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

Why Can't We All Get Along?

Matthew 27:39-43 NKJV

39And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

41Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 42“He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. 43He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

Why do people hate? Why do they murder? Why do they steal, kill, and destroy? Why do they mock those who are different from them? Why must they be insulting of people who are not like them? Just because someone else is not like you, or does not share the same skin color or family heritage or nationality or faith (religion), it does not give you the right to hate them, to mistreat them, and/or to murder them. They are not our enemies to be hated just because they don’t think, act, and behave or believe like we do. 

But this doesn’t mean that we all become minions under the control of a global new world order just so we all get along with each other, either. For many are calling out for and are crying out for “peace,” but whose “peace”? And, at what cost? Who sets the standard for peace? For there to be peace there has to be a central standard that everyone must adhere to, willing or not. And so this will involve compromise. This will involve us all agreeing to the same global standard or be willing to be murdered for being different.

But to answer the first questions, people hate, murder, steal, kill, and destroy because, as humans, we are all born with sin natures, all capable of selfish and sinful desires. But not everyone gives into prejudice and murder, but they may have other sinful practices which are against their creator God, and which are also against their fellow humans. So, what is the solution? Many are hungering after world peace. They think that is the solution. But forcing everyone to all think, speak, and act the same is not the solution.

Should there be laws? Yes! Should there be a central standard of behavior that we should all live by? Yes, depending on whose standard it is and if it requires compromise of truth and righteousness and personal conviction. God’s moral laws set a good standard for us all to live by, such as we should not steal, murder, commit adultery, slander, and covet others’ possessions. And we shall love our neighbors as we do our own selves. Also, we should obey traffic laws for everyone else’s safety. These are reasonable laws.

But no one should be forced to follow another’s religion, faith, and practices. Jesus did not force himself on anyone. He gave all of humanity a choice to believe him and to follow him, or not. Are there consequences if we do not believe in Jesus Christ, and if we do not follow him in obedience? Yes, there are. But those come from God who is our creator who made us and who sets the standard for how we are all to live. And he is the only one who has the right to condemn us, other than those given that authority under God’s law.

Basically, as long as humans exist on the earth, and as long as sin still exists among us, we are not all going to get along with one another. Are there things we can all do to make peace with one another without compromising our own faith, values, beliefs, and convictions? Surely there are. We can be kind to one another. We can cease from being nasty and hateful. Just because we believe differently from someone else we don’t have to be hateful about it. We can speak the truth, but speak it in love and not hate.

But as Christians, this does not ever mean compromising truth and righteousness and obedience to our Lord and to his commands just so that we “all get along.” We don’t alter and dilute the truth of the gospel just so we don’t offend people. We don’t soften Jesus’ teachings just to make people feel good. If I see another human being step out into traffic, and I can see that they are going to get hit, I will call out to them to pull back for their safety. And I will keep sharing the gospel for people to be saved from sin.

Jesus was hated, persecuted, and put to death on a cross because he was different, and because he spoke truth that people did not want to hear. They didn’t like him because he was not like them, and because he did not bow to them and to their earthly standards based on their own traditions which were not based on love for one another. He loved other humans in a way that they did not love, and he spoke truth to the people and not the lies so many of them spoke and lived. So they mocked him and they murdered him. 

All of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ should do our best to show other people love and kindness, without us having to compromise our faith and convictions. We can be loving while still speaking the truth to people. We don’t have to get hateful and nasty and make mean and cutting remarks just to get our point across. And we should not be fighting with other people over things that don’t matter for eternity, that are just differences of opinion. Speak the truth? Yes! But speak it in love. Don’t be hateful. Be kind.

[Proverbs 24:17-20; Proverbs 25:21-22; Matthew 5:8-12,43-48; Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:27-36; Luke 10:27; John 12:25,42-43; John 13:33-35; John 14:15-21; John 15:12; Romans 12:9-11,14-21; 1 Corinthians 13:1-8; 1 Corinthians 16:14; Galatians 6:2; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 4:7-8]

Nails Were Pounded  

An Original Work / June 4, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Nails were pounded when 

He hung on a tree;

Suffered for us so 

we could be set free.

He died for our sins; 

rose up from the grave,

So we could be forgiven; 

by His grace we’re saved.

A spear pierced His side; 

His clothes they’d divide;

A crown on His head 

to mock Him instead

Of honoring Him 

as our Savior, King,

Who gave his life for the world 

to be free from sin.

Forsaken by friends, 

though He’d not offend.

He lived perfectly; 

our High Priest to be.

He calls us to see, 

and by faith believe; 

In repentance receive Him; 

live eternally. 

https://vimeo.com/125966495

Why Can’t We All Get Along?

An Original Work / May 8, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Then They Crucified Him

Matthew 27:35-37 NKJV

 

35Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:

 

“They divided My garments among them,

And for My clothing they cast lots.”

 

36Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. 37And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:

 

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

 

Jesus Christ is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He always was and he always will be God. And he was with God from the beginning. And he is our creator God. And over 2000 years ago he left his throne in heaven, he came to earth, and he was born as a human baby to a human mother, but he was conceived of the Holy Spirit, so he was not born with a sin nature as we are.

 

[John 1:1-36; John 8:24,58; John 10:27-33; John 20:28-29; Romans 9:5; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 1:8-9; 1 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Peter 1:1]

 

While Jesus Christ lived on the earth, during his final 3 years of ministry, he healed the sick and afflicted, raised the dead, delivered people from demons, fed the hungry, and he performed many miracles. He also taught the need for repentance (death to sin) and for walks of obedience to our Lord in holy living as critical and necessary components of biblical faith which saves people from sin, and which promises them life eternal with God in heaven.

 

Although he was received by some, he was rejected by the many. Even though he had large crowds who followed him, for a time, because of his miracles, and because he fed them and healed their diseases, most deserted him, saying his words were too hard to listen to. And they were indeed hard. For he taught that to come after him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow him in obedience to his commands.

 

The Jews, particularly those who were in positions of influence, power, rule, and authority within the Temple of God, did not like Jesus. They did not accept that he was their Messiah they had been waiting for. And they were jealous of him and threatened by him because of his temporary popularity among the people. For they feared that they might lose their own positions of power and rule over the people since so many were following Jesus.

 

So, many of them did whatever they could to try to discredit Jesus and who he claimed to be, and he claimed to be God. So they plotted all sorts of evil against him to try to trip him up with his words so they would have cause to accuse him of wrongdoing. But they were not successful. So they convinced the Roman authorities to have him crucified on a cross (a tree) based on false accusations against him. And so they put him to death on a cross.

 

But this was in God’s plan all along that it should happen this way. For Jesus came to the earth and took on human form for the sole purpose that one day he would be our sacrificial lamb put to death for the redemption of our sins. For when he died, our sins died with him, and when he rose from the dead, he rose victorious over sin, death, hell, and Satan, that we might now live in victory over sin in walks of obedience to our Lord in surrender to him.

 

And for all who have believed on him, who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but as servants of righteousness, we have the promise and the hope that when we die, or when Jesus returns for his faithful bride, we will be with him for eternity. All our suffering will be over and we will be at peace with our Lord for all of eternity. Praise be to God!

 

[Isaiah 53:1-12; Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 9:23-26; Luke 17:25; John 6:35-58; Romans 5:8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-32; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-24; Hebrews 2:14-15; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 3:4-10] 

 

When I Go Home

 

By G. M. Eldridge

 

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes…” Revelation 21:4

 

In the moment He appears

And the light from heaven shines,

I’ll forget ev’ry fear,

Ev’ry pain I’ll leave behind.

Then I’ll see Him as He is

And I’ll know Him as I’m known.

Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

 

Ever present is the tho’t

That a moment waits for me

When unworthy as I am,

His glory I will see.

I will empty all my praise

Before my Father’s throne.

Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

 

If the trial I endure,

And your presence I can’t find,

Be near me, Lord, I pray,

Bring back unto my mind

That your promises are firm

And I’m never on my own.

Ev’ry tear wiped away when I go home.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z98Zvr1CyXg

 

Caution: This link may contain ads

 

Copyright 2019 by Acapeldridge

All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission

https://acapeldridge.com/

 

Then They Crucified Him

An Original Work / May 7, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Denial of Jesus Christ

Matthew 26:69-75 NKJV

Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” 70But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.” 71And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!”

73And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.” 74Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. 75And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.

Do you know that there are many ways in which we can deny Jesus Christ? For not all denial is verbal, and not all denial says expressively, “I do not know the man!” For we can deny him by our lifestyles, by the choices that we make, by the things that we view and by the things we listen to. We can deny him by ignoring him and his teachings and his instructions to us as we go our own way, instead. And we can deny him by refusing to speak the truth of his gospel to the people of this world, out of fear of rejection.

We deny Jesus when we put ourselves and our desires in first place instead of putting Jesus Christ and his desires and his commands in first place in our hearts and minds, which is evident by the things that we do and say. Like Peter, we can deny Jesus out of fear of what other people are going to think about us or say about us or do to us. And that is because we put self first, and not Christ Jesus first and foremost in our lives. And this happens when our desires fit more with the world than they do fit with our Lord’s desires.

Anytime we are aware of the Lord drawing us in a particular direction, and prompting us to say something or to do something or to write something, but we ignore his promptings out of fear of rejection, we are denying Christ. And if our Lord calls us to a specific ministry, but we know this is going to mean rejection and persecution and false accusations charged against us by the ignorant, and so we ignore his calling because we don’t want to be considered odd or off balance or whatever, we are denying Jesus Christ.

Like, if the Lord says to me, “Get up and write,” and I am certain this is what he wants me to do, but I want my sleep more, I am denying him. And I will tell you here that the Lord does not have me on a set schedule. I do not have a 9 to 5 job, five days a week. He has me writing all different times of the day or night, and every day of the week. And even when I am sick or I have a fever he will tell me to get up and write. And I must obey him. And I know for certain I have not missed a day in over 5 years; all glory to God.

But I am not claiming that I have never denied him, that I have never asked for more time, or to be excused this one time. But by the grace of God, and in the power of God, I do make it my practice to not deny him, to follow his lead, to do what he says, and to write when he asks me to write, even if it is on subjects that I know are going to get me hated and rejected and mocked and ignored and thought crazy or even banned from a site. And I am not teaching rebellion here. We should submit to authorities, but not ever to sin.

So, anyway, the point here is that denial of Christ doesn’t have to be verbal only, as it was with Peter, for it to be denial. We don’t have to do or say anything in particular, but we might still deny Jesus by what is stored up in our hearts and by our attitudes and by our actions and our reactions. And we might deny him purely by our silence. For Jesus didn’t call us to be silent. He called us to be his servants and messengers in spreading the good news of the gospel with the people of the world, no matter the consequences.

So just be aware that Peter’s denial of Christ is not the only way in which any of us might deny our Lord. For denial includes refusing, disallowing, blocking, preventing, forgoing, and/or declining to hear the Lord, to listen to him, and to obey him. When we know he is speaking to us, and we know he is leading us in a particular direction, but we end up snubbing him out of selfishness, we are, in essence, denying him. When we put our own self-interests in place of his will for us, we are denying our Lord in some way.

So, don’t be someone who denies Jesus by your refusal to bow down to him as Lord and to follow his lead and to do what he says. Don’t put your own self-interests above God and his will and purpose for your life. Surrender your all to God, to Jesus Christ, to do his will, to go where he sends you and to say whatever he gives you to say to the people, even if you are hated, rejected, and persecuted in return. And if you have been living in denial of Christ, weep as Peter wept, repent, and obey your Lord from this day on.

[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] 

Not Be Silent 

Based off Psalm 30 

An Original Work / December 3, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

O Lord my God, I’ll exalt You.

I called for help, 

And You healed me.

O Lord my God, 

You brought me from the grave. 

You spared me from hell.

Sing to the Lord, you saints of His;

Praise His holy name today.

Weeping may remain for a night; 

Joy at break of day.

Our debt He did pay!

O Lord my God, I said, “I will 

Ne’er be shaken.” Secure, I felt.

O Lord my God, You forgave me.

Confident I stand in You.

When I could not see

Your face I was dismayed.

I called to You. O Lord, 

You are my help.

You were merciful to me;

By Your grace set free!

O Lord my God, I’m so thankful for

Salvation through my Jesus.

You turned wailing into dancing;

Clothed me with Your joy today,

That my heart may sing

To You and not be silent.

Praise Your name. O Lord my God,

I will give you thanks forevermore.

My Lord, I adore!

https://vimeo.com/117908145

The Denial of Jesus Christ

An Original Work / May 7, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love