Testing Our Motivations

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.

“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4 NASB1995)

All this comes down to a heart issue and to our motives for why we do what we do as those who profess faith in Jesus Christ and who claim him as Lord. Do we serve God to be noticed by other humans so that they will think well of us? Do we give to the poor and then have to announce our giving so that everyone can see how generous we are? And do we pattern our doing and giving and speaking after the ways of the world so that the world will like us? Or do we serve God humbly because we love God and want to obey him?

So, what about sharing our testimonies? Is that wrong? It depends on what we are sharing and what our motivation is for sharing it. The apostle Paul talked much about his life and ministry and the things which he did and said and how God was using him. Why did he do this? He did it so that the church, the body of Christ, would pray for him and his ministry. And why else? He did it to encourage the body of Christ in how God was using him for their own encouragement in their walks of faith in obedience to the Lord.

So, this is not teaching us that we must be completely silent about how God is using us for his glory if the Lord is leading us in what to say, and if our testimonies are for the encouragement of the body of Christ, and if they are so the body will pray for us, and if God is the one who gets the glory and not us. For when I was growing up we had missionaries who came and spoke at our church gatherings and who told us their stories of how God was using them in other people’s lives, and that was definitely for our encouragement.

And knowing what they were going through and how God was using them helped us to know better how to pray for them, too. So we must be very careful here that we do not cast judgment on those who are sharing their testimonies for these kinds of good reasons, because that is not what this passage of Scripture is referring to. It is talking strictly about those who love to brag about what they are doing so that everyone will think well of them. They want the praises of other humans more than they want God’s approval.

So, in all that we do and say we should pray and ask the Lord for wisdom to know what we should say and not say, and for what purpose. Is the purpose for self-exaltation and so everyone will think we are great? Or is the purpose to serve God and to do his will and to encourage the body of Christ in their own walks of faith in obedience to the Lord? And/or is it because we need people to pray for us because we are under severe persecution and the devil is hot on our trail? I pray God will guide us all in doing what is right by him.

Testing Our Motivations

An Original Work / April 27, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Love Your Enemies

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48 NASB1995)

I am going to do this a little backwards today. I am going to address what is meant by this last sentence in verse 48 first, for that is often a confusing and controversial subject over which there can be much misunderstanding. 

The word “perfect” means “mature, complete.” The Greek word is téleios, and it has to do with becoming mature in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord. It has to do with our spiritual journey which will not be complete until we die or until Jesus returns for his faithful bride and he takes us to be with him for eternity. It is the process of sanctification and being made holy by faith in Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands. And the verb tense is future, i.e. you “shall be perfect,” not that we are perfect (complete) already.

But this is not to be taken ever as an excuse for deliberate and habitual sin in the life of one who professes faith in Jesus Christ. For our faith and our salvation are to be progressive, ongoing, as we each day follow our Lord in obedience to his commands. And we might stumble along the way and need to be restored sometimes, but sin should no longer be our habit. For we are all to be works in progress as clay in the hands of our Potter God who is shaping us and molding us into his likeness, as we cooperate with him.

So, as those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, who are works in progress being shaped and molded by God into his likeness, as we follow him in obedience to his commands, we are to be those who love, not just people who are nice to us, but all people, including those who persecute and mistreat us. And this love, which comes from God, prefers what God prefers, which is all that is morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord. So with this love we will not sin against those who hate us.

So, instead of hating our enemies and doing evil to them, we are to love them and pray for them and do good to them, even to those who do evil against us. And there is no time limit on this kind of love. We are to love those who have done evil against us for generation after generation. For love has no time limit. But please understand that this love is based in moral purity, so this love will never go soft on sin. It will not approve of or pacify sin. But it will take a stand against sin and for godliness and moral purity.

For it is not love if we pacify people in their sin, and if we give them the impression that their sins no longer matter to God. Tolerance of sin is not love. When the church tolerates deliberate and habitual sin among its members, although they may feel like that is love, it is not love, but it is hate. And kindness is not lying to people just to make them feel good, either. And it is a lie to tell people that they can keep sinning by habit, and not obey God, in practice, and that heaven is still what awaits them.

So much of what is called “the church” today is tolerating sin among its members in the name of love and kindness. But that is a lie from hell! But that does not mean we should be hateful to those who sin, either. We can, in pure love and kindness, address sin for what it is, and call people to repentance (turning from sin) and to walks of obedience to our Lord and to his commands. And if the sinners refuse to repent, the Scriptures give us instructions on how to handle that situation, too (1 Corinthians 5:1-13).

[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] 

Leap for Joy

  

Based off of Luke 6:20-36

An Original Work / August 2, 2011 

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Leap for joy in that day.

Great is your reward in heaven.

Blessed are you who are poor;

Blessed are you who hunger now.

You will be satisfied and 

You will laugh if you weep now.

Blessed are you when men hate you

And exclude you because of Christ.

Leap for joy in that day.

Love your enemies who hate you.

Do them good; say kind things;

Pray for those who treat you wrong.

If you love those who love you

What reward is there for you?

Love your enemies and your

Reward will be great in heaven.

Leap for joy in that day.

You will be sons of the Most High.

Be ye kind; merciful

To the ungrateful always.

If you love those who love you

What reward is there for you?

Do to others as you would have

Them do to you every day.

Leap for joy in that day.

Great is your reward in heaven.

Blessed are you who are poor;

Blessed are you who hunger now.

You will be satisfied and

You will laugh if you weep now.

Blessed are you when men hate you 

And exclude you because of Christ.

https://vimeo.com/126494171

Love Your Enemies

An Original Work / April 27, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

You Shall Not Commit Adultery

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28 NASB1995)

 

Defining Adultery

 

What is adultery? It isn’t just the act of sexual intercourse with someone to whom you are not married while you are married to someone else. In fact, you don’t have to be married to anyone, and you can still commit adultery. And this isn’t just about men lusting after women to whom they are not married. Any person, male or female, is capable of committing adultery by lusting after another person, whether or not the other person is the opposite sex from them. And this other person doesn’t have to be live and in person.

 

Probably the most common and active way in which people today, male or female (usually predominantly male), are committing adultery is through the viewing of pornographic or sexually seductive TV shows, movies, cartoons, games, pictures, and videos. And these can be men with men, and women with women, or men with women, and women with men. Or in some cases these may involve children, sadly so. And many children are being taken advantage of sexually, even by one or both parents. Very sad indeed!

 

And then there is the kind of adultery which involves men or women (more often men) engaging in a sexual act with themselves, which then falls into the category of homosexuality. And this often goes right along with the viewing of sexually charged material. But the one committing adultery may also be stimulated by their own memories or fantasies without any outside stimulation at all. And those who are addicted to this may even prefer themselves over their own spouses, for this is so powerfully addictive!

 

And then when you think of how God describes spiritual adultery in the Scriptures, it is adultery when we prefer the world over God, or when we prefer and give more attention and affection and caring to other humans than what we give to our own spouses. So not all adultery is sexual in nature, for it has also to do with preferring someone or something else over God and over our spouses. For God is to be in first place, and our spouses are to be in first place over other humans, not the other way around.

 

“If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.” (Matthew 5:29-30 NASB1995)

 

Literal or Figuratively?

 

I tend to take this Scripture passage more figuratively than literally. For, at least in my thinking, a person could get rid of a physical eye or a hand or a leg and still live in spiritual, physical, emotional and/or sexual adultery. And that is because adultery comes from what is stored up in our hearts, not from a physical eye or hand, even though eyes and hands may be used in the process of committing adultery. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”

 

See: [Matthew 15:17-20; Luke 6:45]

 

So, this is primarily a heart issue. And until what is stored up in the heart is dealt with and removed, by the grace of God, in his power, via the full cooperation of those who are living in adultery, in sinful addiction, the heart will continue to pump out what is stored up in the heart. And this is why many addicts are never successful in gaining victory over their sins, and why they keep repeating the same addictive sins over and over again. And it is because they do not deal with it on a heart level, but on a surface level.

 

For example, if you are angry with your spouse (or God) over something, but you have not let go of that anger, chances are pretty good when you get angry that you will retaliate by feeding your own flesh or by taking it out on your spouse. Or if you have not forgiven your spouse (or God) about something you believe he or she did to you (whether they did or not), then that unforgiveness will continue to seep into your daily decisions, actions, thinking, and behaviors. So the heart has to be dealt with first.

 

For “the eye” is used in Scripture to speak of discernment and judgment. And the hands are often spoken of in terms of our deeds and behaviors. And whether or not we give in to sin has much to do with spiritual discernment and judgment and with our actions (deeds, behaviors). So, less literally, this could be speaking of plucking out of our lives all wrong discernments and all wrong behaviors, which usually come in that order. For wrong decisions result in wrong choices and behaviors. So, again, this is a heart issue.

 

[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 Heart of Man 

 

Based off Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23

An Original Work / April 4, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Listen to me ev’ryone and

Understand this teaching of Christ:

Why do you break the commands

Of God for the sake of tradition?

When you follow the ways of man,

And don’t obey the words of Christ,

You nullify the words of God,

And you hold to the ways of man.

 

What comes out of a man’s mouth is

What makes him unclean and dirty.

The things that come out of the mouth

Come from the heart, from within him.

The heart of man is so sinful;

From his nature, out comes evil:

Lying, cursing, greed and malice,

Lust and lewdness, deceit, slander.

 

Jesus calls us to obey him;

Turn from our sins; follow His ways.

Yet, his people honor him with their lips,

but their hearts not with Him.

Their worship of God is in vain.

Their teachings are rules taught by man.

Jesus calls us; gently leads us

To return and follow His truth.

 

https://vimeo.com/125490002

 

You Shall Not Commit Adultery

An Original Work / April 26, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Salt and Light

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.” (Matthew 5:13 NASB1995)

Salt is used for seasoning and for preserving food. And to season is to flavor, and flavor is the distinctive taste of a food or drink; an indication of the essential character of something. And food is often a symbol spiritually of the word of God, of the truth of the gospel, and of Jesus Christ himself. So we who are following Jesus Christ with our lives are to be a representation to the people of the earth of the essential character of Jesus Christ and of his gospel message. We are to be those who maintain, uphold, continue in, safeguard, and defend the essential character of Jesus and of his gospel.

Nonetheless, that does not describe what I view as the majority of those calling themselves “Christians” today in my nation, the USA. So many teachers of “the gospel” have diluted the message of the gospel to the point to where it barely resembles the gospel of Christ at all. So many are teaching that all we have to do is to give a verbal confession of Christ as Lord and now we are saved for eternity, done deal, but regardless of how we live, and regardless of what we do with Christ and with his gift of grace from that moment forward. So the church, in general, has lost its saltiness.

Therefore, we have a mass of people professing Jesus as their Savior and Lord who have little to no regard at all for his teachings and for what he requires of us in the way of obedience to his commands in holy living. They have been told that all they have to do is “accept Jesus into your heart” and now heaven is guaranteed as your eternal destiny. But Jesus said 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. For if we hold on to our lives of sin, and we do not obey God, in practice, we will lose them for eternity. 

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16 NASB1995)

But here is another issue of concern. So many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ, even if their faith is genuine, are not sharing that faith with other people. They are not sharing with the people of the world, and with the church, the truth of the gospel as taught by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles. And some who are sharing “the gospel” are sharing a diluted and altered “gospel” message which does not put sin to death in the lift of the “believer in Christ,” but rather entertains it. But as Christians we are to be shining the light of the truth of the gospel to the people.

And we are pretty much all given an open door, at least for now (in the USA), to share the gospel message on the internet. So many Christians are on social media, which is a great place to share the gospel with others. And we can begin a blog on the internet where we can share the gospel. And there are multiple Christian discussion sites on the internet where you can share the gospel. And you should share the gospel with your friends and neighbors and with others who profess faith in Jesus Christ but who are believing the lies and not the truth. For time is running out. Satan rules.

Forget about what other humans might think of you, or how they might respond to you if you share the gospel with them, but share the gospel taught by Jesus. Tell the people that faith in Jesus Christ requires of God that we repent of (turn from) our sins and follow our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands, from now to eternity, by the grace of God, in the power of God. For the grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return.

[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] 

Zeal for Your House

Based off John 2:17; Psalms 69:9

An Original Work / August 1, 2016

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Zeal for Your house, it consumes me.

Lord, I love my times with You.

I love to worship You and sing Your praises.

Time in Your Word brings me closer to You,

List’ning to You speaking to me,

Gently guiding me in truth.

Lord, You are my life’s example,

Showing me how I should live.

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

No greater joy have I when serving You. 

Loving, giving, resting in Your strength, 

I’m yielding to Your will. 

Zeal for Your house, it consumes me.

See the church turned upside down:

Marketing ventures taking place of worship,

Men of the gospel turning into clowns.

Gospel message made appealing,

So the world will feel at home.

Lord, we need a great revival.

Turn their hearts, Lord, back to You.

Open the blind eyes, turn them all from darkness,

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

Turn from their sin, forsake idols,

Be restored to God again.

https://vimeo.com/177433676

Salt and Light

An Original Work / April 26, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

They Falsely Say

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:10-12 NASB1995)

We live in a day and age, at least here in the USA we do, when so many who profess the name of Jesus are listening to the lies being taught them by other human beings, while they refuse to believe the truths that Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught in the Scriptures. And what I am referencing here is a half-truth false gospel message which is widely being adopted across the USA in place of the true gospel taught by Jesus and his apostles. They prefer the lies because the lies don’t require we obey God.

So, these false teachers of what they call “the gospel” convince so many people that a mere profession of faith in Jesus Christ assures them of forgiveness of all sins and of eternal life with God, but regardless of how they live from that point forward. And many of them are emphatic about teaching that God makes no requirements of us other than “belief,” which they do not define. And so if we teach that faith in Jesus must result in us dying to sin and obeying God, they call that “works salvation.”

Now, when Jesus lived on the earth, what he taught was not received well and accepted by all people. Even most of the Jews, who knew what the Old Testament Scriptures taught, and who were even teachers of the Scriptures, refused Jesus’ teachings. And so they fought against him, and they tried to trip him up with his words so they would have cause to accuse him of wrong. And they called him all sorts of names, even associating him with the devil, because they refused to believe who he was and his gospel message.

So, when we who are genuine followers of Jesus Christ teach the words of Jesus and of his apostles, taught in the correct biblical context, and so we teach that God requires death to sin and obedience to his commands as part of faith which saves, we might sometimes, or many times, face opposition from those who are listening to the lies of other humans who are teaching what tickles itching ears and what does not require death to sin and obedience to God. So, they might proclaim that we are teaching lies.

So, we show them the Scriptures. We show them what Jesus and his apostles taught as God’s requirements for those who are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ. But even when faced with the written Scriptures, many of them will deny them and try to find some way around them, sometimes from their own imaginations, but often just reciting what they have heard other people teach as “the gospel.” For so many have been brainwashed that God does not require that they obey his commands or put sin to death in their lives.

But the grace of God is not a “get out of jail free card” based on lip service only. The grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. And Jesus taught that to come to him we must deny self, die to sin daily, and follow him in obedience to his commands. For Jesus put our sins to death on that cross so we will now die to sin and walk with him in obedience to his commands.

[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] 

Yet, even when we are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, even by others who claim to be Christians, saved by grace, but who are twisting the Scriptures to teach lies, instead, we are blessed of God. We are blessed when people insult us and falsely say all kinds of evil against us on account of Jesus Christ and what he taught the people. So we are not to get angry. We are not to retaliate. But we are to rejoice and be glad, for our reward is in heaven. For in the same way they persecuted the prophets of the past.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 7:13-14; Matthew 10:16-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 17:14; Romans 5:3-5; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12-17; 2 Timothy 3:12; Philippians 3:7-11; 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] 

Only in Him  

Based off Isaiah 30

An Original Work / February 19, 2014

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love 

Woe to those who look to man’s help;

Who turn away from Jesus Christ;

Forming an alliance not in step with God;

Making their own plans, and praying not.

Willing not to listen to truth,

They close their ears to what is right.

Pleasing words are all that they’ll hear;

Feel good messages that bring cheer.

Trust in your Lord; turn from your sin.

Put your faith now ONLY IN HIM.

Do not turn to idols. They’ll not satisfy.

Jesus will save you. That’s why He died.

Your Lord will be gracious to you.

He cares all about you, ‘tis true.

He forgives you all of your sin

When you give your life up to Him.

Oh, how truly gracious He’ll be

When you bow to Him on your knees;

Turning now from your sin; walking in his ways.

He’ll lead and guide you all of your days.

Now you will sing praises to Him.

He delivered you from your sin.

You’ll tell others now of His grace,

So they may see Christ face-to-face. 

https://vimeo.com/87181019 

They Falsely Say

An Original Work / April 26, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Jesus Taught Them

I believe the Lord is leading me, beginning today, to focus for a while on the teachings of Jesus Christ, and how he connected with the people, and how he related to them. And I believe he wants me in the book of Matthew right now until he leads me somewhere else. For the past nine years the Lord led me to primarily use Bible Gateway’s “verse of the day,” although extending it beyond just one verse, often including the whole chapter the verse was in. So, I believe it is time to do something different. I know God will lead me.

When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:1-9 NASB1995)

So, who are “the poor in spirit”? They are the humble of heart, mind, attitude, and self-evaluation. They are those who recognize that they were born with a sinful nature and that they are in need of deliverance from slavery to sin. So they are those who know that they need the Lord, not just to forgive their sins, but to rescue them out of their addiction to sin. So, by biblical faith in Jesus Christ they choose to deny self, die to sin, and obey God and his commandments, all in his power and strength and wisdom.

The same applies with those who mourn, for this is not just about weeping over the loss of people we love, but this is about weeping over our sins to the point of genuine repentance. We don’t just feel sorry that we sinned, but we grieve so much that we ever sinned that we want that deliverance. We want to be set free from that bondage to sin so we can now serve God with our lives and walk (in conduct) in holiness and righteousness, living to please God in doing his will, as led by and as empowered by God’s Spirit.

And who are the gentle? They are the meek. But remember with me here that Jesus was regarded as meek, but he was not weak on faith or truth or doctrine or on sin. So this is about “exercising God’s strength under his control, i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness” (Bible Hub). But there were certainly times which called for Jesus to be harsh when it came to people, especially those claiming to be of God, living in hypocrisy and in deliberate and habitual sin against God. Sometimes we have to be strong.

Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are those who, in truth, want to be delivered from their addiction to sin so that they can obey God and his commands and live holy lives, pleasing to God. For righteousness has to do with what is approved by God, i.e. that which meets with his judicial approval. It is all that is deemed right by the Lord, such things as true repentance, submission to God, surrender of our wills to the will of God, and walks of faith in obedience to our Lord in the power of God within us.

Yes, the merciful are the compassionate, the caring, and the sympathizing, who put their emotions into action in reaching out to other people in their times of need to try to help them as best they know how to do. But mercy is never to go soft on sin, or to make allowances for deliberate and habitual sin in the lives of those professing faith in Jesus Christ. And compassion is not withholding the truth from people who need to hear it just so they won’t feel bad. So we need to be those who speak the truth, but who speak it in love.

And the pure in heart are those whose lives are surrendered to Jesus Christ, to doing his will, who do not make moral compromises to please the flesh. They are unadulterated in thought, words, and actions, when it comes to believing in Christ, and to doing his will, and to speaking his truth. They don’t soft-pedal the gospel to make it less offensive, and they do not pacify themselves or others in living sinful lifestyles. They are not those who just talk the Christian walk, but they live it, in practice, by the grace of God.

And to be peacemakers has nothing to do with making compromises of truth and righteousness in order to make peace with other people who object to the teachings on repentance and obedience to God and to his commands, which are necessary components of faith which saves. Peacemakers are those who help others to make peace with God via dying with Christ to sin and walking in obedience to his commands by God-persuaded faith in Jesus. And we are not those who willfully pick fights to deliberately stir up trouble.

All whose lives are surrendered to God in humble submission to him in obedience to his commands in holy living, who fit with these qualifications listed above, belong to the Lord. We have the comfort of knowing our God is with us, and he will be with us through all our trials. And as long as we remain in him, in obeying him, and in no longer making sin our practice, we have the hope of salvation from sin and of eternal life with God. But all who live in sin, in disobedience to God, 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; 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] 

Blessed Are You  

Based off Luke 6:20-49 NIV 1984

An Original Work / August 29, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

“Blessed are you; blessed are you 

Who are poor for God’s kingdom is yours.

Blessed are you; blessed are you 

Who are hungry, you’ll be satisfied.

Blessed are you; blessed are you 

Who weep now, for you will laugh with joy.

Blessed are you; blessed are you 

when men hate and reject you because of Christ.”

“Rejoice in that; rejoice in that day 

And leap for joy; great your reward.

But I tell you; but I tell you 

To love those who hate you; do them good.

Pray for those who; pray for those who

Treat you wrong and say kind things of them.

Do to others; do to others as you would 

Have them do; have them do to you.”

“If you love those; if you love those 

Who love you, what praise is there for you?

Because Christ is; because Christ is kind,

Be merciful, just like He is.

Forgive others; forgive others 

Their offense against you; be ye kind.

Hear My words and; hear My words and 

Put them into practice, then you’ll be fulfilled.”

https://vimeo.com/115046573

Jesus Taught Them

An Original Work / April 25, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

He Rescued Us

 

All Things God's Way

The apostle Paul was writing to the church in Colossae, encouraging them in their faith in Jesus Christ, and in the love which they had for all the saints.

“For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask 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.” (Colossians 1:9-12 NASB1995)

For all of us who are in Christ Jesus are in Christ by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in him, resulting 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 servants of God in walks of obedience to his commands. So, to do God’s will, we need to know God’s will. And we learn God’s will and purpose for our lives by being students of the Scriptures who study them in their appropriate biblical context, as led by the Holy Spirit. 

And we need to know God’s will so that we will walk (in conduct) in a manner worthy of (fitting to; appropriate to) the Lord, to please him in all respects. So, what does that look like in our lives? This has to do with our lifestyles, with how we live from day to day, in practice, in conduct, in attitude, in word, and in action, as led by the Lord. We must no longer strive to live for the pleasures of the flesh, but we must now be determined to follow our Lord in obedience to his commands, all in his power and wisdom.

And what is pleasing to the Lord? All the things written in the Scriptures which teach us what we must do and how we must live as followers of Christ, as well as all that we must forsake and cut out of our lives. For it pleases God when we forsake our sins to follow him in obedience to his commands. It pleases him when we live holy lives, according to the Spirit, and no longer according to the flesh. And it pleases God when we follow his leading in becoming who he created each one of us to be for his glory.

And we are to be bearing fruit in every good work. And our fruit has to do with what we produce, with the results of our faith in action. It is the outgrowth of our faith shown by our attitudes, words, and actions. And it can be in utilizing the gifts of the Spirit given us by God in the “body parts” assigned to us by God within the universal body of Christ, the church. And that can be shown in many different ways, depending upon our callings and our giftedness of God and what he has for us to do, as his servants.

And we need to be steadfast in faith and in service to our Lord in obeying what he has for us to do for his purposes and for his glory – all in his power and wisdom and strength. For it is God who calls us. And it is God who qualifies us. And it is God who equips us for his service. And he is the one to direct us in what to do and in what to say, and for what purposes, and in what setting, and how often, and in what timing, etc. For we are not all the same. We don’t all have the same callings. And every day is not the same.

So, our service to him should not be for selfish purposes. It should not be for our own self-glory. We should not be the ones charting our own course, determining our own steps. But our lives should be surrendered to doing the will of God, his way, in his power, directed by the Spirit and not by human flesh. And we should be very careful not to judge one another by our own way of thinking, or by how we do things, for God did not make us all the same. All judgments must be from God and his word, according to his word.

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:14-15; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:11-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20; 1 Peter 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

Fit for Service 

 

An Original Work / October 5, 2011

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Holy Spirit, come within us.

Cleanse our hearts, 

and from sin free us.

Make us holy vessels fit 

for service to the King.

Fill us with Your love and power.

Anoint us within this hour

To be living witnesses 

For Jesus Christ, our King.

Our praise to Him bring.

Father God, our heart’s desire,

Come and speak to us in power.

Revive our hearts to obey You;

Live for You always.

May we love and serve You only,

Walking with You; 

Not a phony.

May we always tell the truth,

And show integrity.

Your true servants be.

Jesus, Savior, sanctify us.

Purify our hearts within us;

Be transformed into Your likeness,

Holy unto You.

May we always listen to You

Speaking Your words 

Now within us.

May we heed Your counsel to us;

Follow You today.

Do all that You say. 

https://vimeo.com/113979906

All Things God’s Way

An Original Work / April 25, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

All Flesh is Grass

Isaiah 40:6-8 ESV

“A voice says, ‘Cry!’

    And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’

All flesh is grass,

    and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.

The grass withers, the flower fades

    when the breath of the Lord blows on it;

    surely the people are grass.

The grass withers, the flower fades,

    but the word of our God will stand forever.”

Does it ever grieve your heart, the kinds of things some humans do and how they behave and the words that they speak? Does it bother you or concern you at all when you see all the kinds of stuff that is going on in our world today, or that is being promoted as though it is happening, whether it is or whether it isn’t? Are you seeing the lies and the misimpressions and the deceptions that are being disguised as truth? Does that disturb you at all?

Do you notice how many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ and who call themselves followers of Christ or pastors or preachers… do you notice how so many are living the opposite of the faith that they profess? Are you aware of how rampant sexual sin and idolatry and adultery are within the gatherings of what is called “church”? Do you see the spiritual and moral decline of the church in today’s world, or particularly here in America?

Does it bother or concern you when people who profess to be Christians, especially those who are in the public eye, dress and present themselves in seductive ways which are drawing people to the flesh and not to God? I see this particularly in “Christian” musicians, particularly in women, who dress seductively and who carry themselves in a sensual way which draws people to their flesh and not to God, and not to his holiness and righteousness.

Do you notice the deliberate half-truths and misimpressions, which are indirect lies, which are being inserted into “Christian” literature, and “Christian” memes on social media, and in “Christian” songs and sermons, etc.? Do you realize that many pastors today are being trained in lying, manipulating, and in misimpressions, because they are being taught to market their “churches” to the people of the world?

Are you aware that those who are following the Lord in righteousness and in holy living are now being regarded as “legalists” while those who are still walking in sin, living in immorality, lying and cheating, by habit, are now being coddled in their sins? So, someone who is living in gross immorality and in willful rebellion against the Lord may well be accepted within the gatherings of the church while those following Jesus may be cast out.

Our whole world today is being turned upside down. Good is being spoken of as evil, and evil is being spoken of as good. Both the world and much of the gatherings of what is called “church” are more concerned with not offending the people of the world than they are with standing on the truth of God’s Word and on what is right and righteous and good. And so if you stand on the truth, you are an outcast, while the ungodly are accepted and embraced.

If these things grieve you at all, which they should, there may be times when you cry out to God, and you literally weep over these things, and it may just break your heart to see evil apparently gaining ground while righteousness and holiness are being spoken of as evil. But here is the encouragement. All that is of the flesh is one day going to die, but God’s Word will remain steadfast forever.

No one, no matter how smart or how clever or how devious and wicked and evil his or her actions may be will ever overcome God and his Word and his righteousness and holiness. And they can only get away with what they presently get away with because God is allowing it, for a time. But a time is coming when God is going to judge, and those who did not obey him will perish in their sins, but the truly righteous will live forever with him.

So, when we look all around us, and we see evil gaining ground, and when we see righteousness being thought of as evil and evil being thought of as good, although we may grieve, we should not get discouraged, and we should not give up hope, because God is still in control. He has a plan and a purpose for it all, and his will is going to be accomplished. So, we have to just keep trusting the Lord, for what is of the flesh is going to perish one day, and what is righteous will live on forever 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; 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] 

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.

http://youtu.be/_XQkomPFz4Y

All Flesh is Grass

An Original Work / July 19, 2023

Reposted April 24, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

In Obedience to The Truth

“Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:22-23 NASB1995)

What is the truth that we must obey? That is a subject over which many people disagree. But in the Scriptures we are taught that faith in Jesus Christ, if it is biblical faith, which is persuaded of God, and is gifted to us by God, must result in us dying to sin and obeying God in practice or it is not biblical faith which saves. It is not teaching that if we do sin that we are cut off from God (see 1 John 2:1-2), but it is teaching if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to God, that we will not inherit eternal life with God. But, instead, we will face the wrath of God for not honoring him as God.

And what does it look like if we have purified our souls by obeying the truth? It means we have, by the grace of God, in the power of God, and by biblical faith in Jesus Christ, been cleansed of our sins via dying with Christ to sin and now living to obey him and his commands. No longer do we continue to make sin our practice, but now righteousness and obedience to our Lord are what we practice. It means our lives are now surrendered to Jesus Christ to do his will, to live holy lives pleasing to God as we yield control of our lives over to God. For obedience to God is the condition of purification.

And without obedience to God in the forsaking of our sins and in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, we cannot love others with the sincere love of God for others who profess faith in Jesus Christ and for those who have not yet surrendered their lives to the Lord to do his will. For to love with this kind of love involves us living to please God and preferring what he prefers, which is all that is righteous, godly, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord and to his commands. So to love is to do for others what is for their good, i.e. what God deems right in his eyes.

“For, ‘All flesh is like grass,

And all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

And the flower falls off,

But the word of the Lord endures forever.’

And this is the word which was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:24-25 NASB1995)

All of us humans are born with sin natures, in the image of Adam, the first man to sin against God. None of us are righteous in our own merit, of our own flesh. And we all fall short of the divine approval of God in our flesh, outside of faith in Jesus Christ. We live, and then we die, and all that we owned or accomplished in this life is then gone with us.

But the Word of the Lord endures forever, which is the Word that should have been preached to us, that Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross 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, all in the power of God. And that Word is Jesus.

So, if we want to be saved from our sins and to have eternal life with God, we must, by faith in him, be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as servants of God and of his righteousness, in following the leading of the Holy Spirt in the ways of God and His 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; 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] 

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

In Obedience to The Truth

An Original Work / April 24, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

A Futile Way of Life

“If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” (1 Peter 1:17-19 NASB1995)

What does a futile way of life look like in the eyes of God? What futile ways of life have any of us inherited from our ancestors (forefathers)? For me, I was raised by a father who was an abuser physically, mentally, emotionally, and sexually. I did not follow in his footsteps, but what was done to me did have an impact on my life, and on my life choices, and on my perception of God. I saw God/Jesus Christ as my Savior, my Lord, and my comforter, but he did not rescue me from my abuser, and so I saw God as limited.

I believed in Jesus Christ at age 7, and I took God and his word seriously. I was not a perfect child, but I loved Jesus, and I loved the teachings of the Scriptures, and I followed the Lord with my life. I was so serious about obeying the Lord that I was often made fun of and thought to be an oddball. I wanted to serve him with my life, and I wanted to become a missionary one day. I loved sitting in the front pew in the “church” building and listening to the preacher preach from the Scriptures. I wanted to live like that.

I met a guy in college. We dated. Eventually we got married. I believed he was a Christian. We were in Christian ministry together from our dating years until mid-2006, with some gaps in-between. We have both shared our testimonies publicly several times. He confesses to being addicted to sexual sin from early in his life to the present. And for a short period of time he led me to join him in some of his sinful behaviors, which were then my sinful behaviors, too. Then God delivered me and brought me back to himself.

So, when I was joining my husband in sin, I was living the futile way of life inherited from my father, not as an abuser, but as one committing sexual sin against God. I was following the ways of the flesh, and not the ways of God, not constantly, but more in and out. And when I did try to come back to the right place with God I had other people knocking me down, treating me with disdain, not for any sin I committed, but because I was pursuing God and righteousness and getting my life back on track. Satan wanted me dead.

But Jesus Christ did not deliver me from sin and give me a new life in him to be lived for his glory so that eventually I would ignore him and his commands and so that I would do the unthinkable in direct opposition to his will and purpose for my life. And that is the subject that this passage of Scripture is addressing. We are not delivered from sin so that we will eventually go back to living in it. We are delivered from our sin so we will now serve God with our lives in walks of obedience to his commands.

And God is going to judge all of us in the same way when we stand before him on the day of judgment, not according to what we did in the past, but according to how we are living in the present. He will judge us by our works, whether we are serving him with our lives or if we are living in sin, doing what our flesh desires rather than obeying our Lord and his commands. So, we must conduct ourselves in the fear (honor, respect) of the Lord during our time on this earth or we will not have eternal life with God in heaven.

For, when Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross, it was to put our sins to death with him so that, by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in him we will now die to sin and walk in obedience to his commands – all in the power of God, by his Spirit. So, if you have not denied self, died to sin, and followed Jesus in obedience, in lifestyle, by his grace, I pray you do so now. And if you have wandered from the faith and have fallen back into sin, I pray you will repent and obey God from this day forward, 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] 

God had a calling on my life from very early on in my life. I knew I was to be like a Jeremiah, not as a prophet, but as one taking the truths of the Scriptures to the people without fear of them. But I let fear of them distract me for a time from that calling. But when the Lord brought me back he made that calling even more clear to me than ever before. And for the past nearly 22 years I have been doing what he has called me to do, even when I get rejected, hated, mistreated, and cast aside, because He is with me!

The Spirit Calling

An Original Work / November 12, 2019

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Hear the Spirit calling.

He’ll keep you from falling.

Tenderly He’s calling,

“Come and follow Him.”

Walk with Jesus daily.

Don’t give in to lazy.

Folks may call you crazy.

Fellowship with Him.

Follow where He leads you.

Eat what Jesus feeds you.

His love will renew you

If you follow Him.

Do what Jesus tells you.

Don’t let your faith fail you.

His love will avail you

If you walk with Him.

Jesus, Lord and Savior,

Reigneth now forever.

He gave us His favor

So we’d live with Him.

Turning now from our sin,

Holy Spirit live-in.

Holiness we walk in,

Purified by Him.

https://vimeo.com/373006449 

A Futile Way of Life

An Original Work / April 24, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Distressed by Various Trials

I am reading in 1 Peter 1.

 

We who believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives are those who, by God-persuaded faith in him, have been 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 now as servants of God and of his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, by the grace of God, in the power of God (see Romans 6:1-23). And we are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

 

[Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 9:23-26; John 8:31-32; John 15:1-12; Romans 6:16; Romans 8:24; Romans 11:17-24; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; 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; 2 Peter 2:20-22; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6,24-25]

 

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:6-9 NASB1995)

 

As those who profess faith in Jesus Christ, we are to be the chosen of God, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ. We are not saved by the grace of God so that we can continue living in sin and in disobedience to God and to his commands, in practice. We do not have the guarantee of heaven as our eternal destiny based on lip service only, absent of submission to our Lord and without obedience to his commands while sin is still our practice. For faith in Jesus Christ requires that we die to sin and obey God.

 

And this is one of the reasons for which we are given various trials, to test us by fire, to see whether or not our faith in Jesus Christ is genuine, or if it is not real, or if it is weak and needs to be strengthened and refined through various trials and tribulations given us to test our faith. And this isn’t for a day or a week, but our faith will be tested from now until Jesus returns so that when he does return, our faith may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ, which is faith in action.

 

And then notice with me the wording here where it says, “obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” But this is not in the context of our initial confessions of faith in Jesus Christ resulting in the salvation of our souls. This has to do with continuous walks of faith in obedience to our Lord in submission to his will, throughout our Christian lives, via our trials and tribulations which come to test our faith, resulting in us obtaining as the outcome of our faith the salvation of our souls.

 

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

 

We, as followers of Jesus Christ, must follow our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands, and we must no longer live as slaves (addicted) to sin. This does not make us perfect. This does not mean we will never sin (1 John 2:1-2). This does not mean we will never fall back and need to be brought back to repentance (see Revelation 2-3; Galatians 6:1; James 5:19-20). But if sin remains our practice, and not obedience to the Lord, and this is where we still are when Jesus returns, then we 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; 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]

 

Our Eyes on Jesus

 

Based off Hebrews 12:2-13

An Original Work / April 23, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.

Our faith starts and grows in Him,

Who for the joy set before Him

Endured all our sin.

Scorning the shame of the cross,

He sat down beside God above.

He was willing to die for us,

To save us, in love.

 

Think about the opposition

He endured from sinful men,

So when you go through life’s trials,

You stay strong within.

Knowing all He went through for us

Helps us not grow weak of heart;

Not grow weary; don’t give up;

And not from Him depart.

 

In your struggle against sin’s ways,

Resist not to shed your blood.

Have you forgotten the words

God spoke to us in love?

“My child, don’t ignore it when

The Lord corrects you; do faint not,

Because the Lord disciplines those

That He loves, of God.”

 

God rebukes us all for our good;

Share with Him in holiness.

It produces a harvest of

God’s own righteousness.

Therefore, strengthen all within you

That is weak and might give way.

Stand firm in the faith God gives you;

Trust Him and obey.

 

https://vimeo.com/125489683

 

Distressed by Various Trials

An Original Work / April 24, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Not Too Hard for God

Have you ever gotten to the point in your life where you felt like you were at the end of your rope? Everything you tried seemed to just blow up in your face? Nothing went like you had hoped, or even as you had planned? And you felt as though you just kept coming up against brick walls? 

Your heart was in the right place, and you were moving in a forward direction, but Satan just kept fighting hard against you, using loved ones, friends, or church people to oppose you, and to try to get you to compromise with the world, or to not take life so seriously. 

It seemed no one was on your side and “in your ball court” except God. Even those who were supposed to love and support and protect you had turned against you, and so you felt without hope, without resources, and lacking the strength to fight anymore. And so you just wanted to throw up the white flag and say, “I surrender!” Have you been there? I have!

So, what are we to do when we get to that place? We need to call on God for help, for strength, for comfort, for healing, and for direction. We need to also fight off Satan’s evil attacks against us with the truth of God’s Word. And this is the truth from his Word regarding these times in our lives.

She Laughed

The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” (Genesis 18:14 ESV)

Abraham and Sarah were well past childbearing age, and yet God promised them that they would have a son, and that Abraham would be the father of many nations. The Bible says this about Abraham:

“Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform” (Romans 4:20-21 NASB).

I think sometimes we grow weary when what we hope for takes too long, and so we get impatient with God, and thus, when things get really hard, we are ready to “throw in the towel.” We give up too soon, because we feel that what we hope for is not going to happen. We have our eyes fixed on our circumstances, instead of on God, and so we decide it is an impossible situation, and there is just no way that good will come out of it. And, so we bail, because it got too hard, and/or because it looked too impossible.

But, we forget that, with God, anything is possible, according to his will and purpose. Nothing within his perfect will is too hard for him to do. He is the God of impossible situations. He is the God of miracles, too. So, we need to yield to God’s will, pray for direction, and then do what he shows us, and move forward, not backward. Instead of just giving up, we should see what God is up to, then trust him, and then follow his lead. 

Not Looking Good?

‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. Jeremiah 32:17 ESV

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” Jeremiah 32:27 ESV

God’s people were in captivity. Jerusalem was under siege. Jeremiah was under arrest and being held in confinement because of what he was prophesying in the name of the Lord. Things didn’t look too promising. And, yet, God told Jeremiah to buy a field, so he did, even though, by human understanding, it probably was illogical. 

God’s people were in captivity because, although God had rescued them, and he had provided for them, and had led them, they did not obey him, but they did evil in his sight. So, God judged them, and he brought disaster on them, but not to destroy them, but to bring them to their knees, so they would return to him.

So, again, things were not exactly looking good. The people were living in open rebellion against God. Sin was abounding. And now their land was being conquered. All looked pretty hopeless. But, then God said, “Is anything too hard for me?” 

You see, God had a plan. And his plan was to revive his people and to bring them back into fellowship with him, so that he would be their God, and they would be his people. His plan was, that through a very difficult circumstance, he would work a miracle in their hearts and lives. And, that they would fear him, and so they would walk in his ways. Now he would bring good on them. And fields would be bought once more.

So, sometimes, when things look utterly hopeless, we need to seek God’s face and allow him to show us what he is doing in these circumstances, and how he is working all things for good for those who love God and who are called according to his purposes. When things seem to be at their very worst, it may be the time when God will break through, and a miracle will happen. So, we have to know that nothing, within God’s will, is too hard for God. So, we should never give up, but we should trust him, walk with him, and do what he tells us to do, for he has a plan. 

Nearly Impossible

But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (Luke 18:23-27 ESV)

Hard, difficult, challenging, and even nearly impossible is not too hard for God. We can’t do it, but he can. We see stubborn and rebellious hearts, living in sin, addicted to all sorts of sinful practices, children and spouses being abused, betrayed and abandoned, and cruel and inhumane treatment of the oppressed at the hands of the wealthy and powerful, and we wonder if there is any hope that this will ever end.

We see lives torn apart by sin, hatred and violence, lies and betrayal, broken marriages, and children exposed to all sorts of evil via internet devices, and we wonder when or if God will ever intervene. We see the addicted, too, hanging on to their idols, often unwilling to let go, or fighting to hold on, or trying to delicately balance their sinful practices with their Christian lives, and we wonder if they will ever come to their senses and truly give God their all in total surrender to his will. Some people have already written them off, and have decided they will never change.

Yet, I believe in miracles. I’ve seen a soul set free! I know God’s power to change lives and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they can receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ. So, there is always hope until they are dead or until Jesus Christ returns. Until then, we should keep praying, because with man, this is impossible, this deliverance from our chains, but with God, it is not.

So, when things look bleak, when our plans fail, when life kicks us in the rear, and the opposition is strong, we need to put on the armor of God and fight Satan and his lies and believe in God’s Word and his promises, and then just let him lead us as to the way he wants us to go. Instead of running away when life gets too hard, we need to run to God. He may say, “Leave,” but he may say, “Stay.” So, we need to do what he says, and then just trust him with the results. He will give us all we need to endure, and the wisdom we need to keep persevering, even when all looks utterly hopeless. We just need to rest in him, rely on his strength and power, and keep pressing on.

His Strength Is Perfect

By Steven Curtis Chapman

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 

Sunday, December 31, 2017, 6:13 p.m. – Thank you, Jesus, for these encouraging and hopeful words. Help us to hear you clearly, and to follow your lead, and to run to you and not from you when things get hard.

Not Too Hard for God

An Original Work / December 31, 2017

Reposted on April 23, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Work for The Lord

In October of 2018 I received a "Blogger Recognition Award" from some of my fellow bloggers. Today I realized there were people now reading that post from 2018, and then the Lord gave me a Scripture to go with it:

“As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (Ephesians 6:6b-7 NLT)

(Ephesians 6:6-7 NASB1995: “Not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men.”)

The Lord, thus, coordinated this passage of Scripture with the following quotes from that blog post of eight years ago. For the subject matter here has to do with working for the Lord and not for human approval. For if we are working for the Lord, we are going to be doing what God approves whether or not other humans approve us or not. We are going to be following the leading of the Spirit even if we are trashed by other humans.

Quote from blog post on October 28, 2018:

In the past couple of days, I and my blog, “Run With It,” were nominated for the “Blogger Recognition Award” by two different people… So, I want to thank them both for this honor. Thank you, ladies!

But, I also want to give all the honor, glory and praise to God, for truly this is HIS blog, and I just write what he directs me to write and what he teaches me from His Word. So, all the glory and honor go to HIM, and not to me. I am just his servant, doing his bidding. So, this is truly HIS award, not mine. End quote

*[Here I gave my testimony as to how this blog got started and what motivated me to begin blogging. But this is too long to share again now.]

One of the things I was asked to do in receiving this blogger award was to give two pieces of advice to new bloggers, and so this is what the Lord gave me to share with them at that time, which still applies to our lives today.

Another quote from the blog post of October 28, 2018:

Advice to new or to old bloggers:

First of all, I would say that, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, that you should give your blog to the Lord, and let it be HIS blog, not yours. Let him decide what goes on your blog. Inquire of Him as to what you should write about, and let him guide your words. And don’t do it for the praise of humans, but be willing to suffer persecution, if necessary, or rejection, for speaking the truths which God would have you to speak.

Secondly, I would advise you then to put the results of what God has you write in his hands, trusting that he will use it for his purposes and for his glory. Don’t worry about how people are going to respond, and don’t be looking for how many followers or “likes” you will receive as your measure of success. If you are being obedient to the Lord, then you are a success, whether or not anyone recognizes you or your work. End Quote

And this is advice I need to give to myself sometimes, too, if I begin to get concerned about lack of responses from people at all. I would never change what I write to please people in place of writing what the Lord gives me to write, but I am not against trying to make it to where I can post some things in smaller sections for those who do not read long posts, provided the smaller sections of writing do not lose their context in the process, which does not always work. But my main purpose in writing is to write what the Lord gives me to share all for his glory. And I leave the results in his hands.

He Touched My Mouth  

Based off Isaiah 6:1-8; Jeremiah 1:4-9

An Original Work / June 13, 2012

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Oh, I saw the Lord seated on His throne,

High and lifted up; Holy is the Lord!

The earth is full of His glory.

“Woe to me,” I cried, 

“I’m of unclean lips.”

My Lord touched my mouth

With His cleansing pow’r; 

Removed all my guilt, paid for by His blood.

He asked, “Whom shall I send;

Who will go for us?” 

I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Before I was born, God set me apart;

He appointed me to His servant be.

I said, “I don’t know how to speak.

I am but a child.” Then, the Lord replied:

“Do not say to me, ‘I am but a child.’

You must go to all, and do what I say.

Do not fear them, for I’m with you.”

My Lord touched my mouth;

Gave me words to say.

https://vimeo.com/114929183

Video Talk on the Same Subject

https://youtu.be/DeAXEHolDe4

Work for The Lord

An Original Work / April 23, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love