Are You Without Wedding Clothes?

I am reading in Matthew 21:23-46 and in Matthew 22:1-14, some of which I will quote, and some of which I will summarize for the sake of brevity.

In Context

Jesus was teaching in the Temple, and he was being questioned by the chief priests and the elders, and then he began speaking to them in parables. And then he said, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it.” (Here, I believe, “a people” is speaking of the Gentiles and all who believe in Jesus Christ.) And “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them.” (see Matthew 21:23-46). 

So, please consider Jesus’ words here. He was telling the Jews, who had been the people of God, that the kingdom of God would soon be taken away from all who did not believe in Jesus Christ, and it would be given to all who did believe in Jesus Christ, which mainly were the Gentiles. For the promise of God to Abraham was to him and to his seed Jesus Christ. And from that point forward God’s people are now all who follow Jesus Christ with their lives. And all Jews, not believing in Christ, were cast out of God’s kingdom.

[Genesis 17:7-9; Genesis 18:19; John 8:18-19,38-47; Romans 2:28-29; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 9:4-8,25-28; Romans 11:1-36; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 3:1-6; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; Hebrews 8:6-13; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:22; Jude 1:5; Revelation 2:9; Revelation 3:9]  

“But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:11-14 NASB1995)

What were the messages being given in all of the parables in Matthew, chapters 21-22, i.e. the messages the Jews understood were directed at them, but which can be applied to all of us? One of the messages has to do with us putting our professions of faith into action, i.e. us practicing what we profess with our mouths and not giving lip service only to God. Another is about being faithful with what we have been given, and us not ignoring our Lord, and his call, and his purposes, and his commands for us to obey.

Then there is the warning to us that if we do not act upon what we have been given, that the kingdom of God will be taken away from all who profess faith in God, in Christ Jesus, with their lips, but who do not obey him and his commands. And it will be given to all who will, by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, die with Christ to sin, and walk with the Lord in faithfulness, in surrender, and in obedience to his commands. For many are called, but few are chosen, for the chosen are those who obey God.

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

Jerusalem  

An Original Work / May 2, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

…you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God… Hebrews 12:22

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, hear now your King of kings.

He speaks to you, Jerusalem, in all His majesty.

Oh, listen now, Jerusalem, He’s calling out to you.

Hear Him call you, Jerusalem; He’s waiting now for you.

Won’t you bow down, Jerusalem? Let Christ make you anew!

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, hear God’s call to obey

Your Lord and Savior, Christ the King; trust Him without delay.

Turn from your sin, Jerusalem; let Christ rule in your hearts.

Invite Him now, Jerusalem, to save you; grace impart,

And purify, Jerusalem, your hearts of all your sin!

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, hear your God’s final plea

To come to Him, Jerusalem, right now on bended knee.

Make Him your Lord, Jerusalem; He’s your Messiah, King.

Honor Him as the Holy One, your off’rings to Him bring.

And serve Him now, Jerusalem, for He is Christ your King!

https://vimeo.com/125966150

Are You Without Wedding Clothes?

An Original Work / February 25, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Put Out Into Deep Water

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2 he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.  

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”  6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 

 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:1-11 NIV1978)

I love this passage of Scripture! Jesus is saying the same to us today. He is calling us to “put out into deep water for a catch”, i.e. he is saying that we need to be willing to die for our faith in Jesus Christ, and to be willing to be hated and rejected, and to be willing to go wherever he sends us, and to say whatever he would have us to say, and to do what he would have us to do, even if it is not popular, and even if it is considered weird by some people. 

And “Deep water,” to me, means stepping out of our comfort zone, and going out into the unknown, to what might be scary to us, to the unfamiliar, and possibly involving sacrifice or hardship. But whatever it is, i.e. whatever our “deep water” may be, it will involve faith and trust and doing what Jesus tells us to do, even if it doesn’t look possible by human standards.

Peter said to Jesus that they had worked hard all night. I think sometimes we may work very hard at what we believe God has called us to do, and sometimes without visible rewards, and so we think that our efforts are not producing anything. And sometimes we may be working in our own strength, with our own efforts to try to do God’s work, but we are not hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to us, and we’re not allowing him to work through us, and so our own human efforts do fail to produce results. 

Then Jesus speaks, and he tells us what to do and how to do it. And we have a choice. We can go on in our own strength. Or we can give up because we didn’t catch anything. Or we can yield to the Master, do what he says, his way, and then we will catch “fish.” And the results, even there, may not come immediately. We may not see the visible results right away. And that, again, involves believing in what Jesus says, then doing it even when we can’t see what lies ahead. Even though the fishermen had worked hard all night and had not caught anything, still they did what Jesus told them to do. 

I love Peter’s response. First he says, “Master.” And Master means Lord, and Lord means the one in charge; the boss. So, he first of all acknowledged the Lordship of Jesus Christ over his life. Then he stated their circumstances clearly. Yet he added this: “Because you said so…” Oh, how I love that!! 

Even when things don’t look possible by human understanding, if we know it is Jesus speaking, and we know he is saying to do it, we can say with Peter, “Because you said so, I will.” I will do whatever I believe Jesus is telling me to do which is in agreement with the Word of God and is in harmony with the nature of God. For what is impossible with man is possible with God. 

So, even though we are in a difficult time in human history, still the Lord Jesus is calling us who are his disciples to “put out into deep water for a catch,” i.e. “to catch men,” i.e. to share the gospel. For many people don’t know Jesus. Many don’t know the salvation that could be theirs in Christ Jesus, and the freedom from sin, and the joy of knowing our Lord. 

And Jesus is coming again, and he is coming to judge. So, we need to be doing what Jesus has called us to do in “putting out into deep water” and in seeking for people to believe in Jesus, because we want all people to know our Lord and to have the peace that comes from being in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, which is the only true peace there is.

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:14-15; Ephesians 5:11-14; 1 Peter 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

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

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

Put Out Into Deep Water

Taken in part from an older document dated December 8, 2010

Slightly edited for grammatical errors (those discovered)

An Original Work / Reposted February 24, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Health, Wealth, and Prosperity??

The children of Israel of the Old Testament were living in exile in Babylon as a punishment from God for their rebellion against the Lord and for their unwillingness to heed his commands. And God promised them 70 years of exile before he would deliver them. But they had prophets in their midst who were deceiving the people into thinking that they would not have to be in exile the whole 70 years. So, they were not to listen to the prophets who were speaking lies to them, for they prophesied falsely in the name of God.

“For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:10-13 NASB1995)

And we have false prophets in our midst today who are teaching Jeremiah 29:11 out of context, and who are promising all people who profess faith in Jesus Christ that this is a promise of God to them of “health, wealth, and prosperity.” And many people have been duped by these false prophets, and they have been convinced that the more that they give to the institutional church, the more that God will bless them, but while many very wealthy pastors (false prophets) stack up all sorts of properties and possessions.

So, this is not a promise for us today of health, wealth, and prosperity if we give generously to the institutional church or to certain other “Christian ministries.” If it is at all to be considered as any kind of promise to Christians today, it must be seen and interpreted in light of the teachings of Jesus and of his New Testament apostles in the New Testament writings. For we are promised in the Scriptures that the life of a follower of Christ is a life of suffering and persecution and hardship, but one of spiritual blessing, too.

And the plans that our Lord has for us today are first of all that we must, by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and now walk (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to our Lord and to his commands in holy living. And we must follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in our day-to-day living, for this is for our welfare, i.e. for our good, that we might have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God, which is the future and the hope of those whose lives are committed to Jesus Christ.

And if you would take a good look at our world today, and at our individual nations, I would suggest to you that our world and our nations and the church at large today are presently being faced with the judgment of God for the people’s rebellion against the Lord and for their unwillingness to heed his commands, but more specifically directed at those who profess faith in Jesus Christ but who are living worldly lives in the worship of what is not God. And so God is calling out to all who profess his name to repent and to obey God.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18] 

The Battle for Truth

Based off Malachi 1-4

An Original Work / May 18, 2013 

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

I love you. Honor me.

Tell the truth. You’ll be free.

Sing My praise all your days.

I will give all you need.

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

Turn from sin; cleansed within.

Stand in awe of My Name.

Teach what’s true. Walk in peace.

Follow Christ, in His ways.

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

Show to God faithfulness.

Do not be adult’rous. 

Do not shed shallow tears.

Do not be insincere. 

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

I have sent messengers,

Who have giv’n my address.

They call for repentance,

And they warn of judgment.

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

I, the Lord, do not change,

So return – blessings gain:

Healing comes; joyfulness;

Freedom from your distress.

https://vimeo.com/117023801

Health, Wealth, and Prosperity?

An Original Work / February 24, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Be Wise. Don't Be Foolish

Proverbs 14:12,14,16,18 NASB1995

Proverbs 14:12: “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

A way that seems right to someone does not necessarily have to be a way that they believe is right, just, and moral. It just means that they are content with the way that they are living, and either they do not care that the Bible says they will end up in hell, if that is how they choose to live, or they rationalize their way around that so that they convince themselves that God will not judge them for their sinful lifestyles (practices). 

Proverbs 14:14: “The backslider in heart will have his fill of his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied with his.”

What or who is a backslider? They who backslide are those who renounce and abandon both what they previously professed as truth and the one they claimed to follow. They once professed faith in Jesus Christ, acknowledged their sin, and asked for forgiveness, and began to do the kinds of things that Christians should normally do. But then they turned away and returned to their vomit, and went back to living in sin, and no longer live to please God.

And now they live for self and for self-pleasure, and not for God, and not in accord with the teachings of the Scriptures. For their desire is for their sin and not for God, because sin now has mastery over their lives. And if that is where they remain, and they do not repent and turn back to God, and they do not renounce their sin and now obey God and his commands, then they will not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God, God’s word says.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18] 

Proverbs 14:16,18: “A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless.” “The naive inherit foolishness, but the sensible are crowned with knowledge.”

The ones who have made a way for themselves, which is not the way of righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God, and who have turned away from the Lord after professing to believe in Jesus Christ, and who are foolish and arrogant and careless in how they conduct their lives, are the opposite of the wise, the cautious, and the sensible who turn away from evil to follow Jesus Christ in walks of surrender to him in obedience to his commands.

For the wise who follow Jesus in obedience understand what the Scriptures teach. And they believe God. And they take God and his Word seriously to obey them. For they love God, and they want to obey him. They want to live for him. And they believe that if we go the way of our own flesh, doing what our own hearts desire, and if God’s word is not what we obey, that we will not have salvation from sin, and we will not have eternal life with God. 

[John 10:27-30; Romans 2:5-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 6:7-8; Colossians 1:21-23; Colossians 3:1-17; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; 1 Peter 2:24]

So, be wise, and obey God, and be not foolish and end up in hell.

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

Be Wise. Don’t Be Foolish.

An Original Work / February 23, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Fake Christianity

Proverbs 14:22,25,27,32,34 NASB1995

22 Will they not go astray who devise evil?

But kindness and truth will be to those who devise good.

25 A truthful witness saves lives,

But he who utters lies is treacherous. (unfaithful, disloyal, deceitful)

27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,

That one may avoid the snares of death.

32 The wicked is thrust down by his wrongdoing,

But the righteous has a refuge when he dies.

34 Righteousness exalts a nation,

But sin is a disgrace to any people.

Faith in Jesus Christ, according to the Scriptures, must result in genuine biblical repentance resulting in changed lives. By faith in Jesus Christ, a faith which comes from God, and not from human flesh, 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 servants of God and of his righteousness in walks of surrender to God in obedience to his commands. 

So if, after we have professed faith in the Lord Jesus, nothing changes, our lives are not altered, there is no change of heart and mind resulting in a change of behavior, but we continue life as usual, still making sin our practice, and still living to please the flesh, and not to please God, then according to the Scriptures we are not of true biblical faith in Jesus Christ, and we will not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18] 

Sadly, it appears that the majority of those professing faith in Jesus Christ are being taught a fake Christianity and an altered gospel message which gives them permission to keep living in sin and not in walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. For they are being taught that a mere verbal profession of faith in Jesus is enough to secure them forgiveness of all sins and heaven as their destiny, regardless of how they live. Just not biblical!

But we are warned all throughout the New Testament Scriptures that if sin is our practice, and not obedience to God’s commands, that we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what our lips profess. So, if you are one who devises evil, who is unfaithful and deceitful, who makes wickedness, lying, and immorality your practice, and obedience to God, kindness, truth, and righteousness are not your practice, you don’t know God, in reality.

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).

The Letters 

Based off Revelation 2-3

An Original Work / December 17, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

To the angels of all the churches write:

These are the words of your Lord and your God.

I know all your deeds, and your witness, too,

And who holds to My words and tells what’s true.

I know all your hard work and your perseverance,

Yet I hold against you: you’ve forsaken Me. 

Listen to what I say to you.

You have people there who deny My name,

And who put the cross of Christ up to shame.

They entice the people to Me, profane,

And their worship of Me is all in vain.

They are so adult’rous as they chase their idols,

And you put up with them easily enough.

You give off an image of godliness,

But what you present is so fraudulent,

Or else you lack passion for Jesus Christ, 

So you look to others to tell what’s right.

I say turn from your sin, or you will face judgment.

He who overcomes will have eternal life.

Listen to what I say to you.

I know your afflictions and poverty;

How you suffer for your Lord patiently.

Do not fear the devil and company.

You be faithful to your Lord endlessly.

I know all your weakness and your dedication.

You have kept My Word and not denied your Lord.

I will write on you My new name. 

https://vimeo.com/114655138

Fake Christianity, Video

https://vimeo.com/1167392658

An Original Work / February 23, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Here Am I, Send Me

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go, and tell this people:

‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive;

Keep on looking, but do not understand.’

“Render the hearts of this people insensitive,

Their ears dull,

And their eyes dim,

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

Hear with their ears,

Understand with their hearts,

And return and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:8-10 NASB1995)

All of us who believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord (Owner-Master) and Savior of our lives are called of God to be his witnesses in taking the message of the gospel of Christ to the people of the world, even to others who profess faith in Jesus Christ but who are not living what they claim to believe. And we are to make disciples (followers) of Christ of people of all nations, teaching them to put sin to death, by the Spirit, and to obey all that our Lord commands. 

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 9:23-26; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 26:18; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 10:14-15; Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 5:11-14; 1 Peter 2:21,29; 1 John 2:6] 

And we who are followers of Jesus Christ, as his disciples, should be those who will answer the call of God to go into all the world and to make disciples of Christ of people of all nations, teaching them to obey our Lord’s commands. But it isn’t just to the unsaved that we are to speak the words of God and to give out his messages. But it is also to the church and to many who profess the name of Jesus but who are living worldly lives.

And sometimes we must speak some pretty strong words because they are dull of hearing, and they are not listening to the Lord and to his messengers. But they are going their own way, doing their own thing, without regard for the teachings of the Scriptures and for the warnings given by God should any of us choose to go our own way and not the ways of God. And so we must give them the warnings of God should they reject his teachings.

And sometimes sarcasm is used in the Scriptures to bring home a point such as what I believe is the case here in verse 9. For certainly the speaker is not encouraging the people to not perceive and to not understand, but this language is used to get across a message. And it is to let them know that if they continue on their chosen course of not listening, and of not paying attention, and being unwilling to understand, it will not go well for them.

And the result is found in verse 10, for again God’s message to the people is not that God approves of them going their own way and doing their own thing while ignoring God and his commands, as though they will not face his wrath. But he has his messenger speaking the truth of God’s Word to the people even knowing that they will not listen and that they will close their minds and hearts to the truth and that they will not repent and so be healed.

Thus, the people cannot claim that they never heard the truth, or that they were ignorant, as though no one had told them. So, as the Lord’s servants and messengers, we should continue in giving out the truth of God’s Word to the people, even to those we know are not listening right now, because God’s Word will not return empty, but it will accomplish what God desires and achieve the purpose for which God sent it (see Isaiah 55:11).

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, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For lip service alone will not secure you heaven, but you must obey God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18] 

Then, when I answered the call,

“Here, Lord, send me.”

You sent me to where I must be.

Your mercy held me, did not fail me.

All this, You had planned, to use me.

And, when all trials and scorn

Came to test me.

You gave me all that I would need.

You strengthened me so I’d not fail You.

Your kindness blessed me, it touched me.

And, when I needed the church 

To lift up me,

To hearten me so I’d not fail,

You blessed me with folks who would love me.

Their presence with me, Your praise hailed!

Here Am I, Send Me

An Original Work / February 23, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Know The Truth

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

“They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (1 John 4:1,5-6 NASB1995)

What do false prophets or teachers or preachers do that is false? They speak lies to the people as though what they are saying is from God when it is not from God, but it is from the flesh of humankind. And how is it that it seems as though most people who profess faith in Jesus Christ do not recognize the lies for what they are? It is because the lies are a careful and meticulous blend of truth and lies made to appear as truth, and because they are not testing the spirits against the Scriptures (in context) to discover the lies.

But it isn’t just that. Many are they who prefer the lies, because the lies give them permission to keep living in deliberate and habitual sin without conscience and remorse and biblical repentance, and absent of obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice. For the lies promise them that they are permanently saved from the punishment of all sin, that all their sins are forgiven, and sometimes that God can’t even see when they sin, and that by God’s grace they have the guarantee of eternity in heaven with God.

So, this is why we are encouraged here that we are not to believe every spirit, and that includes not believing everyone who calls himself Reverend or Pastor or Elder or Deacon or Prophet or Evangelist or Apostle. For they don’t all speak the truth. Probably most of them are not teaching the gospel taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles, taught in the correct biblical context. So we need to be students of the Scriptures who study them in their biblical context so that we can discover any lies we have believed.

And we should not base our faith on what we have always heard is the truth, just because so-and-so said it, or just because it feels good and it is comfortable to our ears and fits with our preferred lifestyles. So, if someone teaches something contrary to what we have always believed, we should not write it off unless we have done the due diligence to test it against the Scriptures. For many of us out there, speaking the truth, are being ignored because the majority prefer the lies which feel good and tickle itching ears.

But 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 Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18] 

Arise and Shine 

Based off Isaiah 60

An Original Work / March 6, 2014 

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Arise and shine; your Lord has come.

Allow His light to flow through you,

For many walk in wickedness.

Show them the way to life anew.

Arise and shine. Your Lord loves you.

Lift up your eyes, and look about.

Some do believe, while others doubt.

Believe in all God’s promises.

The many will, In Christ, find rest.

Lift up your eyes, and you’ll be blessed.

Arise and shine; salvation comes

To all who trust in Christ, God’s Son.

Forgiven of their sins, they’ll be,

When they repent on bended knee.

Arise and shine, so all will see.

Lift up your eyes, and see your Lord.

He will revive his church, forlorn.

Though humans have forsaken you,

They will find Christ, and walk in truth.

Lift up your eyes; God honors you.

https://vimeo.com/88371130

Know The Truth

An Original Work / February 22, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love