Category: Teachings From The Word… (Page 11 of 16)

A weekly teaching series designed to encourage, challenge, and better inform those seeking a relationship with the Lord, or those who want to simply just come and hear what the Lord is saying to His people

Get Good Friends.

June 19, 2021 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” –Proverbs 27:17.

Our friendships are some of the most important relationships we have in this life. And a good friend knows the best and worst versions of us…

They know what makes our eyes light up and what makes our blood boil. Our friends have seen our tears, both happy and sad. They’ve celebrated our victories and shared comforting or encouraging words when we most needed them. Often, those we call friends can have great sway over us. So, depending on the type of friends you’re surrounding yourself with, your opinions are apt to change. I would dare to say that most people are not the resolved, independent thinkers they may credit themselves to be. Think about it: When you spend time with one group of friends, you may think what they have to say makes sense, rendering you agreeable to their opinions. Get around a different group of friends, those who offer differing or opposing information on the same subject, and suddenly, your opinion may change yet again. One of the many powers of friendship is its potential to sway us, one way or another. So, the question then is not if you are growing within your friendships; instead, how are we growing within them?

Are your friendships nudging you toward God, or are they moving you away from Him?

Thankfully, the Bible has so much to say about friendship. Proverbs 27:17 reads, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” So, who is sharpening you?

As I was considering this verse the other day, I had this profound realization regarding Iron sharpening iron. I have never heard of an iron blade sharpened by wood or pure gold. Why? I believe the answer is evident. Iron is denser than both materials. Knife blades carve wood, and hand files are used in shaping gold, but neither gold nor wood would have any tangible impact on shaping iron. It takes a compound of equal or greater strength to sharpen an object made of iron. So too, our Christian friends, like iron blades, keep us sharp when it comes to our friendships.

Suppose we don’t refresh ourselves through Godly relationships. In that case, our faith gets weaker and our spirits duller as we allow ourselves to be inundated with secular ideologies—“Sweet friendships refresh the soul and awaken our hearts with joy.” –Proverbs 27:9. Yes, we can read our Bibles, go to church, listen to podcasts, watch sermons, and read books. Each of these is a necessary thing in our Christian walk; I believe that. But suppose our “friendship time” is filled with ungodly relationships? In that case, we become people then filled with a bunch of head knowledge minus the Godly accountability that undergirds the Truth we’ve found in God’s Word. As I think about what’s happening around the world, I sometimes get overwhelmed, trying not to get caught up in the fear and uncertainty running rampant through the earth. I must remind myself that there is hope, and I believe that hope can be found in the Church of Jesus Christ because God’s Spirit is alive in His people. “… it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” Galatians 2:20.

Over this past year, it became far too easy for people to get comfortable watching church from home; then going on about their everyday lives through the rest of their week. From the couch, they watch a sermon on Sunday in solitude, moving on then to their jobs and families, forgetting somehow that there is, needs to be, a gathering of the believers. As I reflected on this new reality of how many have been “doing Church,” I gained a new appreciation for the weight of the Truth found in Hebrews 10:25. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” I now possess a greater understanding of the importance of gathering with other like-minded people. Why? Because being around our Christian community challenges us to uphold God’s standard to the best of our ability. Rather than being swayed by the eloquent words of the world, being in church receiving solid teaching and submitting ourselves to the ministry regularly reminds us of what the Bible teaches us.

And while it’s comfortable to stay home on Sunday morning, the danger lies in getting caught up in the undertow of the world, drifting further and further away from the Godly influences His righteous people have in our lives. Suddenly, secular ideologies don’t sound so bad now. Why? Because the people you’ve surrounded yourself with have given you ample reasons to believe what it is they believe. And all the while, without you even realizing it, your flame is growing dimmer and dimmer. Although you’ve been given the power to influence the world, drawing them to Christ, instead, you’ve allowed your blade to become dull, unused.

Those who don’t know the Word of God will never be able to sharpen you in the things of God.

Conversely, establishing relationships with other believers sharpens your blade, enabling you then to inscribe an imprint on the world around you. From the above passages, we learn that Godly friendships will encourage you and move you towards loving as God loves and doing good according to God’s standard of good. They will refresh your soul and make you strong. I have a newfound appreciation for my Christian friendships. I love my neighbors and coworkers, mind you, but there is just something special about the encouragement that comes from my brothers and sisters in Christ.

When I consider the constant barrage of shifting opinions and ideas that come at me from others, whether via social media, the news, or just from those I encounter daily, I remind myself of my need for the consistency of God’s Word. In a world swirling with confusion and ever-changing opinions, the Word of God is the one thing that always remains constant; it is our solid rock. “As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built” –Luke 6:47-48.

Putting God’s Word into practice builds that strong foundation in your life.

And having Godly friends and community around you is vital to your living a Godly life. If you don’t yet have a community of Christian friends, I strongly encourage you to find a church where you can form solid Christian friendships that will sharpen you and encourage you to live according to God’s will and Word.

If you haven’t yet accepted Jesus into your heart, consider this your invitation to become a part of the family of God. The Bible says in 1 John 1:9 that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” When you humble yourself and repent before the Lord, He will cleanse your heart and give you a new identity in Him.

Welcome to the family!

Tag, Your It.

May 29, 2021 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” –Acts 10:34-35.

Everything was about to be upended for Peter—yet again. By this point in his walk with the Lord, I have to wonder if Peter had begun to figure out that the only thing that will ever remain the same for as long as he walks with the Lord, the only thing guaranteed to stay the same, is the Lord, Himself?

If biblical chronology is correct, some seven or eight months had passed since the Lord ascended back to the Father. Six or seven months since the Holy Spirit had been poured out on those gathered together in the Upper Room and since Peter had preached his first sermon and Christ’s Church was born. We can read all about these things in the Book of Acts, Chapters One through Five.

By this point in Peter’s walk, by the time Peter meets Cornelius in Acts Chapter 10 that is, God has already commissioned Peter as a leader over his brothers and sisters and His Church. He’s also been told to elect another to fill Judas Iscariot’s place among them. God has used Peter to heal a man who’d been lame since birth; and along with the Apostle John, Peter has also been taken into custody and forbidden by the Sadducees to teach using the name of Jesus. And, Peter has confronted Ananias and Saphira about their lying to the Holy Spirit, which resulted in their deaths. He and John were sent to Samaria to spread and teach God’s Word. Additionally, in Acts nine, Peter visits fellow believers in Lydda. The Lord uses him there to heal Aeneas, who’d been bedridden for eight years due to paralysis, and raise a young girl named Dorcas; some say, Tabitha, from the dead. You can read each of these accounts in the following Scriptures: Acts 1:16-26; 2:14-36; 3:6-8; 4:3-18; 5:3-9;8:14;9:32-40.

We catch up with Peter in Acts 10. We’ll find him in Joppa, a seaport town about 40 some miles south of Caesarea, at the home of Simon, the tanner. Being a devout Jew, I found it noteworthy that Peter would have chosen to stay with someone who would have been considered unclean, due to his chosen profession. After all, in a minute, we’ll read how Peter decries God’s instruction to kill and eat what the law teaches is unclean. A law Peter had painstakingly followed his entire life! “Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” –Acts 10:9-15.

So to find Peter staying in the home of someone who handles dead animal carcasses, a person another devout Jew would shun Peter for even associating with, is nothing short of unconscionable for this out-front, chosen leader of the Way. “The carcass of any animal which divides the foot, but is not cloven-hoofed or does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches it shall be unclean. And whatever goes on its paws, among all kinds of animals that go on all fours, those are unclean to you. Whoever touches any such carcass shall be unclean until evening. Whoever carries any such carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. It is unclean to you” –Leviticus 11:26-28. But God was on the move. And everything was about to change—forever.

As I said earlier, everything in Peter’s life was about to be upended, yet again. Very soon, Peter would face having to choose to place the full weight of the knowledge, faith, and trust he had on his Lord’s leading, regardless of it being unconventional, controversial, and undoubtedly unorthodox. Or, he’d have to turn away from His Master’s prompting, clinging instead to the law and teachings that had guided him since his youth. Because in a short twenty-four hours, all those traditions and rules, the religious rites and rituals that Peter had clung to so fiercely would all be upended.

Peter’s unraveling had begun on the rooftop of a tanner in Joppa, and it would reach its climax inside the home of yet another unlikely soul in Caesarea. Now, as Peter was in prayer on the rooftop of Simon’s house, the Lord, as only He can, broke through time and space with a message that challenged Peter to his very core. God needed Peter to shift, to move with Him and His plan for the future of His Church and all His people. There are times God will use the unorthodox, the unconventional, the new, and different to shake up the religiosity that has taken hold of us. All the “familiar” that we’ve allowed to enshroud us, blind us, stunting our growth. Stopping us from remembering that we can not, must not ever, put God in a box or attach some succinct, precise formula to how He will or does move or decide to show up. Jesus Himself is our most perfect example of this Truth.

“The next day, as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth” –Acts 10:9-11. On this great sheet was every kind of unclean animal. Peter saw all those repugnant animals that the law forbade and was instantly repelled by them. So when the Lord commands him to kill and eat, Peter barks back and tells God no. “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean” –Acts10:14.

Saying no to God is never a good idea. He is God, and we are not. And, as we’ll see, God had His way with Peter in the end.

Scripture indeed points towards Peter’s staying in the house of an unclean, gentile tanner to be no mere accident; more, it appears to be a herald, a preparation of sorts for Peter. Because soon, three men would appear and ask him to follow them. One commentary sums things up this way: The Jews already considered gentiles to be unclean. By drawing Peter into the home of a gentile tanner – the dirtiest of the dirty – God was breaking down barriers and preparing Peter as a vessel to pour out His blessing onto the gentiles.

Enter Cornelious.

While Peter was still atop Simon’s roof trying to sort out what he was to glean from God’s dropping that sheet before him, three men sent by a Roman Centurion named Cornelius to locate Peter show up to escort him to Caesarea. They’d been dispatched to accompany him to the home of yet another gentile. “Now while Peter wondered within himself what this vision which he had seen meant, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate” –Acts 10:17.

Skipping ahead for time’s sake, these men tell Peter who they are and why they’ve come. “And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.” Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him” –Acts 10:22-23. Yet their news was only confirmation for Peter as the Holy Spirit had already revealed to him that He wanted Peter to go with these men when they arrived. “While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.” –Acts 10:19-20.

Again, skipping ahead, Cornelius has assembled his close friends and family in anticipation of Peter’s arrival. Before leaving Joppa, the men sent to accompany him tell Peter that an angel had visited Cornelius and told him to send for him. Upon arriving in Caesarea, Peter goes into Cornelius’ house, but not before making him aware that it is against the law for a Jew to be doing what he is doing. He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?” –Acts 10:28-29.

One last skip, I promise, and we’ll arrive at our destination:

In answer to Peter’s question, Cornelius outlines all that the angel had shared with him: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us” Acts 10:30-33.

And in that nanosecond, by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, Peter gets it. The Light has shone inside of him, illuminating Truth and God’s glorious plan for His Church. A Truth and plan Peter never would have been able to grasp, outside of God doing something so unconventional. “Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right” –Acts 10:34.

Tag. Your It! And just like that, we, each gentile believer, from Cornelius and those gathered in his household, were grafted into the Body of Christ. Jew and Gentile now, one in Messiah. As Peter shared the Gospel message with this group of gentiles, salvation became there’s! Yet this plan for the grafting in of the gentiles isn’t new, however. We caught our first glimpse of it back in the garden. It’s just now being unfolded, revealed afresh to Peter that he might ensure that God’s intended plan for His Church be carried out to the letter. But more on that next week. Remember, friends; God has set precise times and seasons for all things.

The Apostle Paul’s teaching on why this has occurred ought to lead us towards living our lives with great humility and boldness for the Lord. And for the things of the Lord, yet tenderly and with reverence for the grace and mercy shown us by such a loving Father. “Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you” –Romans 11:13-18.

Brothers and sisters, I encourage you in the Lord to seek Him afresh in this season, to purify your hearts. Shaking off any spiritual slumber that has hampered you, all fear, and any confusion that has troubled the Body of Christ over this past year, instead, seek the Lord for what it is He’ll have you do now, while it is still day. “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. 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 55:6-9.

And dear friend, if you have yet to meet our unconventional and Loving Lord, Jesus the Christ, I hope that you’ll pause wherever you are right now and ask Him to make Himself as real and tangible to you as He did for Peter as he prayed on Simons rooftop.

Be sure to return next week for the conclusion of “Tag. You’re It…”

Train Up A Child.

May 22, 2021 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old, he will not depart from it. –Proverbs 22:6.

As Mother’s Day approached, I began contemplating parenting a child in the ways of the Lord. Although I am not yet a mother, I understand both the value and essential responsibility of parenting, especially in our current climate. While there is no manual for parenting, I am sure that raising a child in the Lord’s way presents its unique challenges in a world fueled by social media and conflicting beliefs on what it means to be a Christian? Having experienced a Catholic upbringing, I now realize that I lacked knowledge of the Word of God and instruction on how to pray. And while I had a great childhood, my family did not always model the love of Christ for me. My mother failed to ask the Holy Spirit to guide her in many of her parenting decisions throughout my upbringing.

It was in musing over Proverbs 22:6 which caused me to reflect on my childhood, upbringing, and early childhood experiences. It caused me to reflect on what I had lacked, what I thought could have been better, and how my parent’s choices impacted my personal growth and development. All of this led me to more fully understand that a Godly home and God-fearing parents that are filled with the Holy Spirit are foundational for training a child in the ways of the Lord. “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it” –Proverbs 22:6. Parenting future disciples of Jesus in many ways fulfills the Great Commission. And as a parent, I’m confident it must be an honor to take part in—co-labor with Christ in laying the foundation of a child’s life with the Truth of God. It must be a great privilege and responsibility to help them find and cultivate their kingdom voices and to remind them of their identity in Christ. In parenting with the Holy Spirit, we certainly must see how serving our children daily also serves the Lord.

So, with this in mind, allow me to share three encouraging points on Godly parenting—advice I plan on following with my children one day.

Make prayer a priority.

As I’ve stated, I am not a mother, yet having helped raise my four nieces for the first few years of their lives, I have had some experience caring for children. And, while this time with them was filled with excitement, it was also stressful, anxiety-causing, and frustrating. Lack of sleep sometimes heightened my frazzled emotions, and that led to irrational decision-making. When my nieces would get sick, it caused fear, and their disobedient and rebellious behaviors caused frustration. From my experience and from what I’ve witnessed, parenting pokes a range of emotions. From joyful celebrations to distressing hardships, yet whatever the circumstance may be, regardless of how the scenarios may play out, I’m learning to lift them all in prayer before His throne of grace. The Bible says: “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” –Hebrews 4:16.

God is omniscient. He is fully aware of your emotions; He knows what you think, can see what is happening in your life, and, most importantly, He has the power to intervene and guide you in every area of your life. The Lord knows both the value of and the concerns that come with parenting, and He knows that it’s in the daily setting aside of quiet time to seek His face, where He’ll empower you to face those challenges. Even when you feel weary or unworthy, the Lord Almighty never turns a deaf ear to the earnest prayers of His children. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” –Psalm34:18. And though Google tips may prove helpful and the reassurance of fellow parents’ and friends’ confidence-boosting, nothing compares to speaking to and seeking guidance from the Creator of the universe. God created your children. He understands their thoughts, temperaments, and personalities far better than you ever will—or can. “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knitted me together in my mother’s womb” –Psalm 139:13. Make prayer a priority and give the Holy Spirit an open invitation to lead and guide your parenting. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you” –Psalm 32:8.

2. Model the Christian faith.

The Bible teaches us: “The things you have learned and received, and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace will be with you” –Philippians 4:9. Loving and raising your children according to God’s Word is honoring them, just as guiding them in how they should live is your God-given responsibility. While teaching your children the Word of God is essential, modeling your faith is, in most instances, a more powerful tool. How can you genuinely teach children to love the Lord yet not model the love of Christ in your own lives daily via submission to His will and your Godly behavior? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” –Matthew 22:37.

How can we teach children to “Love your neighbor as yourself” yet not serve others or demonstrate grace and compassion, and patients towards them? –Mark12:31. Or, how can we teach children that “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” and yet create an environment of verbal hostility, belittlement, and abuse in our homes? –Proverbs 15:1. As parents, if your desire is for your children to love the Lord, you are responsible for reflecting that in your behavior. Children are sponges in their initial stages of development. What you model before them, they’ll absorb and emulate. The Bible says, “But don’t just listen to God’s Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves” –James 1:22. As parents, if you are not modeling the very Godly behavior you expect from your child: faith, patience, kindness, gentleness, love, joy, peace, grace, and compassion, then isn’t that, in fact, teaching to them that Christianity can be unreliable and hypocritical?

3. Love your children well.

The Bible teaches us, “Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy; it does not boast; it is not proud. It does not dishonor others; it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the Truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” –1 Corinthians 14:4-8. God’s definition of Love far exceeds a mere emotion. Love is a choice. We choose to love one another. God’s love is rooted and grounded in decision and choice; and our love is birthed from these very actions. Love is not simply an emotion you feel; it is something to be demonstrated. One of the most significant ways to parent with the Holy Spirit is by operating in His Love. “God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him” –1 John 4:16.

Parents can sometimes respond to their children at the whim of a feeling or mood. Maybe they’re stressed about work, and so they take their frustration out on their children? Perhaps they’re frustrated with a child’s behavior, or they’re not patient with them during homework? Yet, the biblical definition of unconditional love is that they must respond lovingly towards them nevertheless, even when we do not feel like being loving. Godly love for children is never contingent upon whether they deserve to receive it; conversely, they deserve it solely because it is the will and command of God. That unconditional love that God so freely demonstrates towards us, we have been commanded to model before the world—especially in our homes. “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you” –John 15:12. Loving our children ought to be filled with speaking life into them, seeing the potential for the best in them, and believing in and fostering the gifts God has placed in them. Loving children well ought to look like teaching them to read, meditate, and abide in the Word of God, making it their go-to then when they’re feeling fearful or anxious. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out all fear because fear has punishment” –1 John 4:18.

And when a child is acting out in panic and anxiety due to the overwhelming demands of school or life, as parents, shouldn’t you offer them, lead them towards peace and calm, and not add to their chaos or confusion? Shouldn’t you attempt to encourage them along the way? As a parent, you ought not to keep a record of their mistakes or let their rebellious nature provoke you to lash out at them. Parent’s ought to act in patience and kindness, just as God does with them daily. Proverbs 22:6 assures us that training up a child in the ways of the Lord is an honorable responsibility, however challenging at times. And, if you have multiple children, you know full-well that their different temperaments require different parenting techniques. In part, training up a child in the way he or she should go is about recognizing that your children are not carbon copies of you. They are to be guided, trained, molded, and shaped in the direction the Lord has willed for their life, and that may mean your needing to understand and be patient and nurturing with traits in them that are foreign to you or different than your own.

The Bible informs us that “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him” –Psalm 127:3. Children are a gift entrusted to us by the Lord. Children are not possessions to do with as we please. They will grow up, leave home and live life on their own, and so because they are precious gifts, we must love them, treasure them, guide them, and protect them while we are able. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” –James 1:17.

I can only imagine that one of the most incredible facets of parenting is that the Lord will use the very gifts He’s entrusted to your care, your children, to refine you, His child, teaching you to depend on Him even more! I pray this teaching was encouraging.

In closing, I pray that you continue to make prayer a priority. To always model the ways of the Lord before your children and love them well. Remember, even Jesus modeled Godly training to His disciples, and we can do the same. Take heart in knowing that God is with you on your parenting journey every step of the way. And that God’s unmerited grace and mercy covers our temporary, frail, all too human weaknesses, shortcomings, and failures. The Bible reminds us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” –James 1:5. So ask the Lord for the wisdom you need, and He will generously supply it. And whether you’re parenting or a single person who is without the sweet presence of the Lord, I encourage you to earnestly seek Him, asking Him to come into your heart and life as Lord. His guidance will transform not only your life but your children’s lives as well. That is one promise I don’t need to be a mom to make. I have tasted and seen that it’s True for myself!

This Is Me, And You. Abraham, too.

May 8, 2021 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He Knows Your Frame.

May 1, 2021 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When God Calls You To It, Do It.

April 17, 2021 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” – Joshua 1:9.

Now that New England’s weather is slowly becoming warmer, my car rides have become more enjoyable. I can finally open my sunroof and feel the pressing warmth of the sun on my face. It feels great to extend my arm out of the car window and feel the force of the wind blowing against it. And I’m so enjoying being able to soak up more sunlight throughout the day now. The warmer weather brings with it an added boost of happiness as well. Yet none of these things compare to the joy my car ride conversations with Jesus bring me.

Besides being at home, I spend most of my time in my car. It’s where I do my pondering, my questioning, confessing, and my praying. And I am convinced that my car transforms into my own private sanctuary in those precious moments. The other day, while driving, I talked with God about many of my worries and stresses. See, I have always been a planner. I’m always looking towards the future. And as great as being prone to thinking and planning for the future may sound, this mindset is also riddled with its own fears and anxieties—Its endless loop of questions. Questions like: “What if this doesn’t work out?”, “What if I run short of money?”, “How long do I have to wait, God?” And the more questions I ask, the more it feels like I’m doing little more than enabling my anxiety. Then suddenly, somewhere on that same drive, the Holy Spirit brought to my remembrance Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Now I’ve heard and read this verse numerous times, but this time, it felt personal. Being reminded that the Lord is with me brought me comfort and peace. My remembering not to be discouraged; uplifted me. Knowing I need not be afraid; strengthened me. And that’s when it hit me: the same God that had spoken those exact words to Joshua; just brought them back to my remembrance! And knowing this prompted me to go and dig into Joshua’s story yet again. Allow me to pivot here and share some of what I discovered about courage and faith, and strength as a result.

The bible tells us, Joshua, son of Nun, became Israel’s leader after Moses’s death.

Moses had appointed him his successor before his death. And shortly after Moses died, the Lord said this to Joshua concerning his new ministry: “Moses, my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan river into the land I am about to give them – to the Israelites” –Joshua 1:2. God called Joshua to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River and take possession of the land promised to their forefather Abraham –Joshua 1:1-5; Genesis 17:8. Yet before Joshua ever issued his first command to the people, God had already commanded Joshua three times to be strong and courageous. –Joshua 1:5, 7, 9. God’s repeated command over Joshua stood out to me because the Lord’s command for Joshua to be ‘strong and courageous’ was vital for Joshua’s future, his preparedness. Joshua would need to drink deep of this command before he could lead these people—before he would be able to execute God’s plan for them all. The Lord, who is both Sovereign and Omniscient, knows what lies ahead of us—and within us. He knows what we’ll need to be prepared to lead those He has entrusted to us, just as He did both with Moses and Joshua.

Leadership is no easy task. So, God makes things clear for Joshua and, through Him, for us. He outlines for Joshua what he must do to be prosperous and successful. First, and above all, love God and be obedient to Him. Keep God’s Word close to his heart—on his lips, and to not rely upon his own strength but, in all things, to trust God. “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go” –Joshua 1:7. Secondly, “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it” –Joshua 1:8. And lastly, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” –Joshua 1:9.

The Lord’s repetitive command to Joshua to be strong and courageous is meant to draw Joshua into a greater understanding that the strength he’ll need moving forward will not be his own, but the Lords. Joshua would never be able to do all that the Lord had for him to do in his own strength. Neither can you and me. Think about it. How many times have you felt afraid before executing a task? How many times have you lost your nerve? God knows we get anxious; Scripture assures us that “He knows our anxious thoughts” –Psalm 139:23. He knows that discouragement will come our way. Yet, if we’ll but only remember that God is with us wherever we go, we can, in His strength, become empowered to be bold and walk confidently in the will of God—despite how weak and incapable we may feel.

It’s not true that God does not give us more than we can handle—He does. He allows it so that we’ll learn to rely and depend on Him even more!

After Joshua instructs the Israelites to cross the Jordan River, he then sent two spies ahead of the people into the next town to scout out its fighting force. Once these spies entered enemy territory, it wasn’t long before they needed to be hidden, and they were with the help of a prostitute named Rahab. But why would Joshua’s spies enter the home of a prostitute in the first place? Simple. No one would have thought it strange for these strangers, these men, to enter and leave the house of a prostitute at all hours of the day and night. But Jericho’s King found out about them and questioned Rahab as to their whereabouts. And as per her agreement with them, she lied to the King. “But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. Go after them quickly” –Joshua 2:4-5.

“By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient” –Hebrews 11:31. Talk about courage! Rahab shares with these Israelite spies her belief that it was indeed Yahweh who had given Israel this land. “I know the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you” –Joshua 2:8-9. I found it remarkable that this harlot from Jericho, a woman from Jesus’ lineage, was used by God to play a significant role in Israel’s story. As with Rahab and the Samaritan woman, God still demonstrates that He will use the unlikeliest of people to protect and support His children. And He’ll use the most improbable people to carry out His will. Let this be a reminder to us all that God goes before us to prepare the way, that He is preparing hearts to receive us, even now.

We can learn many valuable lessons from the first six chapters of the book of Joshua. The first is that even when we do not feel courageous or strong, we must trust God’s strength at work in us. The second is that the Lord is faithful to prepare the way, and He can use an unlikely person in a strange set of circumstances to aid and protect you just as the Lord used with Rahab with the spies. The third is that sometimes God’s instructions both sound and appear foolish; it’s in these moments we must hold tight to His Truth. Even when our minds desire to question God’s will or the instructions He gives us, faith in God means that we obey Him because He alone is faithful to do what He says He will. “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” –Isaiah 55:8-9. And finally, if we desire to see a supernatural move of God, we must be willing to exercise an unwavering, dare I say, crazy faith and obedience to His Word. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” –Hebrews 10:23.

Friends, our obedience to God is evidence of our faith in Him. Like Joshua, the more we unflinchingly follow his commands, we, too, will conquer and be victorious in our walk with the Lord—in His strength. The God of the Bible keeps His promises. So, I encourage you to stir up your faith in this miracle-working God. I encourage you to be strong and courageous no matter what you are facing today. And I pray that, like Joshua, you become unflinching in your obedience to God—come what may. And, if you desire to know more of this God, that you’ll invite Him into your heart. I pray that He reveals Himself to you. And that you’ll trust Him to show you His wonder-working power and faithfulness. “In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might” –Ephesians 6:10.

What Do You Want?

April 10, 2021 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

Although the Easter holiday is behind us, I’ve still been reflecting on its significance this past week. As believers, we set aside Easter Sunday as a day to honor and celebrate our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ’s, resurrection. Yet, for us, celebrating His resurrection moves beyond Easter Sunday; celebrating Jesus’ resurrection is really an everyday occurrence for Christians. Our salvation has led us to come alive in Him—that new life in us the result of, evidence of, His resurrection power. And, we’re made whole as we grow in our understanding of the significance of Jesus’ empty Cross and His empty tomb. The coming of the Messiah, who Scripture assures us is Jesus, changed everything. Literally. His appearing on earth, Jesus’ life and death, His resurrection means that access to God the Father is now possible once again for anyone who will genuinely believe in Jesus. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” – 2 Corinthians 5:21.

In part, Jesus’ leaving heaven and coming to earth as a God-man means that we can access the kingdom of God and help bring His kingdom into this world. We can witness the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, and the deaf able to hear because of Him because He defeated sin, death, and the grave. “I tell you this timeless truth: The person who follows me in faith, believing in me, will do these same mighty miracles that I do – even greater miracles than these because I go to be with my Father! For I will do whatever you ask me to do when you ask me in my name” – John 14:12-13.

That Truth can mean only one thing: the miracles Jesus performed while He walked among us, are still accessible to us today! Because Jesus defeated death through His resurrection, He is still very much alive today. Not even death could withstand His mighty power! Through Him, because His Spirit lives within us, we have the power to overcome sickness and disease in the body, mind, and spirit. That’s great news, my friends! Why? Because throughout the Gospels, we see many instances where Jesus healed the sick. And we are assured in Scripture that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!” –Hebrews 13:8.

And whether people were tormented in their minds by an evil spirit or dealing with a physical ailment, Jesus sets the example for what fearless ministry looks like.

There are multiple instances in Scripture where Jesus took the initiative to heal those who came to Him for miracles—regardless of their intentions. Yet there are also several instances where Jesus asks those who sought Him out if physical healing is what they genuinely wanted. Let’s dive into what the Bible tells us within those particular accounts. “As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; and their sight was restored – Matthew 9:27-30a.

We see a comparable situation in Luke: ‘As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God’ – Luke 18:35-42.

We’ll find the final passage I’d like us to look at in the Book of John: ‘…there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five porches. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. and they waited for the moving of the waters. From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease they had. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked’ – John 5:2-9.

In each of these instances, we witness Jesus’ humility firsthand. Knowing that He is God, and fully capable of healing these people, Jesus nevertheless asks them, “Do you want to get well?” Jesus doesn’t just force His power onto them.

You see, sometimes people can get so comfortable with their sickness and the attention that it brings them they honestly don’t want to be healed. Sounds crazy, right, not the norm surely, this desire is certainly not born from a sound mind, but it’s true, nevertheless. Of course, these same people may say that they want to be healed, yet in their hearts, what they often desire most, is the gaze of man. To be noticed, to receive the attention their illness affords them. Perhaps they’ve become addicted to the attention it gives them, and they fear that in getting well, they may somehow fade into society, into the background, no longer standing out. No longer being noticed. Jesus knows this, and so He asked, “Do you want to be healed?”

As a healthcare worker, I’ve witnessed and treated those who seem to love being patients.

Don’t get me wrong, most patients are genuinely sick and rightfully in need of treatment, but others do come into the hospital because they desire the attention being a patient affords them. Their gaining attention can range from wanting to stay in the hospital so badly that they’ll refuse to get off the treatments only available in the hospital to feigning symptoms that might cause them to remain in or be admitted to the hospital. I’m referring to people capable of caring for themselves, yet they like the attention and ease of someone else doing things for them. I will reiterate that this is not the majority, but I sometimes do see patients who seem like they don’t want to get well. And as I was driving home from work one day, frustrated by a similar situation, I asked the Lord, “why are people like this, Lord?!” And it’s almost as if I heard Him say, so people haven’t changed, huh?

Maybe that’s why I was intrigued by these people as I read over their accounts in Scripture? They caused me to have a new understanding of why Jesus asked the question, “Do you want to be healed?” At first glance, it seemed counterintuitive to me for Jesus to ask a sick person if they wanted to be made well. It seemed odd to me for Jesus to confer with a blind man about his truly believing that Jesus could do what He said He could do. It seemed silly to me for Jesus not to assume that these people each wanted to be well. I believe the default assumption for most people reading the above accounts would agree that it’s just common sense for people to want to be well? Yet Jesus, being God, knows differently. He understands—He sees a man’s heart—his intentions.

This led me to wonder: Just how many people did Jesus ask if they wanted to be healed, but they turned Him away—choosing their illness and the attention it afforded them instead?

I wonder if Jesus asked anyone if they wanted to be healed, and they suddenly realized that it would be easier to sit on the street and continue to beg, instead of accepting the healing Jesus was offering? To have to work then, and perhaps lose the attention their illness had afforded them? I also wonder if Jesus asked them this question to help them truly see? Not just with their physical eyes, but deeper and broader instead, with the eyes of their heart. I wonder if Jesus wanted to help give those we’ve read about not just their physical healing but a fresh perspective as well? Was Jesus attempting to lead them towards an awareness that it is He alone who heals? Or, was Jesus prompting them—encouraging them to examine their motives? To come to that place within themselves where they could honestly say that they wanted to receive all that Jesus was offering them.

There are so many rich and unspoken nuances—so many possibilities, within these passages; we will never realize their fullness this side of eternity. Yet there is this one thing Scripture makes crystal clear: sin causes spiritual blindness. “I will bring distress on mankind so that they will walk like those who are blind because they have sinned against the LORD” – Zephaniah 1:17.

I can’t help but think that Jesus was, in part, pointing those we read of in today’s Scriptures towards this one simple, yet profound Truth. That though they may receive healing in their body, if the deeper wounds in their souls weren’t healed, they would continue to walk around spiritually blind. “Jesus came to bring heaven to earth by preaching The Good News to the poor, [healing] broken hearts and [proclaiming] liberty to captives, vision to the blind, and to restore the crushed with forgiveness” – Luke 4:18.

Jesus completed what His Father bid Him do in eternity past by taking our sins upon Himself when He came and walked among us as a man. By offering His sinless Life on the Cross and rising again three days later so that we might have eternal life in Him one day and live our lives to the fullest now. His resurrection afforded those who have made Jesus Lord of their life the same power He demonstrated while He walked the earth—The power of God’s Holy Spirit alive and at work in us.

So, in closing, I’ll ask you the same question today that Jesus asked those He healed. “Do you want to be well?”

Know this, friend: complete healing is available to you today in no other than Jesus Christ. And If you don’t know this Jesus, I invite you to do so now. Just confess your sins to Him and proclaim Him as your Savior. He will lead you into a life of forgiveness, love, and healing. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” – 1 John 1:9.

Once It Becomes Personal.

March 27, 2021 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

“In the past I heard about you, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. And I am ashamed of myself. I am so sorry. As I sit in the dust and ashes, I promise to change my heart and my life.” –Job 42:5-6.

Perhaps Job’s faith in God had been handed down to him from his parents? Maybe it came to him through his listening to the oral retellings of old? Accounts of God’s goodness and mercy, of His great love for His children.

Whatever the channel used, Scripture clarifies that Job recognized there was a God. Job never denied He existed. We realize this in Job’s response to his wife when she flat out tells him to give up on this God who had just allowed one calamity after another to befall them: “His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. –Job 2:9-10.

Job surely had some level of faith. Some belief in the God of the old retellings, the God who went to great lengths to redeem, provide for, and protect His people. “I’ve also done it so you can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them—and so you will know that I am the LORD” –Exodus 10:2. Maybe Job had lived his life essentially mimicking, perhaps wholeheartedly, what he had observed his parents and family, neighbors and friends—those in his tribe doing or saying—wanting it to be true for himself, wanting to believe it all. Indeed believing, on some level, that this God is real. Remember though, that up until this point in Job’s story, he’d not encountered God personally yet. Job had only known Him as the God of someone else’s relationship. But until Job knows God personally—until anyone does, God remains impersonal, and their lives untouched by the enlivening, relational presence of His Holy Spirit at work

This is the case for so many of us before our relationship with God became personal, Jesus was just a person someone else has experienced. A head knowledge that had yet to touch our heart. A good man hanging on a cross, perhaps? A god among many other gods, maybe? Our mother or father or grandmother’s God? Or the symbol of some unreachable deity whose rules demand more than anyone can give? So then why even try to know Him for ourselves?

I know this is how it was for me.

Raised Catholic, I attended Catholic school in the 60’s—went to Mass daily with those in my class. I learned about Jesus certainly—knew He had a Father, God. I had heard of the Holy Spirit but quite literally never knew Him as anything other than the picture of the Dove I’d seen painted on the Cathederal ceiling, in paintings, or heard referenced in the priest’s homily. I had no clue He was an actual person—the Third Person of the Godhead. Like Job and so many others today, I had undoubtedly heard about God—had some cursory head knowledge of Him, but I did not know Jesus—personally, that is. I had never encountered God face-to-face, so to speak.

But one day, in the blink of an eye, right there in the Catholic Church, all of that changed!

No longer was God someone that lived outside of me in paintings, nor was He a man who hung on a cross over my bed; Jesus Christ was now alive in me—His Spirit at work in me. One minute I was dead in my sin, the next, alive in Christ—just like Job. “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” –Ephesians 2:4-5. And, as with Job, I too felt the weight of my many past sins. How I, too, had questioned God at every turn. Yet, by God’s grace and mercy, the weight of my sins drove me to God, towards true repentance. And in that scared moment of His visitation—I unknowingly followed Job’s example and, as the song says, was gracefully broken.

I’ve since learned this one thing over these many years of walking with the Lord:

God does not break us to harm us; instead, He breaks us that He might re-fashion us, working out of us—pruning away those unfruitful habits—those sins that repeatedly trip us up and stunt our growth, muddying His plan for our lives. Sins like pride, fornication, adultery, addictions, stealing, stubbornness, rebellion, and lying, just to name a few.

I know this first-hand because not only does God’s Word make this plain, but, by God’s grace, Jesus enabled me to turn away from the sins that had had a death-grip on me for so much of my life. By His grace alone, I was able to leave them behind me, running after God with all I had in me instead. And I’m still running towards Him today, now, more than ever! Yet, I have miles and miles to go in my learning more and more about this God I love. This man that came and changed everything—in an instant, and counting. See, that’s what happens when He comes; He makes all things new—not usually overnight—but most certainly over time. And, after having met the Living God personally, after having experienced His Love, mercy, and grace, I began to understand the breadth of His forgiveness. In my finite, weak-as-water way, I caught some dim glimpse of what it cost Him to save me, and that revelation drove me so far into God that now, all I want in this life, for the rest of my life, is more of Jesus. Catching a genuine glimpse of your sins against the unblemished backdrop of God’s Purity and Holiness will cause you to cry out in repentance, in humility.

We witness this piercing truth in today’s Scripture verse. Undeniably, this was the case with Job, listen: “In the past I heard about you, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. And I am ashamed of myself. I am so sorry. As I sit in the dust and ashes, I promise to change my heart and my life.” –Job 42:5-6. The Prophet Isaiah also understood this Truth, listen: “I was frightened and said, “Oh, no! I will be destroyed. I am not pure enough to speak to God, and I live among people who are not pure enough to speak to him. But I have seen the King, the Lord All-Powerful” –Isaiah 6:5. The Apostle Peter understood it as well—me too. Each of us touched by God, transformed in an instant by the power of His Holy Spirit coming and taking up residence within us, making all things new, understood, more believed, that we were sinners who’d been brought into contact with a Holy God. “When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man” –Luke 5:8.

The Pure Light of God’s presence unmasks every lie we’ve ever told ourselves about who we are—and who He is, exposing then the naked Truth, we are sinners in need of a Savior.

When we come face-to-face with the Living God, we face the depths of our depravity and our propensity for sin and sinning also. We become a witness to our self-justification, denial, pride, and those inflated opinions we hold of ourselves.And in this sacred moment, we must choose: to repent of these and accept Jesus into our hearts and lives, or to shut Him out—keeping Him then out there somewhere as the God of someone else’s relationship. And it is smack-dab in the instant of just such an awakening that we witness Job acknowledging God as His Lord and Savior in today’s Scripture verse.

My prayer in this season of hope and miracles is this: If you know of God, yet have not encountered Him personally, then right now, in these days leading up to Easter, to His death and Resurrection, His ultimate display of love—you’ll follow Job’s lead and say yes to having a relationship with Him, Move Him from being the God of someone else’s relationship, to being the God of your own.

The Heart Of Judas.

March 20, 2021 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Simple Truth.

March 13, 2021 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth” –Revelation 3:15-16.

The days of lukewarm Christianity are quickly coming to an end. For some time now, pockets within the western Church have become image-driven; their performance, the standard of excellence they strive to meet—the smoke, lights, and the number of people walking through the doors week after week, their measure. The Gospel of Jesus Christ seemingly no longer reigning supreme; instead, it has been asked to take a seat right beside the world’s point of view—that ideology found within the hearts of unregenerate man.

Once driven primarily by Biblical principles, the western Church has dimmed the lights on what should be the ever-illuminating Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, making way instead for the counterfeit freedom that comes, supposedly, by following our feelings. It has forgotten what the word of God warns concerning those feelings: “The heart is deceitful above all things” –Jeremiah 17:9. It has instead taken man’s words as gospel in relinquishing God’s Word as its final authority. Somehow, the progressive thinker has taken the child-like simplicity of the Gospel message and contorted it into some complex ideology of their creation. And by their own doing, they’ve made communion with their Maker so inaccessible that the mere thought of knowing Him has become as far-fetched for them as some fairytale.

Yet the Truth is, while it most certainly is not always easy, following God is simple.

In Proverbs, the book of wisdom, the writer gives us a valuable key to opening our understanding of God. It gives us clear instructions on how to know God, yet this simple principle has been lost in the name of enlightenment. “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:2-5.

If you’re anything like me, you know what it’s like to have a loud mind. While coming up with ideas is easy, follow-through proves to be a more challenging feat. Typically, my carrying out an idea requires the know-how that isn’t always inherent in me. For example, if I want to do a house project, I will be more successful if I watch videos or get around someone knowledgeable in the subject. While on the flip side, I tend to give up rather quickly when tackling projects on my own.

Similarly, our desire to know more of God, about Him, His ways, and thoughts, must be cultivated. It’s great to want to know God, but if we’re not putting ourselves in an atmosphere conducive to finding Him, getting to know Him, we may never get there. God draws near to those who seek Him. So, seeking Him through reading His word, spending time with Him in prayer, asking Him for understanding, fellowshipping with other believers, and reading Christian books are just the beginning of our developing our personal relationship with Him. In our search for God, we quickly learn that there is no end to discovering His vast beauty. As we pick up the Bible and find His voice within its pages, He becomes the compass that continually points us towards His Truth.

Let me ask you this: what guides you? Whose voice are you giving ear to? Whose words do you accept as Truth? To what are you applying your heart?

I guarantee that if you fill your mind with the world’s ideologies over the Truth found in God’s Word, having a relationship with Him may end up feeling impossible and become far more complicated than it was ever meant to be. The promise in Proverbs 2 is that you will find the knowledge of God through storing His word in your heart. You will find the knowledge of God when you turn your ear to (in other words: soften your heart towards) Seeking after Godly wisdom, rather than pridefully rejecting it. You will understand the fear of God when you cry out to Him (or pray) for understanding. The simple Truth is this: if you seek Him, you will find Him. God promises this: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” -Jeremiah 29:13.

God wants your heart, to have a relationship with you—that’s the simplicity of the Gospel message. Not what some western Churches have turned it into, the smoke, lights, and numbers, the celebrity preachers. Not some cleverly-crafted theology that has nothing to do with Him—a theology filled with thoughts and notions that are so complex and far removed from God’s heart that one would need a Ph.D. to follow along! God never said, “you might find me when you try to seek me.” No. The promise is that when you earnestly seek Him, you will find Him. Our pure longing for more of God becomes often corrupted by our striving—by what we’ve turned God into—some false idea that “more is required of us.” When the Truth is, Jesus has already done what we never could! “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18

From the outside, Christianity, following Jesus, can look complicated. It may seem like it requires so much effort on your part. It may seem as though the standards set in the Bible are unattainable to you. Yet here’s the part that’s only realized as you surrender to God—as you fill your mind with the things of God and apply your heart to understanding His commands: your natural response becomes obedience. Standards you once thought impossible, become natural. And, the more you get to know God, the more you realize that He is your everything. “[Jesus is] the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” –Revelation 22:13. God is the giver of joy, the giver of peace, the giver of hope, and the giver of Life itself. The simple Truth is this: as we spend time getting to know God through His word, True-Life opens within us, and the secrets of His kingdom begin to take root in our hearts.

Our place in creation becoming clear as His presence becomes our home.

You see, God knew that salvation had to be simple. His desire is for us to be with Him both now and for all eternity, hence Jesus’ sacrifice—His Life, death, and resurrection. He knew that outside of His power at work in us, if we had to jump through hoops on our own to get to know Him, chances are we’d be damned to a life of constant striving and insecurity—never knowing, with absolute certainty, if we were indeed His. So, in His mercy and lovingkindness, God made it so that the Cross of Christ is our security, His promise to us, that can never be revoked. “God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek” –Hebrews 6:18-20, Message Bible.

If you haven’t already done so, I invite you to search for God with your whole heart. Pick up a Bible and ask Him to make Himself known to you as you humbly seek His Truth. “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. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” –Matthew 7:7-11.

Category: Teachings From The Word… (Page 11 of 16)

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