Concerning The Times

Us Who are of The Day

 

1 Thessalonians 5:1-10 NKJV

 

"But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him."

 

In our present day and age it is looking more and more like we are getting closer and closer to the fulfillment of these biblical prophesies regarding the final last days before the return of our Lord where he will sit as judge over all people and where he will take his faithful bride to be with him for eternity. And sadly we live in that time when so many are saying, “Peace and safety!” and they are ignoring the reality of the times in which we live and of the prophesies of the Scriptures with regard to what we can now expect.

 

So many are teaching a watered down version of the gospel of Christ which excludes many of the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles on the critical nature that we, by biblical faith in Christ, deny self, die to sin, and follow our Lord in walks of surrender to his will, and in obedience to his commands. So many are just living life in the flesh, just wanting to be entertained, living for the sinful pleasures of the flesh and not in submission to Christ and to his will and to his purpose for our lives to live holy unto him.

 

So they are ignoring the warnings in the Scriptures which teach us that, regardless of what we profess with our lips, if our lifestyles do not reflect faith in Jesus Christ, but instead we are still living for the sinful pleasures of the flesh, and not in walks of obedience to God’s commands, that we will not have eternal life with God. Heaven will not be our destiny. Hell will be our destiny if we do not in earnest repent of (turn from) our sins to follow our Lord in obedience to his commands. We need to take this seriously!

 

So, when this says that God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that we should live together with him, this is not a promise to everyone who claims to believe in Jesus that they will have eternal life with God. For when we stand before our Lord on judgment day and we call him “Lord,” and claim what we thought we did for him, many are going to hear from him, “I never knew you! Depart from me you workers of iniquity” because they did not obey God in practice.

 

[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]

 

Edify One Another

 

1 Thessalonians 5:11 NKJV

 

“11Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”

 

A literal translation of this from the Greek Interlinear reads thus:

 

“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another just as also you are doing.”

 

So, what does that look like? It means that, as the body of Christ, we are to be those who are beseeching, calling for, exhorting, giving an entreaty to, urging, imploring, counseling, admonishing and encouraging one another to walk worthy of the calling of God that we have in Christ Jesus. We are to be calling all to repentance, to die with Christ to sin, and to live for God in walks of obedience to his commands. And we are to warn against being idle and of not taking God and his word seriously. For truly there will be “hell to pay.”

 

And to edify (or to build up) has to do with us helping one another to be faithful to God in surrender to his will and in obedience to his commands, and to, by the Spirit, put sin to death in our lives. We are to be speaking the truth of God’s Word to one another, in love, so that none of us will be led astray by people who, in their cunning, craftiness, and deceitful scheming, are leading many people to a false gospel and to a false doctrine of salvation. We need to speak the truth to them to help them grow in Christ.

 

And we are to be addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. And we are to exhort one another every day so that none of us may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. And we are to be stirring one another up to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together (in person or virtually or via a text or phone call or email), but encouraging one another, and all the more as we see the Day drawing near, which is the subject matter of this writing.

 

[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]

 

For Our Nation 

 

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Recording Via Gerry Peters, music producer and arranger

 

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

 

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

 

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

 

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

 

https://vimeo.com/379406352

 

Concerning The Times

An Original Work / June 28, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

How You Ought to Walk

How to Live to Please God

 

1 Thessalonians 4:1-2 NKJV

 

“1Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.”

 

Have you ever noticed how much what is being taught here is being stressed throughout the New Testament Scriptures, but how it is not being stressed much at all in the majority of institutional “churches,” which are partnered with the government and with the world (via being incorporated under the state)? At least that appears to be the situation here in the USA. Even though Jesus taught it, and Paul and the other apostles taught it, so many have gone away from this kind of teaching in order to appease human flesh.

 

I have heard pastors say, “We don’t have to do anything to please God because God is already pleased with us if we believe in Jesus.” And so many are teaching that “we don’t have to repent of our sins, and we don’t have to obey God, for that is ‘works salvation’.” And then they teach God’s grace as though it is a free ride to heaven based off lip service only which they say covers all sin, including deliberate and habitual sin. So many are being taught the grace of God like auto insurance, no repentance required at all.

 

Paul taught that the grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. And Jesus Christ taught that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self), and follow him in walks of obedience to his commands. And both Jesus and Paul taught that if sin is what we practice, and not obedience, that we will not inherit eternal life with God.

 

[Titus 2:11-14; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 6:1-23]

 

God’s Will, Your Sanctification

 

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 NKJV

 

“3For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.”

 

And what is sanctification? It is purification, purity, and holiness, i.e. the process of advancing in holiness. It is the believer in Christ being progressively transformed by the Lord into his likeness (his nature, his character). And to be holy is to be separate, unlike the world, because we are being transformed into the likeness of Christ, by faith in Jesus Christ, as we cooperate fully with God and with his work of grace in our lives. It is the process of our salvation with us dying to sin and obeying God, in practice.

 

So much of what is called “church” today is not only pacifying people who claim faith in Jesus Christ in their deliberate and habitual sins, but many are opening the door wide to invite into their gatherings and to include in the “body of Christ” the ungodly and the immoral and those of deliberate sexual deviancy (perversion), which then engages the twisting of the teachings of the gospel of Christ and of God’s design and purpose and will for us who are his creation, and in order to include and to embrace what is opposed to God.  

 

Now, I am not saying that we should be mean or hateful or nasty to anyone no matter who they are or how they are living. We should love all people, no matter who they are. We should treat all people with kindness and with compassion. And we should pray for people to turn from their sins and to obey God and to follow Jesus. But we should not knowingly be inviting (welcoming) sin into the gatherings of “the church” and embracing and coddling what Jesus taught should have no part in our lives at all.

 

For this is the will of God that sin should no longer have mastery over our lives and that we should abstain from all which is immoral. For God did not call us to uncleanness but to holiness, to live morally pure, upright, and honest lives in faithful obedience to our Lord. And we are to be in the business of cleansing the body of Christ from all that is immoral so that the body won’t get infected and it destroy the whole body (see 1 Corinthians 5:1-13). Sadly, I believe the opposite of that is what is happening mostly.

 

[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]

 

Living Water

 

Based off Various Scriptures

An Original Work / November 21, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

My people have forsaken Me,

Their Savior, who died on a tree;

Made idols, and they worshipped them;

So empty, they will ne’er fulfill.

 

Lord, You are the hope of Your chosen ones.

Those who turn away from You will be shamed;

The Spring of Living Water left behind.

 

Living Water satisfies.

 

The thirsty, let them come and drink;

Believe in Jesus as their King;

The gift of Jesus given them,

So they will never thirst again.

 

Indeed, the Living Water flows within.

It springs up like a fountain cleansing sin.

Eternal life in heaven promised them.

 

Living Water glorifies.

                                                                                    

Oh people, won’t you come to Him?

Obey Him and repent of sin.

Let Jesus come and live within.

Surrender all your life to Him.

 

My people, won’t you turn your hearts to Me?

Forsake your idols and then you’ll be free.

Won’t you come now to Me on bended knee?

 

Living Water sanctifies.

 

https://vimeo.com/379511565

 

Video Recording of written devotional

 

https://youtu.be/C9I1UwBbedo

 

How You Ought to Walk

An Original Work / June 28, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

In Defense of One's Own Honor

1 Thessalonians 2:1-3 NKJV

 

“1For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict. 3For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit.”

 

There are times in our Christian walks when we are sharing with others the truth of the gospel that we will be opposed, sometimes strongly, by those who do not believe what we do, and who do not practice what we do. Jesus faced this on a consistent basis by many who opposed what he taught, and what he practiced, with which they did not agree. And he defended himself. And Peter and John faced the same, even being told that they had to stop speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus to which they responded..

 

“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19-20 NKJV

 

The apostle Paul, in his years of ministry, faced enormous rebuke and persecution because many people disagreed with what he was teaching. And so he was beaten, stoned, left for dead, falsely arrested on false charges and held as a prisoner for many years. And there were multiple times, which are recorded for us in the Scriptures, where he came to his own defense. Why? In defense of the truth of the gospel and for the salvation of human lives, and so that the people would not believe the lies and turn from the Lord.

 

1 Thessalonians 2:4-9 NKJV

 

“4But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts. 5For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak for covetousness—God is witness. 6Nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, when we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. 8So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. 9For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.”

 

So many people today who profess faith in Jesus Christ, including many (or most) pastors of churches here in the USA, are teaching a diluted, altered, and softened version of “the gospel” in order to please other humans and in order to keep the people coming back for more of the same. So many have removed God’s requirements for repentance and obedience to God, or else they have just made them optional, while they are teaching that we can be saved and on our way to heaven based off a verbal confession of faith only.

 

But Paul declared that he and the other apostles did not speak in order to please other people. They did not use flattering words, nor did they appease human flesh and give an open door for people to keep on in deliberate and habitual sin. Their exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit. They were straight up with the people in declaring to them the gospel as Jesus himself taught it to the people. For they were not looking for human approval. They were kind, but they did not appease human flesh.

 

1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 NKJV

 

“10You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; 11as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, 12that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”

 

They were men of integrity, honesty, and uprightness who taught the people the truth. They were holy, righteous, and faultless in their conduct toward the people. And, like a loving father who treats his children in a loving manner, they encouraged, exhorted, and urged the people that they should walk (in conduct, in lifestyle) in a manner worthy (suitable, fitting, proper) of God, who calls us into his own kingdom and glory. And this would be living in righteousness, holiness, honesty, faithfulness, integrity, and moral purity.

 

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, don’t shrink back from speaking the truth of God’s Word to the people out of fear of how they might treat you in return. Be loving, be kind, but be truthful and bold in sharing what Jesus and his apostles taught the people.

 

[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]

 

Seek the Lord 

 

Based off Isaiah 55

Musical Instrumentation by Mark Bradley

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

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

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

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

 

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

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

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

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

 

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

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

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

The mountains will burst into song… before you,

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

 

https://vimeo.com/379408296

 

In Defense of One’s Own Honor

An Original Work / June 27, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Let the Peace of God Rule

Colossians 3:15-17 NKJV

 

“15And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

 

The Peace of God

 

What is the peace of God? According to the Greek interlinear it means “to join, tie together into a whole,” “properly, wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together; God’s gift of wholeness.” It also means “entirety, totality, unity, fulness, and completeness.” We are to let this wholeness, this completeness in Christ to rule in our hearts. We are to rest in the Lord, to put our full confidence in him and in his word, and to not be troubled by what is going on outside in the world or by difficult circumstances we face.

 

According to the Pulpit Commentary it is “The peace of Christ,” and it is “that which he effects in reconciling men to God, and to himself as their Lord” and it is “the source of inner tranquility and health of soul and of the outward union and harmony of the church, the body of Christ.” Colossians 2:18: “Let not the deceivers decide against you, but let the peace of Christ decide in your hearts.” “The peace of Christ dwelling within the heart is to be the security of the believer against the threats of false teachers.” End

 

Interesting! So that took me back to Colossians, chapter 2. There was concern that the Christians might be deceived by persuasive words. And they were to beware lest anyone cheat them through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. And then, in Colossians 3:2-3 we read, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Keep focused on God!

 

So, what is this teaching us?

 

In this life we are going to be faced with opposition and with circumstances and with difficulties which try our faith, and which test our peace. Some people will challenge our walks of faith in obedience to the Lord, and they will bring into question what we are sharing with regard to the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles. And we will be challenged by unkind remarks and by opposing beliefs and practices because not everyone is going to believe the same as us, or teach the same as what we do.

 

Some opposition may be short-lived, while others may be more elongated and persistent, like what Jesus faced when he walked this earth. Jesus was opposed fiercely by many who were of the same faith as him, of the same race, of the same descent coming from Abraham, of the same community, and even by his own half-brothers. He was different, and what he taught ruffled some feathers, i.e. it upset, annoyed, and irritated some people who were not in unity with him and with what he was teaching them.

 

But Jesus did not let that hinder him from continuing to speak truth to the people. He persevered despite the opposition and the critical remarks and the things said to him or about him which were unkind and offensive. And we are to follow his example. We are to keep teaching and admonishing one another with the wisdom of God from the Scriptures, and we are not to let any opposing forces get us to be fearful and to give up. But we must make certain that what we are speaking is the truth of God’s word to the people.

 

[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]

 

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

 

Let the Peace of God Rule

An Original Work / June 27, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Put on Tender Mercies

Colossians 3:12-14 NKJV

 

“12Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”

 

The Old Self and New Self

 

The apostle Paul had just finished teaching on how we, who profess faith in Jesus Christ, are to set our minds on things above, not on things on the earth. We are to put to death all spiritual and moral uncleanness in our lives, i.e. all evil desire, all wickedness, all disobedience to God, all idolatry, and all wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language, and lying, etc. For, if our faith is genuine, we should have put off the deeds of the flesh, and we should now be walking in obedience to our Lord. And then he gave a warning that the wrath of God is coming upon the sons and daughters of disobedience to God.

 

All throughout the New Testament writings we are given instructions as to what we should put off (out of our lives) and what we should put on (in place of what we put off), by faith in Jesus Christ, in the power of God. So here we have a list of what we are to put on in place of what we should have first put off. So I am going to be going through this list and talk about what these things are that we are to be putting on, and what that should look like in how we live on a day to day basis. Now this is not teaching absolute sinless perfection, but sin should no longer be our habit, our go to by habit.

 

Put Offs and Put Ons: [Matthew 5:27-30; Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 3:1-17; 1 Timothy 4:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 12:1-17; 1 Peter 1:14; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10] 

 

Our New Character

 

As the elect (chosen) of God, holy (unlike the world of sin because we are being molded into the likeness of Christ by God, in full cooperation with God), as the beloved of God, there are things (qualities, actions, behaviors) we are to be putting on and into practice in our daily lives, in the power of God, by the grace of God. And first is listed for us that we should put on “tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another.” “But above all put on love.”

 

Now, there are many ways in which these may get realized and interpreted, depending upon how someone defines each of these character traits and how they believe they should be applied to our everyday lives. For these can get interpreted in opposite directions. For many people in the institutional “churches” of our day and time are redefining what these mean. And they are giving the impression that to show mercy and kindness, et al, is to go soft on sin, and to not call people to repentance and obedience to God.

 

But Jesus, who was all these things and so much more, allowed himself to be put to death on a cross that he might put our sins to death with him, and then to rise from the dead, but in order that by faith in him we will now deny self, die to sin, and obey God, in practice. That was mercy. That was grace. That was kindness, humility, meekness and forgiving one another, et all, and it was definitely love in action. He insisted on repentance. He insisted on obedience to his commands, or else we would not have eternal life in him.

 

So, one of the most loving, kind, humble, meek, and merciful things we can do for others is to tell them the truth of the gospel that Jesus taught, and that his New Testament apostles taught, and to never pamper people in their sin by giving them the impression that God will never judge them for their sins. For speaking half-truths deliberately to pacify human flesh is never kind, and it is not merciful, and it is not loving. We can be super nice to people so they will like us, but we curse them to hell if we lie to them.

 

And willfully and knowingly withholding truth that is necessary and critical for all people to hear is a form of lying to people, too. It may feel like kindness, but it is not kind if we give people the impression that they do not have to repent of (turn away from) their sins, and that they do not have to obey God, or that those things are optional and not required of God. For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return for his faithful bride.

 

[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]

 

A Still Small Voice 

 

An Original Work / May 23, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

In a still small voice He calls you.

Won’t you hear and let him in?

He’s still speaking, oh, how gently.

He died to save you from sin.

Softly He speaks to our hearts.

His mercy and love imparts.

Won’t you come to Him today?

Let Him wash your sins away.

 

In a still small voice He whispers,

Kindly, calling you to Him.

He loves you so much, He’s willing

You not die, but live with Him.

He keeps prodding, gently so,

For His grace, you come to know.

He died so that you’d go free;

Live with Him eternally.

 

In a still small voice He hastens

You to turn your lives to Him,

Humbly walking in obedience,

Making Him your Lord and King!

Turn from your sin, turn to God,

Put your trust in Christ, His Son.

Invite Him into your hearts.

He’ll give you a brand new start.

 

https://vimeo.com/127502844

 

Put On Tender Mercies

An Original Work / June 27, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Receive Christ Jesus The Lord

Walk In Him

 

Colossians 2:6-7 NKJV

 

“6As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

 

What does it look like if we receive Christ Jesus the Lord? It means to take him as the Lord (Owner-Master) of our lives, to accept all of who he is, and what he did for us on that cross, and to apply it to our daily walks of faith in obedience to him and to his commands. We welcome him and his teachings and his will and purpose for our lives into our lives, that we might become the people of God he has planned for us to become, by his grace and in his power, via our submission to him. Now he is to be BOSS over our lives.

 

And what does it look like if we walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith? Well, to walk in Him is to obey him, to do what he says we ought to do, and to not do what he says we should not do. And this coming not only from the written word in our Bibles, but as prompted of the Holy Spirit in our spirits to go somewhere, to talk to someone, or to write on a particular subject, or to not go here or there, or to engage in conversation with some people, or not, i.e. to stop or to go when he says “stop” or “go.”

 

And if we are established in the faith, what does that look like? What is faith? It comes from God. It is authored and perfected by Jesus Christ. It is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die with Christ to sin and to be raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as servants of God and of his righteousness, in walks of obedience to our Lord and to his New Covenant commands, by his grace.

 

Guard Your Hearts

 

Colossians 2:8-10 NKJV

 

“8Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”

 

Who are we to watch out for? We are to watch out for those who cheat, who lie, who twist the Scriptures to their advantage, who ignore the Scriptures they don’t like, and who embrace the “feel good” ones which are often being taught out of context to make them say what they don’t say if taught in the correct biblical context. And this is not saying to only center only on the Scriptures that are hard to hear and to ignore the ones which make us feel good, but that we should not do the opposite, and that we should not ignore the hard truths just because they make us feel sad or uncomfortable.

 

So what is the most popular “philosophy and empty deceit” being taught to prospective Christians and to professing Christians today? They are being taught that they can “pray a prayer to receive Christ” or they can make a verbal confession of him as Lord and claim faith in his death and resurrection and now they are saved for eternity, regardless of how they live. But Jesus taught that to come after him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow him in obedience to his commands. For if we do not, we will not be saved, and we will not have eternal life with God.

 

Therefore, many people are being given the impression that they are now saved for eternity, and that heaven is guaranteed them when they die, but while they continue to make sin their practice and not walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands in daily conduct. Many professers of faith in Jesus Christ are living in addiction to sin, many to sexual sin (idolatry and adultery), but they are being pampered in their sin. And so they continue, some of them for life, because that is what makes them feel good, because that is what feeds their flesh, and that is what they crave above all else.

 

The Solution

 

By God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

 

For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For it is not the one who claims he is “in Christ” who is “in Christ,” but it is the one who has denied self, died with Christ to sin, and who is now walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice, and no longer in sin. We have the hope and the promise of eternal life with God in heaven (see Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1-3).

 

[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]

 

When I Was Walking

 

An Original Work / January 16, 2020

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

When I was walking along the way,

My Lord was with me, and He did say,

“My child I’m with you. I hear you pray,

‘Oh, help me, Lord! Need You today!’”

 

He is my friend, near to the end.

Gently leads me. His servant be.

He helps me pray – knows what to say.

He’s all I need. On Him I feed.

 

When I am wond’ring of what to do,

He gently leads me to what is truth.

He is my helper. He strengthens me.

When I’m in want, supplies my need.

 

He comforts me with all His love.

Gives me His grace from heav’n above.

I heed His call to watch and pray,

To guard my heart throughout each day.

 

When He is calling to come to Him,

To let Him lead you, trust Him within,

How will you answer to Him today?

Will you say, “Yes, Lord, have your way”?

 

Do not neglect to let Him in,

Cleanse you from sin, made new within.

Leave all your sin, obey your Lord,

Trust in His Word – His mighty Sword.

 

https://vimeo.com/385888176

 

Receive Christ Jesus The Lord

An Original Work / June 26, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Mature in Christ

Colossians 1:28-29 ESV

 

“28Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”

 

We Proclaim Jesus Christ

 

The “Him” being spoken of here is Jesus, the Christ, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And the speaker here is the apostle Paul, and he was writing to the faithful in Christ Jesus in Colossae. But all of us who are followers of Christ are called of God to proclaim the message of the gospel to the world and to be those who are helping one another within the body of Christ to grow to spiritual maturity in Christ in walks of obedience to our Lord and to no longer live as slaves to sin.

 

[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]

 

Warning and Teaching Everyone

 

As followers of Christ, and as fellow laborers in sharing with others the truth of the gospel of our salvation, we who are members of the body of Christ, through biblical faith in Christ our Lord, are to be concerned for and to care about our fellow Christians, that they walk faithfully with our Lord in obedience to his commands, no longer as slaves to sin, but as servants of righteousness in walks of surrender to the will of God for our lives. We are to care more about their walks of faith than we care about how they treat us.

 

So, we are to speak the truth in love, one to the other, based off the teachings of the Scriptures in their correct biblical context. And we are to warn against false teachings and false teachers who lead people astray to a different doctrine of salvation other than the one taught by Jesus Christ, which is a lie they are spreading via their cunning, craftiness, and deceitful scheming. We warn each other so that we all can grow together to spiritual maturity in Christ, when each body part is given opportunity to do their part.

 

Exhorting One Another Daily

 

We, as the body of Christ, are to be those who are letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all biblical wisdom, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. We are to be exhorting one another every day so that none of us may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. And we are to be gathering together daily for mutual encouragement and edification in order to stir up one another to love and good works (this can be done in person or virtually).

 

And sometimes this will involve us being used of God to help restore a fellow Christian back to a right relationship with the Lord Jesus after they have fallen into sin. And this could happen in person (male with male, and female with female) or it could happen virtually through us sharing with others on the internet how to be set free from slavery to sin, and how to follow the Lord Jesus in obedience to his commands, all in the power of God, as they submit to the Lordship of Christ and they put sin to death, by his Spirit.

 

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

 

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

 

Mature in Christ

An Original Work / June 26, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love