Be on Guard Against False Teachings

“Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:14-18 NASB1995)

The New Testament Scriptures, under the New Covenant God has with all who believe in Christ Jesus, in truth, do not teach “Once Saved Always Saved.” They do not teach that once you make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ that your sins are all forgiven and heaven is secured you for eternity, but regardless of how you live. For Jesus taught that not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one doing (obeying) the will of God the Father. And many will hear him say, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness.” (see Matthew 7:21-23).

And Jesus taught that if anyone would come after him that he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him and his commands. For if we hold on to our lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if we deny self, die to sin, and follow Jesus in obedience, in his power, by his grace, then we have the hope of salvation and eternal life with God. 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 Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23).

For if we say that we are in fellowship with God (with Christ) and yet we walk (in conduct, in practice) in sin, we are liars who do not practice the truth. And if we claim that we know God, but we do not obey his commandments (New Covenant), we are liars, and the truth is not in us. For those who are righteous in the eyes of the Lord are those who, by the Spirit, put righteousness into practice in their daily lives. And all who make sin their practice are regarded as of the devil. So if righteousness is not our practice, we are not of God (see 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10).

[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] 

Even though this is what is taught us in the New Testament Scriptures, with regard to faith in Jesus Christ, salvation from sin, and eternal life with God, there are people among us who are taking Scriptures out of their biblical context, and they are distorting them to make them say what they do not say if taught in the correct biblical context. And so many people are now teaching that we can just make a verbal confession of Christ as Lord and now all our sins are forgiven, and we are on our way to heaven, but while they leave out God’s requirements for death to sin and obedience to God.

But the Scriptures teach progressive salvation and sanctification, of the Spirit, by the grace of God, and in the power of God, by biblical faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, but which is gifted to us by God. And this faith is persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die to sin and to obey our Lord, in practice. So it will result in us being 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 servant of God and of his righteousness, in his power.

[Matthew 10:22; Luke 9:23-26; John 8:31-32; John 15:1-12; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-24; Romans 11:17-24; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; Galatians 5:16-24; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:21-23; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; 2 Timothy 2:10-13; Hebrews 3:6,14-15; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5,9; 2 Peter 1:5-11; 1 John 2:24-25]

Therefore, we need to be diligent to be found by God in peace, spotless, and blameless, i.e. righteous, virtuous, upright, honest, and decent. 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 (see Titus 2:11-14). And we need to be careful that we are not carried away by the error of “wolves in sheep’s clothing” who are not teaching death to sin and obedience to God as required of God for salvation. But we are to keep obeying our Lord God.

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 on Guard Against False Teachings

An Original Work / November 30, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

In Holy Conduct and Godliness

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:10-13 NASB1995)

Did you know that a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, by itself, is not sufficient to bring about salvation from sin resulting in eternal life with God? For Jesus taught that not everyone who calls him, “Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the ones doing (obeying) the will of God. Therefore, 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 Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23).

And this is why this passage of Scripture in 2 Peter 3 teaches us that we need to be people who live in holy conduct and godliness, because our Lord is going to visit this world we live in with judgment, and all who are living in sin and in disobedience to our Lord, in deliberate and habitual practice, will not enter the kingdom of heaven because of their disobedience. And it won’t matter if they made professions of faith in the Lord, because they did not live the faith that they professed to have. For they loved their sin and not the commands of God. So, love God, forsake your sins, and obey God!

So, what does it look like for us to be in holy conduct and godliness? Well, to be holy is to be separate (unlike, different) from the world, because we are being conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, as we cooperate fully with God’s work of grace in our lives. For his grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. And to live godly lives is to follow after the example of Christ Jesus and how he lived when he lived on this earth, in God’s power.

And then it says here that, according to His promise, we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. And I find this subject a little difficult to comprehend, but basically when Jesus comes to judge and to destroy the universe, as we have come to know it, he will provide a new dwelling place for us who are his followers, in which righteousness (and not sin) dwells. There will be no more sin, no more evil, no more sickness, no more death, no more sadness, and no more tears. And we will be with our Lord for eternity. And there will be much rejoicing!

[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] 

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

In Holy Conduct and Godliness

An Original Work / November 30, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

But for All to Come to Repentance

“But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:7-9 NASB1995)

When Jesus Christ lived on the earth, he told his disciples that he was going to be leaving them, and that he was going to prepare a place for them, but that one day he would come back and he would take all his followers (his faithful bride) to be with him for eternity. And that was nearly 2000 years ago. And so there are people who doubt his words, since he has yet to return and to take his faithful ones to be with him for eternity. But just because it has not yet happened, it does not mean that it will not happen.

One day Jesus will return for his faithful bride, and he will take us to be with him for eternity. And the world as we know it will be destroyed with fire, along with all who are ungodly. And who are the ungodly? They are not just all who make no professions of faith in Jesus Christ, but they are all who are living ungodly lives in deliberate and habitual sin against God and in willful and habitual disobedience to his commands. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the ones DOING the will of God.

But just because our Lord has not yet returned, it is not a sign that he will not do what he said he would do, for his timing is not the same as ours. And the reason for his delay is that he is not wishing (willing, wanting) that anyone should perish in their sins, but that all would come to repentance. And repentance is a change of heart and mind resulting in a change of behavior. For it means we die to our old lives of living in sin so that we can now serve our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands, in his power.

So, this is not just about confessing our sins and asking God for forgiveness, but this is us turning away from our sins to now follow Jesus in obedience. And to confess our sins is not just a verbal acknowledgement of sin, but it is agreeing with God about our sin, not just that we sinned, but that Jesus Christ died on that cross to put our sins to death with him so that, by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in him, we will now die to sin and walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands (see 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6).

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).

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).

[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] 

Send a Revival  

An Original Work / June 25, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Send a revival to this nation, Lord, I pray.

Bring us to our knees, Lord, humbly today.

Teach us to daily walk in your footsteps.

Guide us in your truth, and may we find rest.

Send a revival to this nation, Lord, I pray.

Bring us to our knees, Lord, humbly today.

Be our desire and our hearts’ pure devotion, Lord.

Make us a people who walk close to you.

Change our hearts to conform to your likeness.

May we love others who are in distress.

Be our desire and our hearts’ pure devotion, Lord.

Make us a people who walk close to you.

Teach us to be an example of your love, Lord.

May we serve others as though serving you.

Keep us in fellowship with you, I pray.

May we obey you in all things today.

Teach us to be an example of your love, Lord.

May we serve others as though serving you.

https://vimeo.com/126020794

But for All to Come to Repentance

An Original Work / November 30, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

A Call to Discipleship

“Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.” (Matthew 4:18-22 NASB1995)

Jesus Christ had just begun his earthly ministry, and so he was calling disciples to himself to work alongside him in ministry. And when he calls us to put our faith and trust in him to be Lord and Savior of our lives, that is the call he is making on each and every one of our lives, too. For a call to believe in Jesus is not in words only, but it is a call to leave our former lives of sin behind us to now follow our Lord wherever he leads us in walks of obedience to his commands, living holy lives, pleasing to God, in his power. 

I really like it that when Jesus called these men to be his disciples that they immediately left the lives they had been living behind them to follow Jesus Christ where he led them. Evidently they did not hesitate. But we do not know all the details of how this all took place because we were not there with them. But the point is that when Jesus called them to follow him, they followed him immediately. And to follow our Lord is to obey him, to do what he says that we are to do, and to be who he calls us to be for his service.

So, this sets the example for us as to what it should look like in our lives when Jesus calls us to himself to believe in him. For faith in Jesus Christ is not of our own doing, not of the will of human flesh. So we do not get to determine what that faith looks like. God does. And he is the one who gives us the faith to believe in Jesus. And he is the one who persuades us as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die to sin and to walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, all in His power!

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

But these were not perfect men. They were followers of Christ, yes! But they had a lot to learn, and Jesus taught them much about what it meant to be his followers. And sometimes he had to correct them and to help them to grow in their faith. And I really don’t know at what point Judas had a change of heart and mind, and when he decided to turn against Jesus, but he was one of Jesus’ disciples for three years alongside all the others who followed the Lord wherever he led them in doing what he called them to do.

So, our walks of faith in the Lord Jesus, in following him wherever he leads us, may not be “smooth sailing” (easy) all the time. For we are mere clay in the hands of the Potter (God/Jesus Christ) being molded into the likeness of Christ, which is a lifelong process, provided our faith is genuine, and we are cooperating with God’s work of grace in our lives. But we should be followers of Christ who are going where he leads us, and who are doing all that he commands us to do, as his followers. None of us should betray our Lord.

Now, Jesus said to the fishermen, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And when we accept Jesus’ call upon our lives to put our faith in him, this is the call he is placing upon our lives, too. For a call to believe in Jesus is a call to discipleship, and it is a call to follow our Lord in ministry in sharing the truth of the gospel of Christ with the people of the world. It is a call to become whoever he created us to be in doing what he created us to do, for his service. We are his workmanship, created by God for good works.

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] 

Living Sacrifices  

Based off Romans 12:1-2; Romans 6:11-14 NIV

An Original Work / September 14, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you,

In view of God’s mercy,

To give yourselves to God in love

As living offerings,

Pleasing to God, holy in love.

This is your true worship.

Do not conform to worldly lives.

Let God transform you today.

Then you’ll be able to

Test and approve of what

God’s will is – His pleasing

And perfect will. Oh, holy ones, 

I counsel you – Offer yourselves unto God. 

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you – 

Do not be conceited.

Humble yourselves before your God.

Do not be self-righteous.

The strength you have to live in love

Comes from your Lord God, so

Live your new lives in pow’r of God.

Be changed in heart, mind and will.

Do this because of what

Christ did for you when 

He died on the cross to save

The world from sin. Oh, holy ones, 

I counsel you – Humble yourselves before God.

Oh, holy ones, I counsel you –

Count yourselves dead to sin,

But be alive to God in Christ.

Do not let sin reign in

Your earthly lives so you

Obey its evil desires.

Offer yourselves unto your God

As those who’ve been born again.

For sin shall no longer be 

Your lord and master.

Give of yourselves to God

For righteousness. Oh, holy ones, 

I counsel you – Be alive to God in Christ. 

https://vimeo.com/118480946 

A Call to Discipleship

An Original Work / November 29, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Baptized with The Holy Spirit and Fire

“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11-12 NASB1995)

John the Baptist, in preparation for Jesus Christ and his ministry, baptized many people with water for repentance. And repentance means a change of mind and heart, resulting in a change of behavior. Throughout Scripture, to repent means to turn away from sin, thus resulting in a heart transformation of the Spirit of God, and then turning to follow Christ in obedience - putting off our old flesh and putting on our new lives in Christ Jesus, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (see Ephesians 4:17-24). 

Then John the Baptist talked about Jesus Christ, the Messiah, as the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. When we trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, via repentance, turning from sin and turning to walk by faith in Christ Jesus, to obey him, by the power and working of the Spirit in our lives in new birth (spiritual birth), we die with Christ to sin and we are resurrected with Christ to walk in newness of life in him. Jesus, thus, baptizes us with his Spirit in the regeneration of our lives. 

Jesus will also baptize us with fire. Fire has to do with judgment, and the New Testament teaches that God judges (disciplines; corrects; punishes; rebukes; chastises) his own for the purpose of purifying them and making them holy, and/or to get his wandering ones to return to their “first love.” He does this because he loves us, and because he wants us to be in a right relationship with him. And so he allows us to go through difficulties to test our faith and to make us into the people he wants us to be for his service.

Yet so much of today’s church is no different from the world. It is barely distinguishable between the church and the world anymore. The church is supposed to be the body of Christ, made up of those who truly believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior of their lives, with Jesus Christ as the head. Its meetings are supposed to be for the purpose of mutual edification and encouragement of the body so that we can go out into the world with the gospel of salvation, and so we can stand strong in our faith against all the tricks and traps of the devil in his deceitful scheming against us.

Yet, much of the church has invited the world into their gatherings, and they have acclimated the meetings of the church to the desires of the world in order to attract the world to their assemblies. Thus, many have diluted the gospel of our salvation in order to make it more palatable and acceptable to the sinful world and to the adulterous and idolatrous church. And feel good messages meant to tickle itching ears have mostly, it would seem, replaced Holy Spirit inspired preaching intended to convict human hearts of sin, and to call people to forsake their sinful practices and to obey God’s commands.

So the wayward, idolatrous, and adulterous church of today is under the judgment of God; of Christ. For so many who profess the name of Jesus as Lord and Savior are living so far away from what God requires of us who profess to know him. So many who profess faith in Jesus Christ are living worldly and fleshly lives to please the flesh, and not to please God. And so much of what is called “church” are just businesses of human making which are patterning the gospel and the church after the world. Their hearts are, thus, not surrendered to the Lord to putting sin to death and to obeying him.

So when Jesus baptizes with fire, he will do what is necessary to get all those who profess his name to submit to him as Lord, to obey his commands, and to walk in his ways and in his righteousness. And he will separate those who give him lip service only from those who are walking in obedience to him in holy living, empowered by God. And all who called him, “Lord,” but did not obey his commands, will hear him say, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness” (see 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] 

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

Baptized with The Holy Spirit and Fire

An Original Work / November 28, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Bear Fruit in Keeping with Repentance

John the Baptist was called of God, even before he was born, to be “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” And he did exactly as the Lord had called him to do. He came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And people were coming to him to be baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins (see Matthew 3:1-6).

“But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, “We have Abraham for our father”; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’” (Matthew 3:7-10 NASB1995)

The scribes and Pharisees (and Sadducees, too) of Jesus’ day were skilled at hypocrisy. Jesus described them in this way (see Matthew 16 & 23):

• They do not practice what they preach

• They do their deeds to be seen by others

• They love places of honor; they love attention

• They lead people to hell on the promise of heaven

• They profess one thing but live the opposite

• They adhere to religious rituals but not to God’s righteousness

• They appear clean (righteous) outwardly but inwardly are evil

• They are full of wicked deeds, greed, hypocrisy and self-indulgence

• They persecute those who are truly righteous in God’s sight

• Their teaching is not to be trusted; not to be followed

Therefore, when John saw them coming to him for baptism he did not trust their motives. He doubted the genuineness of their actions, and for good reason. So he called them a “brood of vipers.” For they were malicious, treacherous, and venomous in their nature and in their actions. And they were deceptive, and sneaky, and those who liked to trap people with their words, and who got pleasure out of causing other people pain.

So, he knew that they were not coming to have their hearts, minds, and actions altered (changed, transformed) via genuine repentance. He knew that they were not wanting God to change them inside and out so that they would escape the wrath of God to come. And so he let them know that genuine repentance will result in the bearing of spiritual and biblical fruit (results, outgrowth). There will be evidence that a change has taken place.

And the same is true for us today. For repentance is not just mouthing words of confession of sin, but it is a change of heart and mind resulting in a change of behavior. And it is gifted to us by God, as is our faith, as is our salvation from sin. And it has to do with us dying to sin, being changed in heart and mind by God, and us now walking (in conduct) in obedience to our Lord’s commands, living holy lives pleasing to God, by the grace of God.

And just because you attend services at an institutional “church,” and perhaps you went through the waters of baptism, or just because your parents claimed to be Christians, or you serve on some kind of church committee, that does not mean you are a follower of Jesus Christ. Just because you verbalize faith in Jesus Christ, it does not guarantee you salvation from sin or eternal life with God. We must truly repent.

And the Scriptures make it very clear that if we do not have that change of heart and mind, resulting in a change of behavior, and if sin is still what we practice, and not obedience to God and to his commands, we will not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God. And that was John’s point to the Pharisees and to the Sadducees. And that is God’s point to us, as well. For it is not a verbal confession of faith in Jesus Christ which saves us, but it is obedience to God that results in life eternal with God/Christ in heaven.

[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] 

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 

Bear Fruit in Keeping with Repentance

An Original Work / November 28, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Glory in His Holy Name

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples.

Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;

Speak of all His wonders.

Glory in His holy name;

Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.

Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek His face continually.

Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done,

His marvels and the judgments from His mouth.” (1 Chronicles 16:8-12 NASB1995)

We should be thankful to the Lord in all circumstances, in pain and suffering, as well as in times when all is well. For he allows us to go through hard times as well as good times, because the difficult times are for our good, to humble us, to mature us, and to make us more like Jesus in character, in word, and in deed. And we need that pruning to change us and to mold us into the likeness of Christ so that we follow our Lord in his footsteps, and we do what he commands, and we live for him to do what pleases him.

But our thanks and our praise to God for what he has done should be shared with other Christians, and non-Christians, too, for their encouragement. For we all have our good times and bad times because we are human and we live on this earth, and so we are subject to all that is going on all around us, too. Like if the economy goes bad, and so prices soar, if we are not wealthy people, but we live on limited incomes, well we are definitely impacted by that. And that is just one example. So we need encouragement.

But if we are to make known God’s deeds among the people, well at the top of the list should be the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We should be sharing with others how Jesus Christ, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – left his throne in heaven, came to earth, was born as a baby to a human (virgin) mother, and was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and not of man. So he was not born with a sin nature as we are. And he never sinned, not once the whole 33 years of his life on this earth.

Jesus left his throne in heaven and came to earth with the ultimate purpose of putting our sins to death with him on a cross, and then being raised from the dead, so that, by faith in him, we will now die to sin and live for God and for his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands, by the Spirit, in the power of God at work within us. He did not give his life up for us on that cross just so we will verbalize faith in him but while we continue to live in deliberate and habitual sin in disobedience to our Lord. Please know this!

And to seek the Lord and his strength, and to glory in his name, and to sing praises to him, and to speak of all his wonders should never be done superficially and in form only. What we speak of and sing of should come from the genuineness of our hearts in thanksgiving to our Lord for his salvation (deliverance) from our addiction to sin so that, in his power, we can now serve him with our lives in surrender to his will in walks of obedience to his commands. For if we don’t live it, we don’t mean it with all sincerity.

For seeking the Lord is not just about giving him our requests, hoping that he will grant them. Seeking the Lord has to do with us wanting to get to know him, and to know his will and purpose for our lives, so that we will now do what he requires of us in thought, word, and deed – all in his power and strength and wisdom. If we are truly seeking the Lord we will be drawing closer to him in walks of surrender to his will and purpose for our lives, because we love him, and because we want to do what is pleasing to him.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 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] 

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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Glory in His Holy Name

An Original Work / November 28, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Christ in Christmas?

Is Christ in Christmas?

Is this His business?

Is this His witness?

Christ now within us?

And does this matter?

Not empty chatter,

Not meant to scatter,

Nor faith to shatter.

Yes! It’s important,

So not leave dormant,

Remain informant,

The truth to warrant.

Christ not in Christmas.

It’s not His witness.

For in His strictness,

For truth He bids us

To know His teachings,

His truth now seeking,

Be we not sleeping,

His Word now reading.

Christ has a purpose,

Be in His service,

Not live on surface,

Your life He purchased.

Not follow idols,

Your sins now bridle,

Know what is vital,

Be His disciple.

If Christ to worship,

Do what He tells us,

What He compels us,

Not what world sells us.

An Original Work / November 27, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Do Not Refuse Him

“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.” (Hebrews 12:25 NASB1995)

In context, the one who warned them on earth was Moses. He warned the Israelites who had escaped slavery in Egypt, but who were wandering in the wilderness, against living in idolatry, adultery, immorality, drunkenness, revelry, grumbling against God, putting God to the test, craving evil things, and disobedience to God and to his commandments. But most of them did not listen, and they continued in their sins, and so God put them to death, and they did not get to enter his eternal rest because of their disobedience.

The things that they did in rebellion against God happened as examples for us, and they were written down for our instruction, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. And we are warned in the Scriptures to not be like them, and to not commit the same kinds of sins which they did, and which they refused to repent of, which brought about their deaths and their eternal separation from God. And we are told that if we hear God’s voice, we must not harden our hearts as they did in disobedience to God.

For, under the Old Covenant or the New Covenant, we must not walk in sin and in disobedience to our Lord or we, as well, will not enter into God’s eternal rest, i.e. we will not inherit eternal life with God. And all throughout the New Testament we are warned against disobedience to God and making sin our practice, that if we do that, we will not have salvation from sin, and we will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. For we can’t just call Jesus “Lord,” but we need to be doing (obeying) what he commands us to do.

And God is now using them as an example to us to not be like them or we will face the same result. He is the voice warning us from heaven. And he is showing us that if we do what they did that we will suffer the same punishment that they did, too. For unbelief is not just a failure to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. Disobedience to God and to his commands is unbelief. And faith in Jesus Christ is obedience to our Lord in dying to sin and now living to God, doing what is pleasing to God.

But all of this comes from God, and is not generated in our own human flesh. Our faith comes from God, it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die to sin and to obey our Lord and his commandments, by the grace of God, and in the power of God, according to the will of God for our lives. Not one of us can be saved from our sins via our own human effort, but faith in Jesus requires death to sin and obeying God.

So please understand here that our salvation from sin and eternal life with God are not promised to us based upon a profession of faith in Jesus Christ only. God warns us in the Scriptures many times over that if we continue in deliberate and habitual sin, and if obedience to our Lord’s commands is not what we practice, that we will face the same punishment as the Israelites in the wilderness who ignored God’s warnings. We will die in our sins, and we will not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God. Please believe it!

[1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2,18-29; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; 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 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 10:19-39; 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]

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

Do Not Refuse Him

An Original Work / November 27, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Pursue Peace, Exemplify Grace

“Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.” (Hebrews 12:14-15 NASB1995)

Peace with all people must include peace with God. For we are never to compromise our faith and biblical convictions and the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles in order to be at peace with anyone. We are never to compromise truth, righteousness, and moral purity so that others will like us, and so they will approve of us. But if we know that we said or did something to offend another person, because of something we did or said in the flesh, then we need to repent of our sin and seek their forgiveness and reconciliation. And they may still reject us, but we must do our part.

For we are also to pursue “the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.” And sanctification is holiness and purification. For when we believe in Jesus Christ with God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in him, it results in us being crucified with Christ in death to sin, and us being 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 holy living. And to be holy is to be separate (different, unlike) the world because we are being progressively conformed by God to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

And if we are to see to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, what should that look like for us? Well, the grace of God is his kindness towards us who are sinners by nature. And in his kindness he sent his only begotten Son Jesus Christ, who was God in the flesh (fully God and fully human), to die on a cross and to put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will now die to sin and live to God and to his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living and in surrender to his will. For this purpose Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross to free us from sin.

And 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. God’s grace to us is never free license to keep on living in sin and for self. 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, if we are to see to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, then we are extending ourselves to others to show them compassion and forgiveness of sins. This does not put our stamp of approval on their sins, for that is the opposite of biblical grace. So to show them the grace of God is not only in us forgiving them, but it is in us sharing with them the message of the gospel of our salvation that Jesus died on that cross, not just to forgive us our sins, but to deliver us out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we can now serve him with our lives in obedience to his commands.

We are never to become bitter, angry, and unforgiving people. But again, forgiveness and grace are not tolerance of deliberate and habitual sin. Grace never approves of sin, but it forgives the sinner who is repentant, and it gives the sinner a chance to change, and a chance to be forgiven and to live a new life in Christ Jesus free from addiction to sin, and free to now serve God with their lives in holy living. But forgiveness is not permission for the sinner to continue in sin without punishment. For all who make sin their practice, and not obedience, they will not inherit eternal life with God.

[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] 

His Strength Is Perfect

Steven Curtis Chapman

I can do all things

Through Christ who gives me strength

But sometimes I wonder what He can do through me

No great success to show

No glory of my own

Yet in my weakness He is there to let me know

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone

He'll carry us when we can't carry on

Raised in His power, the weak become strong

His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect

We can only know

The power that He holds

When we truly see how deep our weakness goes

His strength in us begins

Where ours comes to an end

He hears our humble cry and proves again

His strength is perfect when our strength is gone

He'll carry us when we can't carry on

Raised in His power, the weak become strong

His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGC9KT918Kk 

Caution: This link may contain ads

Pursue Peace, Exemplify Grace

An Original Work / November 27, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Whom The Lord Loves He Disciplines

“All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.” (Hebrews 12:11-13 NASB1995)

We learn in this chapter of Hebrews that God disciplines those of us who are his legitimate sons and daughters for our good, so that we may share his holiness, so that to those of us who have been trained by it, afterwards it will yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness in our lives. And this discipline may come in all sorts of different ways, through trials and tribulations, through persecutions, through health issues and body ailments, through grief over the loss of a loved one, and via many other means of discipline.

And this discipline is intended to be painful, either emotionally, mentally, physically, financially, or in any other ways where it impacts us and causes us pain and suffering. And that may not sound like a good thing on a surface evaluation. And it may seem contrary to some people’s image of God as a loving and merciful God, which he is. For they see him as giving us only blessings and not trials and tribulations to test our faith and to help us to grow to maturity in Christ in holiness, in humility, and in submission to God.

But we are but flesh and blood, mere clay in the hands of the Potter (God), being shaped and molded into the image (likeness of character) of Christ, by God, via his disciplines he brings into our lives, and via whatever other means he has of making us to be like him more and more as time goes by. For his purpose in Jesus putting our sins to death with him on that cross is that, by faith in him, we will now die to sin and live to God in surrender to his will, in obedience to his commands, in holy living, empowered by God.

Therefore, in the power and wisdom of God, as led by the Holy Spirit, we are to strengthen within us all that is weak spiritually or mentally or emotionally so that we can walk the walk which God has for us, and so that God can use us in the way he had planned for us even before he created the world. For God created us all with a purpose in mind, and he has something specific for each one of us that he wants us to be and do. But if we are weak spiritually, mentally, and/or emotionally, that can keep us from doing the will of God.

Like for example, if we are short on obedience, and if we are short on submission to our Lord, not living in surrender to his will for our lives, and if we are kind of just floating through life, doing whatever makes us feel good without any real desire or goal for serving the Lord with our lives, according to his will, then the encouragement here is to reverse all of that. And now we are to live for the Lord in doing what he has designed for us to do, as his servants, dying to sin, obeying God, and fulfilling his call upon our lives.

And this doesn’t mean we will no longer suffer, or that we will no longer feel pain, or that we will no longer cry when we hurt, or feel weak. But when we are weak we can be strong in the strength of the Lord. We don’t have to remain weak and thus not of service to our Lord. For the Lord will give us all we need to do his will, even if it is just one step at a time. We just have to trust him with our lives and with our circumstances, and let him work in our hearts and minds to make us into who he wants us to be, all for his glory.

[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]

What the Lord Says  

Based off Isaiah 43:1-44:5

An Original Work / February 24, 2014 

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

This is what the Lord says to you:

Fear not, for I have chosen you.

I have summoned you by your name.

You are mine. I died, you to save.

When you go through your trials, so deep,

I will be with you; you will not sink.

You are so precious always to me.

Trust in your Lord, Savior and King.

This is what the Lord says to you:

He who gave salvation to you;

Who delivered you from your sin;

Takes your burdens now upon Him:

Forget the former things of your life.

Give of your heart not now up to strife.

See all the new things I have for you.

Walk in vict’ry. Trust in what’s true.

This is what the Lord says to you:

He who made you; who will help you:

Do not fear what humans may do.

Walk in freedom. Follow what’s true.

Drink of my Spirit given for you.

Trust in my mercy, for I love you.

I have a plan for all of your life.

Follow my ways. Do what is right. 

https://vimeo.com/87634334

Whom The Lord Loves He Disciplines

An Original Work / November 26, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Do Not Grow Weary or Lose Heart

“For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,

“’My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;

For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,

And He scourges every son whom He receives.’

“It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:3-7 NASB1995)

Now Jesus Christ was not born with a sin nature as we are, because he was conceived of the Spirit of God and not of man. And while he lived on the earth he never sinned. But Jesus strived against sin to the point of shedding his blood on a cross to put our sins to death with him, so that, by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in him we will now die to sin and live to God and to his righteousness. And sin doesn’t have to be some major moral failure. Sin can be doubt, fear, lack of faith, and retreat, which disable our work for God.

So we need to be those who follow the example of Christ, who resist the devil, who flee temptation, and who draw near to God in full assurance of faith, regardless of our circumstances. For the devil likes to “put us through the wringer” (to subject us to very stressful experiences) in hopes that we will fail, and that we will give up the fight, and that we will retreat out of sadness, fear, and physical and mental and emotional exhaustion. But the Lord allows us to go through difficult times of suffering for his purposes.

Just like he allowed the devil to inflict God’s servant Job, to murder his children and his servants and his livestock, and to give Job painful sores all over his body, to test Job’s faith, God will allow difficulties to come into our lives to test our faith, too. This is the discipline of the Lord in our lives to keep us humble, to purify our hearts, to purge us of any known sins in our lives, to keep us focused on God’s purpose for our lives, and to teach us endurance, patience, love, and compassion, that we might grow in Christ.

But when I look at the world around me, in our present day and age, and I see so many signs of the last days, and of times of tribulation, and of the nearness of our Lord’s return, I can’t help but feel that God is allowing some of us to suffer in painful ways because he is getting us ready for greater sufferings yet to come. And/or he is getting us ready for his soon return, so he is purifying our hearts to make us ready for when we will meet our Lord face to face. For the Scriptures talk about that, I think in Revelation.

[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]

Be Still, My Soul  

Hymn lyrics by Katharina von Schlegel, pub.1752

tr. by Jane L. Borthwick, pub.1855  

Music by Jean Sibelius, 1899

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In every change, He faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heav’nly Friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake

To guide the future, as He has the past.

Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;

All now mysterious shall be bright at last.

Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know

His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,

And all is darkened in the vale of tears,

Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,

Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.

Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay

From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hast’ning on

When we shall be forever with the Lord.

When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,

Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.

Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past

All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise

On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;

Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,

So shall He view thee with a well-pleased eye.

Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine

Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqgC1tqifV8 

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Do Not Grow Weary or Lose Heart

An Original Work / November 26, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB1995)

When the Scriptures were originally written, they did not have chapters and verses. Those were added much later to help us readers navigate through the Scriptures and to be able to locate particular passages of Scripture. So, when you see a sentence begin with “therefore,” you should look back to see what it is there for, I have always been taught. So this is in reference to the saints of old who were commended for their faith in chapter 11. They did not all live perfect lives, but they all were honored for their faith at some time.

But lack of perfection is never to be used as an excuse for deliberate and habitual sin. We who believe in Jesus Christ were 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 righteousness in walks of obedience to our Lord’s commands. So we are to lay aside the deeds of the flesh and all hindrances to our walks of obedience to our Lord’s commands, and we are to die to sin daily, for sin must no longer be our practice.

And then we can “run with endurance the race that is set before us,” i.e. we can live according to God’s calling upon each of our lives to die to sin, to obey his commands, and to follow our Lord wherever he leads us in surrender to his will and purpose for our lives, all in his power and wisdom. We can live for our Lord in doing his will when, by faith in him, we put aside our former lives of living in sin so that we can now serve our Lord in obedience to his commands in being who he desires us to become.

But this is not something we can do in our own flesh of our own willpower. We can only live for our Lord as we surrender our lives to him and we depend upon his strength and wisdom to get us through every day. And if our eyes are fixed on Jesus, that means that our minds, hearts, and attitudes are centered in our Lord and in his will for our lives, and we are now following his leading in our lives, and we are no longer going our own way, doing our own thing, living for the pleasures of this sinful world.

For Jesus Christ is the author and the perfecter of our faith. Our faith is not of our human flesh, of our own willpower, and of our own thinking and reasoning. The faith to believe in Jesus comes from God, it is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die to sin and to walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, in surrender to his will. So our faith will then align with God’s will and purpose for our lives, not in accord with our human flesh.

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

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] 

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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Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

An Original Work / November 26, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Devote Yourselves to Prayer

“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.” (Colossians 4:2-4 NASB1995)

If you had to define the word “prayer,” how would you describe it? To me it is open communication between me and my Lord to where he can speak to me and I can talk with him any time of day or night, regardless of where I am located at the time (anything appropriate), or if I am doing dishes, or washing clothes, or taking a walk, or eating a meal, or driving a vehicle, or whatever. It never has to be anything formal or at a standard time each day, but I can talk with my Lord just like he is in the room with me in person.

Sometimes I can be in the middle of doing something and he just puts it on my heart to pray for someone, and so I do. God knows our needs, and he knows when we need prayer. And he may even get us up in the middle of the night sometimes with someone on our hearts and on our minds, and so we need to spend that time praying for them. And we can pray with eyes open or with eyes shut, or sitting or standing or kneeling. What’s important is that we are praying with sincere hearts according to the will of God.

And if we don’t know his specific will in some situations, we can pray what Jesus prayed, “Nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done.” 

Now we are to pray with an attitude of thanksgiving, giving God thanks in all things and in all situations, not that we ever thank him for anything evil or against his will. But we can thank him for allowing us to go through difficult times which test our faith and which are for our ultimate good to mature us in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord in holy living. Even if we don’t understand why certain things are happening in our lives, we can thank him that he knows what is best for us, believing that good will come out of it.

And we need to be praying for those who are bringing us The Word, in truth and in righteousness, and not in the flesh, and not the lies so widely being spread today as “truth.” We need to pray for those whose lives are committed to getting out the message of the gospel to the people of the world, who are teaching the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles, taught in the correct biblical context, and not out of context to make the Scriptures say what they do not say if taught in context.

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).

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).

That is the gospel we should all be teaching and sharing with the people of the world and with the worldly church. And that is the gospel message we should be supporting and encouraging and praying will get out to the people. We should not be supporting, encouraging, and praying for the success of any gospel message which teaches that obedience to God and to his commands, and the forsaking of our sins, are not required of God as part of the faith which comes from God which saves and which promises eternal life.

So, pray for those who are teaching the truth of the gospel which Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught (taught in the correct context), that God will open doors for us to share the gospel of our salvation, that we may make the gospel message clear, and that we will teach the truth of the Scriptures from the correct biblical context. Pray that we will never compromise truth and righteousness in order to be accepted by other people, and that we will always remain faithful to the Word taught in truth.

[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] 

Should I Not Preach Jesus 

Based off 1 Corinthians 9:16-10:13

An Original Work / July 4, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Woe to me should I not preach Jesus.

I’m compelled to preach the full gospel.

I make myself a slave to ev’ryone

To win their hearts to Christ.

All this I do for my Lord Jesus,

And for the sake of His Name;

Do it for the sake of His gospel,

So that I, its blessings gain.

Scripture notates the sins of others;

Written down for us as examples

To keep us from setting our hearts 

On evil as did those of old.

Do not worship other gods of man;

Do not give your hearts to them;

Not partake in immorality.

Do not test your Lord and King.

So, be careful if you think you are

Standing firm in your faith in Jesus.

God has given his word to warn us, 

So through faith we will not fall.

No temptation has o’ertaken you

Except what is commonplace.

God is faithful to not let you be

Tempted past what you can bear.

He gives the way of escape. 

https://vimeo.com/116057811

Devote Yourselves to Prayer

An Original Work / November 25, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

In Word or Deed

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:16-17 NASB1995)

We have The Word of God written down for us in the Scriptures (Genesis to Revelation), and we have The Word living within us in the person of the Holy Spirit speaking biblical truth to our hearts, as well, reminding us of the teachings of Christ Jesus. The Spirit gives us guidance and direction in holy living and in who God wants us to be, and in what he has called us to do as his disciples. He gifts us with Spiritual gifts, and God assigns us our body parts (ministries) within the universal and local body of believers in Christ.

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

And the Scriptures teach us, not only how we are to live as followers of Christ, regarding our own walks of faith in obedience to our Lord, but they teach us our responsibilities within the body of Christ, as a whole, to the body of Christ. For we are to minister to one another on a daily basis, according to the Scriptures. But before we teach others, we need to be those who are walking the walk God has marked out for us. We must not be those who are deliberately and habitually walking in sin against our Lord.

And if The Word of God is richly dwelling (living) within us, this is not about us just putting the Scriptures to memory in our minds. But it means that we are living what the Word teaches us. The Word of God is what guides and directs us each day in what to do, and in how to think, and in what to say, for the glory and praise of God, and not for selfish gain. And this does not make us absolutely perfect in every respect, but it must mean that we are following our Lord in obedience, and we’re not living according to the flesh.

And then, as the body of Christ, we are to be teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. So this is not about sitting through a “worship service” singing songs someone else picked out for all of us to sing. But this is about us ministering to one another with such spiritual songs, i.e. the kinds of songs which literally do teach and admonish us in our walks of faith in obedience to the Lord, much like many of the old hymns which many are no longer singing, most of which I love to sing.

And if whatever we do, in word or deed, we are to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, we are not to do so falsely and hypocritically. We are not to do or speak in his name what is contrary to who he is and to what he teaches us in how we are to live as his followers. For “in his name” has to do with “according to his character,” and “according to his will and purpose.” So what we do or say in his name must be according to the teachings of the Scriptures and not according to our own will and purpose and thinking.

Therefore, we must be diligent students of the Scriptures who study them in their appropriate biblical context, who compare Scripture with Scripture to make certain they agree, and who test whatever we are hearing from other sources against the truth of the Scriptures to make certain we are believing in and following the truth of God’s word and not the lies so popularized in today’s “Christian” culture. We must not rely on other humans to tell us the truth, but we must be those who study the Scriptures for ourselves.

And in all that we do in the name of Christ we should be giving thanks to the Lord for his goodness, for his mercy, for his compassion, and for his love for us in giving his life up for us and in rising from the dead so that, by faith in him, we can now die to sin and live to God and to his righteousness in walks of surrender to Christ, in obedience to his commands, and in holy living – all in the power and wisdom of God, and not of our own doing; not of our flesh. For we have so much to be thankful for, for the grace of God in our lives.

[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] 

My Sheep  

Based off John 10:1-30 NIV

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full… 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263 

In Word or Deed

An Original Work / November 25, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Let No One Mislead You

“For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.” (Colossians 2:1-5 NASB1995)

It was Paul’s desire that the believers in Christ had full understanding of who Jesus Christ is, of what he did for us in his death on that cross, and what it means to be a Christian and a follower of Christ. So if you go back and read chapter 1 it helps with the context of chapter 2 in understanding where he was going with all of this. For there were Judaizers who were trying to convince the believers in Christ that they had to still hold on to some of the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, circumcision, dietary, and Sabbath laws.

And some of that is still going on in our world today. We have modern day Judaizers who go around from “church to church” giving presentations to Christians to try to convince them that they should add on to their salvation, more as an enhancement, I believe, some of the Jewish customs, as though that is going to somehow improve their relationship with Jesus. But we are not called of God to be like the Jews of the Old Covenant. We are called of God to be like Jesus Christ of the New Covenant God has with his people.

And in chapter 1 we read that Paul’s prayer for the Christians was:

“That you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:9-14 NASB1995)

Paul taught them the truth of the gospel of our salvation so they would know that faith in Jesus Christ is not a religion with religious rituals, but it is death to our old lives of living in sin and for self, and it is a change of heart and mind away from living in sin to now desiring to live for the Lord in obedience to his commands and in holy living, by the grace of God, and in the power of God. For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ we are rescued from the control of sin over our lives so we now walk (in conduct) in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing spiritual fruit in every good work.

For Paul did not want that they should have anyone delude them with persuasive argument, but that he should be able to continue to rejoice in seeing their good discipline and the stability of their in faith in Christ (as described in chapter 1). And we must guard against those today who are deluding the masses with a cheapened and diluted “gospel” message which is of the flesh of humans, and not of God, which makes no requirements of believers for death to sin and walks of obedience to our Lord in holy living.

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] 

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

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

Caution: This link may contain ads

Let No One Mislead You

An Original Work / November 24, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

So Walk in Him

 

Kindness

The Lord is leading me this morning to look into the subject of “kindness” in the Scriptures, and what the Scriptures teach on this subject, so this is going to be taken from multiple passages of Scripture which I will reference below. So, the first thing I want to look into is the kindness of God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – for he is our example of what true kindness looks like. And this is important that we do this, because this word “kindness” is often being used in ways which are anti-biblical and not kind.

Kindness of God

We read in Romans 2:4-11 that God’s kindness is longsuffering and patience, but that his kindness is intended to lead us to repentance. So if we remain stubborn and unrepentant, we are storing up wrath for ourselves on the day of judgment when God will render to each person according to his deeds. And for those who do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, they will face the wrath of God, even if they profess faith in Jesus Christ.

And in Romans 11:22 we read of God’s kindness, as well as his severity. To those who fell, who rejected Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they faced his severity, and they were cut out of Israel. And for us who believe in Jesus, we have known his kindness, but we must continue in that kindness or we can be cut off, too. And what that means is that we must continue in dying to sin and walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commandments.

And in Ephesians 2:1-10 we read that God, in his kindness, made us sinners alive together with Christ, by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which was not of our own doing, but of the grace of God. We can do nothing in and of ourselves to deserve or to earn our own salvation. But we are saved by the grace of God, and as his workmanship, he created us for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (obeying them).

And in 1 Peter 2:1-3 we read: “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.” So God’s kindness to us is in delivering us out of our lives of bondage to sin so that we can now serve him with our lives in doing what he requires of us to do in obedience to him.

Us Being Kind

So, us being kind to one another is modeled for us by Jesus Christ. Not only is he merciful, but he is just. Not only is he gracious, but he is also righteous. Not only is he a God of love, but he is also a God of wrath. Not only is he loving and forgiving toward those who turn from their sins to obey him, but he is true to his word that those who refuse to repent and to obey him will not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God.

So kindness is not just saying things to people to make them feel good inside. Yes, we must be people who are kind, generous, thoughtful, respectful, considerate, loving, tender, and gracious, who truly care about other people and what they are going through, and who will be good listeners, especially with us old people who repeat ourselves sometimes. We should never be nasty, rude, disrespectful, or hateful to anyone.

But kindness is never lying to people to make them feel good about themselves or so that they will like us and think we are great. Kindness always speaks truth, spoken in love, with sincerity, knowing the will of God for our lives and what constitutes genuine salvation from sin and eternal life with God. So it is loving and kind to tell people that salvation from sin and eternal life with God are not granted to those who refuse to obey God and who continue in deliberate sin. For you may save someone’s life from hell.

[Kindness of God – Romans 2:4-11; Romans 11:22; Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:1-8; 1 Peter 2:1-3; Be you kind - 1 Corinthians 13:4; 2 Corinthians 6:2-10; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:12-13; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; 1 Peter 3:8-9; 2 Peter 1:5-11]

Make Me a Servant

By Kelly Faye Willard

Make me a servant

Humble and meek

Lord let me lift up

Those who are weak

And, Lord, may the prayer

Of my heart always be

Make me a servant

Make me a servant

Make me a servant today

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pv8bY61S2M

Caution: This link may contain ads

Kindness

An Original Work / November 23, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

The Sheep of His Pasture

“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before Him with joyful singing.

Know that the Lord Himself is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving

And His courts with praise.

Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His lovingkindness is everlasting

And His faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalm 100:1-5 NASB1995)

In the United States of America, where I live, marked on our calendars is a yearly day of celebration and thanksgiving to God. Evidently, one of our former presidents by the name of Abraham Lincoln, who was later assassinated, declared it a national holiday in 1863 during the Civil War. “Lincoln’s proclamation was a way to unify the nation during the war by establishing a day for ‘Thanksgiving and Prayer’” (source Google AI). And this day of celebration will be this Thursday, November 27, 2025.

But for us who have trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, every day should be a day of “Thanksgiving and Prayer.” Every day we should be giving thanks to the Lord for the breath of life and for his love and forgiveness, and for saving us from our sins, and for giving us new life in him to be lived for his glory, and for his purposes, and for his praise. And this is not to be verbal only, but from our hearts of gratitude, and shown in how we live our lives in submission to God and to his purpose for our lives.

For thanksgiving to God is not in words only or it is not true thanksgiving. For if we are truly thankful that he saved us from our sins, and that he has given us new lives in him to be lived for his purpose, then we should be following him with our lives in doing what he commands. We should be walking in obedience to his commands, and sin must no longer be our practice. This doesn’t mean that we will never sin (1 John 2:1-2), or that we will never fail, but day by day we should be following Jesus with our lives.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:27-30 NASB1995)

Yes! As Jesus’s true sheep (followers) we are to be listening to (heeding, following, obeying) his voice, and we should be following (obeying, abiding by) his teachings and his commandments (New Covenant). And we are those to whom he gives eternal life, and we will never perish, and no one can snatch us out of his hands and the hands of God the Father because we pay close attention to our Lord’s words, and we love and obey our Lord and his teachings, and we follow him wherever he leads us in doing what he says.

And that is the best thanksgiving and praise that we can give to God, is when we bow to him in submission to his will and we follow him wherever he leads us in doing all that he commands that we must do as his followers. Yes, I am certain that he loves to hear us sing praises to him and to give him verbal thanks and praise, but provided that our praise is sincere and that it is accompanied by genuine submission to him as Lord of our lives. For the praise that he desires most is our surrender of our lives to him as our Lord.

And this will be evidenced by us serving him with our lives in doing what he has called us to do collectively and individually. And it will be shown through our humility in recognizing that all we have is from the Lord and not of our own doing, and when we become his true and abiding sheep (followers). For true thanksgiving to God is not in lip service only, but in surrender to his will in doing all that he commands that we must do as his followers. And the Lord is good, and his lovingkindness and faithfulness is everlasting. Amen!

[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] 

My Sheep  

Based off John 10:1-30 NIV

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full… 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263

The Sheep of His Pasture

An Original Work / November 23, 2025

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love