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Category: Salvation (Page 1 of 4)

Joy to the world, the Lord has come!

December 21, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Pastor Maria Braga

“When they saw the Star, they were filled with Joy!” –Matthew 2:10.

The Bible tells us how the wise men were filled with Joy when they saw the Star. These men were waiting for this great event to take place; they were looking until they saw the sign (Star) announcing the coming of Messiah. What a moment this was! A moment all creation had been waiting for. After thousands of years, the fulfillment of prophecy would appear. They knew God had walked with Adam and Eve, but God’s abiding Presence had been missing, and creation had to hold its breath until the Star appeared! “The watchmen shout and sing for Joy; before their eyes, they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.” –Isaiah 52:8.

The anticipation of this moment was monumental.

The earth was about to receive her King, not just a king, but the King of kings! The arrival of King Jesus was an occasion like no other. As we read in Luke 2:10-11 “Don’t be afraid, 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.”

A Superbowl party is a great feast, but this event was much more significant than a Superbowl! An event that, for centuries, God’s creation had been awaiting—looking to the heavens for. The promise was given to Mary, and people of faith held it in their hearts until it was fulfilled—recognized by those who understood and believed.

The day this Star appeared was a day of Joy and Light.

Those who know the story understand that in Jesus’s Presence, there was always great joy while He walked the earth. Those who believe in Jesus today still get to celebrate that great joy at Christmas time and every day! The Father also said His Son (Jesus) brought Him great joy several times through Scripture.

Jesus walked this earth for thirty-three years, and some had the privilege of getting to know Him, walking side-by-side with Him! For the first thirty years, Jesus lived a life much like ours, except He never sinned, and we do. We witness much of Jesus’ public ministry in the last three years of His life; the Cross of Calvary was His aim, His focal point! At the Cross, His Presence was taken from us, and once again, the earth experienced the void of God’s Physical Presence. There is never Joy in the absence of God!

But His story doesn’t end there! There is so much to the story of Joy because He is an eternal story!

Jesus’ friends had no idea of what lay ahead—the crucifixion of Jesus. They got to witness and endure this excruciating time of seeing their friend, the promised Messiah, the One they had waited for, being treated so unfairly and so torturously.

I can only imagine the angst they felt!

But, because Jesus is Hope, they had hope.

A new Joy was on its way. As the story continues, another joy takes place soon after the cross: the Joy of Jesus’ Resurrection. Here again, we learn that Jesus rises from the dead and lives! The Joy of the Resurrection! His friends were perplexed by all these wonder-full things they were experiencing. Things that were different indeed, supernatural, and far beyond their human expectation.

How marvelous are the ways of the Lord! I sometimes say: “God is the God of the midnight hour; when we are ready to give up, He shows up!” There’s much truth to that statement!

As I write these words, I am reminded that Jesus is always with us. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. Today, we still say/sing: “Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King!” Our Joy is Jesus, and His Joy is our strength. John 20:20 says: “As He spoke, he showed His friends the wounds in His hands and His side. They were filled with Joy when they saw the Lord!”

I can only imagine how they felt because in Luke 24:41: “Still, they stood there in disbelief, filled with Joy and wonder.”

His plan is yet finished. Much more is still to be done; many still need to come into His Presence and know Him as their personal Lord and Savior. There is still more Joy (Jesus) to come.

Jesus left this world physically, but He gave us the third person of the Trinity; the Mighty Holy Spirit of God!

 Through His Spirit, salvation is ongoing. Every man, woman, boy, and girl who repents and chooses to live for Jesus – is still welcome to experience Joy in His Presence. Joy to the world! Salvation is here. In Acts 13:52, we learn that the believers were filled with Joy and the Holy Spirit! “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

There are many other biblical verses about Joy. I’ll close with this one: Zephaniah 3:17. He, the Living God, our Mighty Savior, delights in us with gladness. With His love, He will calm all our fears. He will rejoice over us with JOYFUL songs.

Each of us must first know Jesus as Lord and Savior to experience an infilling of His Holy Spirit.

Everyone sings the very familiar song “Joy to the World.” Yet, only some understand the true Joy the Holy Spirit offers. If more people would open their hearts to Jesus, the world would be filled with His Joy! “Joy to the World, The Lord has come” is more than a song. It is a promise.

A promise to those who know Him—those who get to experience His Joy!

James 1:2-4 reminds all those who call Jesus Lord that even in our trials, we can experience Joy when Jesus is in the trial with us. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

There are many other biblical verses about Joy. Still, I’ll close with this one: Zephaniah 3:17. “He, the Living God, our Mighty Savior, delights in us with gladness. With His love, He will calm all our fears. He will rejoice over us with JOYFUL songs.” Today, if you are ready to receive His Joy, open the door of your heart and say, Jesus, come in, fill me with this Joy I am reading about. Infill me with your Holy Spirit and teach me how to trust you. Help me to keep my Joy even when I don’t understand my circumstances; when things look hopeless, be my Hope. I need faith to believe. I invite Your Joy to rule from the throne of my heart, and I rest assured, You, oh, Lord, will take care of me. In Jesus name, Amen.

“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.

As I Have Loved You.

December 14, 2024 / / 0 Comments

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.

Don’t Look Back!

November 30, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Pastor Maria Braga

“But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” –Gen 19:26.

The Lord often gets our attention through difficult situations. He uses them, usually, to deliver us from stuff we have yet to learn. Once out of trouble, we quickly need to remember what He’s delivered us from. God knows our nature and how quickly we forget. He instructed us in many parts of Scripture to remember what He has done for his people then and us now!

The Bible mentions 170 women by name, but there is only one Jesus tells us to remember. We find her in Luke 17:32. She’s Lot’s wife. Amidst a speech about the end times, Jesus tells us: “Remember Lot’s wife.” Remember what she did. She looked back, disobeying God’s instructions, and turned into a pillar of salt. Just as the angel of the Lord told her not to look back to what was burning behind her, God also reminds us not to look back to where we’ve come from and what is burning behind us.

God wants us to let go! He doesn’t want us to look back to the things He is freeing us from.

Look ahead because Lot’s wife disobediently looked back and she turned into a pillar of salt in the place where she was only supposed to be passing by, not get stuck in, never going ahead. Looking back implies missing something behind us and the desire /longing to return to it. Our connection to the past must be healed through the Blood of Jesus, the only Blood that covers us—the Blood of the One who sets us free.

When God calls us out of any thing, we must leave it behind without hesitation; if we don’t, our hearts will desire the familiar. We will long for what we know. Even the good moments in Sodom were not worth looking back to. They are often only suitable for that season rather than the seasons ahead. God’s plan for our lives may change just as seasons change, and we must be willing to change with them, not holding tightly onto what is behind us.

Today’s Scripture clearly shows us how important it is to obey such a calling and to not look back.

Genesis 19:27-29 depicts Abraham’s attitude towards what he saw happening as He stood looking out over Sodom and Gomorrah. As he witnessed the smoke of that furnace going up! God had remembered Abraham and saved Lot for Abraham’s sake. “Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.”

These exemplary stories are a profound lesson in trusting God with all our hearts and leaning not on our understanding. Proverbs 3:5 advises us wisely to acknowledge God in all our ways. When we do this, we live in obedience, and we open ourselves to God’s divine guidance, direction, and longevity in the promise of our lives. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

Genesis 19 is a powerful chapter that serves as a cautionary story, urging us not to follow in the footsteps of Lot’s wife. It vividly illustrates how disobedience can lead to severe consequences. Despite the angel’s warning not to look back, her longing for the past outweighed God’s command. She was given the chance to abandon everything and save her life, to leave and never return. Her refusal to let go of her past is her legacy. A fitting memorial to a rebellious unbeliever for coming generations to sadly witness.

Looking at Jesus’s New Testament stories, we find times when He expresses similar sentiments.

In Luke 9:62, Jesus said, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”  What is Jesus talking about?

Many people want to follow Jesus but are hindered by their concern for what they must leave behind. Not only looking back but also having divided loyalties, like Lot’s wife.

In various verses throughout the Gospels, Jesus says, “Whoever wants to save his life shall lose it.” (Matt 10:39, 16:25; Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24, 17:33.) Although the contexts may vary, one thing remains the same. Following Jesus requires turning our backs on the “life” this world offers, the life we once knew, and fully embracing our new life in Christ. Our attempts at keeping our old life are the same as our “looking back.”

Lot’s wife is an illustration and example that we must remember. In Luke 17:32, Jesus Himself commands us to remember. “Remember Lot’s wife.”

But why?

For the believer, our new life now rules over our old one, and we must remember to obey what Christ tells us. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” –John 8:36. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” —2 Corinthians 5:17.

Jesus came to set you free. To make His children free indeed. To live in this freedom, we must detach from old memories, emotions, feelings, etc., and we must soar into the future fully sold out. Entirely believing in the commands of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Father, in Jesus’ name, I pray for freedom over anyone reading these words. I pray your Holy Spirit loses, binds, and delivers every soul longing to get closer to you. Touch and heal the soul, body, and spirit. Enter in and make this person a new creation in Jesus’ name. “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.” –Romans 10:9.

Whatever You Will…

November 23, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“And after going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible [that is, consistent with Your will], let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” –Matthew 26:39.

Those cannot expect to prosper, who do not, by faith and prayer, take God with them in all their ways. –Matthew Henry.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus tells His disciples He has come, not to do His own will, but that of the Father who has sent Him. He’s come to be obedient even unto death—intent on being fully pleasing to God. “Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” –Philippians 2:6-8.

Jesus is devoted to His Father, regarding Himself as His Father’s servant. Jesus’ will was, and is still, to wholly bring about the will of His Father. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.” –John 6:38.

In our saying yes to Christ, fellow Christians, Paul reminds us in Galatians 2:20 that we, being in Christ, have made the same vow to our Father as Christ has; to obey God in all things—to make Him Lord of every “nook and cranny” of our lives—withholding no thing from Him, even unto our very lives. “I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

We are, after all, His Bride, called to live in submission to His Lordship.

There is a reason Jesus tells us to check our hearts and search out the true motive behind our desire to follow Him—to be His disciple. The reason behind our choosing to follow Jesus matters most to God. Is it out of pure love or for personal gain? Because Christ assures us that following Him will cost us our lives.

Those who, like Him, desire to live and die wholly consecrated, set apart to do the will of God—no matter what happens. “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!'” –Luke 14:26-30.

These few then must tally up the costs of our losses, determining their grand total to be as nothing compared to the unplumbed wealth of knowing and serving our Lord and Savior. Leaving behind whatever we believe has been gained here, and now, we must follow Jesus’ example of outright surrender to the Father’s will and plan for our lives—no turning back. “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” –Philippians 3:8.

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died. / And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.” –2 Corinthians 5:14-15. It was God’s will for Jesus to come face to face with His Gethsemane. Be convinced, then, you will face your own Gethsemane, repeatedly—until Christ takes you home.

Trials are part of the Christian’s life and walk, beloved. God uses them—dare I say, sent by Him, to refine our faith by affording us opportunities to die to vestiges of our flesh that, left un-surrendered, would otherwise pull our eyes and will away from God. “Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.” –James 1:2-4.

Knowing this, then, we each must choose to live fully in that place of final surrender, making friends with death to self, where flesh dies so that we, out true selves, may live in complete submission to God—doing His will, not our own. Choosing to love Him—not just chasing Him for His blessings or favor. Serving and loving Him because of who He is and what loving us—saving us—has cost him.

And yet, we can only do this, lay ourselves down on these “dying-daily” altars, these places of sacrifice, accepting every “we must choose” moment that spans our new life in Him because Christ’s strength alone enables us. Scripture reminds us not even the saintliest of us genuinely seek after God unless He first bids us to do so. “As it is written, None is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one. No one understands [no one intelligently discerns or comprehends]; no one seeks out God. All have turned aside; together they have gone wrong and have become unprofitable and worthless; no one does right, not even one!” –Romans 3:10-12.

Friends, trials of various sorts will come in this life—Jesus Himself guaranteed it. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33.

So I’ll encourage you now, before the trial comes, or perhaps while it’s happening, either way, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus—your Living hope—who, by His example, when faced with a trial far too great for you and me to face, willingly handed over the last iota of His “fully man” flesh to His Loving Father, so that He might finish the saving work He’d have to die to accomplish; leading  Him out of Gethsemane and “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup [of divine wrath] from Me; yet not My will, but [always] Yours be done.” And straight to “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” on Golgatha’s Cross.

Friend, if you’re crying out to God, asking Him why He has seemingly forsaken you, why He is allowing this dark trial to crush the very life from you, if you’re asking God to remove that cup of _________ from you, then, like Jesus, you must also be willing to hear God say, “This cup must stay.” Trusting Him—when even the greatest blessing of your life, that breakthrough, the return of your prodigal, the restoration of your marriage or family, your salvation, comes only through your willingness to swallow what is found in the very dregs of “death to self’s” bitter cup. “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” –Luke 9:25.

Trials will come, friends. Will you choose to love, serve, and obey God for who He is when they hit, or will your house fall?

Are you willing to tell God, “Not my will, but Thine be done,” and mean it? Regardless, the cup placed before you? This decision starts when Jesus becomes your Lord and Savior. “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.

Passports and Privledges.

November 9, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why?

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

Let’s take a look:

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

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

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

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

Possession implies ownership, unlike having implied temporary use.

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

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

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

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

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

Jesus Himself answers this question for us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have you been born again?

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

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

Cousins & The Cornerstone.

November 2, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

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

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

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

Sounds harsh, right?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Unwavering Faith: Trusting God’s Perfect Timing.

October 5, 2024 /

One of the greatest challenges in our spiritual journey is learning to trust God’s timing. We live in a world that celebrates speed. From instant communication to same-day deliveries, we’ve been conditioned to expect immediate results. Waiting has become something we dread, whether it’s waiting in line at a store or waiting for God to answer our prayers. But here’s the truth: God’s timing is never late. It’s always perfect—and that’s what we need to learn and hold on to as we walk by faith.

Today, let’s explore what it means to trust in God’s timing. How can we grow in patience, surrender, and strengthen our faith when it feels like nothing is moving? And what can we learn from the Bible about how God uses time to shape us and reveal His plans?

1. God’s Timing Is Not Our Timing

In Isaiah 55:8-9, God tells us plainly: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God operates on a completely different level than we do.

We often live day-to-day, focused on immediate circumstances, but God sees the complete picture—from the beginning of time to eternity. While we might experience frustration in our current season, God knows exactly what needs to happen and when it needs to happen. What may seem like a delay to us is often God working behind the scenes, orchestrating something greater than we could ever imagine.

Think about the life of Abraham. In Genesis 12:1-3, God called Abraham (then Abram) to leave his home and go to a land He would show him. “The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

God promised to make Abraham the father of a great nation and that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars. But here’s the catch: Abraham was already 75 years old. Can you imagine how impossible that must have seemed? Yet, Abraham obeyed and trusted God. As the years passed and no child was born, Abraham’s faith wavered at times, but he continued to believe in God’s promise.

In Genesis 15, Abraham is now in his mid-80s, still without a child. He asks God, “What can you give me since I remain childless?” God reaffirms His promise to Abraham, telling him that his offspring will come from his own body and that his descendants will be as countless as the stars in the sky. Despite the delay, Abraham believed, and his faith was credited to him as righteousness.

Here’s a question: What promises are you holding onto today that seem impossible?

Are you waiting for healing, a financial breakthrough, a restored relationship, or the fulfillment of a dream God placed in your heart? Like Abraham, you might be tempted to doubt. You might wonder if God has forgotten. But just as God was faithful to Abraham, He will be faithful to you. His timing may not be yours, but His promises are sure.

2. Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands

Sometimes, when God’s timing doesn’t match our own, we’re tempted to take matters into our own hands. We think we can speed things up or force outcomes, but this usually leads to more problems than solutions.

In Genesis 16, Abraham’s wife, Sarah, grows tired of waiting. She’s now well past childbearing age, and the promise of a child seems more distant than ever. So, she decides to take control of the situation. She tells Abraham to have a child with her maidservant, Hagar. Abraham agrees, and Hagar gives birth to Ishmael. But this wasn’t part of God’s plan. Ishmael’s birth leads to conflict and tension within the family, and it creates a situation that still impacts the world today.

How many times have we acted out of impatience, thinking we knew better than God?

Maybe we’ve rushed into decisions because we felt like God wasn’t moving fast enough. Perhaps we’ve taken shortcuts in our careers, relationships, or personal lives because we were tired of waiting.

Taking control when we should trust God can lead to regret, unnecessary pain, and lasting consequences. Just as Sarah and Abraham’s impatience led to complications, we, too, experience consequences when we step outside of God’s will.

This is not to say we should sit passively, but there’s a difference between proactive obedience and forcing outcomes God hasn’t ordained.

God is not asking us to figure everything out on our own. He’s asking us to trust Him in the process. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

3. God’s Timing Requires Patience and Faith

Patience is not passive waiting—it’s active trust in God’s faithfulness. In Romans 8:24-25, Paul tells us: “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Waiting on God requires a posture of faith and trust, even when we don’t understand why things aren’t happening on our timeline. Patience isn’t easy, especially when facing difficult situations or seeing others around us receive the answers we’ve been praying for. But faith teaches us to trust God, knowing His timing is perfect.

In fact, patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” –Galatians 5:22-23.

It’s a characteristic that God develops in us as we grow in maturity. Patience is not something we can manufacture on our own; it comes from a deep place of trust in God’s goodness. The more we learn to rely on Him, the more we can wait with hope and expectation.

James 1:2-4 encourages us to “consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

God uses seasons of waiting to refine us, to develop our character, and to draw us closer to Him.

The delays we experience are not wasted time; they are growth opportunities. We may not see what God is doing behind the scenes, but we can trust that He is working all things for our good. We need to remind ourselves of Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

4. God’s Timing Brings Glory to His Name

Another key aspect of trusting God’s timing is recognizing that He often uses delays to set the stage for a greater demonstration of His power and glory.

Look at the story of Lazarus in John 11. Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus, falls gravely ill. His sisters, Mary, and Martha, send word to Jesus, expecting Him to come immediately to heal their brother. But what does Jesus do? He waits. By the time He arrives, Lazarus has already been dead for four days. Mary and Martha are heartbroken, saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” –John 11:21.

What they didn’t realize was that Jesus had a greater miracle in store.

 Instead of simply healing Lazarus, Jesus calls him out of the tomb, raising him from the dead. This miracle was far more significant than a simple healing—it displayed Jesus’ power over life and death. Sometimes, God delays things because He is preparing to do something far greater than we could imagine. His timing not only fulfills His promises but also reveals His glory. What may seem like a setback is often a setup for a greater miracle that will point others to the power of God.

When God comes through in ways that defy human logic, it’s a testimony to His greatness.

It shows that His ways are higher than ours and that His power is limitless.

5. Surrendering to God’s Perfect Timing

Finally, trusting God’s timing requires surrender. Proverbs 19:21 tells us, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” We often have our own timelines and expectations, but we must recognize that God’s plan is always better.

Surrendering doesn’t mean giving up on what we’re believing for—it means trusting that God knows best and that He is in control. It means letting go of our need to control every detail and allowing God to lead the way.

We can have control, or we can have peace, but we can’t have both.

Peace comes when we relinquish control to our Sovereign God. As we surrender our desires, plans, and timelines to God, we can experience a peace that surpasses all understanding. Philippians 4:6-7 reminds 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.”

Surrendering to God’s timing frees us from anxiety. It allows us to live in the present, trusting that God is working for our good.

We may not know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future.

Conclusion: Trust, Wait, Surrender

So, where does this leave us? It leaves us in a place of trust, waiting, and surrender.

We trust that God’s timing is perfect, even when it doesn’t make sense to us. We wait with patience and faith, knowing that He is working all things for our good.

We surrender our plans and our need for control.

When we align our hearts with His will, we find strength and courage, as Isaiah 40:31 reminds us: “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

“Cleansing A Leperous Heart”

September 7, 2024 /

Matthew Botelho

“While traveling to Jerusalem, He passed between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, men with serious skin diseases met Him. They stood at a distance and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going they were healed. But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and with a loud voice, gave glory to God. He fell facedown at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus said, “Were not cleansed? Where are the nine? Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well.” –Luke 17:11-19.

As stated, these ten men had a severe skin disease, which Scripture hints at being leprosy, a chronic but now curable infectious disease mainly causing skin lesions and nerve damage. The Law of Moses stated: “The person afflicted with an infectious skin disease is to have his clothes torn and his hair hanging loose, and he must cover his mouth and cry out ‘unclean, unclean!’ He will remain unclean as long as he has the infection; he is unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.” –Leviticus 13:45-46

To make a point, I’ll use this metaphor. Just as leprosy deteriorates the flesh, unrepented sin will deteriorate your soul, causing you to live removed from God. It may even cause your death.

Brothers and sisters, before we came to Christ, we were as unclean spiritually as these poor men were physically.

Our hearts were diseased and riddled with sin.

Our minds were saturated with the things of this world, the lusts of the eyes. “For the mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit itself to God’s law, for it is unable to do so. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” –Romans 8:7-8

And we know that the longer a person chooses to live a sinful life, the more the evidence of their sins radiates outward. Their outward man becomes a reflection of their inward sins. “The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable–who can understand it?” –Jeremiah 17:9.

As with the ten lepers in today’s Scripture, your sin will cause you to live apart from God.

Man cannot rid himself of sin, but God made a way for all men to be free and be cleansed of all inequities through His son, Jesus. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” –Romans 6:23.

Concerning the lepers: “He told them, Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going they were healed. But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and with a loud voice, gave glory to God. He fell facedown at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan.” –Luke 17:14-15.

These lepers cried out to Jesus, “Have mercy on us!”  and a repentant heart is what God wants. You may have been cast out, friend, but know that God still sees you, even though your sin has distorted your heart. Jesus still knows you and loves you.

They cried out for mercy and acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Master over their sickness and hearts. God does not want you to remain in your sin. He wants you to be all He created you to be: holy and full of purpose. In Mark, Jesus reminds us of this: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news!” –Mark 1:15.

 When these ten lepers heard Jesus say, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” Something stirred inside them. Having lived as cast-outs, it must have been a while since they had felt this stirring of hope inside themselves.

Their disease had plagued them for so long they had forgotten what it felt like to have hope and faith. But because of Jesus, their faith had been stirred up, and, in obedience to His command, they ran to show themselves to the priests.

But why did they have to show themselves to the priests?

Showing yourself to the priest was written in the Law of Moses, and Jesus never contradicted His Father’s Word. “But if the raw flesh changes and turns white, the priest must pronounce the infected person clean; he is clean. “–Leviticus 13:16-17. Also, the local priests must have known about these ten men and their condition. Their all being healed together was Jesus’ way of sending a message to these priests that the Messiah had come. Surely, they would remember what the prophet Isaiah had said about Him: “He Himself bore our sicknesses, and carried out pains; but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.” –Isaiah 53:4.

Ten men received healing from something that had taken everything away from them, and then, each man was restored because of their encounter with Jesus—there must have been some head-scratching happening by those local priests.

Friends, instead of sorrow and living as cast out from God because of your sin, you too can come to Jesus in complete repentance and cry out, “Jesus, save me! Have mercy on me!” Because of His mercy and great love for you, Jesus will change your heart and heal your inner man. He’ll redeem you, making you holy and clean by forgiving your sins and giving you new life! “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” –John 3:3.

Once restored, Jesus, our high priest, declares us clean and in right standing with the Father!

We read only one leper returned to Jesus and gave glory to God, a Samaritan, which the Jews hated. He was that one who needed a touch of God; the others got what they came for and then went their way. Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well.” –Luke 17:17-19.

We should not take God’s blessings for granted, especially His gift of grace. “Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” –Psalm 2:12.

Friends don’t be like the nine who got what they came for and then forgot to thank Jesus for what He had done for them. Instead, raise your hands in joyous admiration and thank Jesus for His true gift of salvation! The Blood of our Lord Jesus has cleansed our leprous hearts.

Like the ten lepers, Jesus has made us new creations.

As I close this week’s teaching, know that we at Sonsofthesea are praying you know God’s love and the Truth that salvation is found in no one but in His Son, Jesus.

Do not harden your heart or turn away if you hear His voice calling you. Today is the day of salvation. Repent of your sins and ask Jesus to come into your heart. Believe His promise to you: “Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him and he with Me.” –Revelation 3:20.

Amen.

Fragile Vessels

August 3, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“But we have this precious treasure [the good news about salvation] in [unworthy] earthen vessels [of human frailty], so that the grandeur and surpassing greatness of the power will be [shown to be] from God [His sufficiency] and not from ourselves.” 2 Corinthians 4:7.

Chosen vessels, ministers of the gospel, as appointed to bear the glad news of salvation to others; called also earthen vessels, on account of their weakness and frailty. – Noah Webster.

Servant of the Living God, be reminded that we who carry within us His Spirit, called to proclaim His Gospel, are blessed yet unworthy vessels handpicked by our Father for such a weighty privilege. Yet compared to our Omnipotent God, we are infinitesimal creatures, like hummingbirds in a vast desert; we are small, fragile winged creatures called to carry the transplendent and incalculable weight of the Glory of God into inhospitable places on fragile, gossamer wings. “But God has selected [for His purpose] the foolish things of the world to shame the wise [revealing their ignorance], and God has selected [for His purpose] the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong [revealing their frailty].” –1Cor.1:27.

That God alone, not we, His earthen vessels, receive the glory. “But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord. “You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God— there never has been, and there never will be. I, yes I, am the Lord, and there is no other Savior. First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. –Isaiah 43:10-12.

We were not created to steal God’s proverbial thunder if you will. We are image bearers only—likenesses created to carry the thirst-quenching Presence of our Omnipresent God into a dried-up, arid world. “When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.” –Isaiah 41:17-18.

And again, concerning God’s reviving Presence, Jesus said of Himself: “But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.” –John 4:14.

As Jesus’s disciples, we are called to lay down our lives as living sacrifices: our wants, desires, hopes, dreams, bodies, minds, wills, and emotions. Each surrendered fully at the feet of Jesus—each subject instead to His will, plans, and purposes. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have [received as a gift] from God, and that you are not your own [property]? 20 You were bought with a price [you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body.” –1 Cor. 6:19-20. Though Paul specifically references sexual sin in this passage, it contains a broader Truth that applies to Christians.

You and I will undoubtedly fall and fail the moment we allow ourselves to see what God has called us to do as separate, somehow, from “our lives”—as though each thing is not inextricably one. This fallacious notion is deadly to the Christian because: “I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” –Gal.2:20.

The second we fail to remember that we are not our own but have been called instead to be glory carriers for the Most High God, sin, as the Scriptures tell us, will have gained a toe hold in us.

By the power of this same Truth, that we are not our own but Christ’s, we mere earthen vessels, small, gossamer-winged, fragile creatures, are empowered to carry the weighty, life-saving Gospel of Jesus Christ into a parched, arid world. “You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” –2 Corinthians 4:5-8.

And so, by dying to our bulky, sin-full, and heavy-laden flesh, we are, by God’s amazing grace, made free by Christ, in Christ, to carry within us His Spirit, to proclaim His Gospel.

To be used by God to pour the Life-giving Water of God’s Inerrant Word over that one He is calling to Himself—cleaning them of those sins that “so easily beset them.”

As was done for us, we, too, must bring this same hope of new life into the most inhospitable of places. “…Freely you have received; freely give.” –Mathew 10:8.

We, frail friends, get to be used by the Omnipotent God of the universe, in whose image and likeness we were created.

May we, by His grace, both never forget and be ever grateful for this extraordinary, weighty privilege.

May God, in His loving kindness and tender mercy, remain ever mindful of our hummingbird-like frailty as He causes us, His Glory-carriers, to thrive in this inhospitable place—a world in which we, which you, beloved of God, are merely passing through. “The same way a loving father feels toward his children—that’s but a sample of your tender feelings toward us, your beloved children, who live in awe of you. You know all about us, inside and out. You are mindful that we’re made from dust.” –Psa.103:13-14.

Dear friend, are you the one I have been called to? Are you feeling dry? Are you uncomfortable living in a world that no longer feels welcoming? That is God calling you to come out of this world. To live free. Free of the weight of sin you’ve been carrying around—free from the weight of its shame and guilt. You were created for so much more. Won’t you cry out to God today, asking Him to make you His child, allowing you to carry His Glory to your family and friends—into this inhospitable world? “I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.” –Ezekiel 36:25-27.

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