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

Category: Love (Page 2 of 6)

A Cultivated Heart.

May 3, 2025 /

Matthew Botelho

Praise God! We finally made it through the wintery months here in New England. Spring is here, and the renewal of life has begun. Trees are budding, and birds are chirping in the early morning. Spring is also when my oldest son starts preparing to plant his garden. I can’t get him to clean his room, but when it comes time to prepare his garden, he’s all for it. My son loves to grow plants and has a real knack for it. To this day, I am still not sure where his love for gardening comes from. Neither his mom nor I has any experience growing plants. Yet, every mid-spring, my son goes out into his garden and starts tilling the soil, breaking up the hard ground from winter passed.

As I watched him last year, I noticed the dirt he was breaking up looked nothing like the hard, dried-out topsoil. The soil he was turning over was much darker and richer. My son told me that if he didn’t turn the soil over, he would be unable to sow any seeds in the ground because plants wouldn’t grow in the hard topsoil. So, he cultivates the ground to prepare it. It takes work to prepare the ground for sowing.

Seeing this made me start thanking God for His Son, His saving work on the Cross, and how He changed my once hard heart.

You see, spiritually speaking, the heart is not that fleshy muscle that pumps blood throughout our bodies; the heart is our mind, will, and emotions. Jesus desires to bring each of these under obedience to His life-changing power, softening them. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” –Proverbs 23:7

Everything changes for the better when we submit our hearts to Jesus; this happens only because of God’s grace. There is no other way to receive salvation and redemption (being saved from sin, error, or evil) but through Jesus. He alone knows what’s in men’s hearts, and like the rich soil my son exposed, only Jesus can turn a man from a life of sin and death to one made clean, new, ready to receive Him, rich in abundance.

Jesus is the only answer for a man’s deceitful heart; He is the Sower, and our heart is the ground He desires to till. “Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow. As he sowed, this occurred: Some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up right away, since it didn’t have deep soil. When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it didn’t have root, it withered. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce a crop. Still others fell on ground and produced a crop that increased 30, 60, and 100 times that was sown. Then He said, “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!” –Mark 4:3-9

This scripture says the sower went out and sowed seed, which fell on the rocky ground. After a while, tender little sprouts began to grow, but the soil was not suitable for them to thrive in. The roots needed to grow and get nutrients from the ground beneath that rocky soil had no place to sink into. So, too, the Word of God cannot take root if it’s sown in a man’s hard heart (mind, will, emotion). Perhaps some rocky soil is caused by heartache or words spoken in anger. As a result, the heart closes itself off from allowing anyone in. But God! Jesus is the only one who can change that heart of stone, turning it into a heart of flesh, making it whole again, ready to receive once more.

After Jesus was taken down from His Cross, He was laid to rest in a garden tomb, and a large stone was used to seal the tomb. “Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews to bury. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.” –John 19:40-42

But that stone was supernaturally removed on the third day, and Jesus walked out alive!

Jesus is the Seed sown into the hearts of all who declare Jesus as Savior by God the Father. These hearts will not only have new life, but will also help to reproduce new life. Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” –John 12:24

The thorns, those wicked thoughts or anxieties that whisper, “You don’t need God.” Or “Nothing will ever change; you’re just a hopeless case.”

Such thoughts will choke the Word of God out of you if you allow them to. “Other seed fell among thorns, and thorns came up and choked them out.” –Matthew 13:7.

Jesus is the only Person who can remove these thorns from your life.

He alone bore a crown of thorns on His head for you. Those wicked thoughts, those lies people have told about you. Jesus’ Holy Blood covered His crown of thorns, freeing everyone who will receive Him as Lord and Savior from the curse of sin and death.

The fall of man took place in the Garden of Eden, where the human heart was forever changed the very second sin entered the world. Still, at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, in another garden, Jesus accepted a cup of suffering which contained the sins of the whole world.

Man’s salvation is made possible because Jesus died in our place, after drinking every drop of that bitter, sin-filled cup. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” –2 Corinthians 5:2.

But before Jesus was betrayed and taken away, He prayed to the Father, saying, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” –John 17:1-3

Jesus’ selfless sacrifice, my dear friend, proves His love for you.

Jesus was so determined to see you free that He came as a willing ransom, paying in full the price sin demands. He did this for anyone who would proclaim Him as Lord. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” –Romans 6:23.

I invite you to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior into your hearts. Let Him break up any hard ground He finds there—by repenting your sins. Invite Jesus to plant a new thing in the turned-over soil of your heart. Jesus loves you, and He is so willing to do this for you. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” –John 3:16 Amen.

Even If.

April 26, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” –Daniel 3:16-18.

There is a hymn most Christians would instantly recognize; moreover, whose hearts would joyously and with complete abandon declare. I have decided to follow Jesus; No turning back, no turning back. Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow, no turning back, no turning back. Some say this familiar hymn was composed in 1959 by hymn editor William Jensen Reynolds using what is said to be the last words of a Christian convert of the mid-18th century as he and his family were being martyred for their faith. Other sources say these final words of the martyr, Nokseng, of the Garo tribe in Assam, India, a tribe looked upon as bloodthirsty savages, were turned into a hymn written by the Indian missionary Sadhu Sundar Singh.

Whoever you may credit, this most sincere declaration is indelibly etched on our hearts. No question, each devout word took flight from Nokseng’s lips. This man was so in love with Jesus, so thoroughly convinced that Jesus is who He claimed to be and will do all He claimed He would do, that not even death, his own, nor that of his two sons and beloved wife, would deter him from turning his back on Jesus.

When Nokseng said there’d be no turning back, he meant it.

I pray the same can be said of you and me, beloved.

Mirroring Nokseng’s heart and flintlike faith, the Apostle Paul echoed his own fixed determination never to turn away from Jesus approximately 15 centuries later: “Yet every advantage that I had gained I considered lost for Christ’s sake. Yes, and I look upon everything as loss compared with the overwhelming gain of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord. For his sake I did in actual fact suffer the loss of everything, but I considered it useless rubbish compared with being able to win Christ. For now my place is in him, and I am not dependent upon any of the self-achieved righteousness of the Law. God has given me that genuine righteousness which comes from faith in Christ. How changed are my ambitions! Now I long to know Christ and the power shown by his resurrection: now I long to share his sufferings, even to die as he died, so that I may perhaps attain as he did, the resurrection from the dead” –Philippians 3:8.

If you have decided to follow Jesus, I pray the height and depth of their words and determined following burn as white-hot in your own heart, no turning back.

You may ask, “What do this song and the apostles’ words have to do with today’s Scripture verse?”

To which I’ll reply, “Everything.”

Much like the martyrs Nokseng and the Apostle Paul, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego each made a firm decision never to turn away from following Jesus. “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” –Daniel 3:16-17.

Long before the moment came when each would face the very real threat of dying for Jesus, each had long before determined in their heart that his life was no longer his own. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]” –Matthew 16:24 Amp.

How blessed are you, dear Christian, to follow the One, True God, Jesus, who does not ask of His disciples something He is unwilling to do. How blessed we are that our Jesus goes before us in all things pertaining to faith and commitment to God, and by modeling how it is done, Jesus, our Greatest example, was willing to lay down His life in obedience to the Father’s will. “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father” –John 10:18.

Resurrection Sunday is just an arm’s length behind us.

Yet, the same “ever-before-us” decision asked and answered by those who have given up their lives for Jesus remains. “Brothers and sisters, together follow my example and observe those who live by the pattern we gave you. For there are many, of whom I have often told you, and now tell you even with tears, who live as enemies of the cross of Christ [rejecting and opposing His way of salvation]” –Philippians 3:17-18

As we plainly witnessed here today, those who claimed they followed Jesus did, in fact, do just that—even unto death.

Beloved, recognizing our life is a living sacrifice, we too must decide to follow Jesus’s ultimate example of obedience and love for the Father, knowing with unwavering certitude that, no matter what happens, believing what awaited Jesus on the morning of the third day awaits us as well. “Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer captive to sin’s demands! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did” —Romans 6:6-11.

So, new friend, have you decided to follow Jesus? No turning back? I’m praying you will. “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” –John 11:25-26.

Bread, Not Bunnies.

April 19, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

“I alone am this living Bread that has come to you from heaven. Eat this Bread and you will live forever. The living Bread I give you is my body, which I will offer as a sacrifice so that all may live.” –John 6:51

Men might be willing for Christ to save them, but not for Him to reign over them—Charles Spurgeon.

Tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday. A day when some will celebrate with their perhaps bi-yearly visit to church, wearing their new, or new-to-them, Easter outfits. Sadly, they’ll celebrate the day God defeated death and the grave as just a fun-filled day, complete with chocolatey treats instead of what it truly is: A Life-giving day that changed everything! The day Jesus, the sinless Son of God, took their sins and ours upon Himself, His once-for-all sacrifice, dying the criminal’s death we deserve so that all men might have New Life in Him and a restored relationship with the Father. For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” –1 Peter 1:18-19.

Still, knowing this, many will give Jesus His 45 minutes tomorrow, then consider their duty done; sadly, they will go on to celebrate the Easter bunny’s arrival with their children. Celebrating how he brought them baskets filled with jellybeans, toys, and chocolate bunnies, sometimes real ones—making him the hero of the day. Perishable trinkets will take the place of the Pearl of Great Price. Heaven’s kingdom realm is also like a jewel merchant in search of rare pearls. When he discovered one very precious and exquisite pearl, he immediately gave up all he had in exchange for it” Matthew 13:45-46.

They’ll give their children baskets full of candy but not share the unfathomable sacrifice Jesus made just for them. Instead of telling their children just how much Jesus loves them, or the immeasurable lengths He went to ensure they could be His, instead, they’ll take them on the hunt for that well-hidden golden egg—the prized egg, the reward for all their hunting efforts! The Apostle Paul had something to say about those who write Jesus out, replacing Him with idols, man’s thought-up imaginings, their “Easter best” efforts: “For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God.” –1 Corinthians 1:18.

How thankful we are, dear Christian, that our hunt is over!

Jesus has risen, hallelujah! And so, too, shall we!

Our Prize is One we did not have to go in search of. Instead, He made His presence plain to us using His heavenly host to announce Himself that none could deny the most excellent Gift ever given to mankind: King Jesus, Bread of Life. “Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. Don’t be afraid!” he said. I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger” –Luke 2:9-12.

How fitting, beloved, that our King should be born in Bethlehem, known in Hebrew as the “House of Bread.” Jesus, Living Lechem (bread), declared of Himself: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” –John 6:35.

We see the foreshadowing of Jesus as the Bread of Life in the Book of Exodus.” Make a table of acacia wood—two cubits long, a cubit wide and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold and make a gold molding around it. Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times.” –Exodus 25:23-24;30.

This bread was a sacred memorial offering, a reminder to God’s people of His Everlasting Covenant, Presence, and continual provision.

From the beginning, God’s heart towards His people has ensured that we are well-fed by His Word, sent first as life-sustaining manna in the wilderness. Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” –John 6:31.

Then, through Moses, God instructed His priests to place actual bread, a placeholder for Jesus, on a sulhan or table inside the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. Twelve loaves were to be baked and then arranged in piles of six each, made from the finest flour and covered with the finest incense laid out weekly before the Lord by His priests. His table and its Old Covenant bread foreshadowed a future table where the New Covenant Bread of Life would sit with His Apostles. And He took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body, given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.” –Luke 22:19-20.

Bread factored heavily in Israel’s history, including that of the early church.

Bread was a staple, even in the poorest homes. Something that all people, regardless of their wealth, poverty, Jewish or Gentile background, skin color, or background, could relate to. Is it any wonder that Jesus, our humble King, who came so all men might receive His free gift of salvation, likened Himself to such a Life-Giving staple? His Body and Blood, Bread and Wine, Jesus also said: “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink” –John 6:53-55.

Jesus is not a man that He can lie, beloved.

Tomorrow is Resurrection Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the grave, defeating sin and death. Let us never forget that the shedding of our Bridegroom’s Blood is what makes us a spotless bride—you were bought at a very high price.

Each of John’s passages assures us that Jesus, the Bread of Life, can and promises to give New Life to all those who come to Him hungry for God’s real Food, sent to us that we might have New Life in Him today and eternal life in the world to come. “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” –John 6:58

New friends don’t make tomorrow about chocolate bunnies, easter baskets, and a new outfit. Make it about the Bread that came down from heaven. Make it all about Jesus, the Bread of Life. “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. / And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” –John 11:25-26.

Reflections of Mephibosheth.

April 12, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

“The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them.” –2 Samuel 9:3.

You, child of God, are a type of Mephibosheth—as am I. Made lame by one man’s sin. We were born sinners, unable to save ourselves. “The first man Adam became a living soul; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.” –1 Corinthians 15:45. Yet, for those who know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, like Mephibosheth, we’ve been made whole; free to walk in fellowship with God again—because of Jesus.

As we prepare our hearts to celebrate Resurrection Sunday, I pray we call to mind the cost our Lord willingly paid for our sins and those of the whole world—His guiltless Life in exchange for our scarlet sin-stained lives. “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” –1 John 2:2.

Apart from God’s unplumbed mercy, which offers to restore what we lost at the hands of Adam and Eve, guardians who dropped us and then hid in misplaced fear from God who, from eternity past, has wanted nothing more than to shower us with His love and bless us with every good thing, we are prisoners of Lo-debar, that hope-less place of long-dead dreams and even deader lives.

Like Mephibosheth, the hope-less are shackled to Lo-debar by the weighty chains that bind all who are Light-starved to dank, dark prisons of shame, guilt, and pride. Like him, they hid in fear, cowering in barren isolation in Lo-debar, a place that, when mentioned anywhere but there, is instantly associated with “the place where nothing thrives and the near-dead dog trembless cowering in constant fear of reprisal from their master’s tempestuous wrath.

Many of us knew Lo-debar; maybe we spent chunks of our childhood or some portion of our adult life there. Perhaps it was a family place, our neighborhood, or our town? Everyone you knew lived in Lo-debar, and those you came across who didn’t seem as unrelatable and alien to you as you imagined living in a foreign country might be. “In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope” –Ephesians 2:12.

I was made lame in Lo-debar by some version or another of shame and fear. I was crippled by depression and low self-esteem, made even lower by my own sin-full life choices.

I could say I was dropped shortly after having been born and not be wrong.

It’s fair to say all parties involved, me and them, contributed to my lameness; as far back as I can remember, all I ever knew was Lo-debar. That is why I can assure you with the confidence born only from one possessing firsthand experience that if not for Jesus, I can say with absolute certainty I’d never have changed addresses. Maybe you’d be the one God would have sent to minister to me? For sure, I didn’t have what it takes to walk out of Lo-debar on my own—being born lame, none of us did or do. “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” –Titus 3:5.

Like Mephibaseph, I’d never have known the blessing of being invited to eat at the King’s table or having “tasted and seen” such Goodness while living so-called, in Lo-debar; such unimaginable joy and unplumed hope does not exist there.

Only God can cause a man to shed his skin so completely that he is no longer recognizable even to himself. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” –Galatians 2:20.

There’s a Hebrew concept known as Chesed; it has a multifaceted meaning. It speaks of lovingkindness, mercy, steadfast love, and loyalty. Sound familiar, child of God?

Chased is what David showed Mephibosheth.

Rather than killing anyone who may potentially lay claim to the throne, as was the custom when a new king was crowned, David, Jesus’ placeholder, instead shows Mephibosheth, God’s own mercy and loving-kindness.

For one who had been living in fear of the day the new King might catch wind that he was alive in Lo-debar, being shown such unimaginable mercy came right out of left field! Mephibosheth thought that if the day ever came when King David found him out, surely David would exact his revenge—ending his life, not blessing it! “Don’t be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!” –2 Samuel 9:7.

How like Mephibosheth those of us who lived in Lo-debar were once.Crippled by shame and fear of being found by God. Accustomed to living small and hidden in a world where sin, shame, and the knowledge, so-called, of what we believe we deserve would, if we’re careful, hunt us down and destroy us. Living misguided and so far from the Truth that God loves us and desires an intimate “sit at the King’s table” relationship with us. A “I will restore all you’ve missed out on while foolishly hiding from what you thought would be My wrath” kind of Love.

From the beginning, beloved, God created you to have intimate fellowship with Him. He has always wanted you to be with Him, not languishing in Lo-debar. It never even occurred to Him that one of His children would live in a place that, when mentioned, is automatically associated with “the place where nothing thrives, where the near-dead dog trembles, cowering in constant fear of their master’s tempestuous wrath.”

God who loves you. He gave His only Son, Jesus, to die in your place. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” –John 3:16. He didn’t send Jesus to kill you but to offer you a new life now and for all time, along with the sure knowledge that the crumbling kingdom of this world, Lo-debar, has lost its power over you.

Trust in Jesus, the One God sent to seek you out and save you. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” –John 3:17. Hear the Father’s heart toward you, Mephibosheth.

Dear child, don’t be afraid. If you feel Me knocking on the door of your heart right now, trust that My Holy Spirit is doing My will; if you say yes to My invitation to be one with Me, you will eat at My table forevermore. I will not deceive you. In this world, you will still suffer hardships, but take heart, I will be with you, and I assure you that soon, and very soon, you will suffer lameness no more. “And Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem and ate regularly at the king’s table.” –2 Samuel 9:13.

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” –Revelation 19:7-9

We’re Not So Different.

March 29, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

“Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” –Acts 5:3-4.

There are many ways in which men try to cover their sin. By pretext and presence, apology and self-vindication, they acquit themselves of all criminality, and put a fine gloss upon every foul delinquency. Excuse-making is the commonest trade under heaven. –Charles H. Spurgeon. (An excerpt from a sermon entitled “Two Coverings and Two Consequences.”)

From the beginning, it has never been about “stuff” or our having it—God loves to bless His children. Instead, it has always been about the condition of our hearts: allowing ourselves to be possessed by our possessions. Our putting created things above the One who created all things; allowing this to happen means we have broken God’s First Commandment. “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me.” –Exodus 20:2-3.

Regarding His 2nd Commandment, God spoke explicitly to Moses about idols of any kind, our not making, possessing, or worshipping any carved or graven images. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.” –Exodus 20:4-5.

We can trace these two foundational Truths to the Ten Commandments God gave Moses.

The first, if not heeded and obeyed, leads directly to the breaking of the second.

With this in mind, let’s examine a couple we meet in Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira. Through their deliberate actions of lying and lack of faith in God, we’ll witness a perfect example of how breaking God’s First Commandment opens us up to breaking His Second Commandment.

How?

When anything other than God is given first place in our hearts—the moment we put anyone or anything above God—that act is the very definition of idolatry. Ananias and his wife were guilty of idolatry and lying to the Holy Spirit. By holding back some of the proceeds they’d received from selling their land “for a rainy day,” Ananias and Sapphira deliberately put faith in money above their faith in God—worshiping the created thing over their Creator. “Now a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s full knowledge [and complicity] he kept back some of the proceeds, bringing only a portion of it, and set it at the apostles’ feet.” –Acts 5:1-2.

With this one duplicitous act, they lied to God. Essentially, they said, “Lord, we’re saying we believe in You and Your ability to care for us and meet our needs, but in case we’re wrong, we’re holding back a bit to look after ourselves.” 

They also lied to Peter and all those within the community of faith by deliberately putting their needs above everyone else’s and the newly agreed-upon ethos established for the benefit of the nascent Church community: “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.”  –Acts 4:32;34-35.

Hence, Ananias and Sapphira broke not only the First but also the Second Commandment, demonstrating that money was not only their God but, by definition, their idol. “And Peter said, ‘How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this?” –Acts 5:9.

Some may say, “But wait, money is not a graven image.” Their assertion would be wrong.

Both then and now, currency has borne the engraver’s mark. Whether the face of an animal, the depiction of a city or ruler such as Ceasar, or, in the case of more modern currency, Presidents such as Washington, Lincoln, or Frankin. Each image was carved or etched to produce its ancient or modern likeness. As King Solomon assured us: “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” –Ecclesiastes 1:9.

Others may say, “But wait, Ananias and Sapphira didn’t have the full council of God like we do. Will God blame us for being prudent?”

Ananias and Sapphira were not prudent. Saving money is not a sin, but that’s a teaching for another day.

They were liars who bet against God. They were part of the New Testament Church and, like the Apostles and all their brothers and sisters within this new community of believers, had heard the Gospel preached. Moreover, the Spirit of the Living God was at work in them. They knew that lying and deceit were wrong. “The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all.” –Acts 4:33.

But let us not think more highly of ourselves than we ought, saying, “That was then and this now, we have God’s Word. We know better!” Unlike Ananias and Sapphira, we would never do such a thing!

Then, let me ask you: When was the last time you held something back from God, or, more to the point, put something or someone ahead of Him? Yourself included?

I ask this not to bring condemnation but rather conviction.

I ask that it might cause you, as it did me, to pause for a moment and seek the Holy Spirit’s answer, not our own. We can’t trust our heart to answer this rightly because it will always oppose God’s Spirit by its very nature. “The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.” –Galatians 5:17.

Truth be told, beloved, we are not so unlike Ananias and Sapphira.

Not fully surrendering to God whatever we have pledged to give Him means that we have robbed God just as surely as they did. Being a covenant people, made one in Jesus in the New Covenant relationship, means we have agreed to put God first in all things. Surrendering even our very lives to Jesus, having claimed they are no longer our own. And the moment we break God’s First Commandment, we also break His Second.

Knowing this about ourselves, that selfishness that lurks within us, has lurked within our brothers and sisters before us, how grateful and thankful we ought to be to our Bridegroom, Jesus, for being the atonement for our sins. And to our Father, who washes us clean of them all, remembering them no more because of Jesus and the Sinless Blood He shed to wash us clean from all our unrighteousness.

And we know and rejoice in the Truth that Jesus’ Blood is no match for our sins, beloved, even when we let Satan into our hearts, breaking God’s Commandments—just as Ananias and Sapphira did. “But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Therefore, since we have now been justified [declared free of the guilt of sin] by His blood, [how much more certain is it that] we will be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” –Romans 5:8-9.

God’s Word assures us that all men have sinned and fall short of God’s Perfect Standard, but He also assures us that His heart is that none perish—that means you, dear friend. Like me and the rest of those who call Jesus Lord, you too can be saved by repenting your sins and asking Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of your life. Don’t follow Ananias and Sapphira’s example by betting against God; they lost their lives! Today, God asks that you call out to Him that He might save you. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” –2 Peter 3:9.

All, In One.

January 18, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Good Samaritan: Loving Beyond Boundaries

January 1, 2025 /

Pastor Samuel Cordeiro

“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” –Luke 10:25-37.

In this passage of scripture, we encounter a profound and challenging parable that reveals the heart of God’s kingdom—a call to love beyond boundaries. An expert in the law approaches Jesus with a pivotal question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus, in His wisdom, redirects the question: “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” The expert in the law rightly recites the law: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” But then comes the follow-up: “And who is my neighbor?”

The man correctly understood that the law demanded total devotion to God and love for one’s neighbor. But the religious leader’s understanding of “neighbor” was missing. This question, meant to justify himself, sets the stage for one of the most powerful stories Jesus ever told—the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The Radical Love of the Kingdom

The Good Samaritan’s story isn’t just about helping someone in need. It’s a call to break down barriers, love beyond boundaries, and risk our comfort for the sake of Christ-like compassion. Through this parable, Jesus challenges us to redefine who our “neighbor” is and what it means to love them.

Who Is My Neighbor?

The Samaritan’s story begins on a dangerous road from Jerusalem to Jericho, notorious for its robbers. When a man is attacked, left beaten, and half-dead, two individuals—respected in society—walk past him: a priest and a Levite. Both choose to avoid him, prioritizing their own status or safety. But then, a Samaritan—despised by Jews—steps in. Despite centuries of prejudice and hatred between Jews and Samaritans, he chooses compassion.

So, who is our neighbor?

Is it someone who doesn’t look, think, or worship like us?

Is it someone we’ve written off because of their past?

Is it the person who has hurt us or holds different political views? Who have we, perhaps unintentionally, labeled as unworthy of our time, attention, or mercy? The answer is clear:

My neighbor is everyone Jesus valued worth dying for on the cross at Calvary.

EVERYONE, NO EXCLUSIONS. That includes those we may find challenging tolove.

1 John 4: 19-21 19 “We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

While we don’t deserve God’s forgiveness, His grace supersedes our sins.

 Compassion Over Status and Self-Preservation

The priest and Levite’s failure to help the wounded man reminds us how easy it is to let status or fear hold us back. The priest likely feared becoming ceremonially unclean. The law required priests to remain ceremonially clean, especially if they were on their way to performing temple duties. In this context, touching a potentially dead body would have made the priest unclean, requiring a lengthy purification process. So, to maintain his religious “purity,” he chose to walk by.

Like the priest, this Levite may have been concerned with ritual cleanliness. Still, perhaps even more so, he might have been worried about his safety or social repercussions. In a sense, his decision to “pass by” may have been rational, but it showed a lack of trust in God’s calling to love others boldly.

Both missed the point of God’s law, which places mercy and justice above ritual or convenience. God emphasized this truth when He said, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6).

Compassion often costs us something—time, comfort, or resources.

But God calls us to move past our excuses and trust Him to work through our acts of love.

The Aroma of Christ

As followers of Jesus, our lives carry an aroma—a spiritual fragrance that points others to Christ. In 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NLT), Paul writes, “But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now, he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance

rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?”

When you walk into a room, the atmosphere changes.

Not because of you or anything special about you personally, but because the living God, the Holy Spirit, decided to take residence in you; we must remember the authority and privilege we have as believers of Christ Jesus that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, lives in us! And through the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we can speak life to a dead situation, encourage a depressed soul, and be used to bring healing to a hurting body! God calls us to be the hands and feet of Jesus today in our generation.

What aroma are you spreading?

Does your life reflect the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control? Or does it reflect the world’s tendencies—bitterness, division, and self-interest? Jesus says it this way in John 13:35: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I have heard it said this way… a plum tree doesn’t eat its own plums. A pear tree doesn’t eat its own pears. All it gets is water and sunlight. Because the fruit isn’t for themselves; they are for people who pass by (our neighbors). Why? Because your gifts aren’t for us or our pleasure –they’re for God to use to bless others.

What we need are rivers of Living Water (the Holy Spirit), Sunlight (Christ Jesus, the Son of God), and wisdom!

Be the Neighbor

Jesus ends the parable with a challenge: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replies, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus’ response is simple but profound: “Go and do likewise.”

Jesus calls us to not only identify our neighbor but to be a neighbor.

The focus shifts from “Who am I required to love?” to “How can I show God’s love to others?

The Samaritan’s actions went beyond a random act of kindness. He took the wounded man to an inn, paid for his care, and promised to return. His compassion was sacrificial, costing him time, money, and effort.

What does it look like for us to “be the neighbor”?

Helping those in need—from coworkers to strangers on the street.

Serving with humility—whether in our homes, communities, or churches.

Loving sacrificially—even when it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable.

We have the incredible honor of being the hands and feet of Jesus and carrying Christ’s aroma everywhere we go. Let’s be bold enough and humble enough to serve our neighbors around us with Christ’s love, mercy, and compassion.

The Challenge for Us

Confronting the needs of others reveals our attitudes:

 The priest and Levite saw the wounded man as a problem to avoid.

The Samaritan saw him as a person worth loving.

And Jesus? He saw them all—and us—as worth dying for.

This new year, let’s ask God to soften our hearts and open our eyes to the neighbors around us.

Let’s be bold enough to step into uncomfortable places and humble enough to serve with the love, mercy, and compassion of Christ. Because in the end, loving our neighbor isn’t just a command—it’s a reflection of the One who loved us first.

As we reflect on the parable of the Good Samaritan, we see a clear picture of Christ’s love for us—His selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love for us when we were beaten, broken, and left for dead in our sin, Jesus didn’t pass us by.

He stepped down from heaven, took on the weight of our sin, and paid the ultimate price with His life so that we could be restored and made whole.

But just as the Samaritan’s compassion required a response, so does Christ’s love for us. The Bible says in Romans 10:9, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Perhaps you’ve been walking on the road of life, feeling beaten down by mistakes, guilt, or the weight of the past. Maybe you feel abandoned like no one cares or sees you. Let me assure you today:

Jesus sees you. He loves you. And He’s reaching out to you right now.

As I Have Loved You.

December 14, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

John Harper most certainly did.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Forgetting entirely the cost of such joy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Getting UnStuck.

November 16, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, ‘I have made you the father of many nations.’ This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.” –Romans 4:17.

Today, I felt led to share this word of encouragement: We serve a God who brings dead things to life. Who creates new things out of nothing—out of those who feel like nothing.

If you are stuck, wanting to believe for more, question whether your life and faith will ever change and grow. Will God really do all He’s promised to do? Then I pray this encourages and gives you direction. The hope needed to keep believing in Jesus. I pray it reminds you of the power of the Living God you serve and how even the Fathers of the faith experienced feelings of being stuck. So don’t panic—Jesus does not condemn you for feeling stuck—even Father Abraham wondered if his situation could change. Still, God had a plan for Abraham, and He has one for your life.

 “God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” –Genesis 17:15-17.

Remember, beloved, God alone has the power to change your life and circumstances.

God caused two dried-out old bodies to bring forth new life. He allows us, desires for us—sent His One and Only Son to us so that we might one day be partakers of every promise He made to and through Abraham—that dried-up old man. Who, by the way, felt stuck himself at times—as did his wife, Sarai. In Genesis Chapter Fifteen, we read about a conversation between God and Abraham. God promises this old, childless man he’ll be the Father of nations and have his own child with Sarai. But Abraham is stuck. To his thinking, their combined old age can’t add up to them having their own child.

But God said it would be so… and so it was.

So what do you think He, who is no respecter of persons, will do with your dead hope—your feeling stuck, that nothing—that you, dear Christian—will never change? I’ll remind you your feelings are just that, feelings; they’re fluid, changeable, and fickle, regardless of their weightiness. If you let them, they’ll sink you—robbing you of life, trust, and hope. Robbing you of your Isacc. They have attempted to hijack your mind, exalting themselves over Christ’s Sovereignty in your life, and now they must bow before Him—relinquishing their temporary grip over your heart. Instead, you must remind them of the Truth—it’s the only sure way to conquer them—taking them captive rather than allowing yourself to be held captive by them.

Something not easy to do when they’re screaming in your ear, doing their level best to extinguish all hope and belief—faith that anything in life can or will get better than it is right now—yourself included. Just give up. You’ll never be more than your past—or present because you’re inextricably locked in their grip.

But Truth says: “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.” –Romans 8:11. You, child of God, possess so great a Power within you that, if you ever truly grab hold of this Living Truth—you’d never be the same. Though this verse speaks of our resurrected bodies, as written in a previous chapter, Paul doesn’t want you to miss this same Spirit that raised Jesus from the grave affords you unimaginable spiritual power right now.

It’s likely why Holy Spirit had Paul remind us of these following Truths:

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” –2 Corinthians 10:5. To become unstuck, we must partner with God’s Holy Spirit, remembering He will not force Himself upon us; we must open ourselves to Him, giving Him and the Truth of His Word our undivided attention.

We must remember our lives are no longer our own; they belong to Christ now.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” –2 Corinthians 5:17. Knowing we are weak creatures—sheep He calls us, God’s Holy Spirit, coupled with His Inerrant, Living Word, reminds us of who we truly are now—a new creation. Christ in us—His will, His plans, His timing, and Sovereignty in all things, His Truth ruling the throne of our lives, choices, and will. We must repent of allowing ourselves to believe we’re somehow entitled to some thing we feel is missing in our lives.

“Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.” –Luke 10:19. We must consciously turn away from every feeling that frightens and paralyzes us by intentionally and actively aiming our thoughts at Truth, God’s Living Word, our Source. Christ alone offers the Christian—life, hope, joy, and complete satisfaction.

Our fickle feelings don’t stand a chance against such Sovereign Power.

We are not God and have no idea what is best for us. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” –Philippians 4:6-8.

So, how does God’s Word get us unstuck?

“Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]. For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.” –Colossians 3:2-3.

Choose to take God at His Word by believing the Truth, not the lie. Trusting in the power of His Holy Spirit alive in you—that same power that raised Jesus from the dead who can and will free you if you allow Him. Because perhaps, just perhaps, your feeling stuck is, in fact, God’s way of lovingly enabling you to come face to face with your own fleshly dissatisfactions so that He might once and for all rid you of them because, at their core, your dissatisfactions are you playing god. You’re telling Him you know better than He what you need right now—what is best for you. That your current state of life is, in fact, not good. It is you forgetting you are no longer your own and have said, claimed, and professed to trust Jesus—at all times.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” –Isaiah 55:8-9. You’re feeling stuck has not taken God by surprise—He saw this coming even if you didn’t. Dare I say God allowed it. To bring good from it. To restore and bless you somehow. God is being God. Using feelings, He permitted you to experience (being stuck, powerless to change, questioning if you can really change—is it really possible, or are you too old? Too far gone. Is it too late? Can it really happen still?) To redirect you, bring about hope and His perfect plan for you. To rid you of fleshly feelings and desires that in no way reflect His Son to this lost and dying world. The answer is a resounding yes, by the way, to each of the above questions.

“We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.” –Romans 8:28. Beloved, trust that God is at work in you now, amid your feelings. He has a good plan for you—for your life. Trust His timing. Trust that your Good Father knows best what’s best for you.

And dear friend, if you are feeling stuck in this world, longing to be finally free of its hold on you, there is a way out. It starts with you asking Jesus into the life you so desperately want to be changed. “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. –Romans 10:9-10.

A New Order.

October 26, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.” –Hebrews 10:1.

The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God. –C.S. Lewis.

The prophets foretold of His coming—this King like no other— a foreshadowing. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” –Micah 5:2.

Year after year, the people had brought their lambs, rams, and doves, each one’s throat formulaically slit by the high priest. He spilled its lifeblood to atone for their sins. According to what God had told Moses, blood would always be required for the remission of sin. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.” —Leviticus 17:11.

“Rid me of my sin! “Accept this animal’s blood as my atonement!”

It worked—for a time. But only for a time.

New blood would need to be spilled next year and the next.

The spilling of innocent blood was a stopgap only. A foreshadowing, pointing straight to the One spoken of by the Prophets of old—evident to those whose eyes would be opened—yet missed by those who, despite the myriads of detailed pieces of evidence painstakingly laid out for them by the Prophet Isaiah alone, refused to see entirely. “But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshipper. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.” –Hebrews 9:7-10.

Read for yourselves just a few sentences of Isaiah’s words concerning the One foretold of. He who would come to do what no amount of blood shed from even a herd of animals ever could. “He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” –Isaiah 53:2-3.

Friends, it was God Himself who stepped down from heaven.

God took on flesh: helpless, dependent, human flesh, all that He might fully experience our weaknesses, helplessness, and dependence firsthand, in all its forms and fashions—yet even in His taking on our flesh, He sinned not. This sin-less Jesus would die in your place and mine—we who were born in sin—so that we might “get to” experience His eternal life within us. Should we accept His offer of salvation, that is. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” –Hebrews 4:15.

This unfathomable, Divine exchange—Jesus’ innocence swallowing up our guilt. Father God willingly offered up His only Begotten Son, who then freely laid down His Life so that we might gain eternal life. “Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.” –Galatians 1:4-5.

His Revelation declares He is named Faithful and True.

He’ll come again wearing a robe dipped in blood, and His title is the Word of God.

This King’s name? Jesus, Son of God—our Savior. King of kings and Lord of lords. “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.” –Revelation 19:11-13.

He alone, the Perfect atoning sacrifice. His Spotless Blood alone is able to wash the filthiest of sinners white as snow. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” –Isaiah 1:18.

“But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings  you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'” When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” –Hebrews 10: 3-10.

This same Jesus foreshadowed in the Old Testament, spoken of there as self-existent, eternal—having no beginning nor end, is confirmed to be God in the flesh in the New Testament by the Apostle John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” 1 John 1:1.

Soon and very soon, this same Jesus will come again.

Jesus, speaking through the Apostle John, assures of this.

Jesus came to John when he was exiled on the isle of Patmos and revealed to him all of what was yet to come in such startling detail that if you’ve read news headlines this week, you’d swear the Apostle John got his information from that same news source. In Truth, He did.

Jesus, Omniscient God He is, shared with John all that is to come.

By default, that would mean this one statement made by Jesus must be Truth as well: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 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. You know the way to the place where I am going. Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” –John 14:1-6.

Jesus is coming back; that is a fact, believe it or not.

But here’s the thing: that “place” Jesus has gone to prepare is for those who believe in Him, those He knows intimately, those He calls friends. Those who have a relationship with Him. Is that you, friend? If not, it can be

Jesus certainly wants it to be.

Jesus gave His life solely for you to ensure that it might be. “For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.” –John 3:16.

You need only ask Him into your life as Lord. His Holy Spirit will take care of the rest of what needs to happen. Please, don’t allow men to complicate what Jesus made so simple; even a child can receive Him. “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10.

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