scheming. So go where God sends you where he can use you in other people’s lives.

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:14-15; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:11-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

The Peace of Christ  

Based off of Colossians 3:1-17; Ephesians 5:19-20

An Original Work / October 31, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Let the word of Christ dwell in you,

As you teach with all wisdom,

Teaching one another to not

Think on earthly things;

Think instead on things above,

Where Christ sits with God, in love,

Saving us from all of our sins,

Cleansing us; made new within.

Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts,

As you sing songs unto Him;

Speak to one another with psalms,

Hymns, and spir’tual songs;

Always giving thanks to God,

In the name of Christ, His Son,

Who gave His life up for us all,

And gave us eternal life.

Let the love of Christ within you

Rule in your hearts; grace within,

Purifying you from your sin,

Make you whole within.

Forgive as the Lord forgave.

Show His kindness ev’ry day.

In word or deed, whate’er you do,

Glory give to Jesus Christ. 

https://vimeo.com/125863950

Love Instead of Legalism

An Original Work / May 10, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Adding On or Letting Go?

Jesus Christ was under scrutiny and condemnation from the scribes and Pharisees of his day because he forgave people’s sins, and because he ate with “tax collectors and sinners,” and because he and his disciples did not fast, but they ate and drank. So Jesus answered them with a parable:

Luke 5:36-39 NKJV

Then Jesus spoke a parable to them: “No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. 37And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. 38But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. 39And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”

Adding On

Jesus Christ was bringing in the new way of the cross, and the new way of God’s grace and redemption through Jesus’ shed blood on the cross for our sins. But the new way was not an addition (like the patch of un-shrunk cloth) to the old system, but the new way of redemption was all by itself (new wine in new wineskins). For it is not the Old Covenant law plus Jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of the law. For it is by God’s grace that we are saved, through God-given faith in Jesus Christ, and it is not of our own doing.

Also, I believe the old garment and the old wineskins represent our old lives of living in sin and for self. Therefore, we cannot put Jesus Christ, in the person of his Spirit, into our old sinful lives. He is not an add-on to our old lives. He is a replacement for our old lives of living for self and in sin. For he died so we would die to sin and live to righteousness, in walks of obedience to him, by his grace and in his power, or else we don’t have genuine faith in Jesus Christ, nor salvation from sin, nor eternal life with God in heaven. 

Therefore, we cannot combine righteousness with worldly living. We cannot mix sanctification with degradation. We cannot live for the pleasures of the flesh and live for Jesus Christ, too. Just because we pray a prayer to “receive Christ” it does not mean that, in truth, we really received Christ into our lives if we have not first died to our old lives of sin. For Jesus put our sins to death with him on that cross that we might now die to sin and walk in obedience to his commands as servants of Christ and of his righteousness. 

I also believe there is a caution here against following religious practices which we think are going to make us more spiritual, but then for us to still end up living our lives for ourselves. For what good is it to deny yourself food for a period of time so you can pray and draw near to God if, once the fast is over, you go right back to business as usual? God doesn’t want that kind of fasting. He wants the kind of sacrifice to him that is there all the time, and that doesn’t just add him on to our old lives, but which allows him to put our sins to death so that we can now live new lives by faith in him.

Letting Go

There are many people professing faith in Jesus Christ, though, who don’t want to let go of the old system or the Old Covenant or the old traditional religious practices which are not of God. And there are many of them, too, who don’t want to let go of their old sinful lifestyles and practices, many of which they may have been living according to for many years. For them, having to let go of their sinful addictions is like having to break up with someone they want to be with for forever, like a love/lust relationship.

Just the thought of having to get rid of those sinful practices out of their lives is heartbreaking for them, and so they are holding on for dear life, hoping that somehow they don’t have to let go but that they can still believe in Jesus and still have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. But it doesn’t work that way, even though many people are teaching it that way. But the Scriptures teach that we have to die to sin so we can live for God and for his righteousness in obedience to his commands, in his power.

The ones who won’t let go of their old sinful lifestyles are like those who want to be married but who also want to live like they are single. Those are failed marriages even before they begin. Sadly, many marriages are just like that. They want the best (what they perceive is the best) of both worlds. But Jesus makes us make a choice – Him? Or them? We can’t have Jesus and the world and the lusts of the flesh and the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life all in one big happy package deal. It is him or them! We must choose!

[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] 

No Less  

An Original Work / March 19, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I can do no less than praise You,

Lord, for all You’ve done for me.

You died for my sins to save me,

So I would be set free.

I adore You! Lord, I praise You!

Jesus, Savior, King of kings!

You provided my redemption.

Your grace has pardoned me.

I can do no less than serve You. 

Lord, Your witness I would be,

Telling others of Your love,

And why You died on that tree.

Tell of how You gave of Your life,

So from sin we’d be set free,

So we could worship You forever,

And live eternally.

I can do no less than love You,

Lord, for You have first loved me.

You gave of Your life so willing,

Because You cared for me.

Turn from my sin! Obey freely!

Live for You each passing day.

Read Your word, and follow Your lead,

Lord, as I humbly pray. 

https://vimeo.com/125493623

Adding On or Letting Go?

An Original Work / May 10, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Nevertheless, at Your Word

Luke 5:4-11 NKJV

When Jesus had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 

8When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” 9For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 11So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

Have you ever faced a circumstance in your life that you thought was beyond hope? You tried hard to make it work, but it kept failing? And perhaps you gave up all hope that it would ever work? But then the Lord encouraged you to try again? And so you listened to his counsel? And then it all came together? I have done that many times, including this morning. I think I made more than one attempt to write a second devotion, but I felt overwhelmed. I was tired, and I wanted to sleep, but that wasn’t working. And I didn’t believe my mind was alert enough to take it all in. But then…

The Lord put a song in my head, and it kept playing over and over in my mind, so I finally looked up the lyrics. It is from an old musical. And I believe the storm referenced in it had to do with someone dying. The song, evidently, is often requested for funerals. But this doesn’t have to be about death, although it could be. And the storm can be something rather simple, like mine this morning, to something more tragic, to anything in between. We face all kinds of storms in this life that we must overcome by the grace of God and in the power of God as we listen to our Lord and to his counsel.

Sometimes I think we stall things, or we hold up things from happening that need to happen when they do, because of our own limitations we set on ourselves, or because we are tired and our brains aren’t working very well, and so we give up. But if God is in it, he will supply what we need. He can even make 2 hours of sleep feel like a whole night of sleep. Or he can keep us up all day and all night and us still function like we had enough sleep if he has a purpose for it, because there is something he wants us to do at a particular time that won’t be the same if we put it off to another time.

Therefore, even though we may feel ill equipped to do what we sense the Lord is calling us to do at a particular time, because we have already made attempts at it that didn’t work for us, we should listen to that quiet voice speaking to us in our minds and hearts, and we should do what we believe he is leading us to do, even if our emotions are not there, and even if we feel as though we are not ready for this. For the devil is going to try to discourage us and to get us to give up trying just because it didn’t work the first or second time. But we must listen to the Lord and trust him to provide.

For our God can do in us and through us what we cannot do in our own flesh, in our own strength and power. He can work miracles in our difficult situations, and in our trials and tribulations, beyond our imaginations. So, even if our circumstances appear hopeless or beyond our comprehension or our ability to do anything to change them, we serve a miracle working God who can do far beyond anything we could ever imagine. And so we need to follow his lead and do what he says and then just watch him work. And that doesn’t mean we will see results immediately, but we may. So we trust him.

The following is the song I spoke of, which is a secular song, so it doesn’t mention the names God or Jesus. But the words encourage us to not give up hope, and to keep moving forward, and to not let the storms of life hold us back and discourage us and keep us from continuing to live life as we ought. We are not to fear hard times or what might happen to us next. We need to keep moving forward in the grace of God, in his power, and strength, and wisdom, and keep trusting him with everything going on in our lives and in the world around us. For he will not leave us or forsake us if we are HIS.

You’ll Never Walk Alone  

By Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers

When you walk through a storm

Hold your head up high

And don't be afraid of the dark

At the end of a storm

There's a golden sky

And the sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind

Walk on through the rain

Though your dreams be tossed and blown

Walk on, walk on

With hope in your heart

And you'll never walk alone

You'll never walk alone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7du-RHGrJrA

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Nevertheless, at Your Word

An Original Work / May 9, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Anointed to Preach the Gospel

Luke 4:16-21 NKJV

16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me

To preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus was at the beginning of his ministry, and by reading Isaiah 61 to the people he was letting them know that this was his mission on this earth. He was the anointed of God to preach the gospel to the poor (to the destitute) in spirit, not just to the physically and financially poor, but to those who were wanting and in need of God, who needed to hear the good news. And the gospel he preached said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) Jesus.

As well, the broken in heart are not just those who have been mistreated and abused by others or who have suffered all sorts of difficulties in this life. For if something is broken, it is wrecked, cracked, ruined, or destroyed, so it is not in proper working order. And if our hearts are what are broken, it can be because others have hurt us, but it could also be due to sin in our lives. Our hearts may not be in proper working order because we have allowed sin to overtake us, and to break us, and so we are in need of spiritual healing.

And, going right along with this same way of thinking here, to proclaim liberty to the captives is about proclaiming deliverance from slavery to sin to the people. We are to tell the people that they must forsake their sinful lifestyles and now follow our Lord in obedience to his commands, so that they can now walk in freedom from bondage to sin in service to the Lord Jesus and in obedience to his commands – all in the power of God by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior of their lives.

And recovery of sight to the blind is not limited to just physical healing of those who are physically blind, but this also has to do with spiritually healing those who are spiritually blind. And this comes through the preaching of the gospel. And it is realized in people’s lives via faith in Jesus Christ, which comes from God, which denies self, dies to sin, and walks (in conduct) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, all in the power of God, by the Spirit. For they are called out of darkness into the light of truth.

And to set at liberty those who are oppressed may have to do with those who are worried, troubled, or overloaded by the cares of this world. Or it may have to do with those who are being persecuted, harassed, abused, taken advantage of, lied about, and ill-treated by others. And so the Lord calls us to put our trust in him, and to not worry, and to not be afraid. And he calls us to trust in his sovereignty, and to follow his lead, and to let him grow us and mature us and use us for his glory, despite our circumstances.

But Jesus wasn’t the only anointed of God to do what this tells us that he was anointed of God to do. All of us who have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, who have died with him to sin, and who are now walking in holiness and righteousness, in obedience to his commands, in the power of God, are also the anointed of God. And all of us are called of God to spread the true message of the gospel of Christ to the people of this world. All of us are to teach victory over sin via dying to sin and obedience to our Lord.

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 9:23-26; John 4:31-38; John 10:27-30; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 26:18; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 10:14-15; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-14; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:9,21,24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Should I Not Preach Jesus 

Based off 1 Corinthians 9:16-10:13

An Original Work / July 4, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Woe to me should I not preach Jesus.

I’m compelled to preach the full gospel.

I make myself a slave to ev’ryone

To win their hearts to Christ.

All this I do for my Lord Jesus,

And for the sake of His Name;

Do it for the sake of His gospel,

So that I, its blessings gain.

Scripture notates the sins of others;

Written down for us as examples

To keep us from setting our hearts 

On evil as did those of old.

Do not worship other gods of man;

Do not give your hearts to them;

Not partake in immorality.

Do not test your Lord and King.

So, be careful if you think you are

Standing firm in your faith in Jesus.

God has given his word to warn us, 

So through faith we will not fall.

No temptation has o’ertaken you

Except what is commonplace.

God is faithful to not let you be

Tempted past what you can bear.

He gives the way of escape. 

https://vimeo.com/116057811

Anointed to Preach the Gospel

An Original Work / May 9, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Graceful, but Salty

“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” (Colossians 4:5-6 NKJV)

Who are those who are “outside”? From a Christian perspective this would be speaking of those who are outside the faith, who are not followers of Jesus Christ, in practice. And this can include many who profess faith in Jesus Christ with their lips but whose hearts are far from God. Those outside of faith in Jesus Christ are all those who do not submit to Christ as Lord in surrender of their lives to him in obedience to his commands in holy living, as a matter of life practice. For sin is still their practice, not holy living.

And what does it mean to walk in wisdom? What is wisdom? From a spiritual perspective it is not just knowledge, but it is discernment and good insight and good judgment. It is making wise, sensible, careful, and thoughtful life choices about words spoken, and actions, and decisions. It is doing what is good and what is beneficial for oneself and for others, making right and kind and just decisions about what to do, and where to go, and what to say, and how to respond, etc. And this should be the norm in all our relationships.

For this should never be a performance, or a manipulation, or something we “put on” for certain people while we are not the same when we are with other people. We should walk in wisdom all the time, no matter who we are with, as those who are genuine followers of Jesus Christ. And this is not to say we will always do it perfectly, or that we will never fail at this, but that our lives should be consistent, no matter who we are with. But we do need a guided (of the Holy Spirit) approach with those who are outside the faith.

And this never means diluting or altering the gospel message to make it less offensive to the ungodly. For love speaks the truth that people need to hear, not the lies which make them feel good. And “grace” is not lying to people. The grace of God, in fact, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live upright, godly, and self-controlled lives during our time on this earth. So grace is kind, but lying to people to make them feel good is never kind. Speak the truth in love!

For this is what it means to let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt. We should never be nasty or hateful in our speech. We should always be loving and kind. But loving and kind means speaking the truth in love to people that they need to hear to save them from hell and to give them the truth about what Jesus did for us on that cross to redeem us. For he put our sins to death with him on that cross so we will now, by faith, turn from our sins and obey our Lord and his commands, from now forward.

And it is critical that we are obeying our Lord in sharing with all people, including professing Christians, the truth of the gospel of our salvation for their deliverance from bondage to sin so that they can now live to please God with their lives, in surrender to his will. For the Scriptures make it clear that if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to God, we will not have salvation from sin, and we will not have eternal life with God, regardless of what our lips profess. So we need to believe God, and then obey 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] 

For By Grace  

Based off Ephesians 2:8-10

An Original Work / January 27, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

For by grace we’ve been saved

Of all our sins,

So that with Christ Jesus

Our lives begin.

Cleansing us from sin,

He made pure within

All who trust in Him

As their Savior, friend,

So that with Christ Jesus

Our lives begin.

We’ve been saved through faith;

This not from ourselves,

Lest that we should boast

In our fleshly works.

Our salvation is 

A gift from our God,

Who loves us so much 

That He gave His Son

To die on the cross

For all of our sins.

So repent of all

Of your sins today,

And He’ll forgive you;

Wipe your sins away.

Obey all of His 

Teachings given you,

So that you can walk

With Him now in truth;

So that you can walk

With Him now in truth.

https://vimeo.com/125737956

Graceful, but Salty

An Original Work / May 8, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Making Them Disciples of Christ

Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Jesus Christ was crucified, dead, and buried so as to put our sins to death with him so that we can, by faith in him, die to sin. And he was resurrected from the dead in victory over Satan, death, sin, and hell, so that by faith in him we can live for him in walks of obedience to his commands, no longer as slaves to sin, and all in the power of God at work within us. And then he appeared to his disciples, and he instructed them in what they were then to do. They were to make disciples of Jesus Christ of people of all nations.

But these instructions were not for them only, but for all followers of Jesus Christ. All of us who are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ are to be spreading the good news of the gospel of our salvation to the people of the world. And we need to be telling them that Jesus taught us that to come after him we must deny self, die to sin daily, and follow him in obedience to his commands. For if we hold on to living in sin, and we do not obey our Lord’s commands, in practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

But this is not just about getting people to “pray the prayer to receive Christ” and then to promise them that all their sins are forgiven and now heaven is their eternal destiny. We are to be making DISCIPLES of CHRIST of people of all nations. And how do we do that? By teaching them what Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught us as “the gospel,” and by sharing with them the teachings on repentance, holy living, and obedience to our Lord’s commands, as necessary components of biblical faith which saves.

For to be a disciple of Christ is not to be just someone who made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, but it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ who does what he requires of us in the way of thought, word, and deed. We die to sin and we now obey God, in practice, in the power of God. And we go with God wherever he leads us and calls us in doing whatever body part he has assigned for us to do within the body of Christ, the church, and to utilize the spiritual gifts he has given us, too, all for his glory.

When we become disciples of Christ, our lives are no longer our own to be lived however we want, but they belong to the Lord to do whatever the Lord has for us to do with our lives. And so we seek to know and to do his will. So, we get in his word, and we listen for his voice, and we then follow his leading. And he shows us the gifts he has for us and his calling on our lives, and so we follow him wherever he leads us. And this may result in us being forsaken, forgotten, rejected, and persecuted because we walk with God.

But Jesus said that is what we should expect to happen if we become his followers. He did not promise any of us a life of ease and comfort or popularity and wide acceptance by the masses. He said we would be hated and mistreated and persecuted as he was for the sake of the truth of the gospel of Christ. So, if we are looking to be liked and widely accepted, we are looking in the wrong direction. Our goal is to obey our Lord and to share his gospel, no matter how we get treated in return, even by “the church.”

[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] 

Your New Life  

Based off the Gospels  

An Original Work / May 15, 2014

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Go and make disciples of peoples,

Teaching them to obey their Savior.

Do not fear, but go where He sends you.

Tell them all of what you have heard.

The kingdom of God now is upon you. 

Come, and follow Jesus, your Lord.

He will make you fishers of man.

If the people Jesus desire,

They must die to sin and to self-life.

If they want to hold on to their lives

They will lose them forevermore.

Surely you heard that coming to Christ

Means a new life in Jesus, your Lord.

Follow Christ wherever He leads.

Love the Lord with all of your heart, and

Love your neighbors as you would yourself.

Preach the gospel to all the nations.

Do not worry what you will say.

Proclaim the freedom for all the captives.

Share the light with all who are blind.

You are ministers of our God.

https://vimeo.com/95450440

Making Them Disciples of Christ

An Original Work / May 8, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love