Run With It: October 2025

Friday, October 31, 2025

The Fiery Ordeal Among You

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.” (1 Peter 4:12-16 NASB1995)

Jesus promised his followers that if they served him with their lives that they would be hated and persecuted as he was hated and persecuted, and that they would suffer many things in many ways for their faith and for their testimonies for the Lord. And we are taught that suffering is part of the life of a follower of Christ, and that it is for our good, to mature us, to make us holy, to humble us, to make us more compassionate towards others who are suffering, and to make us more like Jesus in character, heart, and mind.

And the suffering can come in many different forms. It can certainly be the result of our testimonies for the Lord and for his gospel, resulting in people hating and rejecting us and opposing us strongly. Or it can be Satan getting permission from God to cause us physical and emotional pain and suffering as Satan’s plan to try to get us to renounce our Lord and his will and plan and purpose for our lives, but which God intends to use to grow us in him. For Satan is our enemy who is out to destroy us and to break us in two.

So, when trials and tribulations come upon us to test our faith, and to make us more like Jesus, we should not be surprised by it, nor should we be taken out by it, i.e. we should not let it destroy us. For God allows these trials and tribulations to come into our lives so that we may share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, becoming like him in his death, in order that we may attain to the resurrection from the dead (see Philippians 3:7-11). For if we are left to our own devices, we may not attain eternal life with God.

Suffering tests our faith to see what we are made out of and whether or not our faith is genuine and/or if we are weak in faith and need to be strengthened in our faith via us having to suffer. Or it is used in the lives of those who are strong in their faith to make them even stronger and even more determined to hold fast to the truth of God’s word and to not give way to any deviances from the truth of the gospel. And sometimes this is just ground work to prepare us for greater suffering which is yet ahead.

When we have to depend on the Lord in our times of trials and tribulations, it draws us closer in fellowship with our Lord, and we learn to rely on God and not on ourselves for the answers to life’s complications. Through it all our knowledge of God and of who he is and our fellowship with him should be strengthened. And if we respond properly, in these times, we should learn even more of our Lord’s purpose in giving his life up for us on that cross, and of what he expects from us, as those who claim to be his followers.

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; 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; 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 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

And, although it may be through many tears, we are to keep rejoicing, for God is allowing these things in our lives for our good to make us who he wants us to be so that he can use us in the way he had planned for our lives from even before we were even formed in the wombs of our mothers (see Psalms 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:1-19). So, if we are reviled for the name of Christ, we are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on us. And if we suffer because of our faith in Christ, we are not to be ashamed, but we are to glorify God in his name, and thank him, and then obey him.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 7:13-14; Matthew 10:16-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 17:14; Romans 5:3-5; Philippians 3:7-11; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12-17; 2 Timothy 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5; James 1:2-4; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Hebrews 12:3-12; 1 John 3:13; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]

His Tender Mercies

An Original Work / January 26, 2014

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Fear not! I’m with you.

Be not dismayed!

God watches o’er you.

Trust Him today.

He’ll lead and guide you;

Give you His aid.

He’ll love and keep you

With Him always.

Walk in His footsteps.

He’ll lead the way.

Trust in His love;

Believe that He cares.

He will not leave you.

Faithful He’ll be.

His tender mercies

Now you will see.

Fellowship with Him

Throughout the day.

Tell Him your heartaches.

He’ll heal always.

Rest in His comfort.

He is your friend.

Your faith He’ll strengthen,

True to the end.

https://vimeo.com/379513308

The Fiery Ordeal Among You

An Original Work / October 31, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

And They Malign You

“Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” (1 Peter 4:1-5 NASB1995)

When Jesus Christ gave himself up for us on that cross, it was to put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will now die to sin and surrender our lives to him to be lived for his glory and purposes, in obedience to his commands in holy living. No longer are we to live under the control of sin and the flesh, doing what our sinful hearts desire, for Jesus died and rose from the grave so that we will now die to sin and live for him.

For our salvation from sin is deliverance from slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will no longer live as slaves to sin. And Jesus is saying to us, “Go and sin no more.” No longer should we be engaging in things like lying, cheating, stealing, adultery, sensuality, sexual immorality, the lusts of the flesh, drunkenness, revelry, and abominable idolatries of any kind. Sin must no longer have mastery over our lives, for Jesus died to free us from all that.

But if we are those who have died with Christ to sin, who have been raised with him 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, we are likely to be faced with criticism, rejection, mockery, disapproval, and oppositions of many kinds from various sources. And we may be falsely accused of being legalistic or prideful because we refuse to compromise with the world.

But we should not fear the opposition and people maligning us for our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord. But we must stay the course and keep on in obedience to our Lord in going wherever he sends us in saying whatever he gives us to say and in doing what he has called us to do, regardless of how we are received by other humans. For Jesus said we would be persecuted as he was persecuted, and hated as he was hated, too.

So, be encouraged. Keep following the Lord. Keep doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord in following him where he leads you even if people oppose you and say all manner of evil against you. Keep obeying the Lord, and do not get disheartened and discouraged if it seems more people are against you than are for you. Stand up for what is right even if no one else does who is around you. For you must answer to God, not to human flesh.

And then pray for those who are opposed to you and who criticize you for your walk of faith in obedience to the Lord. Pray for them, and do good to them, and love your enemies as God loves you, and forgive those who do you harm. Don’t let the opposition or the nasty remarks dishearten you, but stand firm on your faith and keep pressing forward even when it hurts. Believe God and rest in his promises and leave all to his command.

His Tender Mercies

An Original Work / January 26, 2014

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Fear not! I’m with you.

Be not dismayed!

God watches o’er you.

Trust Him today.

He’ll lead and guide you;

Give you His aid.

He’ll love and keep you

With Him always.

Walk in His footsteps.

He’ll lead the way.

Trust in His love;

Believe that He cares.

He will not leave you.

Faithful He’ll be.

His tender mercies

Now you will see.

Fellowship with Him

Throughout the day.

Tell Him your heartaches.

He’ll heal always.

Rest in His comfort.

He is your friend.

Your faith He’ll strengthen,

True to the end.

https://vimeo.com/379513308

And They Malign You

An Original Work / October 31, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Resist him, Firm in Your Faith

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:6-11 NASB1995)

In context, this was an exhortation to the church elders to “shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2-3 NASB1995). And I have always loved these words because they describe what the overseers of our church gatherings are supposed to be like in character and word and deed.

But the following words (quoted first here) do not have to only be said to overseers of church congregations, but they can apply to all of us who are followers of Jesus Christ. For all of us (church elders and pastors included) are to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, not thinking that we know better than God or that we don’t have to seek his counsel, and that we can still run our own lives the way that we want to. But we are to see ourselves through the eyes of God and realize how much we need him.

As those who are of genuine biblical faith in Jesus Christ, we are to deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and to self), and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands. We are to surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, in submission to his will and purpose for our lives. And we are to regard our lives as no longer our own to be lived how we want, for via the blood of Jesus Christ shed on that cross, we were bought back for God out of our lives of bondage to sin so that we will now serve the Lord with our lives.

And we are to cast all our anxiety on him, because he cares for us. And why might we be anxious? For thousands of reasons, probably, for life is not always kind to us, and people aren’t always, either. And we will face difficulties and trials and tribulations to test our faith, for sure. And I am going through some of those personally myself. Although not nearly as severe as what Job faced, mine are just about as multifaceted as were his, for he was called upon to suffer in so many different ways and means.

So this speaks to me, as well, to keep giving my pain and my suffering over to the Lord, trusting him to accomplish his will and purpose in my life through what he has called upon me to suffer right now. And I pray every day that I would make the right and wise decisions, and that he would always lead me in where to go and in what to do and in what to say.

For I think this is way more than I have ever had “on my plate” all at the same time before, where I am dealing with heart failure, breathing difficulty, sharp chest pain and pressure, and the possibility of cancer in 3 different body locations. And that is on top of the neuropathy, the leg pain, the dizziness, the balance issues, the head twitchings, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, cognitive decline, fatigue, swelling in the legs and ankles and abdomen, cough, heart palpitations, and possibly surgeries, too.

And the devil is definitely attacking me and fighting against me in trying to get me to give up hope or to be anxious, because all this is overwhelming. But it is more of an oppressive kind of feeling that is non-descript and yet uncomfortable at the same time. And sometimes I do break down and cry, too. But I am resisting him, and I am fighting back strong in my faith and in my trust and hope in God, in the power of God at work within me, as I draw on HIS strength, despite what all I am suffering physically at this time.

I know God has a plan and a purpose for all of this in my life, and that he is going to work good in my life, and in other people’s lives, too, through this time of suffering he is taking me through. And I have to walk by faith because I don’t know what is going to come about through all of this, or how it is all going to turn out, or even if I am going to live and not die. But I know God is in control, that he is completely sovereign over my life and over my circumstances, and that good is going to come out of this somehow.

To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen!

His Tender Mercies

An Original Work / January 26, 2014

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Fear not! I’m with you.

Be not dismayed!

God watches o’er you.

Trust Him today.

He’ll lead and guide you;

Give you His aid.

He’ll love and keep you

With Him always.

Walk in His footsteps.

He’ll lead the way.

Trust in His love;

Believe that He cares.

He will not leave you.

Faithful He’ll be.

His tender mercies

Now you will see.

Fellowship with Him

Throughout the day.

Tell Him your heartaches.

He’ll heal always.

Rest in His comfort.

He is your friend.

Your faith He’ll strengthen,

True to the end.

https://vimeo.com/379513308

Resist him, Firm in Your Faith

An Original Work / October 31, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Do You Know?

Do you know what it’s like

To not be believed?

To be treated like garbage

By people with greed?

To be told you’re stupid,

And are not worthwhile

To be given compassion,

Instead of denial?

To be treated like dirt

To be stomped upon?

And to be disregarded

And then frowned upon?

Do you know what it’s like

To be mocked in jest

By the people you care for

In whom you invest?

To have people hate you,

For you they despise,

For you stand on what’s righteous,

And tell them no lies?

To have them desert you,

And scorning you, too,

For you teach them the truth of

The gospel that’s due?

Our Lord Jesus Christ does,

Who died for our sins

So that we’ll walk in victory

O’er sin, now forgiven,

So we will obey Him,

And do what He says,

And walk in obedience

To our final breath.

An Original Work / October 30, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Brought Near by The Blood of Christ

“Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.” (Ephesians 2:11-16 NASB1995)

In context, what this is talking about is that, before Jesus Christ came into the world, and before he died on that cross and was resurrected from the dead, so that by faith in him we could die to sin and walk in obedience to his commands, in his power, all non-Jews were excluded from biblical Israel. They were called the Gentiles. But through Jesus’ death and resurrection he made Jew and Gentile, by biblical faith in Jesus Christ, into one, no longer to be separate as they once were by Jew and Gentile, but one people in Christ.

For when Jesus died and rose again, all Jews who refused to believe in him as their Messiah (the Christ, their Lord) were cut out of biblical Israel, and all Gentiles (non-Jews) who trusted in Jesus as their Lord and Savior were, thus, grafted into Israel. So biblical Israel, the Israel of God, is no longer the Jewish nation which has rejected Jesus as their Messiah, but it is comprised of all who by faith in Jesus Christ have died with Christ to sin and who have been resurrected with him to walk in his righteousness, and no longer in sin.

[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]

For being cut out of Israel does not have to be permanent. Any Jew who believes in Jesus Christ can be grafted into Israel, as were the Gentiles who believed in Jesus Christ. And anyone, Jew or Gentile, can yet put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus and become part of biblical Israel. And any Christian who has wandered from the faith can be brought back to God via biblical repentance, via dying with Christ to sin and now turning from their sins to walk in obedience to his commands, in the power of God.

But faith in Jesus Christ, which results in salvation and forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God, is not what so many people are teaching today as the gospel. For we cannot just make a verbal confession of Christ as Savior and Lord of our lives and then expect God to let us into his heaven. Biblical faith requires biblical repentance, which involves a change of heart and mind, resulting in a change of behavior. It means denying self, dying to sin, and now following our Lord in obedience to his commands, by his grace.

For, although we are not under the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, circumcision, dietary, and Sabbath laws, we are not to be lawless. We are taught in the New Testament that a critical and necessary component of Christian faith is obedience to our Lord’s commands, which is taught to us in the New Testament. And sin is no longer to be what we practice. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to God, we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what we profess.

So, please take this to heart. And please read the Scriptures in their biblical context. And do not rely on Scriptures being taught out of their correct and necessary biblical context, which are being twisted and altered to teach what they do not teach if taught in the correct biblical context. And please be people of God who are testing against the Scriptures, taught in their full and necessary context, whatever you are hearing from any teachers of the Word of God. And also be people of God who die to sin and who obey our Lord.

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

Brought Near by The Blood of Christ

An Original Work / October 30, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

In Which You Formerly Walked

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:1-7 NASB1995)

Please pay close attention to the wording here and to the verb tenses. This is speaking to the church in Ephesus, to the faithful in Christ Jesus. And the description it gives of the faithful in Christ Jesus is of those who were (past tense) dead in their trespasses and sins, in which they formerly (past tense) walked (in conduct) according to the course of the world. They formerly (past tense) lived in the lusts of their flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were (past tense) by nature children of wrath.

So, what that is saying is that they were no longer living like that. They were no longer doing those things. So they were no longer children of wrath, but children of God, chosen by God to live holy lives, pleasing to God. Their faith in Jesus Christ, by the grace of God, changed them from the inside out, and it turned them about so that they now walked in the opposite direction of what they walked before. They turned from their sins to now follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands in holy living, in the power of God.

But how did that happen? They didn’t do it in themselves. Only by the grace of God, in the power of God, in submission to the Lord, in surrender of their lives to Jesus Christ, by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in the Lord, were they able to die to sin and now live for God and for his righteousness, in obedience to our Lord’s commands. For we can do nothing in ourselves to earn or to deserve our salvation from sin and eternal life with God. But it takes our cooperation with God’s grace for our hearts to be changed.

And please do not misinterpret these words when it says, “even when we were dead in our transgressions, God made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” What this is saying is that we can do nothing to earn or to deserve our own salvation. No amount of fleshly good works will gain us salvation from sin and eternal life with God. But the words above this make it clear that those who are saved by grace are transformed of the Spirit of God out of their lives of living in sin to now live holy lives to God.

So this is not teaching that we can remain in our sins and still have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. That is antibiblical teaching. 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 Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (see Titus 2:11-14)

But sadly there are many people today who are teaching God’s grace as a free gift of salvation from sin and eternal life with God based on lip service only to God, with no mention of God’s requirements that we die to sin and obey him in practice if we want to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God when Jesus returns for his faithful bride, his church. And so we have many who profess faith in Jesus Christ but who have never died to sin and are not now walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands.

For they are listening to the lies of “wolves in sheep’s clothing” who are deceiving them into believing a lie which says that all they have to do is “believe” (not usually defined biblically) in Jesus and now all their sins are forgiven, and now they are guaranteed entry into heaven when they die.

But 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, please embrace the teachings of the Scriptures, taught in their appropriate context, on the subject of salvation from sin and eternal life with God and what God requires of us in the way of thought, word, and deed. For if sin is our practice, and not obedience, we won’t have life in Jesus Christ.

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

In Which You Formerly Walked

An Original Work / October 30, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Created in Christ Jesus For Good Works

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 NASB1995)

If you are used to hearing Ephesians 2:8-9 taught independent of verse 10, please start reading it with verse 10 included, for verse 10 is a continuation of the same conversation, and it helps combat many misconceptions which are being taught by removing verse 10 from the mix. For leaving verse 10 out of the conversation would be like someone pulling a sentence out of one of my writings, which is critical to what is being communicated. And without it, it can give an entirely different message, perhaps one not intended at all!

Only, in the case of the Scriptures, removing contextual Scriptures which are necessary to correct biblical interpretation from the intended context can lead to misinterpretations and to false doctrines of salvation, resulting in false professions of faith in Jesus Christ. And that is exactly what has been happening for many years now by removing verse 10, which is critical, not only to correct doctrinal teaching, but to people having sincere biblical faith in Jesus Christ resulting in salvation from sin and eternal life with God.

How so? Well, let’s start at the beginning and work our way down.

“For by grace..” “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:11-14).

“Through faith.. not of yourselves..” 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).

“You have been saved..” 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).

“It is the gift of God..” “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2). “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

“Not as a result of works..” This needs to be read in context. For we are saved by grace, through faith, and not of ourselves, but it is the gift of God. Basically we are all born with sin natures, in the image of Adam, and incapable in our own flesh to be acceptable to God. So there is not anything that we can do in our own flesh to earn or to deserve our own salvation. It all originates with God, it is gifted to us by God, but it is also persuaded of God (the meaning of faith) to die with him to sin and to obey his commands.

“Created in Christ Jesus for good works..” This is what we can’t leave out. Yes, not one of us can do anything in our own flesh to be approved by God. But Christ Jesus gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. And we are created by God, in Christ Jesus, for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk (in conduct, in practice) in them. So God has works he wants us to do which give evidence that our faith is of him and it is genuine biblical faith (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:14).

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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Created in Christ Jesus For Good Works

An Original Work / October 30, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

The Will of God

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2 NASB1995)

As those of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ, we should be those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, and whose will is to do the will of God. We should long for our Lord and for his word and for our times of fellowship with him, to hear from him from his word, and for him to show us the way in which he would have us to go, for us to do what is pleasing to him. Obedience to his commands is not something we should try to avoid, but something we should pursue to put into daily practice, in the power of God.

We should desire our Lord and his will above all else in this life. And so we should surrender our hearts, minds, and actions over to the Lord, and give him our lives as living sacrifices to him, holy and pleasing to him. We should ask him to direct our steps, and to give us wisdom in making the right kinds of decisions, and to guide us in all truth and righteousness. Therefore we must leave our lives of sin behind us, and our lives must now be committed to obeying our Lord and to doing what he has for us to do in this life.

And this is what worship of God should look like. Singing songs and raising our hands and swaying to “worship” songs, in and of itself, is not worship of God. It is only worship of God if it is preceded by and accompanied by us denying self, dying to sin, and following our Lord in obedience to his commands. For if our lives are not surrendered to our Lord, to doing his will and purpose for our lives, but if we are still living for the sinful pleasures of the flesh, then singing worship songs does not equal biblical worship of God.

For we are no longer to be conformed to the ways of this sinful world. And here we should pray and ask the Lord to guide us and direct us in this in showing us in which ways we are still attached to the world and to worldly ways so that we may cease in any areas where we need to withdraw from worldliness in order to commit our lives fully to our Lord and to his service. And if we are sincere, he will point out those areas, and then we need to listen to his counsel and obey him, and change our ways.

For, by faith in Jesus Christ, we are called of God to come out from the world, not to leave this world, for we are called to go out into the world with the gospel, but to not partake of worldly and sinful ways. And, instead, we are to be transformed of God, by faith in Jesus Christ, by the renewing (changing) of our minds away from worldly and ungodly ways to now living for the Lord in walks of holiness and in obedience to his commands. For this is the will of God for our lives, that we should now live to please him.

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).

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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The Will of God

An Original Work / October 29, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Hypocritical Love is Not Love

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.” (Romans 12:9-11 NASB1995)

What kind of love is this speaking of here? It’s a love which centers in moral preference, which prefers what God prefers. And God prefers all that is holy, righteous, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, and faithful. So should we who are Jesus’ followers. And it’s a love which shows benevolence (concern, compassion, kindness) for one another, and for one another’s needs. So, when we love with this agape love, we will not deliberately and habitually sin against one another, but we will do for others what is for their good.

So, what does hypocritical love look like? Well, it is not love at all – not in the eyes of God and according to the Scriptures. It is words spoken but not in truth, and not followed up with actions which speak love, but often with actions which speak the opposite of love. It is like a man or a woman who is married who tells their spouse that they love them only to turn right around and do the exact opposite of what love is. A primary example of this is if one spouse is living in adultery against the other spouse, while professing love.

Another way this can be hypocritical love is if one person professing love to another leads that other person into sin deliberately, and for the sole purpose to get that other person to fail morally and spiritually, because it brings them pleasure to see the other person fail. And yes, there are people like this, even people professing faith in Jesus Christ, who get pleasure and enjoyment out of seeing others fall into sin. And the Bible talks about the punishment of those who lead others into sin, too (Matthew 18:6-7).

But do you know that is what many pastors and preachers of the word of God are doing to you when they feed you lies which give you the impression that your sins no longer matter to God once you “believe” in Jesus, and so you are free to keep sinning without feeling guilty about your sin, since you believe all your sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed you upon death? For any pastor/preacher, who willfully omits God’s biblical requirements for us to put sin to death and to walk in obedience to God, is doing that.

So, it is not okay with God if after we make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ that we go right on sinning against him deliberately and habitually, especially without conscience and without true remorse. However, this does not mean we will never sin/fail (1 John 2:1-2), for we are still human beings, mere clay in the Potter’s (God’s) hands, being conformed to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, which is a life-long process of sanctification, if, in fact, that is where we are spiritually, and that is actually taking place.

For we are to be children of God who have died with Christ to sin, and who are abhorring what is evil, and who are clinging to what is good, as God terms “good.” And we are not to be selfish people who think only of ourselves and what gives us pleasure, without regard for how our actions impact those we claim to love. But in love we are to give preference to one another in honor, but never in giving preference to what is evil and to what might destroy them morally and spiritually, if we teach them lies.

For, if our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine biblical faith, it will result in us dying to sin and walking in obedience to our Lord, in practice, by the grace of God and in the power of God. And our desire will be for the Lord, to do what pleases him, in service to him and to his will and purpose for our lives. And this doesn’t mean that we are going to get everything right all the time, but we should keep pressing forward in the strength and wisdom of God, in following our Lord, and in doing what he says, in living for him every day.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg

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Hypocritical Love is Not Love

An Original Work / October 29, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Zeal for Your House

The house of the Lord is the temple of God, which is the body of Christ, which is comprised of those who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of their lives. It is not a building, and it is not a human organization, nor a church denomination, nor is it a not-for-profit corporation of (union, merger with) the federal government of the USA, or of any other country.

[Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17; Acts 5:27-32; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Philippians 3:18-19; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22; Revelation 13:5-8; Revelation 18:1-5]

The church is a living organism with Christ as her head. And the sanctuary of God is within the lives of Christ’s followers. God does not dwell in buildings built by human hands. Thus, when we enter into a building called “church,” we are NOT entering God’s house nor have we suddenly walked into the presence of God, because God’s presence lives within us who obey him, and he is always with us. And we, the people of God, are the Lord’s house.

So, if zeal for the Lord’s house consumes us, it means that passion and fervor for Christ and for his church, his body, so fills up our lives to where we are fully engaged (involved) and committed to the Lord’s service and to ministering to the needs of his body, the people of God. And we are committed to serving and to ministering to and exhorting and encouraging one another in our walks of faith and in obedience to our Lord in holy living.

It also means that we are fully involved and committed to our personal relationships with Christ, to our times of personal worship with him, to dying to sin, and to obedience to his commands. We are fully dedicated to walking in the Spirit, and not according to the flesh, and to allowing the Lord to use us in other people’s lives according to his will and purposes for our lives.

As well, it means that we feel what God feels, we hate what he hates, and what he loves we love. We weep over all the junk that is presently going on in the world and in the worldly church in the name of God, and in the name of Jesus Christ. So, we expose these fruitless deeds of darkness so that other believers are not led astray to what is false. And we pray for revival!

[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]

Zeal for Your House

Based off John 2:17; Psalms 69:9

An Original Work / August 1, 2016

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Zeal for Your house, it consumes me.

Lord, I love my times with You.

I love to worship You and sing Your praises.

Time in Your Word brings me closer to You,

List’ning to You speaking to me,

Gently guiding me in truth.

Lord, You are my life’s example,

Showing me how I should live.

I love to walk with You where’er You lead me.

No greater joy have I when serving You.

Loving, giving, resting in Your strength,

I’m yielding to Your will.

Zeal for Your house, it consumes me.

See the church turned upside down:

Marketing ventures taking place of worship,

Men of the gospel turning into clowns.

Gospel message made appealing,

So the world will feel at home.

Lord, we need a great revival.

Turn their hearts, Lord, back to You.

Open the blind eyes, turn them all from darkness,

Lord, to the light. May they return to You,

Turn from their sin, forsake idols,

Be restored to God again.

https://vimeo.com/177433676

In All Your Behavior

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” (1 Peter 1:13-16 NASB1995)

In context, the subject matter is that of faith in Jesus Christ, surrender of our lives to God, dying with Christ to sin, being transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and walking in fellowship with our Lord in obedience to his commands. It is about faith being tested. And it is the message of the gospel of our salvation, which, in the life of a follower of Christ, is a life-long process of sanctification and of being made holy, which will not be complete until Jesus returns for his faithful followers, his bride.

[Romans 8:24; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:1-25]

Faith in Jesus Christ, which comes from God, which is authored and perfected by Jesus Christ, which is gifted to us by God, and persuaded of God, is not of our own doing. We cannot be saved from our sins and have eternal life with Christ in our own human effort. God is the one who sets the standard for what our salvation should look like and what God requires of us who profess faith in the Lord Jesus. And he says that by faith we die with him to sin and we walk in obedience to his commands, by the grace of God.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Ephesians 2:8-10; Acts 26:18]

Therefore, we must prepare our minds for action, and we must keep sober in spirit, fixing our hope completely on the grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And please pay close attention to the wording here, for it means something significant. For biblical salvation is not about just making a profession of faith in Jesus, but it is about living the life that God had planned for us to live even before the creation of the world, by biblical faith in the Lord, in obedience to God, in the power 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 Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)

So, please understand what this is teaching us here, for how we live our lives on this earth will determine where we spend eternity. And no, that is not teaching “works salvation,” but it is teaching the gospel of salvation taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles in the Scriptures, taught in their correct biblical context. Yes, we do nothing to earn our salvation, but biblical faith in Jesus Christ must result in our walks of obedience and our dying to sin, in the power of God, or we will not inherit eternal life with God.

So, when this instructs us here that, as obedient children of God we are not to be conformed to our former lusts, but we are to be holy in all our behavior, this is not a mere suggestion or recommendation. And it is definitely not something to be ignored. And holy means to be set apart (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ. So it means that we are to forsake our sins and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands, by his grace.

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

In All Your Behavior

An Original Work / October 28, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Salvation of Our Souls

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:3-9 NASB1995)

When we read this passage of Scripture, we need to read it carefully, considering every word and phrase and their meanings so that we don’t miss out on what this is really teaching us.

Yes! Only by the mercies of God can any of us be saved from our sins and have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven. We can do nothing in our own flesh to earn or to deserve our own salvation. Only by the grace of God, and because of Jesus’s sacrifice on that cross to put our sins to death with him, can any of us come to genuine faith in the Lord Jesus, be delivered from our bondage to sin, and walk in fellowship with our Lord in obedience to his commands. So all the glory and praise belongs to God and not to us.

But now it is important for us to know what this word “faith” really means and how biblically speaking it is to be applied to our lives. The Greek word is “pistis,” and it means to be persuaded, in this case to be persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need, by faith in him, to be crucified with him in death to sin, and be raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness (see Romans 6:1-23).

For when it speaks here of us obtaining an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God “through faith” for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time, please consider what it means biblically to be of genuine faith in the Lord Jesus and what it means “for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” For this is not a guarantee of salvation and eternal life for everyone who merely verbalizes faith in the Lord Jesus.

And this is describing for us “a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” For salvation from sin and eternal life with God are not promised to us based on a one-time profession of faith in Jesus Christ. For biblical faith is that which is currently active and ongoing, being lived out in our daily lives, in practice, by the grace of God, and in the power of God, until Jesus returns. And it involves us dying daily to sin, by the Spirit, and us walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands, in the power of God, to the very end.

[Romans 8:24; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5,9]

And then it goes on to support what was just stated above when it speaks of the various trials he takes us through in our lives, so that the “proof” of our faith, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. For the trials of life will test our faith to see if it is genuine biblical faith which will endure to the end. And the outcome of our faith (in practice) is the salvation of our souls, i.e. our God given faith which results in us dying to sin and obeying our Lord in practice.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Anonymous/Unknown

Tr. By John M. Neale, 1851

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,

Who orders all things mightily;

To us the path of knowledge show,

And teach us in its ways to go.

O come, Thou Branch of Jesse’s stem,

Unto Thine own and rescue them!

From depths of hell Thy people save,

And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.

O come, Thou Key of David, come

And open wide our heav’nly home;

Make safe for us the heav’nward road,

And bar the way to death’s abode.

O come, Thou Bright and Morning Star,

And bring us comfort from afar!

Dispel the shadows of the night

And turn our darkness into light.

O come, Desire of nations, bind

In one the hearts of all mankind;

Bid all our sad divisions cease,

And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

https://youtu.be/4wk3EE4w1OE?si=9LskjJk4WUacYRbc

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The Salvation of Our Souls

An Original Work / October 28, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Word of God

“Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For,

“’All flesh is like grass,
And all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
And the flower falls off,
But the word of the Lord endures forever.’
And this is the word which was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:22-25 NASB1995)

Peter penned these words, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to the church scattered throughout various locations. They were the chosen of God “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood” (v. 1-2).

The sanctifying work of the Spirit was in purifying their hearts and minds in delivering them out from under their bondage (addiction) to sin, so that they would be holy, being transformed by God into his likeness of nature, no longer to be like the world, but different from the world because they were being conformed to the ways of God. And this was to result in them obeying Jesus Christ and our Lord’s New Covenant commands, in daily practice.

And they did obey the Lord and the truth of his word. And in obedience to the truth they purified their souls for a sincere love of their fellow Christians. And the New Testament Scriptures speak much on that subject and how we who profess faith in Jesus Christ are to be those who, by faith in Jesus Christ, deny self, die to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, and in the power and wisdom of God.

Then there was a command for them to “fervently love one another from the heart.” And this was a friendship and a family type of love with morally proper affection for one another within the body of Christ, which we are also to have for our fellow followers of Christ, where we care about one another, and we care what happens to our brothers and sisters in Christ. And we want what is best for them and to do for them what is for their good.

For they had been born again, not of human flesh, which is perishable, but from seed which is imperishable, through the living word of God. They had been born again of the Spirit of God by faith in Jesus Christ which results in us dying to sin and walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands, in his power. For that is our only path to genuine salvation from sin and eternal life with God. No human methods and doctrines of salvation will ever save us from our sins, purify our hearts, and give us eternal life with God.

For all that is of the flesh, and which is produced by human flesh, will perish. And that includes these modern day “gospel” presentations which deny the gospel taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles because they deny his plan of salvation which requires that we deny self, die to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands. So if you are believing that God does not require such things of you, and that a profession of faith only will secure you eternal life with God, then please study the Scriptures.

As the Deer

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

Caution: This link may contain ads

The Word of God

An Original Work / October 28, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Monday, October 27, 2025

Sufferings Have a Purpose

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16 NASB1995)

In this biblical context, “weaknesses” appear to be specifically targeted toward the subject of temptation to sin. But it can also refer to disease, infirmity, sickness, and physical ailments of the human body.

For example we read in 2 Corinthians 12 about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh,” which was not sin, for God will never refuse to remove sin from our lives, and God’s power is not perfected in sin. But even though Paul pleaded to the Lord to have the “thorn in the flesh” removed from his body, God’s answer was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

And Paul’s response to this was, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” Amen! He had the right heart response to God.

And in Romans 8, in the context of Paul speaking of the sufferings of this present time, which are “not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us,” he stated, “But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it,” in reference, I believe, to the return of our Lord when we will no longer be in these flesh bodies suffering physically and/or emotionally, for various reasons, but we will be with our Lord.

And then he said, “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:26-28 NASB1995)

Paul also spoke in 1 Corinthians 2 of when he came to the church there, that he was with them “in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,” and his message and his preaching were not in “persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” Since Paul did suffer much physical persecution and trials and tribulations, this could have included physical weakness as well as humbleness of mind and modesty in preaching.

And Jesus Christ himself knew what it was like to be physically weak when his enemies arranged for his arrest and trial and death on a cross on false charges, and they had him beaten and whipped beyond recognition, and then they nailed him to a cross to suffer and to die, as though he was a common criminal. But it was in the will of God that he should suffer and die on that cross, for in his death he put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we can now die to sin and walk in obedience to our Lord.

[Luke 23:33-46; Romans 6:1-23; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15,21; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Titus 2:11-14]

So, our time of need might be in a time of physical ailments and sufferings which have nothing to do with sin in our lives, but which God has allowed in our lives for his purposes: To produce within us endurance, godly character, hope, steadfastness, and spiritual maturity. To test the genuineness of our faith. To give opportunity for us to bear witness for Jesus Christ. That we might comfort others in their sufferings. To make us rely not on ourselves, but on God. Because God disciplines those he loves for our good that we may share in his holiness, that it might yield the fruit of righteousness.

[Luke 21:13; Romans 5:3-5; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; 2 Corinthians 4:17; Hebrews 12:3-12; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7]

And this is very personal to me right now because of the sufferings that my Lord is allowing me to go through physically and emotionally, and for many of the same reasons as are listed above. For in the past 40 days the Lord has had me going through a series of tests to see what is going on inside of my body due to chest pain, chest pressure, and difficulty breathing, which has not ceased. And so far I have been diagnosed with a lung tumor (nodule), which is possibly cancerous, a breathing disorder where I am only breathing at 44% of 100% breathing capacity, heart failure, a possible cancerous brain tumor, and a breast nodule which also could be cancerous.

So more tests are needed. And I am tired physically and emotionally. But I am trusting the Lord that he has allowed all this in my life for my good and for his purposes, and that good will come out of this somehow. And so I rest in him, and I take this all one day and one step at a time, believing that God will work all this out for his purposes, and for his glory, and for my good.

His Tender Mercies

An Original Work / January 26, 2014

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Fear not! I’m with you.

Be not dismayed!

God watches o’er you.

Trust Him today.

He’ll lead and guide you;

Give you His aid.

He’ll love and keep you

With Him always.

Walk in His footsteps.

He’ll lead the way.

Trust in His love;

Believe that He cares.

He will not leave you.

Faithful He’ll be.

His tender mercies

Now you will see.

Fellowship with Him

Throughout the day.

Tell Him your heartaches.

He’ll heal always.

Rest in His comfort.

He is your friend.

Your faith He’ll strengthen,

True to the end.

https://vimeo.com/379513308

Sufferings Have a Purpose

An Original Work / October 27, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Our Hearts' Intentions

Today I am reading in Hebrews 3-4. And the primary message in both of these chapters is that, as those who testify to having faith in Jesus Christ, which saves us from our sins, and which promises us eternal life with God, we must be careful that we don’t respond to God’s voice speaking to us as the majority of the Israelites did when they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years after they had been delivered by God out of slavery in Egypt.

Today if we hear the voice of God calling to us to repent of our sins and to follow him in obedience to his commands, as necessary components of believing faith in him which saves, we are not to harden our hearts as they did. We are not to crave evil things like they did. And we are not to become idolaters, revelers, and drunkards, who act immorally, and who test God and who grumble against God, and who practice sin and disobedience to God.

We are not to be those who go astray in our hearts, who do not know (experientially) the ways of God, and who choose our sins and disobedience to God and to his word over submission to him as Lord, and over surrender of our lives to him to live for him as living sacrifices to God, holy and pleasing to God, which is our spiritual act of worship of God. Therefore we are cast off from our Lord and we are not able to enter into his eternal rest.

We are to take care, therefore, that there not be in anyone of us an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God, and that is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin beyond recovery. For if we are those who deliberately and habitually sin against him, and who will not repent of our sins, and who will not obey our Lord’s commands, in practice, we are regarded the same as those of unbelief, and salvation from sin and eternal life with God will not be ours to possess, but we will face the wrath of God.

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” (Hebrews 4:12-13 NASB1995)

So, we should not take God’s word lightly, thinking that he doesn’t really mean what he says, or that he won’t really do what he threatened he would do if we choose to go our own way and to walk in sin and to not obey his commands. He makes it very clear in these two chapters, and in the rest of the New Testament books, that regardless of what our lips profess, if sin is still what we practice, and not obedience to God, we will not inherit eternal life with God, but we will face the wrath of God in its place.

For we learn in 1 John 1-3 that if we claim that we have fellowship with God, but yet we walk in darkness (sin), we are liars. If we claim that we know God, but we do not obey his commandments, in practice, we are liars. 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.

[1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16; 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; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Walking in The Light

Based off 1 John 1-2

An Original Work / November 16, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

When I lift up my voice, and

Sing praise unto God,

I will fellowship with my

Lord and Savior, King.

In Him there is no darkness.

He is in the light of truth.

If we walk in His light,

From sin He purifies.

If we repent of our sins,

He’ll forgive us now,

When we humble ourselves, and

Before Jesus bow.

The man who says, “I know Him,”

But does not obey His truth,

There is no truth in him.

In darkness still he’s found.

Do not love the world of sin,

For it is hell bound.

If you follow the world, you’ll

Not in Christ be found.

The world and its desires

Will not last; they’ll expire.

The one who does God’s will,

Receives eternal life.

See that what you have heard from

Christ remains in you.

Then, you’ll remain in Christ, and

In His Father, too.

This is what He promised us –

His eternal life with God.

So, continue in Him, and

You’ll receive a crown.

https://vimeo.com/114160122

Our Hearts’ Intentions

An Original Work / October 27, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Entering Into God's Eternal Rest

“Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,

“’As I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest,’ although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all His works’; and again in this passage, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, He again fixes a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, ‘Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.’” (Hebrews 4:1-7 NASB1995)

What is this “rest” that God speaks of? It is most certainly our salvation (deliverance) from bondage (addiction) to sin and eternal life with God. And who are the “they” being spoken of here? They were the children of Israel who wandered in the wilderness for some 40 years but who died in the wilderness, and who did not get to enter into God’s eternal rest nor into the Promised Land, due to their disobedience, which God called “unbelief.”

For they were idolaters who craved evil things. And they were revelers and drunkards who acted immorally. And they were those who tested God and who grumbled against the Lord and Moses, God’s servant, thinking that God would not punish them for their rebellion and disobedience. And these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. And they were written down for our instruction as examples.

[See: 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-16]

So, what is the message for us here? We need to be careful that we do not come up short of entering into God’s eternal rest. And how might that happen? The same way in which it happened to the Israelites who disobeyed God, who continued to walk in sin, in direct defiance of God’s commands, and for whom obedience to God and to his commands was not their practice. For they did not desire obedience to God, but they craved evil things.

And when this says here that the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard it, this is in the context of the Scriptures teaching that faith = obedience, and disobedience = unbelief. For faith in Jesus Christ is not lip service to God only, but it must be coupled with us denying self, dying to sin daily (in practice), and following our Lord in obedience to his commands, as a matter of what we practice.

So, today if you hear God’s voice speaking to you through his divine revelation in the Scriptures, taught in the correct biblical context, which tells you that faith in Christ, which is biblical faith, must result in us dying to sin and following our Lord in obedience to his commands, in the power of God, please do not harden your hearts and refuse his voice. By faith in Jesus, please surrender your lives to Jesus Christ, deny self, and die to sin, and walk in obedience to his commands, and you will enter into his eternal rest.

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

Entering Into God’s Eternal Rest

An Original Work / October 27, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Sunday, October 26, 2025

Living Godly in Christ Jesus

“Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:10-13 NASB1995)

Paul was writing this to Timothy, a fellow servant and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, who had spent enough time with Paul to become intimately acquainted with Paul’s teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, and love, etc. But this was not just for the sake of knowledge, but that he might follow after Paul’s example of what it looks like to be a Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ. For Paul modeled for Timothy and for all who knew him and for all who have read his teachings what faith in Jesus Christ is truly all about.

And this was in the context of Paul speaking about what it will be like in the last days, which they were in, even then. And he described how people would be lovers of self, lovers of money, arrogant, disobedient, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, and without self-control, etc. They would be those who were always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth because they opposed the truth, because they were people of depraved minds who preferred their sins over God and over obedience to God.

We are to live the opposite of that by faith in Jesus Christ. For by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in the Lord we are persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die with Christ to sin, by the grace of God, and to now follow him in obedience to his commands, in the power of God. Sin is to no longer have control over our lives, but now obedience to our Lord and to his commands is what we are now to live by, as led and empowered by the Spirit of God within us.

And when that is the faith in Jesus that we go by, which is biblical faith, we, too, will follow after the example of Paul’s witness and testimony for Jesus Christ. But please let me state here that many people today are taking some of Paul’s teachings out of context, and they are trying to prove that Paul was someone who had a sinful addiction, and he was someone who “struggled” with sin in much the same way as many addicts do today. But that is out of context and it is just not biblical. Paul was a righteous man who obeyed God.

And that is why he could say to Timothy and to others to follow his example of teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, and love, etc. For Paul not only stressed holy and righteous living in his teachings, but he lived what he taught. He lived for the Lord to do his will even if it cost him his life or his reputation. And he was persecuted severely for his testimony for the gospel of our salvation, even to the point of near death many times while teaching the truth, because so many people rejected Jesus Christ and his gospel.

So all of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ are to live by the standard taught to us in the passages of Scripture noted above (and below). And if truly this is how we are living, and our desire is to live godly in Christ Jesus, and if we are following after the example of Jesus, and the example of Paul, in the things that they did and said for the glory of God, we, too, will be hated, persecuted, mistreated, rejected, and cast aside as unnecessary and as unwanted, just like trash to be thrown away and forever forgotten.

His Tender Mercies

An Original Work / January 26, 2014

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Fear not! I’m with you.

Be not dismayed!

God watches o’er you.

Trust Him today.

He’ll lead and guide you;

Give you His aid.

He’ll love and keep you

With Him always.

Walk in His footsteps.

He’ll lead the way.

Trust in His love;

Believe that He cares.

He will not leave you.

Faithful He’ll be.

His tender mercies

Now you will see.

Fellowship with Him

Throughout the day.

Tell Him your heartaches.

He’ll heal always.

Rest in His comfort.

He is your friend.

Your faith He’ll strengthen,

True to the end.

https://vimeo.com/379513308

Living Godly in Christ Jesus

An Original Work / October 26, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Please consider this teaching about Paul’s life:

https://runwithit.blog/2023/05/13/was-paul-a-hypocrite-ii/

Run With It

Habakkuk 2

Friday, October 31, 2025

The Fiery Ordeal Among You

And They Malign You

Resist him, Firm in Your Faith

Thursday, October 30, 2025

Do You Know?

Brought Near by The Blood of Christ

In Which You Formerly Walked

Created in Christ Jesus For Good Works

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

The Will of God

Hypocritical Love is Not Love

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

Zeal for Your House

In All Your Behavior

The Salvation of Our Souls

The Word of God

Monday, October 27, 2025

Sufferings Have a Purpose

Our Hearts' Intentions

Entering Into God's Eternal Rest

Sunday, October 26, 2025

Living Godly in Christ Jesus

Original Works

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