You Who Forget God

Psalm 50:14-15 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“14Sacrifice a thank offering to God,

and fulfill your vows to the Most High.

15Call upon Me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”

 

Here God is speaking to his saints, to all who have, by faith in Jesus Christ, repented of their sins and followed God in obedience to His commands. They are all who are in a covenant relationship with the Lord by faith in Him. And He is encouraging them to sacrifice thank offerings to Him, not as ritualistic acts of worship of God, but in actions and behaviors which fulfill the vows they made to God when they believed in Christ, if they made such vows. For by faith in Jesus we deny self, die to sin, and we obey God in life practice.

 

Now, it sounds like God’s people were needing some kind of counsel and correction here, for in verse 7 He says, “Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you.” And God’s people (Israel) today are all who have believed in Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior. So this is God today encouraging His saints to fulfill their vows to Him and to call on Him when they are faced with life’s difficulties, or with temptations to sin, and He will deliver them, and then they will honor Him as they should.

 

Psalm 50:16-21 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

16To the wicked, however, God says,

“What right have you to recite My statutes

and to bear My covenant on your lips?

17For you hate My instruction

and cast My words behind you.

18When you see a thief, you befriend him,

and throw in your lot with adulterers.

19You unleash your mouth for evil

and harness your tongue to deceit.

20You sit and malign your brother;

you slander your own mother’s son.

21You have done these things, and I kept silent;

you thought I was just like you.

But now I rebuke you

and accuse you to your face.”

 

Now “the wicked” being spoken of here are not all who have never confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives. They are many who claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and heaven as their eternal destiny. They give the outward appearance of being “children of God,” whose faith is in the Lord Jesus. And they recite the Scriptures and perhaps even teach the Scriptures to others. But they are those who hate God’s instructions and so they cast God’s words behind them in order that they might continue in addiction to their sins.

 

And the picture the Lord is giving me of them this evening is that of those who fake their Christianity on the outside but who are of immoral character in heart, mind, and deed. They are malicious, morally unclean, deceivers, manipulators, opportunists, liars, untrustworthy, and egocentrics. They are habitual liars who are morally descending whose heads are swelled with pride and self-glory, whose words cannot be trusted. And God is calling them out. And He is exposing their hypocrisies. And He is rebuking them.

 

For they act as though they love the Words of God but while they cast God’s Words behind them, and they do not do what they say. They befriend thieves and liars who will support them in their sins. And they join in with adulterers in acts of adultery against God and against their spouses. And they cover up their evil deeds with lies. And they malign those who may be exposing their evil deeds for what they are or who may be trying to help them to freedom from slavery to sin. And here God is rebuking all such people as this.

 

Psalm 50:22-23 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“22Now consider this, you who forget God,

lest I tear you to pieces,

with no one to rescue you:

23He who sacrifices a thank offering honors Me,

and to him who rightly orders his way,

I will show the salvation of God.”

 

But God is still a merciful God. No matter how far into sin anyone has gone, or how much evil they have committed, or how many lies they have spoken, or who all they betrayed and did evil to, God is willing to forgive them if they will deny self, die to sin, and follow him in obedience, in the power of God, by repentant and biblical faith in Jesus Christ. But they must own up to their sins. And they should make every attempt to right the wrongs they committed. And God will forgive them and He will save them from their sins.

 

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; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

You Who Forget God

An Original Work / July 29, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Broken Cord

 

An Original Work / August 29, 2018

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Your bond is broken with your Lord and Savior

And your testimony is separate from Him.

Your words not matching your actions today.

Repent of your sin and bow down and pray.

Live what you testify in truth always.

 

Purity’s lacking in your life and witness,

For you profess one thing, but other you do.

Not moral, spiritual. Still of the flesh.

Not living in truth to what you confess.

Lying about it puts you in a mess.

 

Living a lie is your practice, ‘tis true of you.

Masquerade righteousness – none of it true.

Your heart is not given to your Lord God.

Because of how you live, you are a fraud.

Turn from your sin and give your life to God.

 

https://vimeo.com/287303934

Why Should I Fear?

Psalm 49:5,10,14-19 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

5Why should I fear in times of trouble,

when wicked usurpers surround me?

10For it is clear that wise men die,

and the foolish and the senseless both perish

and leave their wealth to others.

14Like sheep they are destined for Sheol.

Death will be their shepherd.

The upright will rule them in the morning,

and their form will decay in Sheol,

far from their lofty abode.

15But God will redeem my life from Sheol,

for He will surely take me to Himself.

16Do not be afraid when a man grows rich,

when the splendor of his house increases.

17For when he dies, he will carry nothing away;

his abundance will not follow him down.

18Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—

and men praise you when you prosper—

19he will join the generation of his fathers,

who will never see the light of day.

Out of The Heart

Not all rich people are bad and not all poor people are good. But riches can corrupt a human soul, yet so can lack of riches, because money is not the root of all evil. The love of money (making money your god) is. The human heart given over to the flesh, rich and poor alike, is the root of all evil, too. For we are all born into this world with sin natures, in the image of Adam, the first man God created, and the first man to sin against God. Since Adam sinned, all of us humans have been born with sin natures, bent toward sin.

“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.” (Matthew 15:19 BSB)

“The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45 BSB)

What is stored up in our hearts will overflow in our thoughts, attitudes, words, and behaviors. But all this must be interpreted in light of the teachings of Christ and of his New Testament apostles, and not according to the thinking and reasoning of humans, some or many of whom will twist the Scriptures to their advantage and will make a mockery of Jesus’ death and resurrection by their life choices. For Jesus died and was raised from the dead that we might die to sin and walk in obedience to his commands.

Wicked Usurpers Surround

So, what does it look like to be surrounded by wicked usurpers? It has to do with people who seize power and control over other people by force or by intimidation or by trickery. And in context these are people of enormous wealth and influence. And this brings to mind the wealthy and powerful of the world in our time who are indeed usurping authority over the nations of the world, one by one, in order to bring us all into a one world totalitarian regime of “the beast.” We should not fear them or what they will do to us.

But this seizure of power and authority and control is not happening only on a national or political level. This is taking place in the gatherings of the church (or the false church). So many gatherings of God’s people, the body of Christ, the church, have been turned into businesses being marketed to the people of the world. So they have altered “the church” to make it more attractive and inviting to the people of the world. And they have diluted the gospel of Christ to make it less offensive to the ungodly to please the flesh.

Our Response?

We are not to fear them or what they might do to us or say about us to others. We must commit our circumstances to the Lord and trust him with our lives. And despite their threats or what they might do to us we are to keep on obeying our Lord, doing his will, and serving his purposes for us. And we must be those who are exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness for what they are, and who are bringing the people into the light of the truth of God’s Word for their salvation from sin and for their eternal life with God, even if we are opposed, lied about, mistreated, and rejected by the many.

And not that this is comforting, but those who work evil among us and who do evil to the people of the world, because they can, because they have the money and/or the power and the backing to do so, when our Lord returns to judge the people of the world, they will perish in their sins without hope of salvation and eternal life with God, even if some of them professed faith in Jesus Christ with their lips. And that should make us sad that they chose their idols and their sinful pleasures and thus lost their lives for eternity.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22] 

“But God will redeem my life from Sheol, for He will surely take me to Himself.” Psalm 49:15 BSB

Why Should I Fear?

An Original Work / July 29, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah 

 

Hymn lyrics by William Williams, pub.1745

tr. by Peter Williams, pub.1771

Music by John Hughes, 1907

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,

Pilgrim through this barren land.

I am weak, but Thou art mighty;

Hold me with Thy powerful hand.

Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven,

Feed me till I want no more (2X).

Open now the crystal fountain,

Whence the healing stream doth flow;

Let the fire and cloudy pillar

Lead me all my journey through.

Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,

Be Thou still my Strength and Shield (2X).

Lord, I trust Thy mighty power,

Wondrous are Thy works of old;

Thou deliver’st thine from thralldom,

Who for naught themselves had sold.

Thou didst conquer, Thou didst conquer

Sin and Satan and the grave (2X).

When I tread the verge of Jordan,

Bid my anxious fears subside;

Death of deaths, and hell’s destruction,

Land me safe on Canaan’s side.

Songs of praises, songs of praises,

I will ever give to Thee. Amen (2X).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7G59DKf-AI

God is Our Refuge and Strength

Psalm 46:1-3 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“1God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in times of trouble.

2Therefore we will not fear,

though the earth is transformed

and the mountains are toppled

into the depths of the seas,

3though their waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake in the surge.

Selah”

 

If we are followers of Jesus Christ who walk with him in obedience to his commands, and who follow him wherever he leads us in doing and in saying all of what he has for us to do and to say and to be, we should not fear when troubles come upon us. We should not be afraid when people reject us or persecute us or do evil against us. We should not fear loneliness and loss of friends or life. But we must make the Lord our refuge and strength, and we must turn to him for help and guidance in times of trouble and distress.

 

And then on a broader scale, when government heads go to war with other nations, and they kill the innocent in order to overtake them, to conquer them, and when the actions of our leaders impact the people financially and healthwise, and the poor keep getting poorer, while the rich keep getting richer, and the elderly cannot afford housing and food because the prices of everything have gotten so high, we are not to fear if we are being impacted by these moves and decisions being made for us by others who gain from it.

 

And then if where we live suffers a severe storm and/or flooding and/or fire and/or hurricane winds which destroy our land and our homes, and which kill members of our families or our friends and neighbors, and which leave us destitute with nowhere to go, we must turn to the Lord for our refuge and strength to help us through the storm and to give us wisdom and endurance to know what steps to take next. Now, so far, I have not yet had to face something this severe, but that does not mean that it won’t ever happen.

 

Psalm 46:4-7 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“4There is a river whose streams delight the city of God,

the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5God is within her; she will not be moved.

God will help her when morning dawns.

6Nations rage, kingdoms crumble;

the earth melts when He lifts His voice.

7The LORD of Hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah”

 

This is not speaking here of a literal river of water but more metaphorically of the river of life which is of a spiritual nature and not physical. It is the kingdom of God and of his righteousness and our salvation and eternal life with God and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which we receive by biblical faith in Jesus Christ. And we who believe in Jesus Christ are that city of God where God dwells, i.e. the church, the body of Christ, the temple of God, i.e. biblical Israel comprised of all who are of faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord.

 

God is with us who are with him in spirit and in truth. He is with us who have believed in Jesus Christ and who thus, by his grace and in his power, have denied self, died to sin, and who are walking (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to our Lord’s commands. God will help us who will cooperate with him in his workings in our lives and who will follow him wherever he leads us. So, when nations rage and kingdoms crumble, which they are doing, we can survive the onslaught against us in the power of God who is our fortress.

 

Psalm 46:10 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

10“Be still and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted over the earth.”

 

In everything we face in this life, no matter what tribulations we are up against, if we are with God in living holy lives, pleasing to him, in his service, and thus our trust is in him, we have no reason to fear what we are now facing or what is yet to come. We know that more evil is coming because we can see it coming, and because the Scriptures warn us about the last days, what they will look like, and we can see the reality of those warnings in our present world. But we are to be sill and know that God is God.

 

We are to be still and not fret or worry but to put our trust in the Lord, believing that he will see us through it all. But please know this is not a promise that we will not have to suffer. The Scriptures warn us that we will have to suffer as Christ suffered, and he was harassed, rejected, forsaken, persecuted and arrested on false charges and given a mock trial, and he was beaten and mocked and spat upon and then nailed to a cross to die. But if our trust is in the Lord, he will carry us through it all to the finish line.

 

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Romans 5:3-5; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 3:7-11; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5; Hebrews 12:3-12; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12-17; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]

 

God is Our Refuge and Strength

An Original Work / July 29, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

God is With Us

 

Based off Psalm 46

An Original Work / June 11, 2019

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

God’s our refuge. He is our strength,

A present help to us when in pain.

Therefore, we will not be afraid,

Although the earth beneath us gives way.

 

Though the mountains be moved to the sea,

Roaring waters abound so free,

And the mountains now tremble so,

We will not fear, God is near, we know.

 

God is with us and He makes glad

The hearts of all who to Christ have fled.

Christ is in us, so we’ll not fall

When on our Savior our hearts do call.

 

God will help us, as mornings arise,

To be faithful to His design.

Nations raging, and tempers flare.

Our God is with us. We know He cares.

 

Come and see the works of the Lord.

He’s armed for battle with His great sword.

He’s the Word, and He is the Life.

He gives us strength in all of our strife.

 

Be still and know that He is our God.

He’s exalted where’er He trods.

The Lord Almighty, with us still;

The God of Jacob, our citadel.

 

https://vimeo.com/341717561

Life is Not Fair!

Psalm 37:12-17 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

12The wicked scheme against the righteous

and gnash their teeth at them,

13but the Lord laughs,

seeing that their day is coming.

 

14The wicked have drawn the sword

and bent the bow

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those whose ways are upright.

15But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

 

16Better is the little of the righteous

than the abundance of many who are wicked.

17For the arms of the wicked will be broken,

but the LORD upholds the righteous.

 

The Righteous Cast Aside

 

Whoever told you that life will be fair? It isn’t! Many people who lie, cheat, steal, and trick others are often raised up and worshipped almost as though they are next to God, while those who serve the Lord with their lives, in truth and in righteousness, are often devalued, mistreated, misunderstood, and rejected. Those who manipulate and charm others to their own advantage often win the hearts of the people, while those who speak truth to the people, for their good, are often cast aside as unwanted and rejected.

 

Now, those who are truly wicked will scheme against the righteous if the righteous (in God’s eyes) are interfering in any way with what the wicked are doing against God. For example, many wicked people are posing as pastors of “churches,” and they are teaching lies to the people, and they are turning the gatherings of “the house of God,” his temple, the church, the body of Christ, into businesses being marketed to the people of the world. So they are diluting the gospel message to attract the world to their gatherings.

 

So, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ who takes God and his word to heart, to obey it, and so you follow the instructions of the Lord in his word, and so you are exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness for what they are, and you are revealing the lies which are being taught as truth, and so you are teaching the truth of the gospel, as opposed to the lies, then the liars and deceivers are bound to come after you to attack you and to try to discredit you so people will not listen to you, but will listen to the liars.

 

They Draw the Sword

 

If the wicked who are trying to win the hearts of the people, or who are trying to get the sympathies of the people so that the people will listen to them, feel in any way that the truly righteous are a threat to their popularity or to their ability to win the people over to their side, they may “draw their swords,” i.e. they may go on an all out attack against the righteous to bring them down in the eyes of the people so that the people will hate or distrust or reject them and their teachings. And some of them are succeeding.

 

So many people today who profess faith in Jesus Christ are rejecting the gospel message as Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught it, when taught in the correct biblical context, and not out of context. For they taught that faith in Jesus Christ, if it is genuine biblical faith, will result in us denying self, dying to sin daily (in practice), and us following our Lord in walks of surrender to him in obedience to his commands, in practice, by the grace of God, in the power of God, and for the will and purpose of God.

 

But the wicked have twisted the gospel message to teach that all God requires of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ is an acknowledgement of Christ and who he was and is, and what he did for us via his death and resurrection. So many are teaching that we don’t have to die to sin (repent), and we don’t have to obey God’s commands, for they call that “works salvation.” Or some of them will teach repentance and obedience as recommended, but as optional, and not critical to one’s salvation from sin.

 

They Slay the Upright

 

But they don’t stop there with counteracting the truth of the gospel with the lies of the enemy. Many of them will go on the all-out attack against those who are following the Lord to try to discredit them or to make others hate and reject them because they are believing the lies about them. So the wicked are not content with just destroying the gospel, and thus the lives of those who believe the lie, but they want to destroy the righteous who are following the Lord so that the people will reject them and not listen to them.

 

So, if we are being attacked for speaking the truth to the people about sin, and concerning the lies being taught as truth, because we are exposing the lies and the liars for what they are, while we are proclaiming the truth of what the Scriptures teach (in context), then we are in good company. For that is what the prophets of the Old Testament and Jesus Christ and his apostles faced, and what his followers have faced since then when they spoke or speak the truth to the people that the people do not want to hear.

 

So, the perspective that our Lord wants us to have about all this, when and if we are being persecuted in this way, and when others are believing lies about us, and so they are rejecting us, is that the little that we do have is better than the abundance of the wicked who will die in their sins, and who will not have eternal life with God, because they believed the lies and not the truth, and because they taught the lies and not the truth to the people. It’s better to be rejected by humans than to be rejected by God for eternity.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Life is Not Fair!

An Original Work / July 28, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Weary of Heart 

 

Based off Isaiah 40

An Original Work / January 23, 2016

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

You who bring the Good News,

Lift up your voice.

Do not fear. Shout it out:

“Here is your God!”

The sovereign Lord comes

With power and strength.

He gathers His tender lambs

In His arms.

 

Lift up your eyes and look:

“Who made all things?”

God, our creator knows

All about you.

Your cause is not

Disregarded by God.

He will not leave;

He’ll not abandon you.

 

When you are troubled

And weary of heart,

Trust the Lord with your life.

Do not despair.

He will empower you;

Strengthen within.

Soar on wings like eagles,

Walk and not faint.

 

https://vimeo.com/152846553

Commit Your Way to The Lord

Psalm 37:1-2 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“1Do not fret over those who do evil;

do not envy those who do wrong.

2For they wither quickly like grass

and wilt like tender plants.”

 

As long as the world as we know it exists, and humans still live on the planet earth, evil will always exist. For we humans are all born into this world with sin natures, in the image of Adam who was the first man God created and the first man to sin against God. Only by the grace of God, by faith in Jesus Christ, can any of us be delivered from our slavery (addiction) to sin and now serve God with our lives in walks of obedience to his commands.

 

So when those who make sin their practice, who do evil by habit, do evil to us or to others, we are not to fret over it. We are not to burn with anger and want revenge. We are not to be consumed with fear, hatred, worry, incense, envy, bitterness, and/or resentment. But we should pray for the wicked to turn their hearts to Christ, and we should trust the Lord with our lives. For one day all evil and evildoers will be no more, when God comes to judge.

 

Psalm 37:3-4 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“3Trust in the LORD and do good;

dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

4Delight yourself in the LORD,

and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

 

So, we should pray for those who make sin their practice that they will one day turn their hearts to Christ. Then we should commit our way to the Lord, and we should do the good that God has planned for us to do. And this includes loving our enemies and those who do evil against us, praying for them, forgiving them, doing good to them, and speaking the truth of God’s word to all who will listen. We return hate with love and with forgiveness.

 

And then we need to focus our attention on what God has for us to do as his followers. We must be those who are faithful to the Lord and to his service, who follow our Lord wherever he leads us in doing all that he calls and equips us to do for his praise, honor, and glory, and for the salvation of human lives. We must put God/Christ first in our lives, always committing all of our ways to him, trusting him with our circumstances, resting in him.

 

Psalm 37:5-6 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“5Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in Him, and He will do it.

6He will bring forth your righteousness like the dawn,

your justice like the noonday sun.”

 

So, if our lives are committed to the ways of the Lord, he should be first place in our lives. His will and purpose for our lives should be our top priority. We should be seeking his face in order to know and to do his will that he has for our lives. And then we must obey what the Lord has for us to do, all in his power, under his leading and direction. And then we must trust him with the results, even when it may appear like nothing is happening.

 

And even if we are slandered, falsely accused, mistreated, snubbed, rejected, and cast aside as unwanted because we serve the Lord Jesus with our lives, we are not to be discouraged. We are not to let that dishearten us. But we must keep pressing forward in the will of God in doing what he has called us to do, trusting him to work it all out for good. And then we should leave our reputations in his hands and keep on keeping on in his service.

 

Psalm 37:7 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“7Be still before the LORD

and wait patiently for Him;

do not fret when men prosper in their ways,

when they carry out wicked schemes.”

 

If God has called us to his service, he will equip us to do his work and his will his way. Our job is to follow him wherever he leads us in doing whatever he has called us to do, and then to leave the results to him. For it may look to us as though nothing is happening, or as though we are not making a difference, but all the while God is using us in other people’s lives in ways we don’t even know about. So we can’t judge by outward appearances only.

 

For example, we may be writing what the Lord is giving us to write each day and to post it on the internet, but we may be getting very few responses. And so we may presume that we are not making a difference. But then if we could look at our statistics, and this is just one example, we may learn that hundreds or even thousands of people may be viewing what we write and post each day, or it may be just one. Then we realize that God is using us.

 

Commit Your Way to The Lord

An Original Work / July 28, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Be Still 

 

Based off Psalm 37 and 46

An Original Work / February 29, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

God’s our refuge and our strength,

An ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,

Though the mountains fall into the sea.

The Lord Almighty is with us;

God of Jacob is our fortress.

“Be still, and know that I am God;

Exalted I’ll be.”

 

Trust in the Lord and do good;

And delight yourself in the Lord,

And He will give you your heart’s desires.

Commit your way to the Lord.

Trust in Him and He will do this:

He will make your righteousness shine

Like the dawn, the justice of your

Cause – the noon-day sun.

 

Be still before the Lord,

And wait patiently for Him; do not fear.

Fretting only leads to evil.

Put your hope in Jesus Christ.

If the Lord delights in your way,

He makes your steps firm and steady.

The Lord upholds you with His hand,

So you will not fall.

 

https://vimeo.com/125494284

Your Way or God's Way?

Psalm 36:1-4 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“1An oracle is in my heart

regarding the transgression of the wicked man:

There is no fear of God

before his eyes.

2For his eyes are too full of conceit

to detect or hate his own sin.

3The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful;

he has ceased to be wise and well-doing.

4Even on his bed he plots wickedness;

he sets himself on a path that is not good;

he fails to reject evil.”

 

Your Way or God’s Way?

 

Before I got to this passage of Scripture this morning, the Lord put in my mind the lyrics to a secular song titled, “My Way.” The lyrics fit this passage of Scripture. For, repeated over and over again throughout the song are the words, “I did it my way.” The person said, “I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway.” Then, “For what is a man what has he got if not himself then he has not to say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels.” To me, this sounds like a rejection of God.

 

So, when the Scripture above speaks of a person in these terms, “There is no fear of God before his eyes,” that is the description given in this song, I believe. For this is a person who rejects the ways of God, who does not submit (kneel) to God and to his commands, nor does he feel any obligation to do so. He is self-made, not that he created himself, for we are all created by God, but that his dependency is not in the Lord but in himself. And he takes all the credit for his own accomplishments. He said, “I did it my way.”

 

Who are The Wicked?

 

Now, who are the wicked? They are not only those who make no profession of faith in Jesus Christ, but they are many who give lip service to God but whose hearts are far from God. Although outwardly they may give the appearance of being people of faith, still they are the ones running their own lives, making their own choices, choosing their own paths. Even though they know right from wrong, they will choose to do wrong whenever their flesh is able to persuade them to do so, regardless of who gets hurt in the process.

 

And that goes along with verse 2 which says, “His eyes are too full of conceit to detect or hate his own sin.” For this is someone who sins deliberately and habitually without conscience and without regard for who gets hurt in the process. For this person is thinking only of himself (or herself) and what he wants out of it and of how it will bring him pleasure. And this is someone who can remain on this course for a very long time and still keep feeding his (or her) own flesh while ignoring God and his commands for selfish reasons.

 

Sinning in Secret

 

Then, when this says that the “words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful,” I see this as describing someone who is addicted to sin but who wants to hide that knowledge from others. And so he may put on a show of godliness or righteousness, or he may put on a performance that would lead others to think differently of him than who he truly is in order to hide what he is doing in the darkness when no one else can see. So, in essence, he would be a hypocrite who gives an appearance contrary to how he is living, in truth.

 

Now, if you look up the word “bed” in a thesaurus, one of the meanings has to do with having sex with someone. So, this could be taken in that direction, that the wickedness being plotted has to do with sexual sin, sexual immorality, idolatry, and adultery. And, as we must all realize, this doesn’t have to be a physical act with another human being, but it can be all in one’s own mind, and/or it can be via the viewing of porn, and included in that self-gratification. For this is definitely a “path that is not good.” It is selfish!

 

Facing the Final Curtain

 

Then, going back to the song lyrics (a song by Gilles Thibaut, Claude Francols, Jacques Revaux, and Paul Anka), it begins with “And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain.” Well, I believe this was about Frank Sinatra ending his music career, but in light of this passage of Scripture and of other Scriptures, this is the ultimate end of those for whom sin is their practice, for they did life their way and not God’s way. Biblically speaking, their destiny is hell, and not heaven, because they did life their way.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Your Way or God’s Way?

An Original Work / July 28, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Give Ear to Jesus 

 

Based off Isaiah 55

An Original Work / February 16, 2016

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Call on your Savior. Seek the Lord while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way; Turn to the Lord.

God will have mercy. He’ll forgive you of your sin.

He will freely pardon you and give peace within.

Turn from your sin, follow Jesus, be cleansed from sin.

 

Give ear to Jesus. Come to Him. Your soul will live.

Listen to Him speaking to you: “Eat what is good.”

If you are thirsty, come to Jesus, drink from Him.

Drink His Spirit given to you. Be born again.

Listen to Him. Do what He says. Rejoice in Him.

 

God’s Word, eternal, will achieve what He desires.

He is willing none should perish, saved by His blood.

Share now the gospel. Jesus died so we’d go free.

Walk in vict’ry, free from your sin, eternally.

Die to sin, and live to Jesus. In Him believe.

 

https://vimeo.com/155612854

Lord, Examine our Hearts and Minds

Psalm 26:2-7 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“2Test me, O LORD, and try me;

examine my heart and mind.

3For Your loving devotion is before my eyes,

and I have walked in Your truth.

4I do not sit with deceitful men,

nor keep company with hypocrites.

5I hate the mob of evildoers,

and refuse to sit with the wicked.

6I wash my hands in innocence

that I may go about Your altar, O LORD,

7to raise my voice in thanksgiving

and declare all Your wonderful works.”

 

Don’t Be a Hypocrite!

 

Faith in Jesus Christ is meant to deliver us out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will now honor God with our lives in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living. So we are to come out from the world and to be separate. Yet we are to still live in the world. We are still to be among the people of the world. But we are not to join in with the world in their sins. We are not to be influenced by the worldly to be deceitful hypocritical liars who profess one thing while we live the opposite of what we profess with our lips.

 

Past Trauma and Hurt

 

And this brings me to a subject which I have been somewhat aware of for quite some time, but which I believe is reaching another level. Many of us were abused as children and/or also as adults by other people. We were hurt by the cruelty and mistreatment which we faced at the hands of others. Another word for this is “trauma” which can have to do with physical, mental, emotional, and/or moral wounds to the mind, body, and soul. And they can have a deep impact on how we live and on how we treat others.

 

But the saving faith in Jesus Christ, as we surrender our lives to the Lord, can heal those wounds. As we begin to live for the Lord, and to walk in his ways, we can begin that healing process. And we can learn to forgive those who did evil against us. And we can learn to love our enemies and to do good to those who did evil to us. But some of those wounds may be so deep that we don’t even know they are there until something brings them to the surface. But then we need to forgive others and trust the Lord for healing.

 

Making Excuses

 

Some people, though, even if they profess faith in Jesus Christ, will knowingly and deliberately hold on to bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, and hate. And they will be ruled by what is eating away at them on the inside. And they will treat others in the manner in which they were treated, or according to all the bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, selfishness, and pride stored up inside their hearts. And, until they let go of what is stored up in their hearts, they will continue on that sinful path.

 

But what is standing out to me right now is that there is a teaching, of sorts, which has been popularized, which is allowing those who continue in sin against other people, who deliberately do what they know is evil against others, to use a past hurt or a past trauma as an excuse both for their continued sinful behaviors and as an excuse for them to hurt (abuse, mistreat) other people, perhaps in the same manner in which they were mistreated or that they perceived that they were abused in some way.

 

No Excuses!

 

But God does not give us a pass to sin against others just because we were sinned against by others, or because we felt we were somehow mistreated. As those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, we are called of God to die with him to sin, and to walk in obedience to his commands (in practice), and to love our enemies, and to pray for them, and to do good to them and to not do them harm. And we are to forgive those who mistreated us, and we are not to take revenge, especially if the revenge is taken out on the innocent.

 

But if we knowingly and willfully hold on to bitterness, resentment, hate, and unforgiveness against those we believed did us harm, whether or not they did, in reality, we will not have victory over sin. We will not be able to love God and other humans as God loves us. For that bitterness and resentment stored up in the heart are what often lead people to do what they know will hurt others. But then to turn around and excuse away their sinful behaviors and to blame it on a past hurt or trauma is inexcusable! We must obey 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; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Lord, Examine Our Hearts and Minds

An Original Work / July 27, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Your Life

 

Based off of Colossians 3:1-17

An Original Work / October 22, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Set your hearts and minds on things up above

Where Christ sits with God; not on earthly things.

For you died and your life is now hidd’n with Christ.

When Christ, who is your life, is seen, you will be with Him.

 

Your sins, put to death. Don’t walk in these ways.

Don’t lie to yourselves or to others, too.

Since you have taken off your old sinful past,

Put on the new self in Jesus. Get rid of such things.

 

Therefore, holy ones, put on gentleness;

Kindness; patience, too. Be compassionate.

Bear with one another. Forgive others, too.

Forgive as the Lord forgave you. O’er all, put on love.

 

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts now.

You were called to peace. Be ye so thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly now

As you teach and instruct others. Sing songs unto Christ.

 

Spoken: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17 NIV 1984).

 

https://vimeo.com/125740353

Who May Abide in God's Temple?

Psalm 15:1-5 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

O LORD, who may abide in Your tent?

Who may dwell on Your holy mountain?

2He who walks with integrity

and practices righteousness,

who speaks the truth from his heart,

3who has no slander on his tongue,

who does no harm to his neighbor,

who casts no scorn on his friend,

4who despises the vile

but honors those who fear the LORD,

who does not revise a costly oath,

5who lends his money without interest

and refuses a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things

will never be shaken.

 

The Tent of The Lord

 

What is the “tent” of the Lord being spoken of here? Not every translation uses the word “tent,” but it means tent, dwelling place, home, tabernacle, and/or covering. So, where is the Lord’s dwelling place? Well, God lives in heaven, but he also dwells in human hearts via the Holy Spirit. The Biblical body of Christ, of those who by faith in Jesus Christ have died to sin and who are obeying his commands, in practice, are the church in whom God dwells by his Spirit. We are the tabernacle of God. We are the temple of God.

 

So, what are God’s requirements for us to abide (to live, to dwell) in his temple? Under the New Covenant they are that we must believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, conceived of the Spirit, born of a virgin, who was fully God and fully man (God incarnate) when he lived on the earth. He who was not born into sin, and who never sinned, shed his blood for us on a cross in order to put our sins to death with him, that by faith in him we will die to sin and obey our Lord’s commands in practice.

 

So, where does this faith come from? It comes from God. It is authored and perfected by Jesus Christ. It is gifted to us by God, and it is persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to deny self, die to sin, and obey our Lord and his commands as a matter of life practice. This faith does not originate with our human flesh, and therefore we do not get to define it or determine what it looks like. But it is not lip service only. It is what the Scriptures teach that it is, in context.

 

[Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Acts 26:18; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Hebrews 12:1-2; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:24]

 

The Fruit of Faith

 

When we believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, it is not just an acknowledgment of who he was and is, and of what he did for us in his death and resurrection. But it is surrender of our lives to God, to obey him, and to follow our Lord wherever he leads us. It is to repent of (die to) our sins so we can now walk in purity of devotion to our Lord in holy living. And this should be evidenced in our lives by how we live out our lives day by day, one day at a time, in the power of God, in fellowship with our Lord.

 

And if our faith in our Lord Jesus is genuine biblical faith, it should be shown by the things that we do and speak (or write) in life practice. We should be people of integrity (honesty, honor, uprightness) who practice righteousness (what God deems right in his eyes) and holiness and godly living. We should be those who make it our practice to speak truth to the people, and not lies. We should be those who love all people and so we do them no harm. And we should hate sin and lies and all that is vile (wicked, corrupt, and immoral).

 

We should also be those who honor those who fear the Lord. And who are they? They are all who have died to sin and who are walking in obedience to our Lord as a matter of life practice. They are all whose lives are surrendered to the Lord to do his will, who are serving him with their lives in doing what our Lord commands. They are those whose lives are also committed to sharing the message of the gospel with the people of the world wherever and whenever possible, in the power of God, by his grace.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

Who May Abide in God’s Temple?

An Original Work / July 27, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Now Abiding 

 

An Original Work / January 31, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Walking with Him; have Him near me,

Brings me comfort, joy and healing.

Now abiding in His presence;

His words speaking, oh, how gently:

Speak conviction, inspiration,

And instruction in right living.

 

Hope and comfort Jesus brings you,

When you’re walking with Him daily.

Be His servant; share the gospel;

Be His witness of salvation.

Love your brothers and your sisters.

Share with them that Jesus loves them.

 

Talking daily with my Savior;

List’ning to Him while He teaches,

Draws me closer; get to know Him,

So that I can now obey Him.

Follow Him where’er He leads me.

Worship only Jesus, Savior.

 

https://vimeo.com/125737543

The Faithful Have Nearly Vanished

Psalm 12:1-4 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

Help, O LORD, for the godly are no more;

the faithful have vanished from among men.

2They lie to one another;

they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.

3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips

and every boastful tongue.

4They say, “With our tongues we will prevail.

We own our lips—who can be our master?”

 

Too Many Lies

 

We live in a day and time, at least we do here in the USA, when so many people speak lies routinely. Our government heads lie to us, as does the media. Lawyers lie, as do pastors of “churches.” Lying seems so common place. Truth telling seems to be more in the rare category. For speaking what people want to hear tends to rule over speaking what they need to hear. Few, it seems, can be trusted to tell us the truth. And if you speak the truth, and not the lies, you might be treated like an outcast; as the unwanted.

 

So many pastors of “churches” are being trained to lie and to deceive and to trick and to scheme in order to get the results that they want. For so many of these modern-day “churches” are not the biblical body of Christ gathering together to encourage one another in our walks of faith, in obedience to our Lord. But they are businesses incorporated under (merged, partnered with) the state and with the world in unholy unions, which God forbids. And so many are, thus, diluting the gospel to appease and to pacify human flesh.

 

[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]

 

Do Not Partake

 

So, we are not to join in with them in their folly. We are not to partake of their delicacies. We are not to believe the lies which teach we can believe in Jesus and have all our sins forgiven and be on our way to heaven by lip service only. Far too many are teaching that God does not require that we deny self, die to sin (repent), and obey our Lord and his commands as necessary components of faith which saves. For they call that “works salvation,” which they say must be ignored in favor of sinful practices.

 

And they call that love. They call that kindness. They call that mercy. And they call that compassion. But it is not love to lie to people. It is not love to tell them that God does not require repentance and obedience to his commands. It is as clear as can be what all God requires of us if we read the Scriptures, and if we read them in the appropriate biblical context. Jesus Christ and his New Testament apostles made it very clear that we must deny self, die to sin (repent) and obey God in practice to have salvation from sin.

 

Psalm 12:6-8 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

6The words of the LORD are flawless,

like silver refined in a furnace,

like gold purified sevenfold.

7You, O LORD, will keep us;

You will forever guard us from this generation.

8The wicked wander freely,

and vileness is exalted among men.

 

Words of God

 

Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross to put our sins to death with him so that, by biblical faith in him, which is gifted to us from God, and which is not of our own flesh, we will now die with Christ to sin and walk with him in obedience to his commands as matter of life practice. We are now to follow our Lord in doing what he commands, in going where he sends us, and in being who he has called us to be, by his grace. He is now to be Lord (Owner-Master) of our lives and we are to obey his commands.

 

But, if we should believe the lies, instead, and if we should go our own way, doing what we want, without regard for what our Lord requires of us who profess his name, we will not have salvation from sin nor eternal life with God. For if we follow the world and the ways of the flesh and the philosophies of humans which give us excuses to justify habitual and deliberate sin against our Lord, that will lead us to hell, not to heaven. So, give your lives to Christ, obey his commands, and follow where he leads.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

The Faithful Have Nearly Vanished

An Original Work / July 27, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

The Ransom

 

An Original Work / September 8, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Jesus paid the ransom so we’d be forgiven;

Purified from our sin so we’d be set free.

Crucified on a tree; took on him our sin.

Buried our sin with Him; rose in victory.

Jesus calls us to Him; asks that we flee from sin;

Obey His commandments; live eternally.

 

God our Father loves us, which is why He gave us

His Son to die for us on a cruel tree.

God created us to walk in fellowship

With Him daily trusting in His righteousness.

He has a plan for us to abide in His grace;

Be transformed in our hearts; live for him always.

 

Won’t you trust in Jesus? Be your Lord and Master?

He wants to forgive you, give you victory.

Over sin and yourself, Jesus set you free.

Daily walking with Him, live victoriously.

Invite Him in your heart. He’ll give you a new start.

Your old life behind you, a new creature be.

 

https://vimeo.com/125864288