Sonsofthesea.org

"Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

Category: Connection (Page 1 of 10)

Is Your Ear Pierced?

February 22, 2025 / / 0 Comments

MaryEllen Montville

“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.” –Exodus 21:5-6.

I read not only the above verse but the entire chapter, and I remember thinking. “Thank You, Jesus, that because of You, because of grace, we are no longer under the heavy burden of the Law.” Now hear me, I know and believe every Word of God brings Life—it is Life. It was spoken and inspired for a purpose—God’s Holy Spirit enlivens it: yesterday, today, and forever. Logos turned Rhema so that it may continue accomplishing all God sent it to do. On this one Truth, I stand firm. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  

I should not have been surprised when, while reading the prayer that accompanies my morning devotional, a prayer seemingly unrelated to Exodus 21—some of the very words I had read and foolishly thought so burdensome—”…take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl…” dropped in my spirit. On their heels, the words, “Is your ear pierced?”

Now, God does not ask us questions because He needs an answer.

So what is Jesus desiring to accomplish by questioning us? And what effect ought such questions have on our hearts? As His children, those who seek greater Oneness with Jesus, we ought to reflect on the reasons behind the more profound implications of His questions.

Being Omniscient (all-knowing), Jesus knows the answer before asking the question. Why, then, does Jesus ask rhetorical questions?

For Correction & Redemption:

“Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For He wounds, but He also binds up; He injures, God loves us too much to leave us the way we are but His hands also heal” –Job 5:17-18.

 “To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” –Galatians 4:5.

I am not the only child of God to be asked a question; Scripture assures me of that. A well-recognized example of God asking another of His children a rhetorical question is found in the Book of Genesis. God asked Adam, the first man, “Where are you?” –Genesis 3:9.

God knew precisely where Adam was and why he and Eve hid from Him. “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” –Genesis 3:8.

God asked Adam, “Where are you?” for Adam’s benefit, not His own.

Perhaps in asking Adam this question, God wanted Adam to confess what had just happened to him and Eve, why they were hiding, and how they knew, suddenly, that they were naked. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” –Genesis 3:6-7.

The devil, that accuser of God’s children, will use unconfessed sin in our lives, anything we choose to hide from God, against us, accusing us before God night and day. “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom (dominion, reign) of our God, and the authority of His Christ have come; for the accuser of our [believing] brothers and sisters has been thrown down [at last], he who accuses them and keeps bringing charges [of sinful behavior] against them before our God day and night.” –Revelation 12:10.

God wanted to restore Adam and Eve, forgiving them of their sin.

So, did God ask Adam, “Where are you?”  to bring about Adam’s confession and repentance and usher in God’s redemptive plan? Remember, God had a far-reaching end game in mind, if you will. God was looking past the garden to the Cross and beyond, to a Bridegroom and His bride. Did God desire Adam, one small part in His inscrutable plan, to follow His lead and not miss the eternal lessons repentance and forgiveness teach and the blessings each brings?

Though God foreknew our every sin in His Omniscience, we must still choose to humble ourselves before Him, seeking His forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” –1 John 1:9.

To test us: That we might examine ourselves and know, with decided certainty, in Whom and what we believe. “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” –2 Corinthians 13:5.

Another well-recognized question Jesus asks of His children was once posed to His disciples—and through them, to each of us: “But who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29).

There are a plethora of reasons for Jesus to ask this question of those who profess faith in Him, who claim Him to be the One True God—Savior of the world—of their world. Our faith and salvation are nothing if not personal. Amongst the greatest of reasons—being forgiven of our sin and guilt before God, and our ability to have a loving relationship with Jesus here and in the Life to come—in asking this question, was Jesus doing something a loving Father would do: protecting his child?

When asked what the signs of His coming would be, Jesus first tells His followers not to be deceived. Jesus knew how easy it could be to be deceived—swayed, drawn away from faith in the One True and Only God, Jesus Christ—if we do not know for ourselves who He is to us—in us.  Jesus, the Good Father He is, desires His children to know experientially the place He undeniably holds in their lives. “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.” –John 15:5.

Because of Jesus, my Lord and Savior, I can confidently answer the Holy Spirit’s question of me; “Yes, Lord, my ear is pierced!” I love my Master and choose to serve Him freely all the days of my life. “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” –Psalm 73:25-26.

Having chosen me in Himself, God, in His unfathomable love and mercy, nailed my ear to the Door that is His Son, Jesus, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” –John 10:9. God granted me the privilege of calling Him Abba, Father, Lord and Savior, Comforter, Sustainer, my only Hope.

In closing, I’ll follow my Lord’s example in asking you the very question His Holy Spirit asked me: “Is your ear pierced?”

And if not, why not? Friends, today is the day of salvation or rededication, backslider. Invite the One who died that you might live into your heart and life. Today, Jesus is asking you the most important question of your life: “But who do you say that I am?”

“He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].” –2  Corinthians 5:21.

God of The 11th Hour?

February 8, 2025 / / 0 Comments

MaryEllen Montvile

MaryEllen Montville

“The people of Israel had lived in Egypt 430 years. At the end of 430 years, on that same day, all of the Lord’s people left Egypt. It was a night to be remembered for the Lord for having brought them out of the land of Egypt.” –Exodus 12: 40-42.

Many Christians believe they’ve experienced Jesus as God of the 11th hour. I, too, had often thought the same of Him, of Jesus showing up at what certainly felt like the last minute, or dare I say, when I thought the moment had passed me by when all hope appeared little more than a barely there dot on a gray horizon.

Perhaps that’s how the Israelites once felt.

Maybe—that’s how you’re feeling right now.

We, His children, are often guilty of seeing Jesus as the One who comes just in time.

Yet, I encourage you to allow the opening verse of today’s chapter to challenge what you may believe about God’s timing—maybe it’s time for a fresh perspective—more, for a proper Biblical perspective.

Why?

So that you might, we might rightly align our hearts and wills with God’s. Sinking it, like a weighty anchor to the sea floor, to become one with His will, His plan, total submission, and acceptance—come what may. Ceasing your striving, conscious or otherwise, to bend God’s will to meet your own. “Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make” –Proverbs 3:5-6.

Throughout God’s Word, we are assured of one fundamental, unchanging Truth—God is never late as we think of lateness. “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” –Ecclesiastes 3:11.

This plain Truth has existed since before time, as man understands it. We witness God exercise this Truth in His plan to deliver His chosen children, the Israelites, as He had foreordained, arranged for the Israelite’s deliverance and the utter eradication of their enemy in His appointed time. “While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the Lord gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron.” –Exodus 12:1.

This one verse challenges our finite understanding of time—God’s time, that is. It uncryptically details that while the Israelites were yet experiencing the tip of the taskmaster’s whip across their sun-scorched backs, God already had their deliverance mapped out. Did you catch that? Before one Israelite had so much as sniffed their impending freedom in the air, God had already made a way out of Egypt. The Israelite’s exodus from under Pharoh’s exacting grip was already mapped out and waiting in the wings to unfold in the form of two lowly servants—Moses and Aaron.

In God’s economy, His children were already free—their liberty a done deal.

Their shackles and hopelessness, though weighing them down still in the natural, had, in God’s Providence, already been left in the dust of an Egypt that had been bent on robbing His people of the now tattered vestiges of the “sure promise” God had made to their forefathers Abraham, Isacc, and Jacob. All of this was done before one person’s foot took its first step into freedom, already theirs. Again, concerning God’s timing, we must remember it is not our own. Still, the lot of us so long to captains of time. Thinking, foolishly, how we would do it, whatever the “it” may be, so much better, or at least far more expediently than God is!

I can hear the Apostle Paul screaming across time, “How foolish of you, you short-sighted fools! You possess no such vision!”

God alone sees the end from the beginning as a masterful, finished piece of art. While we, short-sighted mortals, see it as some willy-nilly, nonsensical drawing-board scribblings. Is it any wonder that the Lord says to us: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” –Isiah 55:8-9.

Much like his descendants, the Israelites, their Father Abraham knew something about this God who provides “a ram in the bush”—an unseen, unknown, yet preplanned way out of afflictions for His own. Unnoticed and unknown until that is, the fullness of time is revealed. But Abraham’s story is for another day.

For today, suffice it to say, if you’re feeling stuck in your own version of Egypt, God has undoubtedly heard your cries, just as He did the Israelites before you. As with them, He has a plan to deliver you. “The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.” –Exodus 3:7.

So If you’re bent low in despair, feeling drained, beaten down—the joy of life and all hope seemingly little more than a memory, or if the enemy—or your seared conscience, is taking the whip to your back, then like the Israelites before you, you too must cry out to your Father—your God.

Trust that Jesus hears you and that He has a good and hope-filled plan for your life that will unfold in His time. How? According to His Word. Listen: “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless [he is forced] by a strong hand. So I will reach out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go. And I will grant this people favor and respect in the sight of the Egyptians; therefore, it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. In this way you are to plunder the Egyptians [leaving bondage with great possessions that are rightfully yours].” –Exodus 3:19-20;22.

This God who did not fail the Israelites in their seemingly forsaken wilderness will unquestionably not fail you, chosen and sealed in Christ. By His Spirit at work in you, you will emerge from your “captivity” stronger, more resilient, and better supplied than when your enemy first laid hold of you.

Just as Exodus 3:19-23 assures you of God’s faithfulness to His beloved, chosen Israel, there’s yet another promise from this same God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, made to the Israelites while they were yet in exile in Babylon and through them, ingrafted one, to you, if you are God’s child. It speaks to His yet future plans for them, good plans indeed, again, while they are, in their own eyes at least, still in bondage. “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper– Jeremiah 29: 4-7.

Here it is, beloved, the promise you must white-knuckle cling to come what may, by remembering God makes all things work together for your good and His glory—in His time. “This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” –Jeremiah 29:11.

According to Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.” So here’s what that means if you have yet to ask Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior. Today can be the day of your exodus from whatever Egypt has been holding you enslaved. Is it drugs? Alcohol? Porn? Adultery?

 Whatever your personal Egypt, Jesus is waiting to set you free if you confess your need for Him and admit that you’ve sinned and need Him as your Savior. Then, according to His Word, Jesus will save and wash you clean. “If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].” –1 John 1:9.

His Peace In Rejection.

February 1, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Matthew Botelho

“When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” –Matthew 13:53-56.

We all want to feel valued and loved by our families and friends, not to mention our brothers and sisters in the church. So let me ask you, have you ever been rejected or laughed at for your belief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Have your friends and loved ones ever looked at you in such a way that made you feel like you are an outsider looking in? Or have family and friends just stopped talking to you because your love for the Lord Jesus has superseded the love you have for them?

My dear brothers and sisters, if any of this is the case, you are in good company because Jesus also went through rejection when He was teaching and doing miracles in His hometown of Nazareth. His own people, even His own blood brothers, rejected Him. Can you believe that? Not only the townspeople but His own brothers!

They all, family, and townspeople, remembered Jesus as the son of a carpenter, a mere man. They could not see Him as He truly was, the Son of God, their Messiah. Their focus was on the Jesus they knew or had known. However, the Jesus who stood before them taught and preached with power and authority; He knew His true identity. He was from the Father, and nothing, or no one, would stop Him from doing what He was called to do. Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” –John 12:32

Jesus reminds us that even within households and intimate relationships, division will arise because of Him.

There is always a cost to be paid, my dear friends, when following God’s ways. In Matthew 10, Jesus reminds us of this heavy truth: “I did not come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.” –Matthew 10:34-36. Wow.

Think about the life you once lived, your BC life (Before Christ), and how friends and family viewed you.

Maybe you partied a lot with drinking and drugs, etc. Then, one day, your BC self-had an encounter with Jesus, and everything you knew totally changed. Your heart changed, and your mind was renewed. You became a new creation. The apostle Paul writes about this very thing to the church in Corinth, “Therefore, if any is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” –2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul also writes to the Romans, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” –Romans 12:2

My dear friends, some people in the world are uncomfortable with change. They expect people to stay the same, never changing or growing. This can even happen within the church if God calls you to do something specific, become a missionary, write a book, be called to preach, and teach God’s Word or lead a ministry. Some will look at you and say, “Wait, isn’t that… and wasn’t he/she just doing ____________, but now they’re teaching a Bible study? Who do they think they are!” To that, I say let them talk and for you remember what Jesus told Peter, “You follow Me.” –John 21:21. My dear friends, even if the rejection comes from those you serve alongside and love, remember you are first and always in the hands of Jesus—obedient to Him above all others.

Who’s to say that God’s not preparing you for the work of the ministry? Jesus says, “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” –Luke 14:11.

Friends you have known for years will eventually see the transformation Jesus has made in you and question, “What happened to you?” Then one of two things will happen: They will either accept the change—the new you or reject you, maybe altogether. But a faithful friend will stick with you no matter what, and a really loyal friend will rejoice with you that God has chosen you to grow into the someone He destined you to be, to fulfill His call and purpose in your life. “A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.” –Proverbs 17:17.

Some friendships will remain rooted, but the sad reality for the believer in Jesus is that some friends will reject you.

Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” –John 15:18-20. Just because you are rejected by men, hold tight to the fact that you are always seen and accepted by your All-Loving, Omnipotent, and Ever-Present God who saved and loves you. Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come to that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” –John 10:10-11.

We may lose what is temporary, but we gain what is eternal in Christ Jesus.

If you are experiencing rejection right now, know that Jesus is with you. Rejection is a heartbreaking experience. Jesus, I believe, may have felt that heartbreak when the very ones He loved were offended by Him and His message. “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” –Matthew 13:57.

Sadly, we are not always accepted where we should feel the most comfortable.

I pray this teaching will encourage you to stay strong in your faith even when all others reject you. How? By clinging to the Truth. “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” –1 John 4:4

Be renewed this day by receiving Jesus as Lord over your life. Be washed and cleansed by His precious Blood, which was shed for you. “For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” –2 Corinthians 6:2. Let today be that day of salvation. The day you’re made new in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

But Because He Says So, Will you?

January 25, 2025 /

Elda Othello

My husband is a jack of all trades. He knows how to do many things. Paint, work on cars, fix a roof, and repair random stuff around the house. Even after all these years, the many things he knows how to do still surprise me. Believe me, I appreciate and love his many trades. That said, the saying goes, “jack of all trades and master of none”-unknown.

Now, you might be a master of a trade, a skill, or a profession. So was Peter (Simon). He was an expert fisherman who one day found himself amid the Master. In Luke chapter 5, we read: “One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

As I read this passage, I couldn’t help but wonder if we are first letting Jesus in our boats.

You might be reading this and have never asked Jesus to come into your boat, your heart. As you read this today, I pray this will be the day!

The second thing that spoke to me so profoundly was when Jesus initially got into Simon’s boat. He asked Simon to “pull out a little from shore” –Luke 5:3. Naturally, that makes sense; there were a lot of people gathered, and Jesus needed to be able to project His voice so they’d hear what He was saying. But some questions hit my spirit as I read these scriptures, and they’re the same ones I want to ask you. “Are you still sitting in shallow waters?” And “Are you willing to push your boat away from the shore at Jesus’ command?”

As I continued to read these passages, I became excited when Jesus asked Peter to “put out into deep waters” –Luke 5:4.

Our walk with God is definitely a journey. And sometimes, because we’ve allowed Jesus into our boats and hearts, He will prompt us to do things and to go places that might initially seem unfamiliar to us, requiring us to do things differently.

These scriptures tell us that Jesus wanted Simon to let down his net. This made no sense to him because he had just been fishing and caught nothing!

Point three is that Simon recognized Jesus as His Master. He was willing to do what didn’t make sense because Jesus said do it! When you’re a professional and have been doing something one way for so long, it can be scary to do it differently. It might feel uncomfortable, especially if you are a master of a trade. That’s why I loved Simon’s response, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets” –Luke 5:5.

What are you fishing for this year? What are you believing in God for? I believe in 2025, God might be prompting us to go deeper. To go where He prompts us to go.

What was the outcome of Peter putting down his net? It landed Simon many fish! “When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.  So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”  For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.” –Luke 5:6-11.

Are you fishing in shallow waters, or are you willing to follow the guidance of the Master and move into deep waters? Are you willing to surrender to the deep things of God and be submerged into the unknown, the unfamiliar waters of His Word?

God is calling us to go deeper this year.

In Ezekiel 47, verses 4 to 6, Ezekiel has a vision of waters flowing from the temple in which the waters get deeper and deeper. They go from ankle to knee and waist deep, and then we are fully submerged in water. That river symbolizes God’s presence. He is Water, He is Life, and He is the Living Word. He is calling us to go deeper into His presence. Into those deeper places in Him where we have no choice but to trust Him, He wants us to grow and mature. He wants us to go deep.

Are you willing to take Jesus at His Word? Peter was willing to walk away from his “trade” to follow Jesus even after he had caught many fish!

Will you be willing to forget everything you know, just like Simon Peter did, to become fishers of men?

If you haven’t accepted the Lord Jesus in your life, invite him today by saying this prayer: Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner, and I invite you into my heart, my boat, this day. I make you my Master over every area of my life. In Jesus Name. Amen. “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10.

All, In One.

January 18, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.” –2 Corinthians 5:14.

Reading just one sentence written in a daily devotional and then searching for the Truth of it in God’s inerrant Word can often usher in a whole new level of awe and understanding. It happens the instant His Logos, God’s written Word becomes Rhema, God’s Word made instantly alive and understood. Made personal by His Holy Spirit. If you’ve ever experienced this, you know precisely what I’m talking about.

I quickly recognized I was having an “I prayed, and God answered moment.” 

God responded to my prayer with just one click of His heavenly kaleidoscope, just as He promised us in Jeremiah 33:3.” “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”  You see, just moments before reading an incroyable sentence in my devotional, I had asked God to show me more. More of Him. Deeper things. More of His goodness, character, and heart—supernatural things, all the while knowing such revelation would be far beyond my purblind understanding. Still, I want more of God and fully believe He alone can open our understanding of who He is—His deeper recesses. So I asked. And God answered.

The sentence in the devotional I was reading: “Jesus was all people in one person.”

As I read and reread that one sentence, His Holy Spirit began opening the eyes of my understanding, leading me straight into His Word. “Yet look at you now! Everything is new! Although you were once distant and far away from God, now you have been brought delightfully close to him through the sacred blood of Jesus—you have actually been united to Christ! Our reconciling “Peace” is Jesus! He has made Jew and non-Jew one in Christ. By dying as our sacrifice, he has broken down every wall of prejudice that separated us and has now made us equal through our union with Christ. Ethnic hatred has been dissolved by the crucifixion of his precious body on the cross. The legal code that stood condemning every one of us has now been repealed by his command. His triune essence has made peace between us by starting over—forming one new race of humanity, Jews and non-Jews fused together in himself!” –Ephesians 2:13-15.

At first glance, I got it. Kind of—in part. We were all inside of Christ as He hung on His Cross—before really, in eternity past, while He was waiting to be born and die for us, in our place—so that we might one day live for or reject Him; Jew and Gentile alike, no division between us “For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren.”  –Romans 8:29.

In the truest sense, Christ hung on His Cross, the Sinless substitute for every guilty man who was, is, or is yet to come; for you, me, Abraham, Moses, and that one who wants nothing to do with Him.

His sacrifice—the innocent in place of the guilty—is world-inclusive.

It’s Jesus’ “I’ll die so that every single one of them will have the opportunity to choose Me—to choose Life,” demonstration of love. According to John 19:30, every soul, saved and unsaved alike, has been caught in God’s eternal “It Is Finished” net.

That we, the guilty, should be offered such a choice as to accept or reject our Creator, our Pure and Sin-less Savior, is mind-boggling to me.

Jesus is the only atonement God would accept for every man’s sins—past, present, and future; His willingness to take upon Himself the sins of the whole world meant Jesus would be brutally beaten, crucified, and die, even for those He foreknew would reject, deny, and despise Him and His offer to experience new life in Him.

This part of the “Jesus was all people in one person.” I understood.

After all, Christ’s substitutionary atonement is a pillar of—a massive chunk of the very bedrock upon which our faith—my faith, is built. The other chunks? The fact that He was born of a Virgin, Fathered by God’s Holy Spirit, born fully God and fully man—sinless. And this same Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, defeated death and the grave, resurrecting on the third day, are some of the other massive chunks of the bedrock of our faith.

Transfixed, feeling more was yet to come, I sat meditating on that one sentence: “Jesus was all people in one person.”

Then, suddenly, the Holy Spirit opened it up a bit more.

Those seven words put parentheses around the Gospel message. Around those, Jesus foreknew would accept Him and those who never would. It put parentheses around God’s justice and His Love—His judgment and forgiveness.

Being fully God, Jesus is the firstborn of all creation. Yes, the tiny babe the angel Gabriel once proclaimed as the world’s Savior to some shepherds; being one in nature with God—being God, was all men in one man in the sense that Jesus knew those the Father had given Him before the foundation of the world. From eternity past, it has always been about far more than Jews and Gentiles, about there being no division between us. “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.” –Colossians 1:15-18.

The “all people” has always been about every man. “All men.” Period. Regardless. All men include the pedophile, the murderer, and rapist, the abortion doctor, the thief, the drug-addicted mom, the sloppy drunk dad, and that homeless guy begging for change on the corner—those “surely not that one, Lord!”

Those the sanctimonious have labeled unworthy and shady; Jesus foreknew each of them in heaven as they awaited their birth, just as He foreknew you.

Jesus foreknew those who would accept Him as Lord and Savior and live—and those who, like Satan, Judas, and countless others, would rebel against Him and die because, like their father, they have chosen to harden their hearts. Refusing to believe that Jesus is the only way to the Father—the only way back to where they came from. “You have never heard, you have never known, from of old your ear has not been opened. For I knew that you would surely deal treacherously, and that from before birth you were called a rebel” –Isaiah 48:8.

Just as surely as God foreknew every lash His only Begotten Son would take upon His sinless body, He also foreknew every soul who would despise and reject Him. He foreknew the very men He was sending Jesus into the world to save would savagely and quite literally beat the flesh off His sinless Body, maliciously press a crown of thorns into His head, spit on him, strike Him with their fist, and then taunt and demean Him. And at any time, God could have stopped it, but He didn’t.

Jesus, at any time, could have said, “Enough,” but He didn’t. Instead, He endured death on His Cross. Why? Because in the truest sense of the word, hanging on His Cross, Jesus was all people in one Person—knowing who will be with Him always and those who would choose to live apart from Him now and forever. And had God loved us so and decided to let the cup of suffering pass Jesus by, Had Jesus not drank that bitter cup down to its dregs, all men would die in their sin, having no righteousness of their own, no Way back to the Father. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” –John 14:6.

What will Jesus say of you, friend? “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” or “Well done, good and faithful servant!”  Concerning these choices, God Himself says this to you: “I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore, you shall choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants.” –Deuteronomy 30:19. Jesus loves you enough to have left heaven, been born as a man, lived, died, and conquered the grave, the firstborn of the dead so that you might choose Him, belong to Him, and live.

As I Have Loved You.

December 14, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“John answered them, “I am an urgent, thunderous voice crying out in the desert—clear the way and prepare your hearts for the coming of the Lord Yahweh!” –John 1:23.

Approximately 400 miles south of Canada, in the frigid, icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, another John, John Harper, lesser known than John the Baptist for sure, was, nevertheless, much like his namesake in his passionate love for Christ and His people. John Harper possessed the Baptist’s same kind of inextinguishable white-hot desire to point “whosoever” to the Lord Jesus. Harper’s all-consuming desire was for Christ and to reach lost souls. To this end, he gave his whole life, much like the One he adored unto death. John Harper gave up his life—and life jacket—so that George Henry Cavell could live. Fulfilling in spirit and deed Jesus’ command to all those called by His name concerning our Christian duty. “This is My commandment, that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another, just as I have loved you. No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends.” –John 15:12-13.

A fitting reminder at Advent. Needed to help realign our hearts to what is profoundly important.

Our sold-out determination to fervidly follow after the Savior we claim to be our Lord—wherever He may lead us.

Decidedly making straight, by the strength and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit, every crooked path onto which we’ve strayed.

Keeping alive, with burning brilliance, Jesus’ Words to us as our guides: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” –John 15:4-5.

The only way any of us, you, and I or either John referenced in today’s teaching do these good works prepared for us before the foundation of the world, is in God’s strength. By imitating Jesus. His desire, that not one should perish. “For we are His workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” –Ephesians 2:10.

John Harper most certainly did.

Believing he was about to die; this widower first ensured his only daughter and sister made it safely onto a lifeboat. They both lived to tell of John’s bravery and self-sacrifice. How they watched as he ran back and forth along the length of the deck of that sinking ship proclaiming Jesus as Lord, beseeching those about to meet their watery deaths to receive Him as Lord and Savior.

Eyewitness and other documented reports indicate John Harper remained laser-focused and determined to do all he could to ensure no one was lost. He was seen floating in those icy North Atlantic waters where he came across the man George Henry Cavell, pictured in today’s image, adrift and clinging for dear life to some broken-off piece of the Titanic.

Cavell himself reported that John Harper asked him, not once but twice, if he was saved.

Cavell responded he was not. At which time, Harper pulled off his own lifejacket and, tossing it to Cavell, told him: “Put this on. You need it more than I do.”  Knowing for sure he would soon meet his Lord and Savior, John Harper laid down his life for Cavell—following His Savior’s example to the very end. It was Harper’s dying hope that this one man would not perish but, much like the thief on the cross, in the last moments on earth, receive the blessed assurance of eternal life. Having survived his life-changing ordeal, picked up in a lifeboat by the crew of the RMS Carpathia, Cavell later reported John Harper had yelled out to him not once but twice: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!” And he did. And he was to the glory of God.

Salvation is personal friends, a decision each man must make for himself. Accept the lifejacket being thrown your way today, or don’t. Jesus has afforded you the extraordinary privilege of making such an eternal decision.

Jesus has done His part to ensure you’re free to choose Him—or not.

Born the Babe we celebrate at Christmas. Jesus died fully God and fully man on Calvary’s Cross. He rose again on the third day, King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus alone has defeated death and the grave—you can, too, if you accept His offer of salvation. “I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live.” –Deuteronomy 30:19.

Friends, we must not be distracted by all that glitters this holy season, lest we forget about its true meaning and purpose: Lest we forget God’s Son, beautiful, innocent Jesus, born of a virgin—having agreed in eternity past to be born in eternity future, all that He might live and die fully  God and fully man, experiencing ALL that we have yet sinned not. The Sinless One who laid down His life for the sin full. The Guiltless for the guilty; you and me.

It’s easy to lose sight of that Truth as we sing, Joy to the World!

Forgetting entirely the cost of such joy.

John Harper never lost sight of his Savior or the great privilege of joining Him in laying down his life for a friend. Multiple times, across the Gospels, Jesus tells His disciples—tells us, told John Harper, to follow Him. Our following Jesus has always been God’s plan. And we, like John the Baptist and John Harper, and that great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us, can do this only through the power of God’s Holy Spirit at work in us, willing and enabling us, as Philippians remind us, to do His pleasing and perfect will. “For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.” –Philippians 2:13.

That’s precisely what John Harper did on that fateful morning in April 1912.

As we prepare our hearts to receive Him afresh this Advent—making room for Him by removing any false notion that our lives as Christians ought to be comfortable, stable, and free of suffering, though not popular, I’m sure, I will remind us all, starting with myself, of our need, privilege and calling to lay down our lives before the God-man we sing about having been born in a manger, remembering He is coming again as promised, soon and very soon now.

Is your heart prepared to receive Him if He comes this very night?

Had God not given John Harper His strength and the grace needed to meet his watery death in the icy waters of the North Atlantic Sea, who is to say if another would have been sent to George Henry Cavell saying, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!” There are no icy waters today—no sinking ship. However, an SOS is being sent to you directly. Its message? Romans 10:9-10. John Harper’s last words to George Henry Cavell.

Simply put, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!”

Grab the lifejacket being thrown to you now, friend. Slip it on and be saved. Jesus is coming back for you. Believe it or not. “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10.

The Season of Giving.

December 7, 2024 /

Matthew Botelho

“We then who are stronger ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification.” –Romans 15:1-2.

Greetings, SonsoftheSea family! I am humbled and thankful to be back with you and sharing this teaching our Lord Jesus has placed in my heart. As I read today’s scripture, it reminded me of the season we are in, the Christmas season. People who look at this season through worldly eyes see a holiday full of presents, decorations, and traditions. But for the believer, it is a time for us to celebrate the greatest Gift anyone could ever have given us, salvation in our Lord Jesus. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” –John 3:16-17.

I am “whosoever.” I will continue to be so until that glorious day when Jesus splits the sky and takes us home. Remember, my dear brothers and sisters, the Lord Himself reminds those who will not perish but have eternal life are the “whosoever believes.” To believe, we need to know the One—have a relationship with Jesus, sent to us by Almighty God. God gave us the greatest Gift, His only Son, Jesus.

My friends, we have entered the season of giving, but giving doesn’t always have to be done with our wallets.

I can think of other ways we can give of ourselves this season:

With time

With talents

And yes, with money

I placed money last because, in my opinion, cash is the most straightforward, common gift people give each other. It’s a tried-and-true go-to when it comes to giving. However, our time and talents are far more valuable than money.

Time is a precious gift, and how we spend it truly counts in the Kingdom of our God. Jesus points to the valuable use of time in the Gospel of John. “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles because the light is not with him.” –John 11:9-10. Jesus is talking with His disciples about the time He has remaining on earth and about making precious use of the time afforded us.

If you know someone who needs your time, help with a project maybe, or to talk and pray, give them that time without hesitation. Start by first sharing time with your family.

Our kids need our time. As does that aunt or grandparent who has no one to talk to, that sister or brother who is having a rough time. Take the time out of your day and give it to the one in need.

As for your talents, given to you by Almighty God, use them in a way that honors the Giver.

They weren’t given to you to bless you alone but to bless the Kingdom of God and all those you meet. “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” –1 Peter 4:9-10.

I have heard people say, ” I don’t have any talents.” My answer is this: that dear friend is a lie from the pit of hell! You absolutely have talents. The truth is, maybe you don’t recognize them—ask God to reveal them to you. Do you like to talk with people? How about playing an instrument? Do you enjoy reading or writing? The list goes on and on. We have many untapped talents just waiting to be put to use to reach people—help others. But sometimes, we have to get out of our comfort zones to use them effectively. Remember the words of Solomon, “A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.” –Proverbs 18:16.

Lastly, let’s look at how we use the finances God has blessed us with.

We understand money is a much-needed tool in this world—a resource. A seed that will multiply when it’s planted in good soil. All wealth belongs to God, so what we do with it matters. Let the attitude of our heart be then, “I have money, but money doesn’t have me.” If God places it on your heart to pay for the person’s groceries while standing in line, do it. Do it if God tells you to pay a person’s gas or electric bill. The Apostle Paul writes the Corinthian church saying this about our resources, “Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.” – 2 Corinthians 9:10-11

Giving your time, talents, and money is connected to your heart, dear friend.

Giving out of love for Jesus, not to be seen by men, is giving from a heart of Christ-like love. I have watched YouTube videos of people “helping” homeless people or “helping” random people in the streets, and it makes me sad. Why? Because their giving appears boastful. These people might think they are doing something good, but I question their motives personally. Did they do it to get new subscribers? If so, that’s selfish, not selfless. Jesus speaks about this type of giving in Matthew’s Gospel: “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” –Matthew 6:1-2.

My friends, be genuine in your giving. Giving our time, talents, and, yes, even money can be so powerful. I have seen people come to the Lord when these gifts were shared with others from a pure heart. Giving freely also opens doors for us to share the Gospel. In the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul says this when talking to the people in Ephesus, “I have shown you in everyway, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” –Acts 20:35.

Paul says he has given his life and labor to the cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was not only preaching about Jesus, but he also showed the Ephesians how to walk as Jesus walked and love as Jesus did. In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes this Truth plain, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.” –John 15:13-14. Though it may not be easy, even inconvenient at times, we are called to forget about ourselves and help our neighbor or just help out where we see the need. That is the point Jesus makes in John 15:13.

In the end, if we are faithful, we shall see the reward of our labor in heaven and hear those Words we all long to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter in!”

We at Sonsofthesea are praying for you. To the one reading this, know that Jesus loves you. If you desire to encounter Jesus this season, I invite you to come to Him in full repentance of your sins, asking Him to be the Lord and Savior of your life. He is knocking. Will you open the door of your heart to Him? “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” –Revelation 3:20.

Amen.

Passports and Privledges.

November 9, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God’s] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” –1 Peter 2:9.

Citizens must possess a passport, visa, or valid national identity card to travel to a country outside their country of origin. A legal document backed up by other documents proves, amongst other things, that they are who they claim to be. Otherwise, entrance into said country will be denied. By default, possessing said proof of citizenship implies these proofs have been accepted as valid by the authorities and are legal. The one presenting them is, in fact, who they claim to be. Such scrutiny is paramount. It aids countries in protecting their citizens from interlopers who would harm their land or fellow citizens.

But what if the one attempting to enter the said country cannot supply the proofs needed for entry?

Access is denied—they are turned away. They will also likely suffer some long-term penalty for their illicit attempt to sneak into somewhere they did not have permission to be.

If the kingdoms of this world have in place such stringent standards of entry into their countries—and strictly implement them. How much more will a Holy God, who gave His very life for everyone protect and require an even more excellent entry standard be met by the one attempting to gain access into His Kingdom? “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” –Matthew 22:11-14.

So what proof must one possess—not merely claim to have—to enter the Kingdom of our God?

Our understanding of the distinct differences in these proofs involves our ability to recognize, practically and, more importantly, Biblically, the great distinction between our claiming to have a thing and our possessing it.

Why?

Because, both biblically and naturally speaking, an uncrossable chasm separates the heart of these two claims.

Let’s take a look:

Having: can be defined as: to hold in one’s use, service, regard, or at one’s disposal.

Having implies one may use something minus ownership—perhaps borrowing it for a time.

We can have a great many things. A pen in our hand, for instance. However, having a pen in our hand does not mean we possess it—it may not be our pen. Maybe we picked it up off a counter or a colleague’s desk? The same can be said for a car. We may have a car—yet it is not our possession—we may have borrowed or rented it temporarily. The same goes for the flats we live in. We pay rent to stay in them, but they are not ours. We may momentarily have use of things like the pen in our hand and the borrowed or rented car or apartment, yet none of them are our possessions.

Possession: indicates the legal right to use, possess, and give away a thing.

Possession implies ownership, unlike having implied temporary use.

Knowing this, let us examine the entry standard God requires into His Kingdom.

Must we keep all of God’s laws to enter His Kingdom? Impossible! No, entry into His Kingdom isn’t based on whether we can prove we have kept God’s laws—because not one of us is capable of such a feat. Break one, you’ve broken them all! “For the one who attempts to keep all of the law of Moses but fails in just one point has become guilty of breaking the law in every respect! For the same One who tells us, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you don’t commit adultery but do commit murder, you are still guilty as a law-breaker.” –James 2:10-11.

Instead, entry into the Kingdom of God is granted based on righteousness—Christ’s Righteousness.

Jesus Himself made this clear: no righteousness, no relationship—no entry into His Kingdom. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” –Matthew 7:21.

It doesn’t matter how “good” a person you are or how many rules you attempt to keep. Righteousness is the only acceptable proof positive required to enter the Kingdom of God. You must be in possession of said proof. But how? How do we, sin-full men, come to possess such righteousness and gain access to such proof?

Jesus Himself answers this question for us.

In John 3:1-6, while talking with the Pharisee, Nicodemus, Jesus made it plain to him, and through this saying to us, not just anyone can enter the Kingdom of God. Being a priest or professed follower of Jesus won’t cut it. Neither will you touting your parents’ professed religion of choice as your own or the cross hanging around your neck or above your bed gain you access to His Kingdom. As with a natural Kingdom or country, one cannot simply stroll into God’s Kingdom to merely assuage one’s curiosity, to “check it out” and see if it suits them before committing to live there.

Listen to what Jesus told Nicodemus regarding possessing the proof needed to gain access into His Kingdom: “Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”

And yet, scripture makes plain that not one of us is righteous. “As it is written and forever remains written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS [none that meets God’s standard], NOT EVEN ONE.” –Romans 3:10.

So, how do we obtain the righteousness necessary to enter God’s Kingdom?

That’s where proof of our righteousness comes in: No righteousness, no entry into this Kingdom.

Righteousness is afforded us via our relationship with Jesus Christ. As Jesus told Nicodemus, we must be born again; this free, unplumbable privilege is only afforded us in Jesus Christ. His life, death, and defeat of the grave—His resurrection, a relationship with Him, makes having His Righteousness possible. “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” –1Corinthians 1:30-31.

Amazingly, God’s Holy Spirit is alive and at work in us now—if we are His. Jesus’ sinless Righteousness covers our sins. When God looks at us, He sees His Son—Pure. Holy. Without spot or wrinkle.

Jesus alone is the One living person—the only Person, who has ever possessed such righteousness and, equally, retains the right to bestow it on whosoever He chooses. “Just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love.” –Ephesians 1:4.

Beloved of God, you, who possess said proof God demands, will be granted legal entry into His Kingdom. Hallelujah! “He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].” –2 Corinthians 5:21.

What about you, friend? Should Christ come today, do you possess the proof necessary to enter the Kingdom of God?

Have you been born again?

If not, let today be the day salvation comes to you.

Jesus made accepting Him into your life as your Lord and Savior as simple as this: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10.

Cousins & The Cornerstone.

November 2, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?” The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.” Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.” –Matthew 12:40-43.

Scattered amongst a crowd, you’d be hard-pressed to distinguish one from the other. Stand them side by side; you’ll catch glimpses of familial similitudes. Vague, yet undeniably present. Inverse likenesses. Cousins, maybe? “When I look at you, I see my father’s eyes.” “And when I look at you, I see my father’s smile.”

Family. Often, its dynamics are complicated. Too often, families are fraught with some misgiving or another about a member or members that can quickly turn volatile when trying to unite divided factions—and when they do finally come together, they mostly disagree. It may be because one side incites the other by reminding them they’re the family favorites and that “your side” has only been invited because “well, family is family.”

Sounds harsh, right?

Even eerily familiar to some of you who’ve experienced firsthand the incisive sting of familial rejection?

And yet, there is sugar hidden within this severe, bitter truth. Sweet morsels of grace wrapped in inclusion, redemption, privilege, and forgiveness, making even this most sharp rejection palpable. Thus, at least, that’s the way it’s been between Jews and Christians for millennia. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” –Romans 1:16.

Yet soon and very soon, one family, invited by One Host, will sit at one table where there’ll be no favorites. “There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority].” –Galatians 3:28.

Meet the Cousins: The Jews and the Christians, and the Host: Cornerstone, Jesus.

Cousin One, the Jews: You’ve already met him—who he represents. Jesus was talking to them and their side of the family in today’s verses. They’re the ones Cornerstone first came to—He unveiled His plan and identity to them. They would be the first to receive an invitation to a future family gathering. But Cousin One had an issue with Cornerstone telling them and their side of the family that their blatant misuse of their God-given authority coupled with their disobedience and blindness would now result in the gift God had given them being handed over, for a time, to the other side of the family.

“Jesus said to them, “If you were blind [to spiritual things], you would have no sin [and would not be blamed for your unbelief]; but since you claim to have [spiritual] sight, [you have no excuse so] your sin and guilt remain.” John 9:41.

When the Apostle Paul explained to Cousin Two, the Christians, the reasons why Cornerstone had made this decision to remove, for a time, the gift He’d first given Cousin One, the Jews,  Paul explained Cornerstons decision using these very words: “So I say, have they stumbled so as to fall [to spiritual ruin]? Certainly not! But by their transgression [their rejection of the Messiah] salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous [when they realize what they have forfeited]. Now if Israel’s transgression means riches for the world [at large] and their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment and reinstatement be!” –Romans 11:11-12.

Cousin Two, to whom it’d been made clear that they’d only been invited to the family gathering because, “as family,” they had to be, now understood the whole Truth about why they’d been invited. They now understood that the invitation extended to them had a two-fold purpose uniquely their own. Using Olive trees as a metaphor, more specifically, the grafting of branches into the primary root system feeding the Olive tree, Paul makes clear to Cousin Two, the Christians, not to think more highly of themselves than they ought, that in fact, what Cousin One had been telling them all along, biting as it was, was the Truth.

“If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble.” –Romans 11:17-20.

Nevertheless, said Truth did not negate the weight of the ultralaborious responsibility momentarily placed on the newly grafted in shoulders of Cousin Two; yet as He had with Cousin One, the Jews, Cornerstone would give Cousin Two the same Helper who would enable them to fulfill this ultralaborious—impossible without God’s help, task. One Cornerstone—One Helper. “But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me] both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.” –Acts 1:8.

A rife in this family had occurred—a family divided by unbelief and pride. Yet Cornerstone was—is, immovable in His desire—plan, really, for His family to be One.

He’d extended an invitation to both sides, wanting both to celebrate as one, and He would not, will not, allow His invitation to be thwarted by division.

Cornerstone had a plan and it was good—is good.

It brings into crystalline focus what He’s always had planned for His family—everyone in His family—Jew and Gentile alike. “This Jesus is the stone which was despised and rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief Cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among people by which we must be saved [for God has provided the world no alternative for salvation].” –Acts 4:11-12.

Whether you’re a Jew or a Gentile, the Chief Cornerstone, Jesus, has made His plan known today; He wants you to join Him. He gave His life for you so you could join Him, know Him, and accept His invitation to be part of the family gathering that will take place soon and very soon. Mindblowing, right? That The God who flung the stars in the sky and knows them by name, who created whole galaxies—and you—would even give you a choice. That’s Love! Your only response to such love? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” –Matthew 3:2.

“You have been saved by God’s love and kindness because you believed. It was not because of anything you did, but it was a gift from God. You were not saved by trying to do what the law says. So no one can be proud about it. God has made us. In Jesus Christ God made us so that we can do good things. He planned that we should live that way.” –Ephesians 2:8-10.

Remain In Me.

September 28, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father.” –1 John 2:24.

In his first Epistle, John the Apostle admonishes us four times within four verses to “remain” both faithful and in fellowship with Christ Jesus, and he adds our doing this is a sure sign of our love and obedience to God and His Word. “And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.” –1John 2:3-5.

Perhaps, as John was writing this portion of his Epistle, he was reflecting on earlier times.

Those days when he and his brothers spent drinking in every Word that fell from Jesus’ lips as they walked, talked, worked, ministered, debated with, and questioned Him so as to know and learn everything Jesus had to teach them. I pose this question because, upon reflection, the heart of John’s words in his Epistles concerning remaining connected to Christ—obeying Him, abiding in Him, could easily be interchanged with those spoken directly to him by Jesus in his Gospel. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” –John 15:5;8.

At their core, each verse points to how crucial staying connected to Christ truly is.

This cardinal precept of “remaining,” of spiritual intimacy with God, was a point Jesus emphasized the importance of repeatedly with His friends—and through them, to us. This precept of abiding is repeated throughout the Gospels—particularly in John’s.

Yet how? How do we “remain” faithful to what we’ve been taught from the beginning when nearly every day we hear of some new theory, new doctrine, some new “Word from the Lord” splashed across YouTube or social media, from the pulpit or whispered in our ear from a “well-meaning” yet albeit naïve believer. How do we “abide” in Christ when we’re being pulled this way or that by family members who demand, we choose between being with them or following after “this Jesus of yours.” When that addiction we thought was long behind us, the habit that had all but destroyed us, seems to be calling to us. A vague yet familiar siren song emanating up from our memory.

When your marriage is in crisis and, no matter of counseling, prayer, or late-night raging at the pain of disappointment and betrayal seems to heal it. How? When your wayward child is drifting further and further away, duped by a culture filling their heads with lies and confusion. When that stinging church hurt, or the betrayal of a life-long friend threatens to grow roots of bitterness in your heart. When the boss says that you must work on Sunday or participate in some office practice, that goes against your faith and principles, or it’s your job.

Thankfully, as believers, the answer to these questions isn’t complicated.

The process of our overcoming may be muddy and challenging, but the answer itself is straightforward. “…remain in my love.” –John 15:9. Jesus assures us, the solace and strength we need to overcome any trial is not only readily available to us, but found only in Him.

Equally, a prolific seed of Truth is found inside this simple verse: our unequivocal need for absolute Oneness with God. “Without me, you see, you can’t do anything. –John 15:5.

Sounds simplistic, I know. Maybe even trite to some.

However, absolute Oneness with God is what our relationship with Jesus must be built upon for us to flourish—to overcome and thrive spiritually.

We must have a resolute, watertight bond with our God. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” –Matthew 7:24-25.

And yet beloved, when we’re the ones facing the mountain before us, the death, terrifying diagnosis, betrayal, break-up, or loss, this simple Truth of abiding in Jesus, clinging to Him, placing a measure of faith we didn’t even know we possessed in Him, can feel not only daunting, but down-right impossible for some of us to swallow. And yet, swallow we must. Staying connected to Truth—to Jesus, we must.

Our feelings will fail us, so will our hearts, courage, and minds—our friends, too, as well intended as they may be. In times of trials, only Jesus can help us. Save, heal, deliver, strengthen, enable, make a way through or restore us.

Only Jesus.

Actually, this is true every day. For most of us, unfortunately, we only become aware of this when the winds and waves are threatening to take us out.

Each verse in today’s teaching is intended to harken us back to Jesus. To Remind us we can do nothing apart from Him—not even those things we so readily take for granted, like drawing our next breath.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly states that He came not to exercise His own will but to do the will of the Father who sent Him. To say what He’d heard the Father say only. “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does…” –John 5: 19-20.

At the core of all Jesus did was an ever-present determination to obey God and His Word to the utmost, even unto His death on the Cross.

It was this burning love for the Father, this fixed determination that was such a part of who Jesus is that nothing and no one could lure Him away from oneness with the Father. This absolute oneness caused and enabled Jesus to do what the “fully man” in Him momentarily stumbled over. “Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” –Mark 14:35-36.

We would do well to imatate Jesus by remaining in, trusting in, the love of the Father for His children.

Beloved, you have a Great High Priest who knows how hard it is for you right now. He not only sees you but that all but unbearable weight of pain you’re carrying—He’s been there. It’s why, in part, He sent me to remind you to stay connected to Him—your True and Only Source of Strength. Abide in Him. Trusting that the strength, healing, rescue, answers, or freedom you need—have been praying for— is found only in Jesus—that He has you.

Your trial, the “hour” that has come upon you, is safe in God’s Hands.

No matter what things look like, regardless of how dark it may get, trust God, beloved, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.  The Father and I are one.” –John 10: 28-30.

Friend, Jesus made connecting with Him simple. Here’s how: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10. I encourage you to call out to Jesus as your Lord and Savior today, become one with Him—abide in Him.

« Older posts

© 2025 Sonsofthesea.org

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑