Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 4,479
“There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:9-13 NASB1995)
The “true Light” spoken of here is Jesus Christ, which becomes evident if you read all of John, chapter one. And light is righteousness, holiness, truth, godliness, moral purity, and uprightness. And it is the gospel of Jesus Christ which brings light to all people. And that gospel teaches that, by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as servants of God and of his righteousness, by his grace.
Now Jesus Christ is the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is God, and he always existed with God, and he is our creator God. And over 2000 years ago he left his throne in heaven, and he came to the earth, and he was born as a baby to a virgin woman, but conceived of the Holy Spirit, and not of man. So when he was born, he was not born with a sin nature as we are, and he never sinned when he lived on the earth. But the world he made did not know him when he lived on the earth.
Jesus Christ was about 30 years old when he began his earthly ministry, accompanied by his 12 disciples who he selected to follow him in ministry. He had other followers (disciples), too, some of whom were women, but they were not part of the 12. But the majority of those who were his people, the Jews, did not receive him as their Messiah, the Christ, their Lord. And many of the rulers and people of influence in the temple of God opposed Jesus strongly, and they tried continually to trip him up with his words.
But there was a minority of people who did receive him. And what does that look like? To receive him is to accept him and to welcome him into our lives, but it is also to agree with him, to say “yes” to him and to who he is and was, and to what he taught as the gospel. It is to believe in him, and to believe is to be persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of God’s requirements that we deny self, die to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands, in surrender to his will.
So “receiving” Jesus is not just words we repeat after someone else in a pre-planned prayer. It is not just words spoken in acknowledgment of who Jesus is and was, and as to what he did for us in putting our sins to death with him on that cross. Receiving Jesus into our lives means death to sin and walks of surrender to him as Lord (Owner-Master) of our lives, in obedience to his commands, in practice. It doesn’t mean we will never sin again (1 John 2:1-2) but that sin must no longer be what we practice (1 John 1:5-10).
For when we believe in Jesus with biblical faith in him, we are born again of the Spirit of God in a spiritual birth to new life in him, which is not of the will of our human flesh, but of God. And since the faith to believe in Jesus is also from God, and not of our own doing, then we do not get to define what that faith looks like. God does! And he says in his word that it means that we die to sin, and we now obey God and his commands. But if we continue in our sins, and not in obedience to God, 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; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
As Many as Receive Him
An Original Work / December 1, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
The “true Light” spoken of here is Jesus Christ, which becomes evident if you read all of John, chapter one. And light is righteousness, holiness, truth, godliness, moral purity, and uprightness. And it is the gospel of Jesus Christ which brings light to all people. And that gospel teaches that, by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as servants of God and of his righteousness, by his grace.
Now Jesus Christ is the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is God, and he always existed with God, and he is our creator God. And over 2000 years ago he left his throne in heaven, and he came to the earth, and he was born as a baby to a virgin woman, but conceived of the Holy Spirit, and not of man. So when he was born, he was not born with a sin nature as we are, and he never sinned when he lived on the earth. But the world he made did not know him when he lived on the earth.
Jesus Christ was about 30 years old when he began his earthly ministry, accompanied by his 12 disciples who he selected to follow him in ministry. He had other followers (disciples), too, some of whom were women, but they were not part of the 12. But the majority of those who were his people, the Jews, did not receive him as their Messiah, the Christ, their Lord. And many of the rulers and people of influence in the temple of God opposed Jesus strongly, and they tried continually to trip him up with his words.
But there was a minority of people who did receive him. And what does that look like? To receive him is to accept him and to welcome him into our lives, but it is also to agree with him, to say “yes” to him and to who he is and was, and to what he taught as the gospel. It is to believe in him, and to believe is to be persuaded of God as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of God’s requirements that we deny self, die to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands, in surrender to his will.
So “receiving” Jesus is not just words we repeat after someone else in a pre-planned prayer. It is not just words spoken in acknowledgment of who Jesus is and was, and as to what he did for us in putting our sins to death with him on that cross. Receiving Jesus into our lives means death to sin and walks of surrender to him as Lord (Owner-Master) of our lives, in obedience to his commands, in practice. It doesn’t mean we will never sin again (1 John 2:1-2) but that sin must no longer be what we practice (1 John 1:5-10).
For when we believe in Jesus with biblical faith in him, we are born again of the Spirit of God in a spiritual birth to new life in him, which is not of the will of our human flesh, but of God. And since the faith to believe in Jesus is also from God, and not of our own doing, then we do not get to define what that faith looks like. God does! And he says in his word that it means that we die to sin, and we now obey God and his commands. But if we continue in our sins, and not in obedience to God, 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; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
Caution: This link may contain ads
As Many as Receive Him
An Original Work / December 1, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
