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

Category: Sovereignty (Page 4 of 6)

Who Will Save Me?

August 5, 2023 /

MaryEllen Montville

“And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.” –Romans 7:18; 24-25.

The Apostle Paul answers this pivotal question of how men are saved from their corrupt, weak flesh with unassailable clarity; only Jesus can save us from sin and its enticing, wicked grip on our flesh. “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” –John 14:6.

All the distress, bitterness, heartache, shame, and tragedy can be summed up in the three-letter word: Sin. Its meaning—to fall short of God’s standard and to do contrary to God’s Law—has an impact on every soul and overflows the boundaries of the human heart. –Reverand Billy Graham.

There is no other person, no amount of “good works” we can do, no amount of trying harder that can or will save us from our sinful nature. Only Jesus can save us.

The truth is, not even the most sin-stained of us have not strayed too far or committed any sin so atrocious or filthy that Jesus’ Blood, His great love, and mercy cannot redeem. Man cannot save himself; all paths do not lead to God—the only Source of eternal life. “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 4:12.

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

Yet because we are created in God’s image, man is capable, to some extent, of reflecting God’s goodness. Hence, many have gotten it twisted that their good works must be proof, evidence that they have a relationship with God—why else would they do such good?

Sure, even that one with the most hardened of hearts can do good, but simply acting “good” will never afford us the strength nor ability to overcome our sinful nature.

Apart from God, we don’t have it in us to choose life. “For the sinful nature has its desire which is opposed to the Spirit, and the (desire of the) Spirit opposes the sinful nature; for these two, (the sinful nature and the Spirit) are in direct opposition to each other (continually in conflict), so that you (as believers) do not (always) do whatever (good things) you want to do.” –Galatians 5:17.

Notice the clause The Apostle Paul has attached to this Truth. For the above Biblical Truth to apply to any man, he must first acknowledge that Jesus is Lord; God’s Holy Spirit must reside within Him. –” so that you (as believers) do not (always) do whatever (good things) you want to do.”

Once Jesus has been invited into a man’s heart to take His rightful place as Lord over every fiber of their being, every aspect and circumstance in which they might find themselves, only then, in total surrender to His will, not desperately clinging to their own, does man afford God’s Holy Spirit complete control of their heart, will and emotions. “The Spirit of truth will come and guide you in all truth. He will not speak His own words to you; He will speak what He hears, revealing to you the things to come and bringing glory to Me. The Spirit has unlimited access to Me, to all that I possess and know, just as everything the Father has is Mine. That is the reason I am confident He will care for My own and reveal the path to you.” –John 16:13.

The same Apostle Paul, who opens our eyes to the fact that nothing good lives in our flesh and how the answer to everything in life is Jesus, under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit, condensed the “how to” of this ability to walk in victory over our flesh into this one sentence: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” – Galatians 5:16.

Yes, incredibly, all men have been afforded the unfathomable privilege to wholly give ourselves over to Holy Spirit’s control, placing the total weight of our trust in Him.

Conversely, like fellow believers Ananias and his wife, Saphira, we can choose to hold back some corner of ourselves from God—never a good idea! You can read all about them and the outcome of their choices in Acts 5: 1-11. This couple held back material possessions. But truth be told, it was their heart and trust in God they indeed held back.

Scripture makes clear that where a man’s treasure is, that’s where you’ll find his heart.

We must allow God’s Holy Spirit unfettered access to everything we call our own. Again, God has afforded us everything we have or will experience in our lifetimes. “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” –James 1:17.

So, by hedging their proverbial bet, Ananias and Saphira demonstrated their trust in self-reliance, not God. And so do we the moment we choose to deny God’s Holy Spirit access to any corner of our lives; be it material; physical, emotional, or financial.

I’ll pause here to say: Don’t get it twisted. God is Sovereign, All-Powerful.

Jesus can do whatever He chooses with our lives, whenever He chooses. He is our Creator; we are His creations. God need never ask our permission to do anything He pleases. Yet He does choose to partner with us. And the byproduct of this partnership with God is victory, our ability to overcome anything.

Victory over our flesh, ever-shifting feelings, moods, wants, and desires; the ability to overcome any adversity, circumstance, sin or battle we may face. Victory over selfishness, fear, and anxiety. Over every emotion that does not align with God’s will and Word. Victory over addiction, pornography, gambling, lying, adultery, and stealing.

Victory that promises to bring restoration according to God’s will for our lives.

Restoration of broken relationships and marriages, dreams, hopes and desires you thought you’d missed—or missed out on. Yet above all these, placing the total weight of our faith in Jesus—your accepting Him as your personal Lord and Savior brings with it both instant and eternal restoration of your relationship with God. A relationship severed by sin in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve’s sin separated us all from our Perfect, Pure, and sinless Father. “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.” –Romans 5:12;18.

Beloved of God, if you have sinned, or wandered away from the Lord, consider this your clarion call. Run home to your Father, just as your brother, the Prodigal son, once did. Your Father has been watching and waiting for your return. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.” –Luke 15:20.

And be encouraged, dear friend, if you are weary and tired of trying to “get right” on your own steam—exhausted from carrying the weight of the world on your back day after day. Today, you can hand that heavy load to Jesus, and He will take it from you if you invite Him into your heart and life as Lord and Savior. “Because if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and in your heart you have faith that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” –Romans 10:9.

Listen to Jesus’ own Words, His heart and promise towards His children, toward you, if you accept Him: “I will answer your cry for help every time you pray, and you will feel my presence in your time of trouble. I will deliver you and bring you honor.” –Psalm 91:15.

Repent, The Kingdom Of God Is At Hand!

June 24, 2023 /

MaryEllen Montville

“Seek the Lord [search diligently for Him and regard Him as the foremost necessity of your life], All you humble of the land Who have practiced His ordinances and have kept His commandments; Seek righteousness, seek humility [regard them as vital]. Perhaps you will be hidden [and pardoned and rescued] In the day of the Lord’s anger.” –Zephaniah 2:3 AMP.

When my eyes hit verse 3 of Zephaniah, Chapter 2 this morning, I knew what I was being led to share this week. It’s definitely not a feel-good, popular message. It never has been. But it is needed. So thank God I care little about popularity…

Smack dab in the middle of foretelling of God’s impending judgement—Zephaniah reminds Israel that Love and mercy have always been the Father’s heart towards them—towards all His children. One of the most quoted and recognized Bible verses makes this Truth abundantly clear. “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 AMP.

As I read Zephaniah’s third verse, almost instantly, my mind went to the Words Jesus spoke in the beginning of His earthly ministry. “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” –Matthew 4:17 AMP. And these nearly verbatim Words echo back to John the Baptist, Jesus’s forerunner. Jesus and repentance are synonymous, after all. We can trace this foundational Truth all the back to Eden.

So if God has been tugging on your heart, beloved friend, it is likely for salvation. God is offering you a relationship with Himself. “Today [while there is still opportunity] if you hear His voice, Do not harden your heart, as when they provoked Me [in the rebellion in the desert at Meribah].” –Hebrews 3:15 AMP. If you will humble yourself, repent of your sins, and tell God you’re genuinely sorry for even the vilest sins you may have committed. Then by His Word, God is faithful to forgive, cleanse, and restore you to Himself. “If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises] and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].” –1 John 1:9.

And to you, dear brother, beloved sister. Since you have tasted salvation freely given you, the goodness of God, I admonish you never to lose sight of your desire for your first Love. “But I have this [charge] against you, that you have left your first love [you have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me].” –Revelation 2:4 AMP. As I hope you would me, I encourage you to do whatever you must to ensure God remains first in every aspect of your life, and, if your love has grown cold, your flame of love flickering, stoke that fire right now!

Humble yourself before your Lord, repent, and run back to the feet of your Lord. Take to heart what God’s Word has to say about your salvation: “So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].” –Philippians 2:12 AMP.

The Holy Spirit had led Jesus into the wilderness to be tested. There, Jesus had fasted and prayed for forty days and forty nights. During that time, Satan came to Him on multiple occasions to do what He does best—kill, steal, destroy—and lie. But God always has a plan! Because through this same Jesus, the Father made possible the only Way for you and me to be restored to right relationship with Him. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among mankind by which we must be saved.” –Acts 4:12.

This Truth, God’s intent to provide the Way back to Himself, has lived in the heart of our Father from the beginning—as we understand it.

How can I confidently state this without sounding as though I, His creation, would dare presume to know the mind of God, my Creator? Because of His Word, I trust the infallibility of God’s Word. In addition, I know my Father’s heart—experientially. I hear it beating loud and clear across every page of the Bible—God’s infallible, life-changing, Living heartbeat. “He humbled you and allowed you to be hungry and fed you with manna, [a substance] which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, so that He might make you understand [by personal experience] that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” –Deuteronomy 8:3 AMP.

God’s fierce and resounding “I love you” is the very Lifeblood and Bread of the Bible’s every syllable.

And so, it is towards Jesus’ finished work, towards salvation—that Zephaniah is pointing us. Light and Hope amid great darkness and sin.

It’s toward the Cross, the foreshadowing of Jesus’ finished work, the shedding of His Blood, that sinless, blameless sacrifice first witnessed in Eden. Where God put to death innocent animals to cover Adam and Eve’s sinful, fallen nakedness—sin separates us from God—yet another point Zephaniah makes clear for those with ears to hear. “…Seek righteousness, seek humility [regard them as vital]. Perhaps you will be hidden [and pardoned and rescued] In the day of the Lord’s anger.” –Zephaniah 2:3.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul said it this way concerning those who have come to know the Lord: “How will we escape [the penalty] if we ignore such a great salvation [the gospel, the new covenant]? For it was spoken at first by the Lord, and it was confirmed to us and proved authentic by those who personally heard [Him speak].” –Hebrews 2:3.

In Christ Jesus, eternal Life and hope are offered in place of death and judgment.

Again, it is towards this Truth that Zephaniah points us. Most in Israel had abandoned God—His commandments and ways. Great apostasy had saturated the people’s hearts (the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief—Oxford Dictionary) indeed, in part, that had much to do with their time in Babylon in exile. Zephaniah reminds Israel—and through them you and me, to humble ourselves before God, remembering to live by His Word—His commands, to seek His heart and to enthrone Him on ours—it is His rightful place, after all. And do not delay!

Zephaniah calls us to repent our sins before God’s righteous judgement begins and the window of God’s grace closes. Remember, Beloved, God will not tarry with man forever. “But understand this: If the head of the house had known what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.” –Matthew 24:43 AMP.

In these last days, I pray you’ll chase after Jesus with all that is in you, friends. “The Lord bless you, and keep you [protect you, sustain you, and guard you]; The Lord make His face shine upon you [with favor], And be gracious to you [surrounding you with lovingkindness]; The Lord lift up His countenance (face) upon you [with divine approval], And give you peace [a tranquil heart and life].’ –Numbers 6:24-26

Sifted

March 4, 2023 /
MaryEllen Montville

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” –Luke 22:31-32.

Why does it feel like I am dying?

The short answer—you likely are. But that’s a good thing. Hear me out.

So long as we are here on earth, child of God, your Christian walk will be peppered with seasons when it will feel like you are dying. Why? God is pruning you, transforming and reshaping you into the image and likeness of Jesus, His Son. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. –Romans 8:29.

God is removing your dead wood—your fleshy bits. Those weak or unproductive areas in your life that siphon your precious time, attention, and focus away from Christ. Those fleshly parts of you that look nothing at all like Jesus. So if God is removing it, let it go! For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. –Philippians 2:13. Because even the so-called “good stuff” will be useless where God is preparing to take you, so off with it. Remember, God is far more concerned with your character and eternal good than your comfort

Having experienced this painful process, Peter had firsthand knowledge of this Truth. Yet he was not the first of Christ’s disciples to have been sifted. And he wouldn’t be the last. In fact, each of the Twelve had been—sifted. Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. Within this month, or year, this very day, many of Jesus’s disciples have or will experience the crushing anguish experienced when God permits Satan to sift one of His children.

Will their inner cry and turmoil echo Peter’s, perhaps? “After all Jesus has done for me. All I have witnessed and know Him to be, how could my faith be so weak? How could I fail Him so miserably!?”

And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” –Luke 22:55-59.

“I was so sure I’d rather die than deny Jesus by demonstrating so little courage in my hour of testing.”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus declared, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter replied, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never deny You.” –Matthew 26:34-35.

Have you been experiencing a time of profound spiritual wrestling, hopelessness, or fear? A time so daunting that your toes, however briefly, drew dangerously close to the line labelled turning away? A moment when the literal fear of God ran through you, icy, jolting, one that left you crying out to God, repenting of your pridefulness and misplaced self-confidence? And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. –Luke 22:61-62.

Have you ever experienced a dark night of the soul?

Has the very earth beneath your feet suddenly upturned? Where everything you’ve believed and professed was tested, tried, and found wanting?

Or that startling moment of “I am not yet who I will be.” And you find yourself taken aback by the jarring realization you are still very human, contrary to your great faith in Christ. You’ve underestimated your vulnerability and are weak, susceptible to failing, to fall. Beloved friend, have you yet come face-to-face with that moment when it was Jesus, and only Jesus (as it always is), who held you back from a fall from which you’d never get up? I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. –John 10:28-29.

It’s in that place where we find Peter, here where many may find themselves today.

If this is you—If you’re experiencing a dark night of the soul, take heart, Beloved of God, He is still with you. But know this. God allows this crushing, questioning, this desperate time of falling and failing, of testing, to beset you. Just read the Book of Job. In fact, just read verses Eight thru Twelve for confirmation. “Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” –Job 1:8-12.

And no, child of God, your Father has not stopped loving you. Neither has God forsaken you. Quite the opposite, His Holy Spirit is refining you. You’re about to level up.

Now notice how today’s scripture verse is so very personal, how God is interceding for you, specifically—as surely and personally as He did for your brother Peter. And though Jesus informed Peter that Satan had asked to sift them all, He also made clear that it was for Peter whom He was praying. Peter had much work to do— and he needed to be spiritually squared away to accomplish all that Jesus had called and equipped him to do. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

God is working out your fleshy bits, too, Beloved. Perhaps the sifting you’re experiencing is happening so that, like Peter, you too may be restored, transformed, made new, readied for the next leg of your journey with the Lord. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over. –Jeremiah 18:4.

Holy Spirit will reveal your weak areas to you so that you might repent of any pridefulness, self-confidence, anything not of God. But, praise His Merciful name! As surely as the Holy Spirit convicts, He also intercedes in our great moments of weakness. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. –Romans 8:26-27.

Friend, if you are experiencing a time of change and trials, call out to Jesus. He will come, and with Him, His Holy Spirit, to help walk you through every valley. Romans 10:9-10 assures you of the eternal safety found only in Jesus. 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.

In Between.

February 25, 2023 /
MaryEllen Montville

Listen carefully: I am sending the Promise of My Father [the Holy Spirit] upon you; but you are to remain in the city [of Jerusalem] until you are clothed (fully equipped) with power from on high. –Luke 24:49.

In-betweens, life is full of them, and so is the Bible. The in-betweens are times when God often births transformation, prunes, exacting newness, refining our faith. Father Abraham understood in-betweens. As did Moses, David, Joshua, and Esther. The Apostle Paul indeed did. It is fair to say all those listed in Hebrews, Chapter Eleven, understood the uncertainty and discomfort experienced while being in between. Days, months, sometimes years between what was— the familiar, comfortable, dare I say predictable, and God’s “what is to come.” An unfamiliar, new, and often uncomfortable season. Living in-between is where we find the disciples in today’s Scripture verse.

For now, we’ll call these in-betweens new shoe seasons.

Why new shoes? Because most people, whether believers or not, can relate to the discomfort felt when breaking in a pair of new shoes. And yet regardless of the pain, contrary to how they feel, you, dear brother, precious sister, must persevere in the oft-painful, awkward uncertainty new things bring with them. You must trust and have faith that the hesitancy and pain the in-between brings will one day cease. Said Scripturally: And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. –2 Corinthians 3:18.

Transformation can be painful—the olive and grape understand this fully. At the hand of the One controlling the press, each endures the painful process necessary to exact their precious fluid.

From when Jesus called them to Himself, Christ’s disciples spent almost every waking moment with Him. Except, of course, those moments when a man, for obvious reasons, requires privacy. And when Jesus would slip away to be alone with the Father. But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. –Luke 5:16. They’d eaten with, laughed, cried, and slept beside Jesus. And by the power of His Holy Spirit, He’d given each of them authority to heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach repentance.

But now, standing before His In disciples in His resurrected Body, in His final moments on earth, Jesus gave His disciples one last gift—and a promise. His parting gift to them? Jesus opened their minds to understand all Scripture. Finally, all that Jesus had shared concerning Himself—His birth, life, death, and resurrection, became clear to them. Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. –Luke 24:45.

Beloved, regardless of how long we’ve walked with the Lord. Irrespective of the hours spent in Bible study, quiet contemplation, or worship, we are still being perfected—sanctified. For as long as we draw breath, God will continue to take us from faith to faith. Stretching and refining us, God requires us to step out of the well-used shoes we’ve outgrown. They’ve served you well, don’t get it twisted, and yes, God gave them to you. But now it’s time for the new—your next assignment. And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven. –Luke 24:49.

God is teaching His children to walk on their own two feet and take the next step. To navigate and gain strength while in the in-between. Perseverance is being built. Character shaped—folded in, reshaped. And just as God did this with His disciples, so too with you and I, Beloved. God is equipping us for our moment. His “never-letting-go-letting-go moment.” Stay with me here…

Of course, God will always be with you—He’s promised you that. And God is not a man that He should lie. Still, there comes a time in the life of every believer when God will momentarily withdraw His hand so that you might stand, if you will,  on your own two feet. It’s a testing of sorts—a mirror. Allowing us to see what is or isn’t inside of us. Some of us needed coarse correction, perhaps. Or maybe encouragement to carry on, to keep going. Remember, in His Sovereignty, God sees and knows how you’ll respond when He withdraws His hand.

So it’s your faith—or lack thereof; God is allowing you to glimpse—your legs; God’s steadying.

How will we ever know, have confidence in, the strength of our faith, the certainty of our love and obedience to God, if our faith is never tested? If God never lets go of our hand? If He never places us in situations where we must dig deep to keep walking out our faith, to use the gifts He’s placed within us? Especially when we can’t sense His nearness and the ever-present, steadying Hand we’ve relied upon moves suddenly. Still, knowing God to be the Loving Father He is, our experiencing the in-between must be for our good—regardless of how we feel there. And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose. –Romans 8:28.

In closing, parents, siblings, aunty, or uncle, remember when you taught that child to ride a bike?

Their training wheels had been removed, and they were about to experience the exhilarating terror of riding solo firsthand. Remember how they kept looking back at you, their safety net? And how you kept reassuring them they wouldn’t fall? That you wouldn’t take your steading hand from their seat, yet knowing you’d have to? That’s where the disciples find themselves at the end of Luke, Chapter Twenty-Four. Jesus was about to remove His hand from the back of the proverbial seat. Christ, no longer with them but alive now, in them, empowering them to do all things. Just for a time, they’d be in between. But in this moment, and until Holy Spirit invaded the Upper Room, indwelling them, they were still working off training wheel memories of the temporary power given them in the past. Then Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and power to cure diseases. –Luke 9:1.

Today, many of us are doing the same. We’re working off yesterday’s power. Whether in uncomfortable shoes or sitting on bikes, we are in between. Afraid, not wanting the One we trust to take their steadying hand from our seat. So how do we navigate the in-between? We take our direction or coarse correction when we’ve failed to listen from the only sure place there is—God’s Word.

Earlier, I spoke of two things Jesus left His disciples right before He returned to the Father: a gift and a promise. We read about His gift earlier, how Jesus opened the disciple’s minds to understand the Scriptures.

But what about His promise?

In a separate conversation with His disciples, while preparing them for His inevitable death and resurrection, Jesus promised them that no matter what happened to Him, He would not leave them alone. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. –John 14:16-18.

Jesus fulfilled this promise, first to His disciples and then to us.

You are not alone in your in-between, Beloved. Your feet may be weary. Sore from walking around in new shoes. You may feel a bit shaky thinking God has removed His steadying hand from the proverbial seat of your bike. I get that. I’m experiencing an in-between myself. But despite all that, let’s thank God we do not have to live as the world does by our fickle feelings. Instead, we have the Sure Foundation of God’s Word to guide us as we pass through the in-between. Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand. Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. –Psalm20:6-7.

Dear friend, why wait? If you have not asked Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior, call on Him now, He will answer you! He will walk with you, leading you with His strong, right hand through every in-between you’ll ever face. In my alarm I said, I am cut off from Your sight!” But You heard my plea for mercy when I called to You for help. –Psalm 31:22.

Let’s Talk About Suffering.

February 4, 2023 /
MaryEllen Montville

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. –Isaiah 55:8.

“If God is loving, why does He allow so many to suffer?” “Why are some healed while others are not?”

I don’t know about you, fellow Christian, but I have been asked these questions numerous times by as many people. Now I am no theologian, no Bible scholar. I am a fellow believer in our Lord Jesus Christ who, like you, asks and, via Scripture and by the leading Holy Spirit as my teacher and guide, attempts to answer questions we may be asked or ask ourselves.

Some, claiming to believe in Jesus, attempt to answer these “beyond our paygrade” questions intellectually or emotionally. Yet, at their core, such answers are only partially understood spiritually within a faith-filled relationship with our Lord, Jesus. But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated. –1 Corinthians 2:14.

Truth is, fellow believers, we, the Church, will never fully know, comprehend, or be able to wrap our finite minds around, the answer to these very real questions, this side of eternity. Today’s Scripture verse makes this evident. In 1 Corinthians 13:9, Paul clearly spells this out for us: Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!

God never intended for His children to have all the answers.

Most of our walk and understanding of God is done by faith, as God intended. From the beginning, we were meant to know in part. Yet we’ve been commanded to act on what has been given us, leaving the rest to God. The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. –Deuteronomy 29:29.

God has given us solid threads throughout His Word—lifelines. We can cling to these strong, sturdy, and steadfast threads, keeping our hope and faith alive and thriving until we, like Jesus, “know in full.” These lifelines enable us to share the life-changing Truth of God’s love and justice with a hurting and confused world.

So, what is God’s heart towards us, His children? His creations? The most accurate answer is Love. God is Love.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” –John 3:16.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. –2 Peter 3:9.

I thank God for the Truth found in 2 Peter 3:9. Why? Because I was one of the “any“ our brother Peter is referring to. I thank God that it was His heart towards me that I should live—on earth and in heaven, with Him. Here, in part, is why:

In 2008 I suffered what some of the best neurologists in the country have categorized as a massive Ischemic Stroke. A blood clot had formed in my body and shot to my brain, causing what now resembles half-dollar size dead areas of brain tissue when seen on an MRI. These dead areas are on my brain’s frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes. The clot that hit my brain was described to me this way:

“Think of a pinball machine. You hit the little metal ball, and it bounces off several bumpers. That’s what happened in your head. One clot bounced off several lobes of your brain, damaging them as it did.”

I don’t remember much about the first few days after the stroke. Loud noises and voices, really. I now know they were the sounds of the MRI machine and those of the doctors and nurses who were treating me. My first conscious thought, the first thing I remember, is hearing my children’s voices. I couldn’t respond to them, as hearing them was like hearing someone far off, but I knew they were there, which comforted me. Eventually, I would awaken to find that the entire left side of my body had been paralyzed. I say “had been” because God healed my body in His infinite mercy. If you saw me today, like many, you’d likely say, “to look at you, you’d never know you had a stroke.” And you’d be right. Only God and I, and those closest to me, recognize the minor residual effects of that stroke.

I share my testimony with you in the hopes that it will encourage you. Restoring hope to that one who may be suffering some physical malady or is walking beside that loved one who has or is. Hang on—God is not finished with you/them yet. There is a purpose to what may appear to be this random suffering. God will redeem it.

He doesn’t play favorites. God did it for me, and He will do it for you or in the life of your loved one.

Those who know me will tell you that I often say one of the best things that ever happened to me was having that stroke. Sounds insane to some, I’m sure. Others may say my saying this is the result of the brain damage I sustained. But I say what the enemy meant for evil, God used for His glory and my good. I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us. —Romans 8:18.

 I was not saved when that stroke occurred.

I was knee-deep in sin and rebelling against God. Had I died, I’d be in hell today. But God! Instead, within a few short months of returning home from the hospital, the Lord saved me. He wooed me back to Church, and once there, He came. Oh, glorious day! For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. —Romans 5:6.

Since that moment, my life has never been the same—not perfect by any means, and certainly not sin-free. But I am fully committed to the God who gave purpose to my suffering. Who, through that affliction, redeemed my life, using it to connect you and me and countless others. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. –John 12:26.

Beloved, you and I are here today because God is mercy-full and Loving.

On our best days, we forget this Truth—at least I do. Never mind when we are in the thick of suffering. We all too quickly forget that, as believers, we will share in Christ’s suffering, one way or the other. So, let’s not be afraid to share that Truth, one with another. Reminding one another that our God is loving, kind, and mercy-full. And that if, as with Job, God allows affliction to strike, He will surely redeem our suffering. Using it as a living testimony, a beacon of hope for those in our God-given sphere of influence, and a lifeline for the lost and hurting.

I am grateful to God for allowing me to break off and share this small corner of my testimony to minister hope to you or your loved one in your hour of need. Know that I am praying for you. And may God, in His infinite mercy, bring healing to your bodies, minds, and souls. Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed at the revelation of His glory. –1 Peter 4:13.

And if you are new here, dear friend, thank you for reading our blog. I pray it has been a Word in season for you. And I pray that if you have not asked my Mercy-full Father into your life as your Lord and Savior, you’ll do it now. We are not promised tomorrow, friend. As I have just testified, life can change in the blink of an eye. I don’t say this to scare you, only to share the Truth with you. Please, don’t miss saying yes to Jesus. Seeing that the warning still comes to us, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as your forefathers did in the time of the provocation. –Hebrews 3:15.

You Are Mine.

September 3, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out” –Ezekiel 34:11.

God knows them that are his and can call his own sheep by name; he knows the places where they are; for he has fixed the bounds of their habitation, and was delighting himself in the habitable parts of the earth, where he knew they would be, even before the world was. –Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible.

It started in the Garden. God’s searching out His own, that is. Draw to His image and likeness; He sought communion with His creation. He’s seeking fellowship with you now, Beloved, even as you read this. God has always desired to be one with you through Christ Jesus. That started way before the Garden. Somewhere in eternity past. When Eden was but a seed yet planted and you, a mere sketch, some faint intersecting lines in God’s mind, waiting to be created.

Yet be sure of this one thing, God knows where you are.

Nothing and no one are hidden from Him, even when we think we are, especially when we may want to be. “When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God” –Genesis 3:8.

We serve a God whose very nature is Love. He is relational—desiring intimate communion with His children. To walk and talk with us, talk with you, friend. God’s love is personal. He knows you by name. And God loves you. Jesus lived as a man and died as one, just for you. The fact that the Sovereign God of the universe, Holy and blameless, desires to know us, be in a covenant relationship with us, with me, borders on incomprehensible. Something just too good to be true. Yet as mind-blowing as that is for this writer to take in at times. I know it to be true. God, Himself has told me so.

He is an intimate, personal Father. One who desires an open-door invitation into our hearts and lives that He might walk through them at will. Listen to how John Eldredge states this truth: Jesus came to reveal God to you. He is the defining Word on God—on what the heart of God is truly like, on what God is up to in the world, and on what God is up to in your life.

Tell me, friend, have you dared to ask God what He’s up to in your life?

Have you afforded God, His Son, Jesus, and His Holy Spirit an open-door invitation?

Have you invited them in—made room for them?

Do you seek, want to know more of, or at all, this God who thought it not too great a sacrifice to send His only Son to die in your place?

Has it crossed your mind that no one else but Jesus ever made such a sacrifice just for you?

“Then I passed by and saw you, and you were indeed old enough for Love. So I spread My cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I pledged Myself to you, entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine, declares the Lord GOD” –Ezekiel 16:8. As surely as God’s covenant with Israel stands—and it always will. So it will be with you, child of God. Having been grafted into His everlasting promise of Love and devotion, your loving Father will continually fight for you. Woo, you. Desire you only.

God wants, more; He chooses to be active in your life. He longs to be the center of your every waking moment, invited into and consulted about your dreams and decisions.

“Even those decisions I may consider far too dull, too trite to “trouble” God over. Isn’t it too much to ask of God that He help me make decisions? Listen as I talk about my dreams. Bring clarity to my confusion and doubt. After all, He’s God! Isn’t He too busy overseeing the entire planet, to say nothing of knowing the heart and thoughts of every single person—simultaneously? Doesn’t God have too much going on to be bothered with my thoughts and troubles,” you ask?

The answer, friend? Absolutely, emphatically, No! Nope. Not at all. Never.

Psalm 139 makes it plain God already knows everything about you. He’s just waiting on you to bid Him welcome into your life, heart, and your “boring” daily concerns. “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely” –Psalm 139:1-4.

You are not faceless, nameless, nor aimless in God’s eyes, Beloved. God created you on purpose, for a purpose. “As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything” –Ecclesiastes 11:5. You are no mistake. God sees you. God’s way is so much higher than our own. So far beyond our finite ability to take in, friend. You’ve been created to touch lives no one else can. Why? They don’t carry in them what God has placed in you alone. You are as unique as your fingerprint!

So regardless of what you’ve been told, think about yourself. Contrary to your feelings, God loves you and desires to have a relationship with you. Yes, you personally. He wants to make His home in you.

Now please hear my heart. I’m in no way trying to minimize your pain or any trauma you may have suffered at the hands of another. I remember the sting of such wounds all too well. I’m just speaking the Truth in love here, sharing something that can save you. The Truth that can and will heal your pain. With the full authority of one God has healed, I can say that healing from such wounds is possible—no matter how nasty or deep they are.

All things are possible with God.

Friend, God is so acutely attuned to His world. His creation, to you, personally, that even when a sparrow, some little chick somewhere, falls to the ground, it doesn’t escape His notice. “Are not two little sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s leave (consent) and notice” –Matthew 10:29.

God created you. He has a plan and purpose for your life. Still, despite the lengths this magnificent, Sovereign, Loving, relational God can and will go to reach you, the one thing God won’t do, can’t do, is violate the free will He’s given you, died to provide you. You must then choose to say yes and welcome a relationship with God.

The choice is yours. God has done His part. Ask Jesus into your heart today, as Lord, Father, and Friend. He’s waiting for you to say welcome, come in. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” –John 3:16-17.

But I Thought…

August 20, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“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.

We need God’s grace to surrender our wants, our ought to be’s, and should, into His Sovereign hands. God’s grace enables us to stop playing god and start trusting Him instead, putting legs beneath our professions. Without God’s grace, we are power-less. A dead branch disconnected from the Vine. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” –Philippians 2:13.

We are called, instructed, commanded to surrender our fragile, ever-changing thoughts to God—all of us, in exchange for making room for, more of Him. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” –Philippians 4:8.

To “put on” the mind of Christ—is a choice we must make—daily. Over and over and over again. Sunup to sundown. A laying down that we might take up. Intentionally tearing down, destroying, every idol self has dared set up in opposition to God. “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” –2Corinthians 10:5.

Yielding to God then, our desired outcomes and how we thought our lives were supposed to look and progress. Whether in our marriages, parenting choices, ministry, Christian walk, prayer life, or how we thought deliverance or transformation might look. Surrendering our every expectation on the “how or when,” God, in His Divine timing, will transform us—our hearts, lives, and attitudes; confidently trusting that He will never break His promise. He can’t. “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” –Numbers 23:19.

We are called to understand, recognize, surrender to the fact that He alone is God; we are not. He alone is Sovereign; too often, we are little more than a fly-by-night people.

Many of us love a person, place, or thing, even God’s blessings, today, yet lose our desire for any more of them tomorrow. We witness this Truth unfold before our very eyes when reading Exodus 16. In it, we read about a group of Israelites suddenly freed from their oppressor’s exacting grip. And we read of God’s miraculous power flowing through one man He’d been preparing in the Midian wilderness—his name, Moses. “In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death” –Exodus 16:2-3.

Shortly after the dancing and rejoicing over freedom gained had stopped, the grumbling began in earnest. So did the suspicious glances and doubting. Seemingly gone from their memory that moment when Moses stood, lifting his shepherd’s staff high in obedience to God’s command. The water responded by standing erect, solid as any wall. Gone too, it seems, the memory of how they’d crossed between that wall of water from slavery into a land promised them by God on a bone-dry sea bottom no less! Talk about an oxymoron! Not so much as one person getting stuck or being left behind, nor did one cartwheel sink into what should have been little more than muck. The Israelites suffered no loss that day. Some scholars say more than half a million people stepped onto that dried-up seabed as slaves, yet every single one of them stepped out the other side free men—more, sons and daughters: a chosen people, God’s own.

And as incredible as all that is, I am not here today to exalt God’s ability to deliver a race of people from oppression—though He has and can, nor to tout that He is the God of miracles—though He is.

No, today I’m here to cast light on just how easy it was for the Israelites, is, for you and me, to forget not only who and Whose we are but also about our ignoring God’s great mercy. “Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.'” While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud. The Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God” –Exodus 16:9-12.

Brothers, God’s Sovereign Hand is covering us daily—a Pillar of fire by night and a Cloud by day, still: protection and provision.

Somehow, the Israelites soon forgot how Moses had “suddenly” shown up, used by God to deliver them from Pharaoh’s deadly grip, and how every plague sent upon Egypt failed to reach them, their livestock, or households. Having left the bloodied door posts from a Passover past far behind them, they forgot God had been shedding innocent blood since the Garden that He might save His people. In their grumbling, they forgot God was still in their midst. That He still loved them, was guiding them, and showed Himself faithful, that He might save them—despite their failing Him. “The [presence of the] LORD was going before them by day in a pillar (column) of cloud to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they could travel by day and by night” –Exodus 13:21.

Yet the Israelites just couldn’t see it.

But now, before you go thinking, “how could they have missed God? He was right there with them, for Pete’s sake!” Remember, child of God. He lives within you, and you still miss Him daily, too.

The Israelites missed God because He wasn’t their focus, “lack of” was their focus. Self, that little g god, was their focus. All of us will miss God. His presence in our lives. His instruction, mercy, His move. We’ll miss the blessing obedience offers as we submit ourselves to those Godly shepherds, He has placed over us as long as we are focused on our flesh. As long as we live in “, but I thought it should,” look like, come

package as, even feel a certain way, instead of living as Jesus taught us, in complete submission to God. “In reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” –Ephesians 4:22-24.

Beloved, Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us that our thoughts, how we think, life ought to go, look, and feel are not God’s thoughts or ways—far from it! They’re not the way God, who created and sealed us in Himself, has planned for our lives to go. “And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” –1 Peter 1:17-19.

I encourage you to surrender yourself afresh to God, Beloved. Leaving behind your every, “but I thought….”

And Friend, I encourage you to ask this All-Knowing God, whose ways are far above your own, into your life as Lord. Know this: God can and will deliver you from any situation, bondage, addiction, from the exacting grip of any lie spoken over you or any lie you’ve believed about yourself. Trust that He knows what’s best for you. I know this to be Truth—because He did it for me. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” –Jeremiah 29:11.

The Cloud & The Spirit.

July 9, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“When he falls, he will not be hurled down, Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand and sustains him” –Psalm 37:24.

When the Israelites felt alone, weak, and weary, unable to help themselves, worn out from their seemingly endless wandering, God’s Word reminds us that He stood faithful and True. God was with them every step of the way—sustaining, guiding, and providing for their every need, despite their rebellion, murmuring, and hard-heartedness. These were His chosen ones—His beloved children, after all. “After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” –Exodus. 13: 20-22.

And despite their less-than-stellar attitude, right in the middle of the Israelite’s temper tantrum, God heard their cry, saw their need, and met it. “In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death. “While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud,” The Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.'” –Exodus 16: 2-3; 10-12.

Beloved, this loving, long-suffering God of the Old Testament is the same loving, long-suffering God we serve today. He is our Father, so kind, merciful, and tender; even when we act abysmally, God never says, “now you’ve gone too far. My love and grace and mercy will not and cannot cover this one!” God is static. “The same, yesterday, today, and forever” –Hebrews 13:8.

And to say I am honored and joy-full to serve such a God would be a gross understatement. Because, as Paul said, I am chief among sinners. I’m in endless need of God’s mercy, grace, correction, His long-suffering patients.

My anemic words fail to express the slack-jawed awe I experience when the Lord pulls back the veil from before my eyes, affording me a clear peak at my ugliness, my murmuring, complaining, my selfishness, my not-so-Sunday-morning spit, and polished self. While simultaneously allowing me to experience His lavish mercy and grace. I know I don’t deserve any of it. None of us do—I can smell the stink of my own sin as surely as the prodigal would have smelled the pig filth that clung to him—carnality has its own foul stench. And yet, this Loving Lord I serve washes me in His Word. Cleansing me from my unrighteousness, my sin. I am still held and cared for by my Father, despite myself. “If we are faithless, He remains faithful [true to His word and His righteous character], for He cannot deny Himself” –2 Timothy 2:13.

Our relationship with God is nothing if not personal.

So, this faithfulness God demonstrates daily is not because of something I’ve done or deserve. It’s certainly nothing I’ve earned. Instead, it’s all about Jesus. My relationship with Him.

Said correctly, because God so loved the world, He sent His only Son, Jesus, to save “whosoever” will believe in Him. Jesus, having chosen me in Himself before the foundations of the world, through His life, death, and resurrection reconciled, made a way for me to be restored into right relationship with our Father. God’s Spirit alive in me now, having made His home in me. So now, when my Father looks at me, He no longer sees my sin. Instead, He sees His Son, Jesus. The Spotless Lamb, slain before the foundation of the world—Revelation 13:8.

Our God has never been caught off guard—

He has always had a ram in the bush.

While the Israelites experienced types and shadows of God’s glory, a Pillar of Fire by night and a Cloud by day, we who are in Christ Jesus have the undeserved, unearnable honor of having the Sovereign God of the universe reside in us—God’s Holy Spirit. “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever,  the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” –John 14:16-17. This same Holy Spirit Jesus said would come and lead us into all Truth. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come” –John 16:13.

So then, child of God, pointing us back to today’s verse: Even though we stumble and sin, in those moments when we allow our carnal man to take the wheel, looking nothing at all like Christ, even then, God’s promises remain true. “When he falls, he will not be hurled down, Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand and sustains him” –Psalm 37:24.

As surely as God is with Israel, remaining faithful to His Word and covenant promise to this day, we who believe then are equally assured that God will also remain loyal to us, having been grafted into Israel’s vine. How? Through the new covenant. Jesus shed Blood—if we have a relationship with Jesus. “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, my God.'” First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

“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. Then you will live in the land that I gave your forefathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God” –Ezekiel 36:27.

In closing, have you asked Jesus, the One who loves and sustains us, into your life as your Lord and Savior? If you have not, I assure you He’ll come, making all things new, if you invite Him. No sin is too great, no rebellion so fierce that God’s mercy and grace cannot redeem it. His Blood, washing it away, white as snow. “The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them. The Spirit we received does not make us slaves again to fear; it makes us children of God. With that Spirit we cry out, “Father.” And the Spirit himself joins with our spirits to say we are God’s children” –Romans 8:14-16.

Vantage Points.

June 18, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!” –2 Corinthians 5:16.

So many factors shape your understanding of the world around you. The highs and lows of life, your ethnicity, where and how you grew up, your level of education—or lack of, and economics, to name a few. Did two loving parents raise you in a peace-filled home? Or were you raised in a single-parent household by a mom or dad who did what they knew to do to provide for you, whether peacefully or not?

As witnessed in the life of the Apostle Paul—and our own; faith, or its absence, directly shapes how we perceive the world and those in it.

The Apostle Paul raised Saul from Tarsus, a city in Cilicia in the Province of Asia Minor, was a Greek-speaking Jew born around the time of, or just after, Jesus. Saul of Tarsus was no average Hebrew boy. Clearly, he displayed above-average intelligence and nimbleness of mind. Though he did not hail from a wealthy, aristocratic family, Saul’s ability to read and retain Hebrew Scriptures afforded him an encyclopedic knowledge of the Torah. Saul’s intellectual prowess and unswerving belief in nonbiblical traditions positioned him to become a student of the renowned Rabban Gamaliel eventually. “I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers” –Galatians 1:14.

Saul spent much of his early years living as a resolute Pharisee, yet we know that Saul was also a tent maker, skilled with his hands (1 Cor.4:12; Acts 18:3; Acts 20:34). This tidbit of knowledge allows us to know with certainty that Saul did not come from an affluent background—he was not economically privileged. Little is known about Saul’s parentage or early childhood. Still, it’s not a stretch to imagine that Saul was raised in a traditional two-parent Jewish household by devote, God-fearing parents who regularly went to the Temple.

Now you may be asking yourself, “why are you telling me all about Saul’s life, and what does he have to do with today’s Scripture verse or your opening sentences, for that matter?”

My answer? Telling you about Saul’s life has everything to do with today’s Scripture and my opening verses. How? As I said earlier, so many factors shape your understanding of the world around you. Faith, or its absence, directly shapes how you perceive the world and those in it. And Saul was no exception. So the way Saul was raised, what he was raised to believe in, more his eventually life-changing encounter with Jesus directly affected not only his life and ministry but so many countless thousands of other Christian lives and ministries.

Saul of Tarsus became Paul, The Apostle, this fervent, dedicated lover of the same Christ and His followers he once despised, persecuted unto death. No longer interested in rites and rituals. Now Paul’s focus was on saving souls, sharing the Gospel message, and seeing men freed from the death-like grip of their sins. Having once seen God as little more than a means to a religious end, now, Jesus lived and burned vibrant and alive in Paul’s heart. And this because Paul’s vantage point was changed in a flash—of God’s Pure Light, that is. Perhaps that’s why in today’s passage, Paul encourages you to see people in your day-to-day life differently. He is challenging you to see them and the world around you anew, through spiritual eyes—through a different lens, maybe, than what you grew up wearing?

Here Paul acknowledges that, like many of us, he, too, once viewed the world through dogmatic “earthly lenses.” Perhaps, like so many of us that have been given new sight—spiritual eyes, Paul was reflecting on his once profound blindness as he stood, lending his reflexive consent, his zealous approval of Stephen’s stoning? As Paul penned this verse, I wonder if he thought back to being blinded by the Pure brilliance of the Lord? Knocked clear from his proverbial “high-horse,” humbled. His sight temporarily taken so that he might gain a new vision?

“If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ” –Philippians 3:4-8.

Whether directly or indirectly, knowingly or unawares, so much of what we’ve been taught, have perceived—whether real or imagined, shaped our willingness to welcome God into our hearts and lives. Or, conversely, it closed Him out.

What we were taught about faith in God, if anything at all, helped determine if we’d view God as a loving, merciful Father or as just some guy who exists “out there somewhere” who threatens and challenges our worldview. Or, perhaps, it led us to question whether God even exists? We see this plainly in Saul’s life. His learned, rigid, legalistic view of God made it virtually impossible for him to experience God outside the fixed rules and rites that governed and protected his faith. Saul’s “this is how God is and moves” stance prohibited him from experiencing God relationally, beyond the ritual that had become his religious default—that is, until his life-changing encounter with Jesus on a dusty Damascus road.

Saul’s Damascus Road encounter with Christ became the birthplace of Paul, the Apostle.

That’s what happens when God “calls us out of darkness and into His wonderful Light” –1 Peter 2:9.

We are transformed, made new. Blind eyes, seeing clearly. We’re given a new vantage point from which to view the world and those in it. Yes, it was Saul who fell to the ground. Saul, whom God blinded. And it was Saul who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, fasted for three days, seeing Ananias in a vision. But it would be Paul, God’s Apostle, having had an encounter with the Living God, who would leave that room on Straight Street with new sight.

Surely, what our parents teach us, influences us. Our culture, education, and socioeconomic means each play a role in shaping our thinking concerning our faith or belief in God. But, as with Saul, none of these external influences will ever have the power to stay the hand or will of the Most High God, King of the Universe, Sovereign Lord. Somewhere in eternity past, God had written Saul’s name in The Lamb’s Book of Life, and no earthy circumstance, no rite or ritual, no religion, or conviction would ever be powerful enough to change that.

Take comfort in that fact, friend. If God has chosen you for Himself, nothing and no one can keep Him from you.

No religion, lack of education, abusive parents, being raised poor or in the hood, or even your addiction or self-loathing can keep God away. As with Saul, God knows the exact moment He has destined to remove the scales from your eyes, enabling you to see beyond the confines of this world, changing your vantage point forever more. No longer seeing Him or those, He’s created with the same tired eyes—Jesus makes all things new, starting with you.

Friend, you can have a personal relationship with Jesus now if you choose to. It’s so simple a child can do it. You just need to repent of your sins, tell God you’re genuinely sorry for all you’ve done—no matter what it is, and ask Him to come into your life as Lord and Savior, and He will. And just like Saul and countless others, you too will be given eyes to see beyond the confines of this world; eyes that will see and recognize the Truth—Christ Jesus. “Yeshua said to him, “I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Way and The Truth and The Life; no man comes to my Father but by me alone” –John 14:6.

Are You Willing to Climb?

June 4, 2022 /

MaryEllen Montville

 “And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully” –Luke 19:1-10.

Exactly when did Jesus know Zacchaeus, this chief tax collector, this marginalized, ostracized son of Abraham, would run through the thick of the crowd gathered in his village, climb up into a fig tree—just to get a look at Him?

Was it while Jesus was teaching another crowd on another day in some other village about the Parable of the lost—lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son? Was it during His time of teaching His disciples about forgiveness and faith? Maybe It was after He had entered a small village somewhere between Galilee and Samaria, and ten men covered in leprosy cried out to Him for healing? Or, perhaps, it was in a Nanosecond of what we call time, somewhere in eternity past? Was Jesus standing over the dark void when He planned to meet Zacchaeus under that Sycamore-fig tree?

The Bible doesn’t fill in that particular blank for us.

Suffice it to say, however, God knew the exact second this man of small moral and physical stature would quite literally be found, “up a tree.” God had always been working in Zacchaeus, just below the surface. Unnoticed, unrecognized, yet ever-present in every-thing that had ever happened in Zacchaeus’ life. God had been using every joy, smile, every pain, hurt, and disappointment. Every rejection, each harsh word spoken, every bright ray of sun that had ever pierced the darkness of Zacchaeus’ isolation—his loneliness. God had used each moment—every choice, good or bad,, like so many stones. And God laid them one by one, paving a path that would eventually lead Zacchaeus to climb up that exact fig tree—at precisely the right time.

The Holy Spirit is stealth—and intentional. There are no accidents with God. No “almost.“

God had a plan for Zacchaeus’s life, just as surely as He did for Father Abraham’s. Different, certainly, just as each man’s life is different. God’s plans for you, you, and I are as unique as we are. Yet similar somehow, united in purpose in Christ Jesus, we are His Body after all. God had a plan for our salvation and our ongoing transformation. Just as God had a plan that would empower Zacchaeus to do,, in all probability, what he had not done since boyhood, climb a tree! God will drive us towards the most peculiar of places, and He’ll do it at the most inopportune of times—untimely for us, that is. God’s timing is always perfect. Always on time. “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.

Zacchaeus had heard about Jesus, about the miracles He’d performed. Maybe he’d climbed that tree hoping he’d get something from Jesus? And get something he did! Surely Zacchaeus never saw coming what it was he would receive from Jesus—newness of life. Unlike the blind beggar who had shouted out to Jesus from the gate of this same village, Zacchaeus had his sight, physically speaking, that is. But in fact, it was the blind man who had 20/20 vision compared to Zacchaeus and many others gathered there that day. The blind man recognized Jesus for who He was, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me” –but that’s best left for us to explore another day.

That blind beggar knew he wanted to be healed, and he let everyone within earshot know about it. “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by,” they told him. So he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me” –Luke 18:37-38. We never hear Zacchaeus crying out to Jesus for healing or forgiveness. Verse six plainly says that when Jesus called him down out of the tree that they might share lunch, “Zacchaeus climbed down quickly and with great joy and took Jesus into his house.” Where’s the shame? The downcast eyes, heart, and spirit? Where’s the wailing, gnashing of teeth, and tearing of his garments, evidence of Zacchaeus’ feeling the weight of his sins? Where were the sackcloth and ashes? The remorse?

Answer: God sees what mere men cannot. And I, for one, am so grateful that He does. “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” –1 Samuel16:7. In reading the account of Zacchaeus and Jesus, I was reminded of yet another wayward son of Abraham. A son separated from his family and community due to sin—and selfish choices.

We’re never told what drove Zacchaeus to become a chief tax collector—perhaps the vilest of jobs a Jew could have. Maybe we should look to the Apostle Matthew for our answer? Remember, he was a tax collector right up to the moment Jesus “just happened” to walk past him.

Although I’m a woman, and they’re tax collectors, I saw my own life staring back at me through the lens of Zacchaeus and Matthew’s choices. I, too, was broken and dead in my sin. Having lusted after the things of this world, I was once separated from family and friends due to my poor choices—sullied by the sins of my countless offenses. More, I was separated from God.

Yet unbeknownst to us, God was never far from us. His Holy Spirit knew precisely when and where He’d call us out of darkness, into His glorious Light. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” –1 Peter 2:9.

Unlike blind Bartimaeus, it had never occurred to me to call out to Jesus.

Sure, I knew of Him. I believed in Him even—at least I believed that He was. Yet I never opened my mouth. I never asked for what I most needed. How fortunate (such a pale expression of such an incredible blessing) I was that Jesus had determined to walk past me—just as He did Zacchaeus and Matthew, Paul too. How fortunate (such a pale expression of such an incredible blessing) I was that Jesus had determined to walk past me—just as He did Zacchaeus and Matthew, Paul too. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” –Romans 5:8.

God chose each of us in Himself long before we had a clue. “Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine” –Ezekiel 16:8.

While Zacchaeus and Matthew were swindling and cheating people out of their hard-earned money and goods, Paul’s heart was burning with murderous intentions to kill those who believed in this Jesus. Yet God had sealed each of these men in Himself—calling them His own. And He did the same for me. Scripture is clear that Zacchaeus never cried out to Jesus. Never shouted out to get God’s attention—Matthew either. In each of their cases—Paul’s also, God made sure that He was the One to get their attention. This Pure and Holy God came to each of these sin-soaked men—and to me, presenting Himself in such a way that to not follow after Him—not leave it all behind, not change our ways— repent, was not an option. “Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the Father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them” –Romans 4:10-11.

I certainly don’t profess to understand the depths of God. I see and understand in part. I’m a simple sheep following after a God that is far too big—too marvelous—too Brilliant, Creative, Deep, Holy, and Pure for me to comprehend fully—this side of eternity, nor would I want to. I am thankful for being me, knowing I serve a God who is far too big for me to get my arms—mind, knowing—heart around.

Yet, by His grace, I can follow Zacchaeus’ example and climb whatever tree necessary to get a better look at—a more intimate understanding of—a more profound revelation of the One I love as He passes by. My Triune One, who stood over the void and said, “This world will not be complete without my daughter.”

My Jesus, who left the Father’s side that He might walk before me, ensuring I forget my way back home.

How about you, friend? If you’ve only heard about Jesus, knowing Him from afar, are you willing to climb whatever tree you must to get closer to Him? I pray you do. “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” –Jeremiah 29:12-13.

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