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

Category: Destiny! (Page 3 of 5)

Right Before A Shift.

January 15, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you” –Genesis 12:1.

My walk with the Lord has taught me, and Scripture stands as my most noteworthy witness. That often, just before the Lord is about to open a new way before you—before He calls you to walk a bit further down the path of the “plan and purpose” He has for your life; a shifting of sorts must occur. And, sometimes, that shifting feels more like a typhoon than some gentle welcomed breeze. Suddenly, everything that was stable and ordered just moments before is somehow swirling wildly in the winds of change that just ripped the roof of your proverbial house!

And yet not every season is ushered in by such a cacophony of change. There are seasons where the shifting is gentle and slight, measured, almost imperceivable. Yet irrespective of its size, God’s purpose behind these seemingly sudden shifts is to shepherd you into releasing those things, those habits and defaults that no longer serve you. Nor will they work where God is taking you.

God is making room for Himself to usher in “a new thing.”

And newness often can make little or no sense—except in hindsight. Particularly when said newness in no way coincides with the plans, you have for yourself! What you had running with Swiss watch proficiency in your life starts falling apart, unraveling overnight. Where surface certainty once lived, safe and seemingly snug, you now find yourself living literally on a minute-by-minute prayer!

Some call it a season of crushing. Others still, all hell breaking loose in their lives.

It’s a series of events, sudden or lingering, meant to propel you to a new level of being and walking with the Lord—into a deeper faith. Of the greater revelation behind “the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” –Jeremiah 29:11. And though this typhoon of change may seem willy nilly, cause you pain and discomfort, separate you from friends, family members, ministry, the city or town in which you live, your job. Though it may upend life as you’ve known it, the Truth is, everything is falling into place. You are on the very precipice of a forward projection. The exact spot where God would have you to be—precisely positioned for your next leap of faith. God is changing your trajectory, just as He did Father Abraham’s.

God doesn’t always announce when He’s about to shift or shake our lives.

Ruth had no idea the plan—the new life, God had waiting for her on the other side of Moab. While standing on that crossroad of decision with Naomi, Ruth didn’t know that the path she was about to take would lead her to be King David’s great-grandmother—through whose line Messiah would come. And Esther, or Hadassah as she was known, certainly didn’t know when she was being rounded up with all the other beautiful young Jewish virgin girls in her province that she would become King Ahasuerus’s next queen—destined to be used of God to save a nation. Nor did David, that overlooked shepherd boy, know he’d be crowned Israel’s King while he was out protecting the sheep in his charge from a lion and a bear—then Nathan, the prophet, showed up. And suddenly the trajectory of David’s life was forever changed. And Moses couldn’t have known that some 40 years after he had traded in Pharaohs’ opulent palaces for the arid backside of the desert, God would choose him to deliver His people from Egypt, that once familiar cradle Moses had called home.

Beloved, Scripture is replete with evidence of God suddenly allowing the lives of those He’s chosen for Himself to be upended somehow.

God is ever building our character—our staying power, our faith. “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” –Hebrews 12:7-11.

Even Father Abraham experienced more than one of these “shifts” with the Lord; divine turnarounds each. Each projected him further and further into God’s plan for his life. Step upon unwavering step of faith eventually led each of these giants of the faith to be precisely positioned where God would have them to be.

One day, Abraham is working and resting at his family home, and the next, God tells him to pack it up and move away. Leave behind the familiar and go instead to a land where God would lead him. To drop the full weight of whatever faith Abraham possessed into His loving, Sovereign hands—then trust Him to use that faith to guide him to his purpose. “The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you” –Genesis 12:1.

God had a plan for Abraham’s life. A future that would see trials and testing, separation and loss, a wealth of faith was being birthed in Abraham. After all, how unwavering a faith Abraham must have possessed to believe that even if God allowed him to take the life of Isaac, his only son, God would indeed restore Isaac—resurrecting him.

Nations and peoples would be born from Abraham’s loins, from his tenacious belief in the immutable faithfulness of God. “By faith Abraham, when he was tested [that is, as the testing of his faith was still in progress], offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises [of God] was ready to sacrifice his only son [of promise]; to whom it was said, “Through Isaac your descendants shall be called.” For he considered [it reasonable to believe] that God was able to raise Isaac even from among the dead. [Indeed, in the sense that he was prepared to sacrifice Isaac in obedience to God] Abraham did receive him back [from the dead] figuratively speaking” –Hebrews 11:17-19.

Father Abraham, Ruth, Esther, Moses, and David. And beyond, to Peter, Paul, and so many stalwart brothers and sisters who share and shared this immutable faith. Not faith in self. They did not trust in their own abilities or intelligence, wealth, health, beauty, or even place confidence in their God-given abilities. Their faith was in Christ alone, as it must always be. In His strength and mercy. His abilities and Sovereignty. In His grace and justice and Truth—our Due North. Each knew God held their next breath in His Sovereign hands—a gift—as was their destiny and length of days. Dropping then, the full weight of their measure of faith squarely on Christ. No matter what happened, they lived and died for Him. Believing in Him alone—until their last, no turning back. No plan B in place.

And if we are to survive more, thrive, in the coming season of shifting’s and siftings that God will allow to touch our lives—testing us, refining our faith in the fires of affliction as with pure gold, we must be shackled, trussed, to Christ alone. To His Word. His Truth and strength.

Like the great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us, we, too, must believe that God is. Minus this elemental belief, we cannot hope to please God. We must believe that His every Word is True, contrary to what we may see happening around us or feeling within. Willing to give up any-thing, even unto our very life, that we may hold tight to Christ. Otherwise, we might not survive the shifting and shakings that are happening now nor those to come.

Don’t believe me? Next time you’re in Church, notice the empty seats. Recall the missing faces—those there last year, who aren’t there now.

We must be rooted and grounded in Christ, my brothers, and sisters. Holding firm to Him alone, come what may. I’m encouraging you, in love, Beloved. Hold fast. A shift is coming. “Since he heard the sound of the horn but failed to heed the warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and fails to blow the horn to warn the people, and the sword comes and takes away a life, then that one will be taken away in his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood” –Ezekiel 33:5-6

And friend, if you have yet to give your life to Christ, I pray you’ll ask Him to show Himself real in your life this day. Time is short, and none of us are promised tomorrow. The times we are living in testify to what I’m sharing with you. Ask Jesus into your life. He loves you. “Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” –Revelation 3:19-21.

“When Gods Best Is, “No.”

October 9, 2021 /
MaryEllen Montville

“And going a little farther, He threw Himself upon the ground on His face and prayed saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire” –Matthew 26:39.

God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus. –Max Lucado

God’s answer to the anguished tone of Christ’s impassioned plea to be loosed from having to drink deeply of the bitter dregs of Golgotha’s cup; was a life-exacting “no.” God knew that part of Christ, His  “fully man,” needed to hand over its will at that moment—dying there in Golgatha to what it wanted—making Jesus’ Cross possible to bear then as “fully God.” What needed to be accomplished only God could achieve.

It appears that it was in His flesh, His humanity, that Christ pleaded with God to save Him from that hour, sparing Him from the inscrutable trial He was about to face. Remember, Jesus was both fully God and fully man. Privy to feeling everything that we mere mortals can feel—all pleasures and pain; yet Jesus was without sin. “For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin” –Hebrews 4:15. But God!

Again, In His Sovereignty, God knew Jesus’ flesh had to die. Why? Our only hope of being restored to right relationship with God—now, and in the world to come, hinged on Jesus’ obedience.

Ever wonder what hinges on your obedience? We’ll touch on that in a bit. But for now…

Three times, Jesus pleaded with the Father that if there be any other way around what He knew was coming, to let His cup of brutal suffering pass over Him. Let pass; what He knew would be a gut-wrenching betrayal, a savage, near-fatal beating at the hands of His ruthless Roman oppressors, to say nothing of His pain-full, shame-filled, very public crucifixion. We need only read what God says about any man hung on a tree to recognize the implication of Christs’ guilt and the shame Jews would have associated with His crucifixion. “His body shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall most certainly bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is cursed by God) …” –Deuteronomy 21:23.

And yet, God never intended for Jesus’ cup of suffering to pass over His Passover Lamb.

“Christ purchased our freedom and redeemed us from the curse of the Law and its condemnation by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS [crucified] ON A TREE (cross)”—Galatians 3:13.

So intense were Christ’s pleas to be delivered from the death He knew was imminent; the Bible informs us that as He knelt pleading with God, droplets of His blood mixed with sweat and stained the ground just beneath His slumped frame. “So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing” –Matthew 26:44.

The blood shed by God to cover Adam and Eve after their fall—a foreshadowing of Jesus’ Blood, attests to this Truth. “The LORD God made tunics of [animal] skins for Adam and his wife and clothed them” –Genesis 3:21. The blood the Israelites painted on the doorposts and lintels of their homes, yet another foreshadowing of Jesus’ Blood. “Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel [above the door] of the houses in which they eat it. The blood shall be a sign for you on [the doorposts of] the houses where you live; when I see the blood I shall pass over you, and no affliction shall happen to you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” Exodus 12:7;13.

Now if you’re wondering, “why is she telling me that God’s best for me right now, may be His saying “no” in answer to my fervent prayers? Doesn’t she know how much I need hope! To be encouraged. Is she living in some corner of the globe where people aren’t living in fear? Fear of losing their jobs for noncompliance. Fear of being ostracized. Of being shunned by family or friends because they’ve chosen to exercise their freedom in Christ, saying yes and amen to what God has impressed on their heart. Fear they won’t have enough money to pay the rent or mortgage, buy groceries, and put gas in their car?

So why this? And why now?

I’ll pass your questions over to Jesus to answer…

Listen to what Jesus taught His disciples as He stooped low to wash their feet. What He’s teaching us today about obedience, humility, and preparedness. “I have set you an example so that you should do as I have done for you. Truly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.….” –John 13:15-17.

Much like God knew the hour had come for the “fully man” in Jesus to die, He also knows that time has come for us as well. The days of lukewarm half-stepping have long passed. God is calling those who are His to surrender their whole life to Him while it is still today. Dying to whatever their flesh may be tugging to hang on to—or avoid. Jobs, family, friends, feeling accepted, “fitting in,” running away from Jesus—and not wholly surrendering. Why? In part, for the same underline reason, Jesus had to submit. The reason God asked Father Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, “obedience.” We must be willing to give God whatever it is He may ask of us—even unto our very lives. He alone is God. Above Him, there is no other. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” –Genesis 22:12, emphasis added.

Jesus needed to lay down His life so that He could take it up again in three days, having defeated sin, death, and the grave then, once, for us all. Father Abraham needed to know there was nothing he’d hold back from God. So do you and me. We’re in that season of learning now—a season of preparation. Of our garments being scrubbed with a more powerful cleanser, a new strength of bleach being applied to those stains that have stubbornly clung to our garments—being made whiter than snow, without spot or wrinkle. The Bridegroom is coming!

So why this? And why now? Because it’s time, and you need to be ready.

Because like Jesus, our most excellent example, we must submit and submit and go back and submit again, until it’s finished, until our whole heart, all of it, can say, “not my will, but Thine will be done,” and mean it. And if it took Jesus thrice to surrender His whole will to God, then you must keep going back as many times as you need to. He is faithful to receive the humble and contrite in heart. “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]” –1John 1:9.

We each are in our own Gethsemane, Beloved.

In these final hours, minutes, perhaps, of the world as we’ve known it, we’re being made ready for the Bridegrooms return. That’s why I’m telling you all of this now. To point you towards a future and the hope that so many are desperately seeking. A future and hope found only in obedience to God in this hour. Not in striving or sinless perfection, that’s impossible; John 1:8 makes that clear, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” It’s by God’s grace alone, our unwavering desire to be obedient to Him, no matter what happens, that we are made whole and ready for our Bridegroom’s return.

So if God is moving on your heart today to give up something or someone or to stand firm in a God-given conviction, obey God. And, if you feel God tugging on your heart, know that you’re in Gethsemane too. That it’s now your time to say, “not my will, but yours be done, God,” and mean it.

“And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” –Revelation 19:8

A New Heart, a New Life.

September 18, 2021 /
Stephanie Montilla

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” – 1 Corinthians 1:18.

It was June of 2009, and every few minutes, I peeked through the auditorium to see if there were open seats available for when my family would arrive. Dominican families have struggled to be punctual for events, that at this point, it’s been accepted as a cultural norm. I was anxious about their arrival and worried they would miss most of the ceremony. Patiently waiting in an uncomfortably warm foyer while wearing a cap and gown sure didn’t help with my internalized bundle of nerves, especially since I was asked to deliver a speech. My mind was in disarray from reading over my speech lines, wrestling with my gown in the muggy air, engaging in sidebar conversations while anxiously waiting for my family’s arrival. From a distance, a few minutes shy from the start of the graduation ceremony, I recognized my family members walking towards the venue. “Yes!” I thought loudly inside my head. A few minutes after their arrival, the loud processional music played. As I walked into the auditorium, with the classical music in the background playing, what felt like a frozen, shrink of time, the faces of everyone in the crowd disappeared. I envisioned my future in a small window of my thoughts, standing behind a podium, like I was prepared to do, delivering a moving speech like a politician—end memory.

I asked, “Lord, why are you having my mind revisit this episode of my life, and so detailed for that matter?” The Lord responded, “To show you how much has changed. To show you how much you’ve grown.” I admit I had to sit with this memory for hours to reflect on my changes and growth. With more profound reflection, I realized how distant I felt from that version of myself. In high school, I became consumed with politics, and the envision of moving people’s emotions through political means was a pursuit I obsessed about. That high school version of me wanted grandiose plans to reform the world as a politician, and my family persuaded me to travel that dream path into college. In college was where my fiery passion for politics became dim in exchange for the study of theology. Unlike high school, my college setting introduced me to the gospel and the pursuit of new dreams. My political goals dried up like a raisin in the sun. While I still had a few more years ahead of me to understanding, developing, and committing a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ, it became more precise in what God revealed to me in saying, “To show you how much you’ve grown.”

You see, before I truly knew about Jesus Christ, I was very self-absorbed and prideful. It was the love of my achievements and personal aggrandizement that controlled me. My daily bread was my success of traveling and speaking in various places, earning good grades, and being granted many awards. And while they were all great deeds, the pursuit of worldly pleasures never leaves you satisfied, for there is always a hunger for more. I relate to the bible passage that says, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was my reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun” –Ecclesiastes 2:10-11.

The more I pondered the precise remembrance of speaking behind a podium as a future politician; it became ever so clear. The Holy Spirit revealed that “growth” had more to do with my heart behind the podium. Behind the podium of this vision was a 17-year-old heart plagued with selfishness, entitlement, and pride, and like a heart surgeon that grafts a healthy artery to a blocked one; since that time, it has been the grafting of the holy spirit that has brought fresh blood into my heart. “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” –Ezekiel 36:26. Behind the podium was a heart that desired and lived in the pursuit for the applause of men. But the applause of men is short-lived, whereas the applause of God rings for all eternity! “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” –Galatians 1:10.

To put it simply, Christ in me changed me and continues to. My heart becomes tender when I think of how the Lord saw my prideful, 17-year-old heart, and yet in His faithful nature remained close for my heart’s return to Him. In the moments where my stone-cold, wintered heart abstained from anything related to Him, it was the extension of His unexplainable blessings over my life that summered my soul, one piece at a time. In the moments where my rebellious heart basked in the things that grieved God’s heart, it was to Him my heart searched for help when I didn’t want to confront the inevitable, uncomfortable consequences of my actions. And when my heavy tears cascaded down my cheeks, in a dark room of despair, it was the hearing that He keeps track of my sorrows that brought me comfort, even if it didn’t last for the entire day. “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book” Psalm 56:8.

He saw me, He heard me, and He lifted me out of the slimy pit I made and carried my heavy, orphaned body to shelter. It has been His presence that has stood as my fortress and the place my soul delights taking residence. It’s been His love and His rescue of myself where the posture and dreams of my heart changed. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” –Corinthians 5:17.

Since that high school memory, a lot has changed besides my dreams. I changed, thankfully. My gratifying desires have been exchanged for a life devoted to magnifying the heart and life of Christ. My heart’s content is no longer amassed with rebellion and pride but instead with humility and selflessness. How can the Holy Spirit enter in me and yet, continue to live like the world? I live for the eternal gratification of pleasing the Lord, and it is His applause and standing ovation that remains fixed as my eternal reward. Evidently, the Lord did so much work in my life, and while it took years, He was patient and faithful, and I am thankful and joyful because of it. And, since you’re reading this, be assured that the Lord knows your life’s end from the beginning. “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from the ancient times the things that are not yet done…” –Isaiah 46:10. The maker of heaven and earth, your creator, designed you with intention and purpose, according to His will. Surrendering your plans and dying off yourself may feel wild, but the satisfaction of that act is beyond anything the world has ever tried to offer. I pray that you open your heart up to God so that He may do “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” – 1 Corinthians 1:18

 “Even if we as clay are broken by the very hand of the Potter, know that you’re in good hands and you are His” –Jeremiah 18.

I found treasure in His heart more than my dreams. I chose the narrow way, and it has made all the difference. I pray for you to seek His heart above all things and allow it to wonderfully change the course of your life as it did with mine. And, if you have not invited Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior, I encourage you to do that today. Repent of your sins and ask God into your heart, and trust that He will make all things new in your life.

Living In The End Times.

July 3, 2021 /
Stephanie Montilla

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” –Matthew 24:6.

Are we living in the end times? Have current events signaled a push closer to the second coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ?

Worldwide, and within the Christian community, surely, these questions are being asked now, more than at any other time in recent history. One cause: the swiftness with which global events are moving, causing even some of those who are not followers of Jesus Christ to question their lingering unbelief and skepticism. Questions once thought unrealistic seem somehow less farfetched, worthy of a closer look. The COVID-19 pandemic caused many unanticipated shifts in life as we knew it, especially within our workplaces, homes, and our connections to friends and loved ones. Sadly, church attendance declined due to many churches having closed their doors—social gathering restrictions having played some part in this. Yet, one positive that did emerge is how many people bought a bible. Several news outlets shared that Bible publishers noticed a spike in Bible sales during the pandemic. They attributed this is to people seeking comfort—searching for peace, hope, and healing, in a Savior that is close to the suffering and broken-hearted; amid chaos and uncertainty, they longed to find meaning and experience a connection with God.

Unquestionably, this past year was a season plagued by spirits of fear, division, confusion, distrust, and lawlessness. Added to this were the unprecedented political tensions; it was evident something within our world had shifted; indeed, an awakening of some sorts, felt by almost everyone.

Circling back to the original question – are we living in the end times? My opinion? Yes, we are. Scripturally speaking, we have been since Jesus ascended back to the Father. And, yet, while we certainly shouldn’t attempt to predict the day of His return nor interpret every earthquake or other natural disaster as signs of the end, physical and political evidence nevertheless continues to point towards the fulfillment of many of the end-time prophecies. For instance, one that jumps to mind tells us this: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good…lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” –2 Timothy 3:1-5.

We’re there, people! We’re living in that age where being “lovers of self” is witnessed daily in the barrage of self-portraits, coined “selfies,” being splashed across most social media platforms. Their purpose? Self-validation perhaps? Empowerment? Insecurity assuaged by/ grounded in likes and followers, maybe? We’re indeed living in an age where those who “blaspheme” what God calls holy and seemingly take pride in or promote the very pleasures that mock and grieve the heart of God. We’re living in that age where the objective, solid, immovable Truth of the Word of God has become subjective somehow, second to how a person feels, their perspectives, and opinions. The Bible clearly foretold of this generation, listen: “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” –2 Timothy 4:3-4.

In one sense, we see these things arise due to New Age followers—those who promote many gods and the paths to them, themselves included. In a considerable number of people rebelling against God. Evidenced in a society that has all but thrown God, and His commandments, out of the public square. It’s challenging for some of us to grapple with the notion that we live in such a critical time in history, more so as the days grow darker and evil seemingly prevails. Yet the question I continue to ask myself is this:

 “As a Christian, how does Jesus command me to live my life in the face of those who so vehemently oppose my Christian values?”

I ask this question with great seriousness as many in the world continue to voice their dislike/dare I say, disdain of Christians and Christian values. Values such as marriage being solely between one man and one woman. The sanctity of the unborn human life, or sexual purity before marriage, to mention but a few. Or that God created us male and female, period. In such a world, then, is it any wonder that God’s transformative, powerful Word, His Truth, is somehow heard or wrongly carries with it the sting of hate speech? Yet concerning our remaining faithful to God’s Word, regardless of the social climate in which we might find ourselves, the Bible reminds us of this powerful Truth. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they would persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they would obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.” –John 15: 18-21.

Jesus makes it starkly plain that as His followers, we’ll be hated. Equally, however, the Bible also makes clear how we are to live while we wait. How we must respond to those who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. And the signs we must watch for that will signal Jesus’ return for His Church.

Over the past two years, I’ve experienced some uncomfortable and tense conversations with close friends, family, and work colleagues who have either questioned or attacked my Christian faith. I reminded them that while Christian values may seem countercultural to those who don’t share them, the Word of God is nevertheless solid, unchanging, and Truth-full regarding these values. I also reminded them of another Truth found in Scripture, my Truth: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” –Galatians 2:20. Moreover, while my faith demands that I defend and live out the Truth of Christ, my Savior, I’m also called to model Jesus—how He loved, lived, and served others.

That said, I’ll share two biblical Truths that may help us as believers live with and respond to those who may not believe or live their lives as we do: Firstly, we must Love the unbeliever. When I was an unbeliever, I didn’t see much of an issue with fornicating, getting drunk, and cursing here and there. I was once lost in the crowds, helpless without a shepherd, and it was Jesus that saved me from my distress, brought me out of darkness, and broke me free from the chains that had me bound. I, too, falsely believed that I would be right with God if I treated others well. After all, I was a good person, yet the Bible says, “There is none good but One, that is, God” –Mark 10:18. And after accepting Jesus Christ into my life, I soon discovered that one of the devil’s biggest lies is that following Christ is synonymous with missing out on what others are doing “out in the world.” When in fact, it was indeed my encounter and experience of God’s Love for me that had awakened my heart and opened my eyes to see that I was being deceived.

Therefore, we must…

1). Pray for those who have yet to accept Jesus into their hearts. On the cross, “Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” –Luke 23:34. Similarly, Jesus prayed for those who persecuted Him; as followers of Jesus Christ, we must do the same. Again, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” –Matthew 5: 43-48. Praying for someone you’d instead retaliate against is easier said than done, yet the Holy Spirit reminds us of and empowers us to love them. Why Love? Because only God’s Love is powerful enough to transform the hearts and minds of those who hate us.

2). We must be mindful that unbelievers need a Pure Love only Jesus can offer; God uses us certainly, but only His Love rescues a soul from sin and death. It should never surprise us, then, that sinners will sin. We need only remember how we lived before Christ came into our lives. Remember that the Bible reminds us: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” –2 Corinthians 4:4. Their hearts have yet to be softened to the things of God. “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” –Romans 3:18. They are blind. As followers of Christ, we ought to pray that they begin to have a distaste for the things of this world. Pray that they start to see their need for a Savior. That, as it says in Ezekiel 36:26, “their hearts of stone are replaced with a heart of flesh.” Yet being ever mindful of the Truth found in Ephesians 6:12. “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood because it’s against spiritual forces and the power of evil.”

Friends, the Bible says, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” –Matthew 24:12.

The spiritual temperature of many has grown cold. As believers, however, we ought to be burning hot. “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” –Luke 24:32. We should be burning hot for the things of Jesus, interceding for others, overcoming evil with good, and sharing the good news with the lost; John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” Those who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior will remain under the Lord’s wrath.” As Christians, regardless of how the world grows in their distaste or hostility concerning biblical values, we ought to be the most hope-filled and joyous people around because we know how the story ends – God wins! Rather than living in fear or outrage, we ought to love others with all we have in us and seek every opportunity to be kind. The Apostle Paul shares this reminder: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience… encourage one another and build each other up… Be kind to one another” –Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Ephesians 4:32.

The end is swiftly advancing. Yet the fantastic news is that you still have time to choose eternal life, to choose Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. You can do nothing to earn His grace; Jesus has paid the price for you. “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins” –Romans 3:24.

God desires to have a relationship with you, personally. All you must do is accept, by faith, the gift of God’s grace. I hope and pray that together, we’ll be ready for the Lord’s return, which will come soon and very soon! “But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect” –Matthew 24:43-44.

Tag, You’re It! Part Two…

June 5, 2021 /
MaryEllen Montville

“For Christ [the Messiah Himself] died for sins once for all, the Righteous for the unrighteous (the Just for the unjust, the Innocent for the guilty), that He might bring us to God. In His human body He was put to death, but He was made alive in the spirit” –1 Peter 3:18.

To err is human; that said,I apologize for the grammatical slaying of the title of last week’s post for those of you that caught it. Though I am confident it will not be my last grammatical blunder, it was blatant. I do know how to spell, I promise! Moving forward then…

Last week, we read how God had used the Apostle Peter to break down the wall of separation that stood between the gentiles and their receiving the Gospel message. We’ll conclude this two-part teaching with this post. So, to recap: Though not the first gentile believer to hear the Gospel message, Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and those in his household, were the first gentiles we witness in Acts to receive the Gospel message directly from one of the Apostles. Until Acts 10, where you can read about the Apostle Peter sharing the Gospel with Cornelius and those in his household, the Gospel had mainly been shared with other Jews and those Gentile converts to Judaism. Such was the case with Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, a treasurer and a court official of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians. This eunuch was the first known gentile believer we encounter in Acts to hear about Jesus and to come to saving faith in Him. You can read all about their encounter in Acts 8:26-40.

Ready? Let’s jump around a bit…

Though both Philip and Peter each ministered to gentiles, it is Jesus Himself who first gave us some glimpse of His plan to include “others,” the so-called unclean outsiders into His Church—His Body. In John’s Gospel account, we read about Jesus doing the unthinkable, the forbidden, for any respectable Jewish man, that is, to say nothing of a Rabbi. We witness Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman at a well. Augustine calls her “a symbol of the Church not yet made righteous.” “The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he” –John 4:25-26. Augustine continues by saying that she came from a foreign people is part of the symbolic meaning, for she is a symbol of the Church. The Church was to come from the Gentiles, of a different race from the Jews.

The ApostlePaul may have bristled at Augustine’s declaration, saying perhaps that salvation came first to the Jew and then to the Gentile. Yet both would agree that God had planned to graft the Gentiles into His Church, the Original Vine—His Body, making them One, in Messiah Jesus. “So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision”—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” –Ephesians 2:11-13.

More on Paul in a bit…

Let’s go back to Philip. That encounter between Philip and the eunuch was significant on several levels.

Firstly, as we saw last week with Peter, Philip’s having been sent to this eunuch by the Holy Spirit was a herald of sorts for the early Church, a signal of what was to come; the Holy Spirit had specifically sent Philip to minister to a gentile. And two, the fact that he is a eunuch, and, if, by physical castration, would have been prohibited from entering the assembly of the Lord. In short, he would not have been welcomed into full fellowship with other Jewish believers. “If a man’s testicles are crushed or his penis is cut off, he may not be admitted to the assembly of the Lord” –Deuteronomy 23:1. But as I said, this meeting was a herald. In part, it fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy concerning this very hour of Church history—and beyond. “For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off” –Isaiah 56:4-5.

One commentator says this of this nascent encounter between Philip and this Ethiopian: The whole point of this scene is that what was promised to the prophet Isaiah is now coming to pass in the life of the Church. A Gentile and a eunuch are welcomed among God’s people. And another had this to say them: The salvation of this Ethiopian eunuch was clearly a matter of divine election and calling, as was the choice of the human instrument (Philip) a part of God’s sovereign will.

And as clearly as we witnessed God using both Philip, one of the original seven chosen to oversee the feeding of the Hellenistic Jewish widows back in Acts 6:5-6; a deacon turned Evangelist, and Peter, the first Apostle to share the Gospel with the gentiles, so too did Jesus anoint and call the Apostle Paul for this same work. –Acts 10;11; Galatians 2:7-9. In many ways, Paul would pick up the mantle Peter had worn as the first Apostle to the gentiles, darn it until his death, touching the lives of countless Jews and gentiles alike by the power of the Holy Spirit. But it’s in Acts 7:54-60 where we witness the catalyst for this Gentile inclusion. We see it was triggered by Stephen’s having been stoned to death.

Stephen’s stoning caused the early converts of the Way to scatter. Philip was one of these. As was young Steven, a foreign-born Jew, whom the Apostles had also chosen to help feed the Hellenistic Jewish widows along with Philip and five others. And at this time, the Apostle Paul, known then as Saul of Tarsus, stood by in assent as he held the coats of those whose stones would crush young Stephen’s skull. The earthly voice of this gifted, passionate young Evangelist silenced. His final words being: “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul” –Acts 7:56-57.

Yet despite this, despite Saul’s duplicitousness in Stephen’s death and countless other believers in the Way, while in the thick of his bloodthirsty invective to eradicate every Jesus follower, Jesus showed up—changing Saul’s earthly and eternal destiny both—in a literal flash. “But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his Way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do” –Acts 9:1-6.

And, once again, just that quick, the torch was passed. This time, Apostle to Apostle—Tag. You’re it!

And Paul, this once bloodthirsty hater of Christians, was forever changed, used by God now to lead countless souls to the very Lord whose followers He once detested. And though his name became synonymous with Christianity, Paul, like Peter before him, was proud of his Jewish roots. “I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law” –Philippians 3:5. And yet I believe it safe, more, biblically sound to say that Paul understood firsthand God’s mercy and grace, how all these things, these traditions, Jew or Gentile, these titles, rituals and norms, his learning and station, meant nothing to him now when compared to his knowing Jesus. Jesus was all that mattered to Paul—serving Him faithfully and leading others to do the same.

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” –1 Corinthians 15: 3-10.

And this free gift of salvation that Paul had received, this great mercy and grace that had been lavished on a gentile Ethiopian eunuch and the Samaritan woman, on you and me and every gentile believer who has accepted the Truth of the Gospel message, who has made Jesus Lord of their life. To us all, Paul, as I stated earlier, reminds us of our roots: “So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you” –Romans 11:11-18.

From Philip and Peter to Paul, from John and Andrew and Matthew to you, fellow believer, Tag. You’re it! You’ve been given the same command from our Lord as each of these. “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” –Mark16:15.

If you are here today and do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, believe this, please. This same Jesus who died that all men, whether Jew or Gentile, may be set free from their sins, washed clean with the sacrificial Blood He shed, and their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life has intentionally called you here today. He wants nothing more than to come into your life and build a relationship with you. But He won’t force His way in; He’s a gentleman. He must be invited in. So won’t you invite Him into your heart today? After all, none of us are promised a tomorrow…

This Is Me, And You. Abraham, too.

May 8, 2021 /
MaryEllen Montville

“Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised” –Hebrews 4:9-10.

I literally have no idea just how many times I have read these very verses over the years. Nevertheless, today, the Holy Spirit allowed me to see them anew—more profound somehow.

As a Christian, I know the Truth found in these few lines of Scripture, in this chapter, really. More, I believe them.

In them is found the very foundation of who I am and in whom I believe. The Rock-Solid Truth on which I hang the full weight of my hope. Yet as I read them today, it was as if the Holy Spirit allowed me somehow to see their Truth afresh. It was as if His Words took on a life of their own, like some scene unfolding before me, animated. For just the briefest of moments, He opened my heart to understand these verses more personally, and in an instant, I was visually transported back to a little church by the sea. That place where the Lord saw fit, one spring day in March, to first whisper, “Come, follow Me.” Years later, He would whisper this same command when He anointed me to birth this blog. And yet it didn’t start there—my relationship with God, I mean. I didn’t go searching for Him on that Spring day; He called me—had been wooing me. I know that now. All I knew then was I had this pressing, inexplicable need to go to that little church by the sea, so I went.

I now understand I was one of those lost sheep Jesus spoke of in Luke 15:4. “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?” And way back when so too was Father Abraham—He was a lost sheep as well. I also understand that Jesus had a plan for both of our lives; I know that now, I didn’t then. A plan that would only unfold after He’d pull from our bellies the very faith, He’d placed in them, in eternity past. Faith is the genesis of everything. Without it, we can’t do anything. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” –Hebrews 11:6.

I forget that sometimes as I read Scripture. I forget that Abraham, and Moses, David and Daniel, Martha, and Mary, Paul, and Peter, all of these had been given their own measure of faith—just as you and I have been.

Yet Scripture informs me that though I possess this faith, say nothing of the gifts and talents on lone to me; I cannot lay claim to them as if they were something I made happen. Something I did or found on my own, lest pride swells up in me, and I fall. As with everything else in my life, even the very measure of faith I possess is a precious gift given me from my Heavenly Father. “I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith” 1 Corinthians 12:9. Equally true is this: This measure of faith was given me because God had already accepted me as His own; He’d chosen me in Christ Jesus in eternity past.

Sitting in that little seaside church on that spring day, how could I have known that? For that matter, neither would Abraham have had any idea the day God showed up, of the call, nor the unfathomable blessing that would soon be made manifest in his life as he went about his everyday life in Ur. “And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them” –Romans 4:11.

See, that’s the thing the Holy Spirit illuminated afresh today. How profoundly personal our conversion is, and how suddenly it is that we are changed. Just how suddenly this literal life-changing gift is bestowed upon us. Abraham and I are both witness to this Truth. One moment we were dead in our sins, and then, in the twinkling of an eye, we were made new. And so too were that great cloud of witnesses that went on to glory before me. One second, we were all dead in our sins, and in the next, in fulfillment of the will and plan of God, all were washed clean; made a new creation in Christ Jesus, His now, eternally.

That’s where it all starts, in that nanosecond in time, determined in eternity past. Hear the Word of God: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument], And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own]; I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations” –Jeremiah 29:11.

Did you catch what the Prophet Jeremiah said by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit?

God chooses us before we ever come into being. And, not only had Jeremiah been chosen by God, given his measure of faith by Him, more, wrapped up in His being chosen, was Jeremiah’s calling. His purpose. So too is ours, our “one-of-a-kind calling,” our unique piece of the creation puzzle that God will anoint, using it to bring His eternal plan to fruition. “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” –Psalm 139:15-16.

The Apostle Paul found this foundational Truth of being chosen in Christ Jesus and gifted with faith of such import that it permeates almost all His writings. “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” Romans 12:3.

John Piper says it this way concerning Paul’s writings. Concerning this faith that we who believe are given: God has given all Christians varying measures of faith. This is the faith with which we receive and use our varying gifts. It is the ordinary daily faith by which we live and minister. Paul’s final remedy for spiritual pride is to say that not only are spiritual gifts a work of God’s free grace in our lives, but so also is the very faith with which we use those gifts. This means that every possible ground of boasting is taken away. How can we boast if even the qualification for receiving gifts is also a gift?

The Apostle Paul says it plainly: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” –Ephesians 2:8-9.

So perhaps this brief visual journey afforded me by the Holy Spirit today came as a reminder? Maybe He was reminding me how the faith I claim as my own came into being? Perhaps I need re-minding of that sometimes? There’s no perhaps about it; actually, shamefully, I do.

Why? I find it curious, wholly human perhaps, how I can hold something as sacred as my faith so dear, yet so dispassionately at times. As if taking it for granted somehow. At times we forget, in our flesh, that our faith must be stirred up. Watched over and cherished, as the treasure of great price that it is—guarded, with our very lives. I, for one, am thankful that the Holy Spirit reminds me of this Truth when I become lax.

Perhaps today, I needed to be re-minded to cling to this precious treasure I have been entrusted with. Re-minded to continuously exercise my faith on behalf of those who have yet to come into their measure of faith? Re-minded perhaps, that on a day I did not expect Him, the Spirit of the Living God came, suddenly, and blessed me with this precious, Life-giving gift of faith—just as He had for Father Abraham, just as He’ll do for you. And so, friend, if you’ve yet to call this faith your own, you can now. I believe the Holy Spirit has led you here for just that reason, to bless you with your measure of faith.

But first, you must ask Him to come into your life as Lord and Savior. Confess that you have sinned and that you need Him. Then stand still and watch the Lord fight for you—change you, increase with time, the measure of faith He’ll give you today. “Now not for his sake alone was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also—to whom righteousness will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead—who was betrayed and crucified because of our sins, and was raised [from the dead] because of our justification [our acquittal—absolving us of all sin before God]” –Romans 4:23-25.

He Knows Your Frame.

May 1, 2021 /
MaryEllen Montville

“But Jesus said, “Why are you troubled? Why do you doubt what you see? Look at my hands and my feet. It’s really me. Touch me. You can see that I have a living body; a ghost does not have a body like this” –Luke 24:38-39.

Jesus wasn’t chastising His disciples; He was comforting them—reassuring them. He knew perfectly well that though his disciples had witnessed others being resurrected (the son of the widow of Nain—Luke 7:11-17, Jairus’ daughter—Matthew 9:18-26, and finally, their friend, Lazarus—John 11:38-44), their witnessing Him return from the dead borderlined on being just way too much for their finite minds to take in.

Remember, these were everyday men like you and me—many, simple fishermen. It was only Jesus who was both fully human—and fully Divine. Plus, up until the time they’d met Jesus, dead had always meant precisely that, dead. People just didn’t come back from the grave. Yet there He was, their Rabbi, standing right in front of them. A savage beating at the hands of the Romans. His Crucifixion. Three days in His tomb. It was impossible! Surely this could not be! And yet, there He stood. There was only one explanation for this. Suddenly, a scene played out in Peter’s mind. In it, Jesus had also asked His disciples a question. “But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” And Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about Him.…” –Mark 8:29-30.

So, can you imagine their shock? Their disbelief? Is it any wonder then that Jesus asks them why they’re troubled? Why they doubt who it is that’s standing right in front of them? Honestly, wouldn’t you have been troubled too?

Maybe it was due to their reaction to Him suddenly appearing before them? Or perhaps it was out of His great love and compassion for His friends, in His mercy, and with the most extraordinary tenderness that Jesus offers His beloved and troubled friends, His Peace? “…He said to them, “Peace be with you” –Luke 24:36. I choose to believe that it was the latter.

Jesus knows that as mere men, when we experience seasons of deep pain and loss, of trauma, often it’s the ordinary and the everyday-ness of life that we tether to; it aids in recentering us. He knows it’s’ the route and familiar that helps slow the wild spinning down just enough to feel safe enough to step away from the pain and towards life and living. Their having been eyewitnesses to the savage scourging Jesus had suffered before His barbaric Crucifixion leaves little doubt that John and Mary and the other woman would have shared the details of what they had witnessed with the rest of His disciples. “Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,[a] here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother” –John 19:52-27.

Shared how they’d watched in horror and with the most profound sorrow as Jesus took His last breath. His final exhale perhaps forcing them to release their grip on the last vestige of hope they’d so desperately been clinging to. Jesus’ final breath—meant the end for them all. Its final work, snuffing out any flickering promise that remained in their hearts. Any remnant of hope these past three-plus years spent with Him had offered them. Joy-filled years spent talking with and learning from Him, walking, and eating, and marveling at His wonderful works. Their Messiah was dead. Jesus’ lifeless Body hung before them on His Cross. And with it, in their finite minds at least, the long-awaited, lifeless promise that the Kingdom of God had finally come. That after generations of oppression, their deliverer had finally come. That soon and very soon, they would all taste newfound freedom. And they would—just not in the way they had imagined it would come.

And once again, in verses 41-43 of this same chapter, we witness Jesus’ tenderness. His patient love towards His friends being displayed once more through a familiar, everyday gesture. Remember, Jesus knows it’s the everyday things that help center us. So He asks His friends if they have anything to eat? And when someone hands Him a piece of fish, Jesus proceeds to eat it; but more than just eating fish, Jesus wants to settle their anxious hearts, so He uses this everyday act to assure them that they do not see a ghost. That no ghost could do what they are watching Him do; being omniscient, Jesus knows that they are awed and joyful by His sudden appearance, but He also knows that they’re confused and bewildered by it as well. Jesus knows they need time. That seeing Him do anything ordinary will help put them at ease. “The followers were amazed and very, very happy to see that Jesus was alive. They still could not believe what they saw. He said to them, “Do you have any food here?” They gave him a piece of cooked fish. While the followers watched, he took the fish and ate it.” Jesus knows His sudden reappearance has caused His disciples to have tunnel vision, focusing only on the here and now.

On the possibilities of what His sudden return may mean for them? What His being with them once more is all about? What might it look like moving forward now? But Jesus needs their minds to shift beyond this moment. Beyond themselves and their immediate wants and needs. Time is a precious commodity now. Remember, Jesus also knows that very soon He will be returning to the Father. So He needs their minds to shift towards His eternal plan and purpose for having had come at all. Jesus needs them to move forward. Towards those, He knows are depending on them. So then, for the final time in these closing verses, Jesus does the familiar yet again. This time, He taught His disciples. “Jesus said to them, “Remember when I was with you before? I said that everything written about me must happen—everything written in the Law of Moses, the books of the prophets, and the Psalms.” Then Jesus helped the followers understand these Scriptures about him. Jesus said to them, “It is written that the Messiah would be killed and rise from death on the third day” –Luke 24: 44-46.

Jesus grounds His jittery friends. He recenters them—focusing their attention on the familiar—on the mission. On what they know, the scriptures. On what has been foretold concerning Him, their Messiah. Concerning the bewildering and fright-full moment in which they now find themselves. Then, Jesus goes further still, reminding His friends that they have been His witnesses. That all of what they’ve seen while with Him is now part of their story. Their testimony. The very foundation of all that they will share as they go forth into all the world. It’s their legacy. The unplumbed treasure they’ll leave behind for future generations—for you and me. Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things” –Luke 24: 45-48.

Jesus knew His disciple’s—their frame. He knows ours too. He knows that for us to do what He has destined us to, created us to do, we must wait on Him. Wait for His strength and the power of His Holy Spirit. We must wait for His timing, wait to be gathered together, called, and we must wait to be released. Jesus knows that our minds must first be opened to the Truth—To Him, His Spirit, to His Word just as His disciples were. Just as they had to wait before continuing with the work that Jesus had started—so must we. “Then he said, “This is God’s message to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty—you will succeed because of my Spirit, though you are few and weak’ –Zechariah 4:6-7.

Jesus knew that the birth of His Church was imminent. That within days He would be ascending back to His Father—our, Father. His work here on earth, in the physical sense at least, being all but finished now. And, that it would be these men, His chosen, these mere mortals that He’d soon empower, baptizing them with His Spirit, charging them then, to carry out this magnificent work of spreading the Good News to all, to you and me, so that we too might carry His Truth all the way to the ends—of the earth that is. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After He had said this, they watched as He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.…” Acts 1: 8-9.

Friend, if you’ve read this till the end, yet you don’t know this Jesus personally, then do know this: You’re here because He wanted the two of you to meet. He wants a friendship with you, to walk together and work together. He’s done His part by bringing you here. Won’t you please do your part by accepting His invitation? Just ask Him into your heart, sincerely repent of your sins, and He’ll take it from there. He knows your frame, what you truly need. “…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” –Romans 10:9-10.

The Heart Of Judas.

March 20, 2021 /
Stephanie Montilla

“…Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, ‘Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me” –John 13:21.

Within the human heart lives a propensity to sin, our fleshly nature at work in us, as it was in Judas. And apart from God’s saving grace—His Holy Spirit alive in us, preserving us from the bent of our fleshly nature, again, like Judas, we are powerless to overcome it. “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it” –Romans 7:15-20.

The Gospels inform us of Jesus calling each of His disciples. To some extent, they give us a snapshot of the apostles’ lives. Of whom they were before they began to follow Jesus. It also provides us with a glimpse of the settings in which he called them to follow him—except that is, for Judas Iscariot. Exactly how and why Judas was called to follow Jesus is not fully known. Some scholarly texts suggest Judas had been one of John the Baptist’s disciples. That he came to resent Jesus for not saving John from Herod’s executioner, and that this resentment took root in his heart and was a contributing factor in his subsequent betrayal of Jesus. However, we learn from Scripture that Jesus chose Judas to become His disciple—part of His inner circle. “When daylight came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated as apostles: And Judas son of James; and Judas Iscariot, who became the betrayer” –Luke 6:13;16.

Judas is ignominiously known as being a traitor. For having betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver—ultimately leading to Jesus’ arrest and His death on the cross. The Gospel tells it this way: “Then one of the Twelve – the one called Judas Iscariot – went to the chief priests and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over” –Matthew 26: 14-16. It continues by saying, “When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders” –Matthew 27:3. And Scripture also informs us that Judas, realizing what he had done, was filled with remorse and committed suicide: “And he went away and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5.

That led me to think about the condition of Judas’ heart? —and what of our own? After all, the Son of God had handpicked Judas to follow him. So, are we prone to fall away also? Betray the very God who called us?

Judas had witnessed the miracles Jesus had performed; he’d been in the boat when Jesus calmed the storm—Matthew 8:23-27. Judas was there when Jesus performed His first miracle, converting water into wine at the wedding in Cana —John 2:1-11. He’d witnessed Jesus feed the 5000 with five loaves and two fish—Matthew 14:15-21. And Judas was a witness to the miracles God performed. He’d also heard Jesus deliver the Sermon on the Mount –Matthew 5:1-48. He’d listened to Jesus’ parables and was present to hear Peter answer the question Jesus posed to each of His disciples—the very same question each one of us must answer for ourselves:” Who do you say that I am? Peter responded by saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”— Matthew 16:16. And, finally, Jesus had also given Judas power and authority to perform miracles: “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness” –Matthew 10:1. Judas had been given the privilege and honor of walking beside Jesus daily, knowing the Son of God personally. Yet, still, the devil-possessed Judas, causing him to betray Jesus. “After [Judas had taken] the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly [without delay]” –John 13:27. How could this happen then? Hadn’t Jesus chosen Judas?

Again, all of this led me to contemplate the condition of Judas’ nefarious heart, asking myself then: Is there a little Judas in all of us?

Many of us profess to walk closely with Christ—just as Judas did. We share our witness—talking freely about what God has done in and through our lives—of the grace He’s poured into them. We talk about the miracles, signs, or wonders we’ve heard of or witnessed firsthand. Yet none of that exempts us from walking away from Jesus—from betraying Him, just like Judas did.

Seemingly, only Jesus was aware of Judas’ impending betrayal that fateful night—everyone else at the table appeared unsuspecting. “When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, ‘Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me. They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, ‘Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?'” –Matthew 26:20-22. Not a single person, besides Jesus, pointed to Judas as being the traitor. And yet, long before this fateful night, there were signs of fissures in Judas’ heart—signs of his double-mindedness. John’s Gospel says this concerning this very issue: “Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it” –John 12: 1-6.

Judas treasured money more than Jesus, and what he stole, he stole from God—not man. He knew that Jesus taught, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” –Mathew 6:21. Yet, the pull to possess the things of this world, his sinful desire for money, and perhaps, past resentment became an overarching factor that contributed to Judas’ betraying Jesus. Knowing this then, it is essential for those who profess Jesus to check their hearts continually—asking God to examine them because simply acknowledging Jesus doesn’t equate to His truly being the Lord of your life.

To that end, you may find asking yourself the following questions helpful:

“What’ treasure(s)’ of this world have you allowed to dethrone the Son of God from your heart?”

“What daily habits are you entertaining that serve the lust of the flesh rather than foster a desire for the things of God’s and His kingdom?”

“And What are the “temporary pleasures of this world” that pull you away from God? Those things that trouble and grieve God’s heart?”

“Is it money? Is it lust? Is it a drug? Popularity? Possessions? Is it greed?”

If you profess to be a child of God, your heart’s greatest desire must be firmly rooted in pleasing and seeking after God and His Kingdom—and not being consumed by the “temporary gains” in this world.

After reading about some of the sin issues found in Judas’ heart, his greed, and double-mindedness, the possible root of bitterness that had taken root. His attachment to the things of this world. His being a liar and thief and his ability to betray Jesus, shouldn’t that awaken the resounding question in our hearts to be: “What can I learn from this?”

I know for me, I learned proximity to God is not an indicator that we abide in Christ, that our proximity to God does not exempt us from the enemy’s influences. I learned that those who refuse to fully yield their lives to Jesus Christ (their will, all that they are and have been given) could, sadly, be enticed away from serving Him, serving the lusts of their flesh instead. Judas walked with Jesus, was fed, and taught by Jesus, was prayed over by Jesus, healed individuals by the authority given him in Jesus, was a friend to Jesus. Judas spoke and acted like a disciple. Yet, his heart was far away from God. Judas knew all about religion, not about a relationship. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? ‘Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’–Matthew 7:22-23. And this same religious spirit we witness in Judas is still alive today in those who, like him, are merely going through the motions in their walk with Jesus Christ. Those who perhaps attend church faithfully, follow all the rules, and offer their tithes—yet they lack a personal connection or genuine commitment to Jesus.

Judas was “in,” and yet he was still able to betray Jesus. Judas was “in,” yet the devil possessed him. The more religious we are, the more like Judas our hearts may become.

 And again, that forced me to look at myself and ask: “If Jesus wasn’t in my life, who might I be now?

I pray this same question drives you never to forget that forsaking God for the “temporary pleasures” of this world will always leave you feeling morally bankrupt.

That it reminds you that for all of Judas may have gained in this world, it never quenched his overwhelming feeling of remorse—that guilt and shame that drove him to hang himself. Neither will the things of this world ever assuage our guilt and shame. The enemy of our soul will make sure of that—just as he did with Judas. Satan always exacts a price far dearer than anyone thought they’d have to pay for the temporary pleasures he offers them. Ultimately, though, Scripture was fulfilled—and whatever the enemy had intended for evil, the Lord turned it around for His good purpose.

Judas’ desire was not for God, to advance His Kingdom – I pray that it is for you. I pray that the kingdom of God is your ultimate treasure and not the things of this world. I sincerely pray that you invite the Spirit of God to search your heart daily—revealing any wrong way within you. I pray that your profession that Jesus is Lord of your life matches your walk. I pray that if you’ve yet to ask God into your heart as Lord, you’ll do it today. I pray that you serve God as your Master. May the motives of your heart continuously be to glorify God. I pray that you’re a Peter, and not a Judas—because Peter died for the One he loved, while Judas followed Jesus yet, in the end, chose Satan over our Savior! “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6: 24).

Previews…

March 6, 2021 /
MaryEllen Montville

Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David” –1 Samuel 16:12-13.

The Word of God is full of these—previews, I mean. Of God allowing His chosen to catch some small sliver of a glimpse of the destiny, they’ve been set apart to fulfill…

One minute a young David is out in the field tending his father’s sheep, and the next, his father’s servant is calling out to him. “David, come quickly; the prophet Samuel is asking after you!” And right there, in the presence of his slack-jawed family, in one life-changing, whirlwind of a moment, David, a young shepherd boy, is anointed Israel’s new King. “Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance” –1 Samuel 16: 10-12. And although it took only a few short minutes for Samuel to seal the destiny of this newly appointed boy-King, it would take David’s “preview” some 15 plus years and beyond to bear mature fruit. And Scripture is littered with examples like David’s. Of the destinies of God’s chosen suddenly being shifted on a dime. Of the so-big plans of God being carried out by His finite creations. Examples of men and women who were changed in an instant, yet it took years for them to grow into the fullness of their calling. A calling God had deposited within them in less time than it takes us to blink! One such example that comes to mind is Joseph, Jacob’s youngest son…

I have to wonder how many times Joseph thought, “Lord, why all this lag time,” as he watched and waited for his preview to come to pass? (Lag time: that period, however short or long, God uses to prepare us for the destiny He’s allowed us to catch some glimpse of). Remember, Joseph was about 17 years old when God gave him a glimpse of his future via a dream. Then, shortly after sharing that dream with his family, he was violently ripped away from his beloved father and sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. After which, Potiphar’s wife unjustly accused him, and he was imprisoned. While there, he was betrayed by those he had worked to free. Then, finally, some 13 years later, at the approximate age of 30, Joseph entered Pharaoh’s service, becoming the second most powerful man in all of Egypt. And soon after that, the dream given him by God when he was 17 was finally fulfilled when those who had sold him into slavery came and bowed down before Joseph. You can read all about Joseph’s extraordinary life in Genesis, Chapters 37- 50.

My apology; we were talking about David.

Some scholars suggest David was somewhere between 12 to 15 years old when he was anointed King by the Prophet Samuel; you can read about this in 1 Samuel, Chapter 16. And yet, David would not ascend to his throne for another 15 plus years. Sound familiar? Didn’t we just read of something similar happening to Joseph? We’ll need to jump over to 2 Samuel 5 and beyond in order to read the account of David’s ascension and reign. And then, moving on from David, let’s look at others throughout the Scriptures who’d caught a preview of their destinies as well.

We’ll start with a young Galilean girl from Nazareth named Mary. She had been given a glimpse of God’s calling on her life—and so had her fiancé, Joseph. Apocryphal accounts say Mary was between 12 to 15 years old when she became betrothed to Joseph. Yet before they could marry, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary—changing the course of her life forever—Joseph’s too. “In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you”—Luke 1:26-28. Verses 30-31 goes on to tell us that Gabriel told Mary, this newly engaged virgin, not to be afraid, that she was going to have God’s baby—and she was to name Him Jesus, listen: “Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.” And then there’s John the Baptist, Elizabeth’s son. And Father Abraham. God called him to leave behind his family and country, all that was familiar to him—to set off towards a destiny that would rival even that of a Hollywood blockbuster! And the list goes on and on. There’s also a young Samuel, woken up one night out of a sound sleep by God’s preview on his life. –1 Samuel 3. And then Moses, who went from a babe being drawn from the Nile in a pitch-sealed basket to a mighty prince of Egypt, turned wilderness shepherd before finally being used by God to free His people from the tyrannical grip of Pharaoh –Exodus, Chapters 2-5. And We haven’t even touched on the Apostles Peter, John, and Paul; each of these men and women hand-chosen by God—and all of them given a “preview” of sorts.

So why the lag time between their being called and that call being fulfilled? Why, since God had chosen them, didn’t He just use them right away? Why so long for David to finally take the throne? Or for Joseph or Abraham to see the call on their life fulfilled? Why did Moses have to experience so many tests and trials? And why will you and I have to endure lag time as well?

The answer is “simple—yet not.”

First, the simple: It’s about election and preparation. The simpler part of it, well, simple for God at least, is election—being chosen in Him: God’s initial call on their lives bubbled up from a deep place within them in an instant—it was effortless. But the preparation part, well, that took some time. That required God to prepare them for the preview He had given them. Preparation then is the “yet not” piece of, “simple, yet not.”

Their preparation would involve God having to strengthen and refine their trust in Him—in His ways and timing as they faced the many challenges and trials that answering His call brought with it. He was teaching them to walk out the “how” of His call on their life—that stepping out in faith part. That, faith over feelings—regardless of what it looks like, part. Think Paul here in Acts 9. Think of the reshaping that God did in Him, the breaking down, and the rebuilding that took place deep within him as he spent three days and nights in that room on Straight Street, having been blinded after seeing God. “He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink” –Acts 9:9.

Times of preparation allowed each of the above mentioned to grow into God’s unique call on their life. They afforded them both the circumstances and the opportunities to learn about accepting heartache and loss. To grow in love, they discovered new levels of sacrifice and how to be stretched to the point of breaking yet trusting God that they wouldn’t be. But that’s only after passing their first test, that of answering God’s call on their life. Then, and only then could they start putting one foot in front of the other and, over time, through adversity and times of great confusion or suffering, learn to follow God wherever He led them. And through all of this, they became awoken to what some may say is the hardest of all God’s lessons—trusting His timing. It’s Scripturally sound to say that of the many things God will use to test our calling, His use of time is undoubtedly one of His biggest. “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day “–2 Peter 3:8.

So, let me ask you, has God shown you a preview? Has He allowed you to catch some small sliver of a glimpse of His call on your life?

Are you heading off to Bible College? Is God calling you into your first pastoral position? Or, maybe, He’s calling you to head up the worship team or become an evangelist or missionary? Perhaps He’s just calling you to get up out of your pew and join in? Does God want to use you somewhere in the board room, city council, or the Nation’s Capital instead of in the pulpit? As a mom instead of a worship leader, or maybe you’ll be both? Wherever that “bubbling up” from your depths inevitably takes you, of this one thing be assured, friend: there will be times of preparation ahead. But oh, the joy they’ll bring with them! The surpassing peace and unplumbed Love of God you’ll experience by stepping out in faith and learning to trust His mysterious ways and timing, learning to accept heartache and loss, love, and sacrifice—the ever-changing-same-ness of God. The fixed fluidness of following Him. And the learning to be stretched to the point of breaking yet trusting God that you won’t be. Learning, as Mary Fairchild so aptly put it: We can pour out our honest desires to God, even when we know they conflict with his, even when we wish with all of our body and soul that God’s will could be done in some other way.

Learning, like Mary, David, Joseph, and Peter did, as Jesus did, to say: “Father, not my will but Thy will be done” –Luke 22:44.

Friend, I hope you know this God who both calls and prepares us for the previews He allows us to catch. But know this: if you don’t yet, you can today. Know that God’s Word brings salvation. Won’t you ask Him into your life as Lord and Savior right now? “But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved” –Romans 10:8-10.

What’s in Your Hand?

February 14, 2021 /
Kendra Santilli

Somewhere on the far side of the wilderness, there’s a heaven-meets-earth moment waiting for you. It’s just past the whirlwind of insecurity that can leave you feeling the sting of defeat. It’s beyond the doubts that tell you that there is nothing about you that could ever make a difference in this life because you’re just an average person.

But what if? What if I told you that the Creator of the universe wholeheartedly disagrees with you? What if He could take your most common attribute and make it extraordinary? God is not afraid of your inabilities; instead, He sees abilities in you—you never even knew existed. And so, it was with an unlikely character we encounter at the beginning of the Old Testament. His story a remarkable one, filled with redemption. Moses, a Hebrew turned Egyptian Prince born during a very hostile and oppressive time in Egypt’s history.     

Follow me as I paraphrase Moses’ story. I believe historical context is important:

…During Joseph’s reign in Egypt, he was second in command of all Egypt. Scripture tells us the Israelites prospered and multiplied while under his care. “…the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them”—Exodus 1:7. So much so that even after his death, they continued to thrive and flourish because Joseph had been so highly revered and regarded. The Bible informs us that the Israelites did far more than merely exist in this new land; they fully occupied it.

Now, fast forward 400 years. Joseph is long dead, and a new Pharaoh has been appointed. One who found Joseph’s legacy irrelevant, and the Israelites’ success in their small Egypt corner a threat to his rule. His response then—enslave them all. It’s extreme, I know. And, sadly, it only gets worse from there. To decrease the Hebrew population, Pharaoh ordered all the male babies be killed at birth.

Meanwhile, a humble yet audacious Hebrew woman gives birth to a son. And in her desire to save him from Pharaoh’s death decree, she sends him floating down the Nile river in a pitch-protected basket. And Pharaoh’s daughter was just a way downstream, bathing. Her handmaids were with her; they saw the basket and brought it to her. She was delighted, believing this was a gift from the gods! Little did she know that he would one day become the Hebrew God, Yahweh’s gift to His own people. She sends for a Hebrew slave to come and nurse the child, but the slave who comes ends up being the child’s mother.

Even amid oppression, God still showed kindness to his people.

After the child was weaned, he was sent back to Pharaoh’s daughter. She gave him the name Moses, and he grew up in Pharaoh’s palace. As you read in Exodus, skipping ahead, after a series of destiny-shaping events, Moses ran away from the palace to Midian, today’s Saudi Arabia. There he met his wife, worked as a shepherd, and started his family. All of that could have been his happily ever after, but God had other plans for Moses’s life. One day, this Egyptian prince-turned-shepherd led his sheep to the “far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God” –Exodus 3:1. In the perfect position for a heaven-touches-earth moment, Moses was all alone on the mountain, and he got that exact moment! We know that God manifested as fire burning within a bush, yet the bush wasn’t burning up—this mystified Moses. God had preserved Moses, allowing him to be rescued from the Nile by Pharaoh’s daughter, to now stand before this burning bush. And the same God that saved Him was now commissioning him to go and free His enslaved people, the Israelites, just as He had promised Moses’ great-great-grandfather He would do hundreds of years before. God says to Moses, “the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” –Exodus 3:9-10.

Let’s pause here for a moment and figure out where we fit into this story.

From Joseph to Moses, the above events didn’t happen in a day, a week, a month, or even over a year’s time. Over the years and lifetimes, these events occurred by God having placed these men strategically into positions where He would equip them to lead His people out of the places and circumstances that oppressed them and led to their suffering. And so, He might do this same thing for you, too. Perhaps that’s where you fit into this story? You may feel like you’re on the “far side of the wilderness,” but God has not forgotten you there. Even as you read this, you’re just moving along, living your everyday life. And yet, right in the middle of your daily life, God might show up in a sudden, all-consuming, “burning bush moment” that will forever rearrange the trajectory of your entire life, turning your ‘just daily living’ into something extra-ordinary. Or maybe you may feel so content with your everyday life that you’re missing those burning bush moments that are right in front of you?

Back to the story, Moses is in front of the burning bush and is so confused about why God would ask him of all people to lead His people out of Egypt. He’s just an average shepherd, and remember, he had that series of unfortunate circumstances back in Egypt? He wasn’t sure how he would do any of what God asked of him without getting himself killed? Little did Moses know, something extraordinary was about to happen to him. Yet in that pivotal moment, the Lord asked the most seemingly random question: “The Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ ‘A staff,’ he replied. The Lord said, ‘Throw it on the ground.’ Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.’ So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. Then the Lord said, ‘Put your hand inside your cloak.’ So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, the skin was leprous[a]—it had become as white as snow. ‘Now put it back into your cloak,’ he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.” –Exodus 4:2-4; 6-7).

God used what Moses had. Moses didn’t need special equipment, a theology degree, or a select title. All he needed was obedience and loyalty to God. As you read on, Moses was not a fan of this idea of being used by God. He made excuse after excuse. He even asked God to send someone else. Yet in the end, Moses obeyed God; and his obedience led to an entire people’s freedom. It also led him to experience the glory of God in ways he never knew were possible. His obedience to the Lord led to his being used by God to transcribe God’s law for the people. Moses became one of the Old Testament’s most prominent leaders because of his obedience to God’s call.

Hebrews 11 tells us: “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt,not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.”

We often want to see remarkable things in our lives, yet we aren’t willing to act in simple obedience. We admire the faith of people who can keep their relationships with God even through the craziness of life. Those who can be joyful amid trials. Those who can still pray for the house seemingly beyond their means or for the job they didn’t think they’d ever get. Those who pray for healing and see it happen. Those who have a powerful walk with the Lord. We admire that faith, and we even want it. Let me remind you, “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” –Hebrews 11:1-2. Faith is not something to be attained; it is a lifestyle. As you obey the word of God, you grow in faith—your faith increasing as your obedience gets bolder.

I will ask you the same thing God asked Moses…

“What’s in your hand? What do you already have that God can use?” Ask God to help you to see the burning bush even within the ordinary. He is faithful to meet you right where you are, just as He did with Moses. God will introduce Himself to you. And, as you discover Him, I promise you’ll find that you have far more in your hand than you ever realized you had. God will use you in ways you never thought possible. And, if you’re here today and have never asked this God into your life, please, do it now. Let Him use what you have sitting right there in your hand…

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