Sonsofthesea.org

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

Category: Love (Page 1 of 6)

The Narrow Road

April 18, 2026 / / 0 Comments

MaryEllen Montville

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” –Matthew 7:13-14

I recently read an online article that stated, “If you keep choosing easy, don’t complain when life gets hard. This is a truth most people don’t want to hear, because easy feels good in the moment. But here’s the cost no one talks about. Easy choices build weak habits. And weak habits quietly shape a hard life.”

To this, I would add, choosing to serve self rather than Jesus may give the impression of being “easier”; having no god but self to serve leaves your ability to choose wide open; to “blaze our own trail,” if you will. But here’s the thing about ways being left wide open before us; we can just as easily lose our way as choose our way when we take them. “There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but its end is the way of death.” –Proverbs 14:12

Unlike many other of God’s creations, we were not created to roam free—contrary to those beautiful, enticing travel posters and vaca ads inviting us to do so.

You and I, dear friend, were created to live within the parameters of relationship—with God first and above all, with family, and within a community; that is God’s biblical plan. How He intends us to live, and designed the model He’s given us for forming communities.

In today’s scripture, we learn work is required of us—a concrete choice must be made if we’re to enter through the narrow gate, a metaphor for heaven. We’ve been afforded the unfathomable privilege of “getting to” choose which gate we’ll use—wide or narrow? Whom we’ll serve—or not serve, with our brief time on this earth. But know this: every man alive is serving something or someone—no man lives free of that choice; even your not choosing is, in fact, your choice.

Now, before I move on, I’ll stop here to clarify a foundational, biblical Truth: contrary to what you may have heard or been taught, God’s infallible Word assures us that salvation will never be achieved through our works.

Salvation is a free gift given to us by God alone, through Jesus alone, via God’s Holy Spirit, period. “For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].” –Ephesians 2:8-9

If we could do anything to earn salvation/the forgiveness of our sins, there would have been no reason for Jesus to have ever been born. “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” –Romans 5:17

The point of the story I read online and the point Jesus made in today’s Scripture verse run paralell: Choosing to take the easy way out, the path of least resistance, the “I’m a good person, I follow the rules so why shouldn’t I get into heaven, too,” road, will, in the end, only lead to a man’s ultimate destruction—eternal separation from Jesus. Taking the easy way out now might look good from the outside, but it offers no eternal value within.

Jesus once addressed the heart behind such deceptive life choices as He spoke to the religious leaders of His day. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” –Matthew 23:27-28

These men chose what was easiest for them: to stick to what they knew and believed to be true, rather than open their hearts to the possibility that Jesus was, in fact, who He claimed to be—their Savior. Man’s choice to serve any god but Jesus, the One True God, or no god at all, is really just rebellion disguised as freedom. “Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” —John 14:6

It’s man’s rebellious flesh determining for itself what it will or will not do, is willing to sacrifice, or not, in this life: time, energy, money, love, service, or anything else that may interfere with attaining its end goal—gain, relaxation, and pleasure now—because he’s earned it. “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

Yet it’s here, in man’s insatiable pursuit of self-gratification—with its unquenchable thirst for freedom and more, where mere moral limits will ultimately betray such men in the end. “They are doomed and their fate is eternal misery (perdition); their god is their stomach (their appetites, their sensuality) and they glory in their shame, siding with earthly things and being of their party.” –Philippians 3:19

Concerning the choices you make today, “Weak habits quietly shape a hard life,” said the author of the article I spoke of at the beginning of this teaching. Speaking of life now and eternal, Jesus cautions you to: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Why?

Because soon, and very soon, every man will lose his ability to choose the narrow way, having chosen not to follow it himself, he will, by default, have chosen the broad way instead, which leads to hell. “The authority of the name of Jesus causes every knee to bow in reverence! Everything and everyone will one day submit to this name—in the heavenly realm, in the earthly realm, and in the demonic realm. And every tongue will proclaim in every language: “Jesus Christ is Lord YAHWEH,” bringing glory and honor to God, his Father!” –Philippians 2:10-11

Friends, Christ has afforded all of us the unfathomable freedom to choose freely for ourselves life or death—the narrow way, with its sacrifices, trials, and demands in this life, certainly—or the broad way. A life of seeming ease now, but which comes with an inestimable price tag in the end—eternal separation from God.

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.” –Luke 19-25

Every man must choose for himself, friend—and remember, not choosing is, in fact, your choice.

I pray you choose wisely, because Jesus loves you and hell was never meant for you, but for Satan and his minions. Friend, regardless of the choices you’ve made in life thus far, if you have breath in your lungs, it’s not too late for you to ask Jesus for His forgiveness. People send themselves to hell, this place of eternal torment and separation, not God. I share this with you in love, hoping to spare you from taking the seemingly easy path now and, instead, choosing the narrow Way that leads to Life. “Continually pursue peace with everyone, and the sanctification without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.” –Hebrews 12:14

I Am, Life.

April 4, 2026 / / 0 Comments

MaryEllen Montville

“Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” –John 11:25-26

There are times Martha gets a bad rap.

But not today!

Martha has become known for her busyness—always doing something while her sister, Mary, was commended by Jesus, for choosing what is best—stillness at His feet; drinking in every Word that spills from His lips.“But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” –Luke 10:41-43

Today, Jesus makes clear, however, despite Martha’s busy schedule and diligent attention to her everyday chores, she has not neglected to hold fast to what He has shared with her.

I pray Jesus’ acknowledgment of Martha’s heart, love, and belief in Him, in the midst of her busy life, despite all that still needed to get done, encourages that busy mom or pastor’s wife, Jesus knows your heart as well. He sees that sister, brother, mother, or daughter who stretches themself daily in service to others, desiring to meet their needs, all the while praying silently to their Lord for just five minutes of quiet so they too might pour their full attention at Jesus’ feet.

Now, before running to get her sister, Mary, Martha ended her conversation with Jesus by assuring Him of her faith in Him. That she knew—despite her pain, even in the midst of her chore-filled, others need me, every day life—that she could never forget Jesus is who He claimed to be, and that He could and would do all He had promised. “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” –John 11:27

So on this Resurrection Eve, I felt led to spotlight what Martha knew rather than her busyness. Martha knew her Lord. “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Dear ones, you may be in the midst of a “Martha” season, still, hold tight to your “Mary” heart…

It’s Resurrection Sunday, tomorrow! Hallelujah!

For the Christian, it’s a day like no other; not even Christmas, as glorious, celebratory, and meaningful to us as it is. Why? Resurrection Sunday reminds Christians of the living hope we possess because Jesus defeated death and the grave—once, for all. And that all who believe on God’s Son, have life eternal in Him. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” –1 Peter 1:3.

No other god, so-called, has defeated death and the grave, having been raised from the dead. Buddha, Muhammad, even Krishna, to name but three; their remains, still in their graves—but not Jesus’! Jesus’ resurrection from the grave assures the believer that where He is, we will be—He has promised us: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” –John 14:3.

 With this eternal Truth in mind, please pause here a moment to ask and answer that same question Jesus once asked of Martha: “Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?

 Everyone alive must answer, friend.

If not now, a day is coming, soon and very soon, when each man will.

God’s Word assures of this—believe it, or not.

“For this reason also [because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow [in submission], of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father.” –Philippians 2:9-11

Now I didn’t ask you to answer Jesus’ question to scare or intimidate you, quite the opposite. I asked it out of love. Hopeful that Jesus is your Lord and Savior—that you do have a loving, intimate, Life-giving relationship with Him, and have, with a pure heart, said, as Martha did, “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” –John 11:27

I ask those also, who have yet to decide their answer, to search their hearts now and ask themselves, “Who is Jesus to me?” As you do, please use God’s beautiful Truth below to help guide your decision. Understanding what Jesus did for you, specifically, is deeply personal, and your answer will inevitably determine your eternal destiny.

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” –Romans 5:6-11

Because Jesus was Martha’s Lord and Savior, she had a deeply personal relationship with Him and understood this Truth.

I pray you do, or will, before this day draws to a close…

God sent Jesus into this world to pay your sin debt—and mine—a debt we could never pay—Jesus didn’t come to condemn you, friend, but to save you! The guiltless sacrificed in place of the guilty. Jesus took your place on that Cross He was savagely nailed to and died on. All that you might have eternal life. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” –John 3:17.

Put simply, Jesus came into this world to ensure you be given the opportunity—along with every man—to answer for yourself the question He once posed to Martha. “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?

Martha believed, and she is with Jesus today, where she’ll be for eternity.

How about you?

Do you believe?

You must choose, friends, because not choosing is a choice.

Heaven or hell—that’s all there is.

I’m praying you choose heaven.

God’s Word promises you can and will have eternal life with Christ if, like Martha, you genuinely believe that Jesus is who He has claimed to be and will do all He promised to do. Read His promise for yourself. “If you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.” —Romans 10:9-10

It’s Resurrection Sunday, tomorrow, Hallelujah!

I pray you experience a true Resurrection miracle: being set free from the grip from the kingdom of darkness, sin, and death; being born again into new Life with Jesus; and getting to meet Martha!

It Was Never In the Water…

March 28, 2026 / / 0 Comments

MaryEllen Montville

“Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches.  Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” –John 5:2-8

Jesus asking a man if he wanted to get well may, at first glance, seem odd to you; doesn’t everyone who’s been sick desire to get well? Scripture tells us the man had been paralyzed for some thirty-eight years, so the answer to Jesus’ question seems obvious, right? “Yes! “You, betcha I do!”

So, why didn’t the man just come straight out and say so?

Why the excuses?

You’d think after having been paralyzed for so long, when someone stood in front of you asking if you’d like to get well, you’d immediately answer, “Heck yes,” not give them a mouthful of excuses as to why you can’t. “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” –John 5:7

Still, before we judge this man too harshly for making excuses, let’s examine some possible reasons as to why he made them instead of simply saying “yes, please!”

Look, just there, in the shadow of Jesus’ innocuous question, a veiled clue.

Something more was happening with this man than first meets the eye —the reason or reasons behind what held him prisoner to that pool for so long ran much deeper than the inability to use his legs; something had crippled that man’s heart, as well. “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” –1 Samuel 16:7

When Jesus looked at that man, He saw beyond his physical paralysis and straight into his heart.

So let’s turn to the Scriptures to learn some of what Jesus may have seen there…

It’s clear that for years, this man had been paralyzed. But Scripture doesn’t give us details. We don’t know exactly what happened to him, or when. We’re left to speculate: was he a boy or young man when he lost the use of his legs? Did he fall? Was his paralysis the result of a childhood illness? Polio perhaps?

Whatever happened and when, we meet him as a man Jesus singled out among all the others at that pool to receive healing. “One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time.” –John 5:5

Apart from the obvious, his physical malady, or perhaps as a result of it, lay another, less obvious disease which had gripped this man’s heart and mind: hopelessness. Despair, coupled with misguided hope in external forces at work around him, had this man bound to something that could never free him; so, day after day, year after unchanging year, he sat there, waiting.

Outwardly, he relied on others and “external circumstances” to change his inner life and fortune, all the while growing increasingly emotionally defeated. “This is my life now, what’s the hope in hoping?” “Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.” –Proverbs 4:23

He’d grown resigned to his life. Bitterness had paralyzed his heart.

He’d become so intrenched in a particular way of thinking, so blinded to hope or any real possibility that something other than the rinse-repeat hopelessness of his daily routine could be possible, that even when Jesus, His Creator, Healer, Savior, stood right in front of him and asked if he wanted to be free. Able not only to use his legs, but, bonus, use them to walk into a new life and hope, washed clean by the only water able to truly free him and make him whole, the Water of the Living Word, Jesus—his response revealed what Jesus saw when He looked into that man’s heart. “When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, ‘Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” –John 5:6-7

Maybe you can relate to that man or his default rinse-repeat excuses?

Perhaps you’ve made a few yourself?

I know I have.

I can’t because: “I’m not talented, smart, wealthy, connected, gifted,” you fill it in, enough…

I was raped. I’ve been in prison. I was abused as a child, in my marriage. I’m too old, too scared, too far gone. It’s too late for me. I smoke, watch porn, and drink. I do drugs, daily…

Here me now, the man at the pool sat there for thirty-eight years. He was lost, beaten down, hope-less. Feeling, I’m maybe, like you may be at this moment. “I’m too far gone.” “It’s too late.” “Nothing will ever change!”  But look, nowhere in his story do we read that Jesus condemned this man. Nowhere!

Neither does Jesus condemn you.

He’s come to your “pool” today, asking, “Would you like to get well?”

Perhaps, like that man, you’ve been struggling with something for years?

Sure, your legs are working just fine, but your heart is sick.

You’ve been living addicted, depressed, locked in a lifestyle choice, or relationship you can’t seem to make your way out of—even though you want to. Hear me now, friend. As surely as Jesus stood before the man at the pool, oozing love, and a desire for him to accept Jesus’ free gift of forgiveness and healing, Jesus is doing the same right now, for you.

You’re not here by accident.

There are no coincidences. Your being here was purposed by God because He loves you, and died that you might have a new life in Him—with Him—be made clean, get a fresh start!

Jesus asked the man at the pool if he wanted to be healed, and now He’s asking you. If you do, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” You’ve been given all you need for that to happen. Like the man at the pool, you had it the very instant you heard Jesus ask if you wanted it—it’s His will that you be made well.

But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” —John 5:14.

The something “even worse” Jesus is referring to is not another physical sickness—though, because we live in a fallen world, that’s possible—nor is it Jesus saying He’ll take away the physical healing he’d freely given him, no. Believe it or not, that man’s legs being restored was not the greatest gift he’d received from Jesus that day…

The greatest gift he received from Jesus—that you and I can receive—is being given new life in Him, our being born again.

The man at the pool walked into his new life on his own two legs because Jesus loved him far too much to leave him sitting at that pool in his sin. “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” –1 John 4:10

Friend, Jesus is standing beside you right now. He’s sought you out today beside whatever pool you’ve been hanging out at. Know this: healing, wholeness, peace, new life, and redemption can never be found in the water of this world. Why would you keep looking for something to happen on the outside of you that needs to be happening inside of you? You need Jesus, friend, living inside you. And He’s right here, right now, asking: “Would you like to get well?”

Please, say “Yes!” “You betcha I do!”  Jesus will take it from there…

No Greater Assurance.

March 14, 2026 /

MaryEllen Montville

“And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.” –John 5:25

Assurance, as defined by the world, in this case, by Oxford Languages: a positive declaration intended to give confidence; a promise; confidence or certainty in one’s own abilities.

Assurance, as defined in Acts 17:31, by the Living God: “He has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Let me ask you, is a declaration of assurance given by a man, a mayor, president, king, or statesman, even the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, actual assurance?

Does such a promise made by any of these alleviate your fears?

Do you rest at night trusting that a man can fulfill, to the utmost, every promise he’s made regarding your safety and well-being?

Before you answer, stop and think about the current state of this world, I mean globally, not just your little corner of it.

Take a moment now and call to mind, if you can, all the promises you’ve heard recently from presidents, statesmen, and kings of countries; mere men, each one, educated men, certainly. Experienced, we certainly hope so. Well-intended? Call me naïve, but yes, I do believe that most men who seek to lead others start out well-intentioned, wanting the best for those who have put their trust in them and aiming to do their best for them.

Yet, at the end of the day, I have learned that the best of men are, at best, just men, and being created beings, will always fall short of their highest and best intentions; I know I am most certainly guilty of this.

But there is One who has never broken a promise—not a single one. “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” –Numbers 23:19

One who assures us, present tense, that He will do all and everything He has spoken, fulfilling every promise He’s made from the beginning of time, before time, more accurately, to this very day. “For no word from God will ever fail.” –Luke 1:37

Jesus has never failed—not once, because what He says He has heard from His Father, El Elyon, God Most High, Creator of us all and of things seen and unseen. “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.” –John 12:49

And everything He does is in perfect alignment with the Father’s will. “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” –John 6:38.

This same Jesus, Christ the Lord, who can do all things but fail, says this. “There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it. And I know that His command leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what the Father has told Me to say.” –John 12:48-50

At any time, any man can assure you of anything, friends, this much we know; it’s the way of the world. The question, then, is not whether someone can assure you, but whether they can put legs under their assurance. Which brings up a thought: do you trust men in the same way you trust the chairs you sit on? An action, like other actions, people do without much thought. You sit automatically, yet seldom, if ever, do you question or give thought to the stability of the chair you’re quite literally placing the full weight of your trust on—

Here’s my point, friends. If you watch the news, even briefly, or glance at the headlines of most newspapers, or follow online threads, you can’t have missed that this world is changing 2 fast and 2 furious, for all you action movie buffs, except this is no movie, it’s real life. Your life.

I’m curious: who are you trusting to keep you, your family, your children, and loved ones safe from harm?

Now, before you answer or say that what you see happening elsewhere in the world will never happen to you, not here in good ole’ US of A, think again, because it can.

Hear me now. I pray earnestly that such hardships and fear never touch you. I pray God keep you and all those you love safe, in the palm of His Sovereign Right Hand. But above this, because Jesus has assured us, again, present tense, both saved and yet saved alike, that in this world, even with all the assurances we’re handed by each other or those well-intended officials, the president and all the good fighting men willing to lay down life and limb to protect us, we will, nonetheless, have troubles.

I’m not trying to be a Debbie-downer, friends, I’m simply sharing with you what Jesus assured us of, read it here for yourself: “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33

What things is Jesus referring to?

To read the full account of all that Jesus assures us will happen, read the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 24. Here’s a snippet to get you started. “Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” –Matthew 5-13.

Sound familiar?

Scholars tell us that Jesus’s birth fulfilled some 300 Old Testament prophecies concerning Him. Probability studies conducted by the mathematician Peter Stoner suggest that the odds of Jesus fulfilling just “eight” of the over 300 Messianic prophecies found in the Old Testament are 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. For those of us who are not mathematicians, that’s 1 in 100 quadrillion. (These calculations were published in “Science Speaks” by Peter Stoner.)

And whether mathematically correct or not, the Bible makes plain that Jesus has fulfilled every Old Testament prophecy concerning Him. From His birth in Bethlehem and being born of a virgin: Micah 5:2; Isaiah 7:14, to His ministry: Isaiah 61:1-2, to His betrayal and death: Zechariah 11:12; Ps. 22:7-8,16, culminating in Jesus’ burial and Resurrection: Isaiah 53:9; His being buried with the rich: Isaiah 53:9 and His resurrection: Psalm 16:10, Jesus has fulfilled every single one of these.

So, why would anyone think that Jesus won’t fulfill those yet-to-be-fulfilled?

Since none of us are equipped nor were we created to go it alone, my hope and prayer for you in these turbulent, trying times, is that you have or will this day, put the full weight of your trust in Jesus, who can help you navigate the turbulent waters of our times, steadying you, and leading you through what looks like the thing sent to take you out. No mere man, any man, from any political party, whether He be a president, king, or statesman, nor a Declaration written by mere men, regardless of their well-intentionedness, can do this.

So I pray the full weight of your trust will rest squarely and immutably on Jesus, the only one who can. He faithfully saved twelve others who put their trust in Him while in a storm. How? He commanded what was threatening them to be still. “When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!” –Mark 4:38;41.

God has afforded you the privilege of making many choices in this life, friend, yet He has given you only One sure hope: His Son, Jesus. Will you put the full weight of your trust in Him?

Are You One Of “These” People?

September 27, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” –Matthew 15:8-9.

First things first. Who are these people?

And are they among us still?

The people Jesus is referring to were pious Scribes and Pharisees—the religious elite of their day. Their hearts were hard, unyielding, stony. These men clung to traditions and rituals, white-knuckled, blind, most never even considering to humble themselves before Jesus, allowing their stony hearts to be made soft, pliable—able to be used by Him to harvest souls for His Kingdom—30, 60, or even 100-fold. “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.” –John 12:24.

Instead of yielding to Jesus, these haughty Pharisees strutted about, announcing to anyone with ears to hear that they’d been called by God, all the while making a show of serving Him before His people. Their service to God was often accompanied by elaborate religious pageantry, self-important displays of phylacteries and tassels, which had far less to do with genuine love, honor, or devotion to God and far more to do with being admired publicly, receiving praise and accolades from His people. “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long.” –Matthew 23:5.

Look around you, friends, the attire of these attention seekers has changed over time, sure, but the heart hidden beneath that attire remains the same.

Don’t take my word for it; instead, read Jesus’ words.

Words He Himself used to describe the condition of the Pharisees’ hearts—remembering as you do, that you and I see only the outward appearance of a person, but God sees their heart. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but within they are full of extortion (prey, spoil, plunder) and grasping self-indulgence.” –Matthew 23:25.

Jesus saw behind every move they made. He knew their intents and motives.

Hear what He tells His disciples concerning their following the example of these men of God, so-called: “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.'” –Matthew 23:2-7

As Christians, then, Jesus tells us to honor the office our leaders hold, all leaders, from our Pastor to our President. Why? Out of obedience and submission to Almighty God. Trusting He alone raises men up, and He alone removes them. “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” –Romans 13:1.

Beloved, we’re not asked to agree with everything our leaders say or do.

But, out of obedience and submission to God’s authority, we must honor their office. Unless, that is, those placed in charge over us demand we go against God or His Word. Then, modeling those who came before us, we too must choose whom we’ll serve. “But Peter and John replied, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than God.” –Acts 5:29.

Regarding this principle of obedience and submission to those in authority, we need only look to King David’s example for confirmation. “But David said to Abishai, ‘Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed.” –1 Samuel 26:9-11.

Not once, but twice, David spared King Saul when opportunities had arisen to not only remove him from his office, but from the face of the planet.

Seemingly good men, so-called, God appointed men, men like King Saul, were and are imperfect, sinful men. Only God is worthy of the full measure of our trust; not man, never man; don’t be deceived by appearance or demeanor, beloved. Remember, only God knows the heart. “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” –1 Samuel 16:7.

But back to Jesus.

Speaking of those who were deceiving themselves and others, Jesus went on to say: “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either. “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn that person into twice the child of hell you yourselves are!” –Matthew 23:13-15.

Wait! Jesus, the God of love, said that!?

Yes.

Why? So that, in love, Truth might be told and lies exposed. Because love minus Truth isn’t love at all—it’s selfish and self-serving. It’s dishonest; more concerned with sparing feelings than with men experiencing freedom. Besides, sparing someone’s feelings is never Jesus’ primary concern; Truth is. Character is. Men being set free, not being bound to fleeting feelings, is one of God’s primary concerns.

With all of what I’ve shared in mind, understand the title of this teaching is not rhetorical; instead, it requires you, me, and anyone else who may read it to both ask and answer it of ourselves.

So, are you one of these people?

All show, no substance. All rites and rituals, yet no heart. No love?

Knowing God’s Word, sure, yet bereft of His mercy, His grace, humility, and compassion. One, maybe, who may have shouted “Crucify Him” solely because Jesus’ unorthodox, rule-challenging love, favor, and radical forgiveness threaten your very rigid, limited understanding?

 If so, there is hope, still, for your stony heart to be made flesh.

Concerning this very thing, Jesus Himself said the following to a Pharisee named Nicodemus: “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” –John 3:10-12.

But Jesus doesn’t stop there. Remember, God sees the heart, and He knew Nicodemus’s. His willingness. Nicodemus’s sincere questioning—God is not opposed to our asking Him questions, only to our questioning Him; there is a difference.

Jesus often uses our questions to open our hearts and minds to His Truth.

Listen to the rest of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, then, judge for yourself whether what was shared with you today about the nature of God and His character is true or not. “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” –John 3:13-17.

Of the Light or Darkness. Which of these are you?

Closed off to hearing the Truth, or open to it?

I pray that, like Nicodemus, you choose to open your heart to the Light, allowing Jesus to illuminate any darkness that might stop you from accepting His love and Truth. Ask Jesus to help you do this. Genuinely repent of your sins, and believe in the One God sent into this world to save you from this present darkness.

New, Not Renewed.

September 13, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” –Lamentations 3:22-23.

The global wake of destruction that has hit us, the likes of which would make a category five hurricane blush, has been savagely unleashed on our world, our emotions, and on countless poor souls’ lives. Leaving them in utter shambles. Gaza and Palestine. Africa and India. Russia and Ukraine. China, Taiwan, and the list goes on—wars and rumors of wars. Souls, lost, many eternally. Someone’s mom or dad. Husband, wife, and the children—children, dead now as they sat in prayer. An assassin’s bullet to the throat has seemingly silenced the voice of a young man in the prime of his life. But God!

A young wife and her children left now, without her devoted husband and adoring father. Then, there are the multiple school shootings that have resulted in the deaths of our most innocent, our children. All of this and so much more, every nameless faceless soul that has been killed, many with no one ever having so much as heard their names. Souls who, quite literally, have had the proverbial rug ripped right out from under their feet, believers and unbelievers alike. Leaving us all staggering and a bit numb in disbelief.

 Then, here I come, sharing a verse that reminds us all of God’s mercies. Mercies? Really?

Absolutely!

That’s the thing about God, He never changes. Never. Neither chaos nor death can cause God to change—to go against His very nature. James 1:17 says it like this: “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes].”

This teaching isn’t intended to be insensitive or callous. Instead, a “just as shocking reminder of Truth.”

Because amid what certainly looks and feels like a world about to spin out of control, just when we think we’ve reached the point of not being able to hear of one more tragedy, one more death, God’s Holy Spirit steps in and redirects us. Recalibrates hearts and minds and families who have lost their sense of up and down, bringing peace and redirection where chaos and madness, where evil, are doing their level best to rob them of Truth and peace.

The early Church experienced such a moment when Stephen, the first martyr, was stoned to death. What the enemy thought would put an end to God’s Church—His Gospel message, His people—was instead used by God to galvanize His people and to spread His Word to the four winds!

Notice, beloved, that God’s mercies are plural, not singular. We serve a “Pressed down, shaken together, and running over” God whose mercies are fecund, original, unique, explicitly designed to more than meet today’s one-of-a-kind needs.

Mercies that are dewy, refreshing our weary, worn-out souls.

Mercies glistening with the love and care Jesus has for you and me.

A love and care that falls upon each of His beloved children, upon you, daily, regardless of what may be swirling around our feet or front door. Saturating your life and mine as specifically and purposefully as His tender mercies and care bathe each flower’s petals and every single blade of grass.

God knows we need refreshing. He knows we need what only He can give us, hope that His sure promises will stand, no matter what it looks like at the moment. Regardless of how much the enemy of our soul appears to be stealing from us—God is giving us so much more. “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.” –Matthew 6:30-31.

Jesus is infusing your life with newness and the resilient strength needed to face each new day—never forget that Truth, beloved. No assassin’s bullet, no bomb, war, or rumor of war will have the final say—that’s Gods. So even if standing is all you can do today, know that you’re doing it in God’s strength. His loving kindness towards you and me is enabling us to take tentative, baby steps forward. “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” –Isaiah 40:29

God’s mercies are not like the transient things of this world, here one moment, needing to be replaced the next.

They’re not like that prescription bottle on your night table, something that needs renewing because it’s about to run out. God Himself has promised us, “for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]” –Hebrews 13:5.

Nor are His mercies like the milk, bread, or cream for your coffee that needs to be replenished every few days or so. In a world where the words “renew” and “renewal” have become commonplace, the concept of anything new being afforded us daily has become almost obsolete.

Our parents, perhaps, and surely our grandparents, had a far better grasp of receiving new things daily than you or I ever will. We, the so-called more modern generation, must intentionally pause to make room for such a concept, allowing God’s Holy Spirit to unpack it for us. “The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” –1 Corinthians 2:14

Even then, until we come to know such newness—God’s plethora of mercies for ourselves, intimately: having kissed them on the mouth, eaten with, slept and woke beside them, belly-laughed til we cried with them, until, as with Jesus’ nearness, His “new” mercies has quickened the beating of our hearts, til we, parched and dizzied souls that we are, have had their dewy refreshing dripped onto our parched tongues, until God’s fresh mercies, like His Life-giving Word, our daily bread, has filled our bellies, we will never have truly experienced the newness God has awaiting us every-single-morning. His “new mercies” will remain some imagined experience, like a dream vacation on the bucket list map of life.

I know it’s hard to reach for hope right now, to keep putting one faith-full foot in front of the other, no turning back. I know it might be difficult even to hear the word mercy standing next to a child’s grave, a husband’s casket, but please, beloved, allow God’s Truth to rip you open right now. Let it pour new mercies, fresh hope in buckets full over your nearly dried-out, bone-weary faith. Let God do what only God can do in you and me. “But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?” —John 3:12.

Leave room for God to cause faith to arise as you and me and them and they get mad at hell for its thievery, galvanizing us, uniting us just as it did the early Church, as we remember that Satan’s relentless barrage of hate and hurt, murder and death are no match for God’s unending love, mercies that are new every single morning, come what may, and a 3rd day power that raised Jesus from the dead. Hang on, beloved, soon, all of this pain, this feeling of being caught in the headlights of this life, will end. In peace and celebration—no more tears. No more death, wars, or assassins’ bullets. Just unending love and an eternity with Jesus, all because of God’s mercies. Soon, beloved, soon. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” –Revelation 21:4.

Lay Down Your Stones.

August 2, 2025 /

Matthew Botelho

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” –Ephesians 2:8-9.

My friends, if you are a believer in Christ, I caution you to remember where we came from. Remember when you were lost, blind, and deaf to the Word of God. Having no direction except to follow what everyone else was saying and doing, whatever was acceptable to the world. We can easily forget where God has brought us from, that we are spiritual beings, yes, living in a vessel of fallen flesh, often far too quick to judge others’ sin.

Have we forgotten where we were when Christ Jesus came and pulled us out of our pit? Forgotten how others may have pointed fingers at us and said, “Well, you messed up again! Let judgment and the casting of stones begin!”

Have we forgotten somehow the very same grace we ought to be extending to others in the Body who are struggling or being accused is the same grace that was once, and is still, extended to us by Jesus Christ? The apostle Paul tells the church in Rome, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” –Romans 8:1

There is an example of this very thing in the Gospel of John. The scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery. This scripture highlights how quickly we can be to bring accusations against someone who has sinned. “Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do you say?” –John 8:2-5

Here is Jesus at the temple. He came to worship God and teach the people, when the Scribes and Pharisees, those who know the law, dragged a woman caught “in the very act of adultery” before Him.

When we are at our places of worship, ought we not be there for God and Him alone? Have we made God’s House a place of sin sniffing? It ought not become a place of backbiting or to gossip about so and so; our purpose in being there is to draw closer to Jesus, closer to the Father, and to learn how to love like Jesus loves us. Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” –John 13:34-35

There is not one person in your church or mine, except for Jesus, who is a perfect person.

How disgusting of those scribes and Pharisees to spy on this woman, all in the hopes that they would catch her in her sin and make a public spectacle of her. Their actions reveal where their hearts truly lie. Jesus said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving others undone.” –Matthew 23:23

How does the attack on this woman caught in adultery end? As these Scribes and Pharisees are asking Jesus what should be done to the woman, “Jesus stoops down and starts writing on the ground with His finger as though He did not hear them”. –John 8:6 Scripture doesn’t tell us what was written. Still, some theologians think that Jesus was writing the sins of all the Pharisees and scribes. Jesus says to the mob that’s gathered, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.” –John 8:7-9

What happens after they all walk away is a beautiful exchange in which Jesus asks the woman, “Where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?” She says, “no one my Lord.” And Jesus says to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” –John 8:10-11

We ought not be self-righteous and think ourselves better or holier than others.

It wasn’t anything that we did, but only Jesus’ death on the Cross, His Blood shed for our sin, which freed us and washed us clean, making a way for us to be restored into a right relationship with God the Father. Jesus said to His disciples, “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” –Matthew 26:28

Without Jesus’ atoning work, His perfect sacrifice, brother, and sisters, you and I would still be found “guilty” of our sins. But Jesus says to us the same thing He once told the woman caught in adultery, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” Follow Jesus’s example when confronting a brother or sister caught in their sin. Go speak to them in private, pray for them, and cry with them. “If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” —Matthew 18:15.

What Really Matters…

June 28, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

“For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.” –Philippians 1:10.

Within one short verse, Paul uses “you” twice. He’s making it plain to each Philippian believer he’s addressing, and to us, that our relationship with Jesus is not only personal, more, that it matters to God how each of us walks out our faith. “I want you to understand.” Why? “So that you may live pure and blameless lives.”

Just because?

No!

Your Christian walk matters because you have been chosen in Christ, set apart, called to live a holy life, even as your Father is Holy. You are God’s Ambassador, beloved. You have been chosen both to carry and spread the Light of the World! “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” –2 Corinthians 5:19-20.

God is using Paul’s voice to speak His Truth, to His people—the Church.

Jesus, the Living Word of God, points anyone with ears to hear toward the Father. Directing them to emulate His own walk by doing His Father’s will. “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” –James 1:22-25.

Still, God knows that we, like our Philippian brothers to whom Paul was speaking, are incapable of living pure and righteous lives; that we, like they, cannot be filled with the fruit of the Spirit apart from the ongoing, sanctifying work of Jesus Christ. Apart from Him, you cannot talk, walk, think, or love like Jesus. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” –Philippians 2:13. God’s Holy Spirit is at work in us to shape, mold, and remove the dross of your sin, shame, brokenness, and guilt, so that as we cling to Him, we might look, walk, talk, and think more and more, like His Son, Jesus. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” –2 Corinthians 3:18.

In Malachi 3:3, God makes it clear that He is a Refiner. “He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord.” As He was with Israel, His chosen people, so too with His Church—we’ve been grafted in after all, in Christ Jesus. “He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” –Galatians 3:14.

It is God’s Holy Spirit at work in us, smelting and purifying, forging, molding, and shaping.

In the fire of affliction, we’re made soft, pliable, usable—more Christ-like in our reliance on the Father. And so it’s there that God does His work of remaking us. In the Refiner’s fire, our lifelong journey of cycling through times of fire, forging, and water begins to burn off the dross of the world that has covered us over—encased us, really, like some molten shell—blinding us from seeing who we were created to be before time existed. Before, as His Word calls it, “The foundation of the earth,” hence, the need for our refining. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will.” –Ephesians 1:3-5.

God’s Word is Pure.

Thus, as we drink it in, it has the power to refine us—renewing our minds, imparting wisdom, depositing joy, and purifying our hearts. “The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living.” –Psalm 19:7-8.

Yet knowing holiness isn’t something we could ever achieve apart from Jesus, in one inconceivable act of love so pure and unfathomable, God sent His only Son into the world to die. Why? Because only a Holy, Perfect, Sinless God Himself could atone for your sins and mine. “For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God through our union with him.” –2 Corinthians 5:21.

Child of God, having sacrificed His only Son for you, remember, your salvation is personal. God wanted you to be restored into right relationship with Him through Jesus’s death and resurrection, able to receive New Life; is it any wonder then that God used Paul to remind you of ” what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.“

Still, the very God who created you knows your frailty, beloved, your inability to “remain in Him” apart from Him. “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one abiding in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit. For apart from Me you are able to do nothing.” –John 15:5. Hence why, from that same pool of unplumbed love, God promised you this: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” –Isaiah 41:10.

If you have strayed from the narrow way, beloved, repent. Return to the Father who is waiting to receive you, arms wide open, eyes already watching the horizon to catch a first glimpse of you, and then. “…live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.”

Jesus is the only One who can enable you and me to live that pure and blameless life He requires of His children. He’s a good Father who gives His children the supernatural ability to do all things through Christ. “I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]” –Philippians 4:13.

You dear friend, yes, you. The Lord has led you here today. It’s no accident that you’ve read this teaching all the way through. That stirring you feel in your belly, that’s God. It’s Him saying that He loves you and wants a relationship with you. Won’t you welcome Jesus into your life now by acknowledging your need for Him? Listen to what He promises if you do: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” –Matthew 7:7-8.

They Were Given A Promise.

May 31, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain on the ship, you cannot be saved.” –Acts 27:3.

Roughly 2,000 years separated the time of Noah from that of the Apostle Paul. Yet God, being Omnipresent, gave each of these men this same, sure promise. “No harm will befall you or those who are with you.” And, despite the perilous circumstances in which they and their companions would find themselves, unsurprisingly, God did not break His promise to either Noah or Paul. Nor will Jesus break His promise to you, fellow believer. “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” –Numbers 23:19.

Let’s examine what the Scriptures say about how God fulfilled His promise to Noah and the Apostle Paul, and in doing so, discover how God’s keeping His promise to these two men relates to you and me, beloved.

Noah:

Knowing what would soon overtake the entire world, God promised Noah that neither he nor anyone with him would perish. “So God said to Noah, ‘I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.” –Genesis 6:13.

But hear God’s sure promise to Noah and those who were with him: “But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the Ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.” –Genesis 6:18; 7:16.

From the very beginning of God’s dealings with man, because He is long-suffering and the very definition of loving kindness itself, God has made a way for His chosen to escape His just judgments; that is, God fulfilling His Word—our part of that equation is our obeying His commands. Here’s what I mean: What good would God’s promise to save Noah and his family from what was to come if Noah had not obeyed God by building the very thing God would use to save them all?

Did God’s command to build a boat cause Noah to question momentarily? If so, surely it was not because Noah doubted God. Instead, perhaps such questioning came because neither Noah, his family, nor the rest of the world had ever seen nor felt a single raindrop touch their skin. Never mind experiencing the amount of rain it would take to destroy the world.

Yet even if Noah did have questions, he nonetheless not only did what God commanded—he followed God’s directions to the letter! The result? Read it for yourself:

“Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of the new year, ten and a half months after the flood began, the floodwaters had almost dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was drying. Two more months went by, and at last the earth was dry! Then God said to Noah, “Leave the boat, all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives. Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth.” So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat.” –Genesis 8:13-18.

God promised Noah that he and all those with him would safely come through what many others would not—if he obeyed God by entering what was sure to save him and his family.

Little did Noah know that the Ark God had him build was little more than a king-sized wooden placeholder for His very flesh and blood Son, King Jesus, who would one day tell those with ears to hear to enter Him and be saved. “Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” –John 10:9-10.

And though it is God’s heart that none should perish—if we choose not to heed His warnings that something never before seen by man is coming—how then can we hold God responsible when what He foretold would come “suddenly” overtakes us? “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.” –Matthew 24: 37-39.

The Apostle Paul: In Acts 23:11, God commanded Paul to go to Rome. “The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.

And thus begins Paul’s journey towards Rome.

But not before we hear of a plot that had been brewing to kill Paul. How in Acts, Chapter 23, things were about to spill over as Paul stood before a crowd baying for his blood. Yet despite their visceral hatred and desire to kill him, Paul nonetheless dared to boldly declare that Jesus, the One True God who had appeared to him on the road to Damascus, had also commissioned him to reveal the Truth of who Jesus is to the Gentiles. “The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty men were involved in this plot. They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here.” –Acts 23:12-15.

Still, God had charged Paul to go to Rome. Moreover, God had promised Paul that his journey would not end in death, neither his own nor that of any of those traveling aboard the ship on which he traveled.

God may a way of escape for Paul, as He always does for all of His children.

And so Paul boards the ship headed toward Rome, a ship destined to be ripped to shreds by a storm at sea, yet as promised, God saves all. “After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.” –Acts 27:21-25.

There are times when God’s plans for our lives come with some pretty severe storms or trials. Storms and trials that may bring us to what surely looks like our end.

Approximately 1,950 years stand between the Apostle Paul and you, today’s believers, but, as it was with Noah and Paul, so it must be with you and me, child of God. We must wholeheartedly obey whatever God calls us to do in these last moments of time, standing boldly for what we know is the Truth, trusting that no storm, no sudden event that is not part of God’s plan for our lives, will ever overtake us.

Just as the Lord Himself sealed Noah and his family safely inside the Ark, and as surely as God’s Sovereign hand of protection was on Paul, so too will God seal all those who are His, ensuring their safety and safe passage home, no matter what happens.

Let me ask you, then, are you sealed in Christ?

Are you His—all His?

Have you welcomed Jesus into your life?

Will you?

“Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go.” Proverbs 3:5-6.

The Gate That Leads To Life.

May 24, 2025 /

Matthew Botelho

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to Life, and there are few who find it.” –Matthew 7:13-14

In this opening scripture, Jesus teaches the people what it means to follow Him. I remember reading this passage when I first started walking with our Lord, and it puzzled me. “What gate am I supposed to walk through?” I thought to myself, looking around. I wonder if Jesus saw that same reaction from the people He taught and His disciples.

Now, after maturing some, I see and hear this scripture, and it brings me Life. Jesus is the Gate that leads to Life. He is the Narrow Way, and not many find it. Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” –John 10:9

There is a broad path that leads to destruction. I picture it as a bunch of people crammed together, leaping over one another, trying to get ahead of one another, doing whatever it takes to make it or to beat out another person, fueled by a destructive “me first mentality.” Allowing fleshly desires to overtake and consume them; that’s a dark place to be.

The apostle Paul writes to the Church in Galatia about these works of the flesh. What was happening then is still happening today; there’s nothing new. Paul writes, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultry, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissension, heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” –Galatians 5:19-21

When we come to know Jesus, He changes our mindset from darkness into Light, from death to Life. Jesus has made the way! Darkness flees when the Light is present. Jesus says, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.” –John 12:44-46

A believer’s lifestyle needs to be one of worship and prayer, not trying to gain an advantage over another to get ahead. Jesus says, “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” –Matthew 6:33. We walk with Jesus down this narrow path, set apart from the “worldly” lifestyle. We are to be transformed into a new way of living.

Jesus even said this to the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees and Sadducees at the temple, “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.” –John 23:25-26.

I recall my pastor saying many times, “true salvation is not first seen from the outside. It starts from the inside, then it shows itself outwardly.” Thanks, pastor Lino! He always points us directly to the Word of God. “When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love,  he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.” –Titus 3:4-5.

Your salvation is not based on what is on the outside, how good we look on the outside, but rather, salvation starts when you have been washed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, which leads us to repentance. “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” –Romans 2:4

You can look all pristine and well put together on the outside, but be a total train wreck on the inside. This is why we must remember that works without faith in Jesus Christ will not save us.

Speaking to His Church, Jesus reminds us: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” –John 15:5-6

Later, Jesus says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified that you bear much fruit; so you will be my disciples.” –John 15:7-8

Let us abide together, Church. With Jesus as its Head and we as His Body.

There is no Life in the Body without The Head controlling or telling His Body how to move.

According to the Oxford Language Dictionary, to abide means: to accept or act in accordance with (a rule, a decision, or recommendation).

This means that when we decide to follow Jesus, we choose to follow Him fully. We follow Him fully by loving Him and following the statutes He laid down for us, His commandments. “If you love me, obey my commandments.” John 14:15.

Ask yourself, “If I am living for Jesus, am I truly walking this narrow path? Or have some things gotten in the way of my walk?” Did I allow anything to come in, causing me to stumble? Reading Galatians 5:19-21 reminds me to examine my heart and ask our Lord Jesus if anything needs to be repented and thrown away. As David writes in his psalm, “Search me, O Go, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” –Psalm 139:23-24

David knew he was human and susceptible to sin. We are all human, and we all fall short. May I suggest you take a moment today to ask God to examine your heart?

If you were convicted after reading this teaching, I pray the Holy Spirit leads you to repent and ask for forgiveness. Repentance means to turn your mind and your heart away from that sin and worldly desires that lead to death, and ask Jesus to forgive you. “For godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow produces death.” –2 Corinthians 7:10.

Decide today to repent and walk no more in your sin. “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

We are praying for you all in Jesus’ name. Amen.

« Older posts

© 2026 Sonsofthesea.org

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑