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

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Coming Clean…

October 25, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.” –Psalm 139:7-8.

This isn’t my original message. While searching for the page in my devotional where the inspiration for my original message came from, the above verses caught my eye, and the Holy Spirit began speaking. He wants to use what He has chosen to set us free, if we’re willing to come clean with Him. To stop hiding our sins. Stop lying to Him, playing the blame game, and fess up!

The first 18 verses of Psalm 139 leave no doubt about how intimately God knows each of us. Verses like: “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.” Or “you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”

Long before our earthly parents had a clue as to who we’d become, God knew.

He knew the day you’d come into the world, and God knows the day you’ll depart: “all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

God knows how you think. “You perceive my thoughts from afar.” 

And He knows what you’ll say—before you do. “Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.”

So what makes any of us think we can hide anything from the God who knows us far better than our earthly parents? Better even than we know ourselves. And yet, that’s what we try to do. Hide. Cover up.

As if!

We think God doesn’t know what we’re hiding, yet His Word makes it clear as water that long before it ever happened, God knew we’d try to hide it from Him!

This tendency to try to hide things from Jesus isn’t new, beloved.

Our impulse to hide from an Omniscient (All-Knowing) God was inherited from our original parents, Adam and Eve, after they ate what God told them would kill them—ending their face-to-face communion with Jesus and ushering in the physical death of the body. “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.” –Isiah 59:2. Created in the image of God and brought into a perfect world, these two got to commune with Him, face-to-face, physically. “And they heard the sound the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” –Genesis 3:8.

Some scholars believe it was Jesus, Christ’s pre-incarnate appearance to men, whom Adam and Eve saw in the Garden, not God the Father.

They came to this conclusion by comparing numerous verses of Scripture, such as John 6:46: “Not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father.”  And Exodus 33:20, where, while speaking to Moses, God the Father said: “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” These, coupled with numerous other Scriptures and the fact that Jesus is referred to as the Father’s physical representative on earth, all point to Jesus being the One Adam and Eve walked with in the Garden. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being”. –Hebrews 1:3.

Now, Adam and Eve may have been the first to see Jesus face-to-face, but they weren’t the last. So did Father Abraham, Jacob & Moses, and others; each experienced a pre-incarnate visitation from Jesus. Read about these for yourself. (Genesis 18; 32:30 & Exodus 24).

Based on the certitude of Hebrews 1:3, and a variety of Scriptures, we know and believe Jesus, being fully God yet fully man, did walk this earth in physical form, and was seen by His disciples and many witnesses both before and after His Resurrection: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” –John 1:1

The Apostle Paul, referencing Jesus’ resurrection, tells us this: 1 Corinthians 15:6: “After that, Jesus was seen by more than five hundred of the believers at the same time. Most of them are still living today, but some have died.”

Okay. Got it! But wait. Isn’t Jesus God?

Correct!

How then could Jesus appear to both Adam and Eve, His disciples, and a multitude of others, and they all not drop dead before Him, “if no man can see God and live” – Exodus 33:20?

This answer leads us to our final theological term of the day, Kenosis. Defined as “emptying,” the giving up of divine glory by the eternal Son of God when he became incarnate. And what better way than Scripture to answer “how” anyone could stand before Jesus and not be consumed: “Who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.r” Philippians 2:6-7.

So, now that we’ve tried to wrap our heads around God, unintelligible, so unsearchable as to be Triune in nature, and yet One, a mystery so great that not even the likes of Solomon could fully understand Him. So Mighty, He spoke, and a whole universe, with everything from unplumed galaxies to amoebas, appeared. How then can we think, after reading about God in Psalm 139 and every other Scripture offered up today, that we might conceivably hide anything from this Jesus, who, not even the darkest of nights can conceal anything from: “If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day for darkness is as light to you.” –Psalm 139:11-12

Yet, though Mighty, holding the power of Life and death in His hand, God is full of tender mercy, long-suffering, and Love. “The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” –2 Peter 3:9

 We need only go back to Genesis, to the Garden, to catch our first glimpse of this Truth.

There, we’ll read about the innocent blood of animals God shed to cover the sins of His guilty children, Adam and Eve, and, by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, recognize His act for what it truly was: the foreshadowing of the innocent Blood Jesus, having been born in the flesh, would one day shed for the sins of every soul who’ll cry out to Him for forgiveness. “God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.” –Romans 3:25.

“And He [that same Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins [the atoning sacrifice that holds back the wrath of God that would otherwise be directed at us because of our sinful nature—our worldliness, our lifestyle]; and not for ours alone, but also for (the sins of all believers throughout) the whole world.”–1 John 2:2.

Don’t miss those last few Life-giving Words, friends: “but also for [the sins of all believers throughout] the whole world.” To be forgiven of the sins Jesus foreknew you’d commit, Scripture says this: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10.

So, have you come clean with God?

If not, what are you waiting for?

Have you declared, believed, and professed to the One from whom not one thing you do, say, or think is hidden? “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” –Psalm 139:5-6.

Season Of Salvation.

October 18, 2025 /

Matthew Botelho

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” –Ecclesiastes 3:1

One thing I love about living in New England is the change of seasons. For me, there is no other area in the United States to experience these changes, quite like New England. A place where you can drink in the picture-perfect beauty God has prepared for all of us to enjoy. If you ever have a chance to visit here, I highly recommend it! Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter, God has truly blessed us with such a beautiful variety of seasons. God’s creation is an extraordinary gift we should never take for granted. “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.” –Psalm 91:1-4.

All of life is a glorious gift from God. “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,” –2 Peter 1:3

Each season brings both something new to learn and overcome.

We, the believers in Jesus, are all in different seasons of our faith walk. Whether you are a new believer or have been walking with our Lord Jesus for many years, if you are walking in obedience to Him, you are in the place God wants you. King Solomon brings this to light in the book Ecclesiastes.

In Ecclesiastes 3, Solomon writes that there is a season for all things in life.

So for this teaching, I will focus on the first three verses of chapter 3 in Ecclesiastes, as they address not only the natural aspects of our lives but also the spiritual. For the believer in Christ, it begins with taking that first step of following Jesus—death to the old man and a spiritual rebirth to the new. “A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal” —Ecclesiastes 3:2-3.

In the natural order of life, there is birth and death.

We are born knowing nothing, incapable of caring for ourselves. Without the care, love, and support of our parents, we would have died. We are born sinful and into a sinful world, we live by the desires of our flesh because, apart from a born-again life in the Spirit, without Jesus alive in us, there is only death—eternal separation from the Father. And we will remain spiritually dead until the day when your sinful ways bring us to the end of ourselves, that place of surrender, where we turn to no one but God. Spiritually speaking, we are quite literally the walking dead. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” –Romans 6:23.

If God is your Father, then you’ve had that Lifegiving encounter with Jesus that changed your forever. But if God is not your Father, then clearly you are not following Jesus. However, all that can change in an instant if you really want it to. How? Call out to Jesus. Ask Him into your heart and life. Starting now, you can begin to follow Jesus by faith. You may know little about Jesus or about a life of faith, but the one thing you do know is that you want to have a life-changing encounter with Him. That you’re ready and willing, just like His disciples were, to drop everything to follow Him, and said, “Yes, I’ll follow You, Jesus.”

Jesus will set you free from your sin by forgiving you when you receive Him into your heart.

You are now born again in the Spirit, saved from the deadly consequences of your sin nature. “Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.'” –John 3:6-7. According to God’s Word, being reborn happens: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10.

Eternal life with Jesus becomes ours the moment Jesus becomes our Lord and Savior.

Then, by the power of His Spirit at work in you, helping you to do what you cannot do by yourself, Jesus enables you to put to death your sin nature, so that you might live according to His Spirit at work in you. Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life.” –John 6:63

We crucify our flesh when we make that decision to follow Jesus. “A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted” –Ecclesiastes 3:2

Just as there is a process involved in growing a garden, there is also a process of growing in the Spirit.

There is the spiritual tilling of the soil of our heart, then the seed of God’s Word being sown into it. God is the tiller of the soil, your heart, which consists of your mind, will, and emotions. The seed is the Word of God, planted in your heart. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and Spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” –Hebrews 4:12.

In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us about this in the parable of the Sower. When the seed, God’s Word, is planted in good ground, that is, your heart hungry and ready to receive it, it grows and begins to produce good fruit. Jesus said, “But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” –John 4:8

The seed that is planted in your heart is God’s Word, His promises, and it’s incorruptible.

This means that when you are genuinely saved, your salvation is eternally sealed in Christ Jesus. “Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.” –1 Peter 1:23-25

And what is produced from a life truly transformed by God’s Spirit? The fruit of His Spirit. And what does this fruit look like? Scripture says this is how you’ll recognize it: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” –Galatians 5:22.

This fruit is often produced during moments of testing—of growth.

But once produced, it is evidence of the seed of salvation. Jesus told His disciples, and tells you, you’ve been chosen to yield this same fruit. You did not choose Me but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” –John 15:16

Lastly, Ecclesiastes 3:3 says there is “A time to kill, And a time to heal.”

Now, I’m not talking about the murderous act of taking another life. Spiritually speaking, I’m talking about crucifying our fleshly desires. We live in a fleshly body, sure, but that does not mean we must give in to its desires. All that hate, wrath, jealousy, lust, drunkenness, whatever has held you captive, when you are born again, that old way of thinking and acting must and will be put to death. How? Only by the power of God’s Holy Spirit at work in you, that’s how. Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” –John 15:4-5

 It’s in our abiding in, staying close to Christ, that we find our healing and enter into Jesus’ perfect love. And Jesus’ love for us is unmatched. “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.” –1 John 4:17-18

To you, my brothers and sisters reading this today, I pray, whatever season you might find yourself in, the Light of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you to guide you through.

For those who want to know Jesus personally, to be guided by Him, I invite you today to ask Him into your heart. Believe He is the Son of God, that Jesus is God, and that He paid the price required of Him to cleanse you of all your sins. Call on Jesus today, as your Lord and Savior. “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” –Romans 10:13

Amen.

To My Battle Weary Bride…

October 11, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” –Psalm 56:8

“While it looks like things are out of control, behind the scenes, there is a God who has not surrendered authority.” –A. W. Towzer

Beloved of Jesus, despite the dark fractalness, the ever-increasing unruliness erupting around the world, though you’re bombarded daily by visual reminders of man’s bottom-of-the-barrel depravity, of the most monstrous, pure evil that, once seen, can never be unseen showing up on your television screens, or shamelessly spreading itself out across your news feeds, causing you perhaps, on your lowest of days, to feel as though Jesus has forgotten us; He has not!

The Lord has sent me today to remind you, His battle-weary Bride, that, despite however it may feel, Jesus is not far off; He is near. I’ve been sent to remind you, Jesus will never forget His promises to you: “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” –Deuteronomy 31:8.

You serve, or can serve, the One True God who is sternally near to His people, Immanuel, God with us.

This Jesus, who, having stepped out of time, wrapped Himself in human flesh to be born of a virgin, that He might know your pain, needs, joys, and sorrows, intimately, experientially, as a man alone knows, ginóskō, his wife. “For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin.” –Hebrews 4:15.

 In Greek, Ginóskō is defined as the bond between close friends, God and his followers, or the sexual union between a husband and wife.

God gave Moses a promise to encourage and strengthen His people, Israel, and His same promise to Israel, and through them, to you, remains as fresh, sure, and steadfast today as it did the moment it left His mouth. What is this promise? “The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” –Deuteronomy 31:8

How can you know that what I’m telling you is true?

Simple. I didn’t say it. Jesus did. “Sky and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” –Matthew 24:35. The promise given to Moses to speak over God’s people, Israel, roughly 3.5 thousand years ago, carries the same weight today; God’s constant Presence and unfailing love remain unchanging. How? “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken and will He not make it good and fulfill it?” –Numbers 23:19.

The same Jesus who knows the very number of hairs on your head is the same Jesus who has caught every tear you’ve shed in His bottle. “But [even] the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be struck with fear or seized with alarm…” –Luke 12:7.

He’s also the same Jesus who still knows when a sparrow falls to the ground dead. “Are not two little sparrows sold for a copper coin? And yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.” –Matthew 10:29. Don’t miss the power of these closing, faith-testing, I trust You “even if” Words, beloved. “And yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.”  

On this sentence hinges not only your sure, faithful footing for today, but also the sure foundation of hope and faith you’ll need to navigate everything happening around you, in the lives of others, and in the world at large in the days to come. You must, must, white-knuckle cling to the knowledge that God is Sovereign, contrary to what you may see happen, think, or feel. Period. Sure that nothing ever has or will happen in God’s world without His knowledge, outside of His “But God” way of bringing good from our pain and even the evil intentions of the enemy of our souls.

Yes, beloved, Jesus will bring good even from the death and destruction you see and hear of happening around the world today, viloent acts that shake you to your core, atrocities that cause even the most stalwart of believers to pause and pray for the strength to keep pressing forward despite what they’ve just witnessed, seen or read about. Choosing not to pretend it isn’t happening, but choosing instead to fix their eyes on Jesus and scream out if they must, “Jesus, I don’t understand any of this, but I trust you!”,

God has not forgotten you, beloved.

Jesus sees everything that’s happening to you and around you. And despite your inability to see it right now, He is making ALL things work together for your good.

Long before you were born, twelve men, much like yourself, willingly laid down their lives because they chose to hold fast, bulldog-like, to this one Truth. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.” –1 John 1 1-4.

Their relationships with Jesus were so solid, so unshakable, that, even when they faced horrific, torturous forms of death, they did not deny Him. According to His Word, at the very hour of their earthly death, Jesus was somehow with them, steadying them, preparing them some way, to close their eyes to this world, only to open them again to the world He’d promised them would come. “For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death”. –Psalm 48:14.

If Jesus promises to guide us even unto death, and He does, how can you doubt that He’s not with you now?

Yes, it’s dark and getting darker, beloved, but remember, Jesus told you this would happen. So don’t panic, and don’t let fear or today’s headlines send you running to anyone other than Jesus.

Jesus is with you—and He’ll never leave you.

In closing, the Apostle Peter knew, like himself, you would have moments of doubt and questioning when fiery trials tested your faith. And so, to encourage you to hold fast to your faith and continue pressing on regardless, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, He wrote these Words to you, me, and all those who read them and will believe in Jesus, just how real and present He truly is—still.

“Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News? And also, “If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?” So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.” –1 Peter 4:12-19. Emphasis mine.

Amen.

Go!

October 4, 2025 /

Matthew Botelho

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” –Matthew 28:18-20

One of my favorite books is J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic, The Hobbit, that famous prequel to The Lord of the Rings. My dad introduced it to me when I was a freshman in high school. It was such a fantastic story. The fact that I had an in-school suspension that day, though certainly not my finest hour, did allow me to finish half of the book. That day, I came across a quote from Gandalf. He tells Bilbo Baggins, “The world isn’t in your books or maps, it’s out there.”

As a young man, reading that quote resonated with me because I had fears and doubts that held me back from pursuing specific dreams. I would do all this research and planning, but the end result was that nothing ever came from it. I was too afraid to go forward.

My friends, if you are in Christ Jesus, then, like me, you no longer have to let fear stop you from moving forward in what God is calling you to do, in fulfilling the dreams He has given you. God told Joshua three times to be strong and courageous as he led the nation of Israel into the promised land. “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses, My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.” –Joshua 1:6-7

“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

If God says it once, it’s essential. If He says it more than once, it’s crucial; God wants to ensure that you truly get it. The question becomes, like Joshua, are you going to take God at His Word and obey what He’s telling you to do?

Concerning obedience, Jesus shares a parable of two sons with the chief priests and elders of the temple: “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” –Matthew 21:28-30

Have you ever been at the point where God asked you to move in faith and you felt afraid or just didn’t want to do it?

Maybe it was something as simple as joining a specific ministry in church or even talking with your neighbor about Jesus. Perhaps you just felt afraid that you wouldn’t do it right. I have too. Yet it’s in those moments when the Holy Spirit reminds me of God’s Word, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind.” –2 Timothy 1:7

The Holy Spirit will give you the peace and power to declare the Truth in love to those you may feel fearful to share God’s Word with. And He’ll also give you the strength to move when everything in you is saying “don’t go,” even though you know going is the right thing to do.

On the daily, I have to remind not just myself but my sons that life is not lived in front of a computer screen or on a phone. But that it ought to be spent in prayer, worship, and studying the Word of God, and in fellowship with our family and other believers. I am accountable for raising the next generation of Godly men. If I don’t do it, someone else will. They’ll step in and fill the void I’m neglecting by pouring false, worldly ideals into my sons. “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” –Ephesians 6:4

Life is meant to be lived and experienced. Whether in joy or sadness, peace or doubt, Jesus said that He is with us always. The apostle Paul tells the Philippian church, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching toward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”- Philippines 3:13-14

We have been commanded to “Go”.

There is so much more to our walk with Jesus than simply reading His word. We must apply it, living it out in every part of our lives. “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in the mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.” –James 1:22-24

We are to put God’s teachings into action. Not live in fear or sit around on our hands and wait for Jesus’ return. There is work that needs to be done, lives to be spoken into, and prayers that need to be prayed.

Jesus’ final Words in Matthew’s Gospel are a call to arms; they are Jesus telling His disciples to Go!

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age”

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if you have not shared your faith in Jesus with someone because fear has been holding you back, perhaps it is time for you to take to heart the same Words Jesus spoke to encourage Joshua. “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

 People are living in this dark world who need to know who the Light of the world is. Jesus declared to the people, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” –John 8:12

Are you that person, friend? Are you afraid to turn to Jesus? Is fear of what you think you might have to give up to have Jesus in your life keeping you away from Him? If so, this is your sign to step out in faith instead of living in fear and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior today. “He appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” –Hebrews 4:7.

Amen.

Are You One Of “These” People?

September 27, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

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

First things first. Who are these people?

And are they among us still?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But back to Jesus.

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

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

Yes.

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

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

So, are you one of these people?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Canceling Unbelief.

September 20, 2025 /

Matthew Botelho

“Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nail, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” –John 20:24-25

After Jesus’ resurrection, He spent time with His disciples. He reminded them that all things spoken of Him by the Prophets and about His death had to be fulfilled. “Then He said to them, This is what I told you while I was still with you: everything which is written concerning Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” –Luke 24:44.

All of Jesus’s disciples, except one, Thomas, believed Jesus had been resurrected. Thomas was the only disciple who seemed to struggle to believe someone could come back from death.

Jesus’ disciples had witnessed an unthinkable event: Jesus, their Messiah, their friend, had been betrayed and arrested. Some ran off into the darkness, while others stayed. The Bible doesn’t name names; we know only this: “they all forsook Him and fled.” Fear has a way of making us run, forgetting we have faith on our side. Scripture makes indirect mention of one disciple who actually stood with Jesus and witnessed Him be crucified, John, the Apostle. W“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.” –John 19:26-27.

We know from other Gospel accounts that John referred to himself as “the disciple whom he loved (Jn. 13:23; 19:26; 20:2).

During their last meal with His disciples, Jesus quoted the prophet Zechariah, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: “I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.” –Matthew 26:31

Fear was the driving force that separated them. When we go through hardships, we can forget “faith first” and allow doubt to take first place.

Thomas is a realist. He sees things for what they are, but also has faith in Jesus. It’s not easy for someone like Thomas to believe Jesus came back after knowing Jesus had been crucified. His realistic mind needed to catch up with his faith. He was dealing with double-mindedness, and it was taking a toll on him. In the book of James, the author writes, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.” –James 1:6-8

I can relate to Thomas, though. I’ve been there.

In my humanity, when certain circumstances came up, I admit, I doubted. I have had those double-minded moments thinking, “How can I make this situation work,” when the fact of the matter is, I needed to trust God, let go, and hand it over to Him. Instead, I acted as though God would not be able to help me. I relied too much on what I was thinking and left little room for God to move. King Solomon writes, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” –Proverbs 3:5-6

When something unexpected happens in our faith walk, it can cause us to question or doubt. To ask ourselves, “Does God really love me?” or “What if I do step out in faith and I fail. Will God forgive me for that?” The answer to both, by the way, is a big fat yes!

We can be our own worst enemies. We need to be reminded that the Spirit of God that dwells in us is greater than our circumstances. “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” –1 John 4:4.

God tells the prophet Jeremiah, “For I know the thoughts that I think of you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.” –Jeremiah 29:11 God thinks this about you. His plan for those who believe in Him is to have life in abundance. Not to stay living in fear or doubt. We’re to have a mindset of victory, believing our battles are truly overcome in Christ Jesus. Remember what Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” –John 16:33.

Will God ever leave us in this place of doubt or fear? Never!

Let’s read what happened next, after some of Jesus’ disciples first experienced witnessing Him alive, again: “And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, “Peace to you!” –John 20:26

Every issue you were facing, every doubt, was silenced because Jesus entered the room. “Then He says to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and My God!” –John 20:27-28.

Jesus shows up in ways no one expected.

Isn’t that the nature of God, though? To show up suddenly? When you least expect it, He suddenly appears and says, “Peace to you.”

Jesus came to put Thomas’ doubt to an end.

He shows Thomas the nail prints in His hands and the wound in His side from the spear. It really is Jesus!

Every doubt melts away. Peace takes its place when Jesus shows Thomas His wounds. The only words Thomas can say are, “My Lord and My God!”

It’s like nothing could come between them at this moment. Thomas’s faith has been rekindled and galvanized. He now knows who Jesus truly is; He is God, in the flesh, risen and alive. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” –John 1:1-2.

Our circumstances, fears, and doubts do not get to dictate their own outcomes. The enemy will always think he has the final say. But didn’t Jesus say that “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” –Matthew 28:18.

So, if we abide in Jesus, doesn’t that mean that through Jesus’ power and position, we have authority over whatever situations fear and doubt are trying to make themselves lord over?

Shouldn’t the love of God at work in us give us the boldness to face those giants head-on? “Love has been perfected among us in this; that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; because as He is, so are we in this world.” –1 John 4:17

God’s love is so powerful.

Brother, know that you are not alone when you face moments of doubt. God will never leave you alone in that spot, ever! Jesus said, “I will never leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” –John 14:18. Child of God, rest assured that no matter the circumstance, Jesus is for you.

The greatest gift God ever gave us is His Son, Jesus.

All who repent of their sins, confess Jesus as Lord, are saved. “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”–Romans 10:9-10.

I invite you today to call on Jesus and ask for His forgiveness of your sins. “For the scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” –Romans 10:11

Call on Jesus in your doubt. He will always answer you.

Amen.

New, Not Renewed.

September 13, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

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

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

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

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

Absolutely!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Undeniable Faith In Uncertainty.

September 6, 2025 /

Matthew Botelho

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” –John 14:5-6

I have asked this same question of Jesus a few times myself in my walk with Him, “Alright Lord, I have done what You’ve asked of me. I don’t know where we’re going next, but I trust You.”

Does this sound familiar to anyone? You know you heard God correctly and that you did what He asked of you; now for the “what’s next” part.

The moments of uncertainty God allows to help us grow in our faith and reliance on Him.

Just as muscles in the body need daily exercise and resistance for them to get stronger, our faith needs to meet resistance to grow as well. “Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” –2 Peter 1:5-8.

“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.

We read of the disciples’ trust in Jesus throughout scripture. How they have left their homes, families, and places of employment when He called them to follow Him; everything they found safe and familiar was left behind to follow Him for three plus years.

God began directing their paths, and they all followed by faith, not knowing what tomorrow would bring.

Are you willing to do the same?

To “trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not in your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” –Proverbs 3:5-6

I love reading the New Testament scriptures and learning how Jesus called some of the disciples to follow Him.

Each of them had that one moment, that very personal, unique encounter with Jesus that changed their lives forever. And their encounter with Jesus continues to impact and change lives, still.

Jesus started His His ministry—to spread the Gospel and build His Church, with four fishermen from Galilee, Peter, Andrew, James, and James’s brother, John. When Jesus saw them, He said of them each, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” – Matthew 4:19

And you know what they did?

They left everything behind and followed Jesus.

Fishing was how they all made a living; yet when Jesus asked them to follow Him, they immediately dropped everything they knew and followed Him. Scripture doesn’t say they asked Jesus where they were going. These men had no agenda. By faith, they dropped their nets when He called them, quit what they knew, and went with Jesus. “They immediately left their nets and followed Him.” –Matthew 4:20

And then there’s Matthew.

How Jesus called Matthew is truly amazing to me. It shows me that no matter what people think of you, God will always have the final say.

Matthew was a tax collector for Rome before He encountered Jesus. During Jesus’ day, if you were a Jew and a tax collector, you were hated by your own people. Considered a sellout to their Roman oppressors. They were also hated because many tax collectors would overcharge the people and keep some of that money for themselves, lining their own pockets with money that had been hard earned by their Jewish brothers. But Jesus saw something more than what others saw in Matthew’s heart. “As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.” –Matthew 9:9

 Jesus knew Matthew’s occupation, sure, but He saw his heart—something valuable in him.

Your career will never outweigh the purpose God has for you.

Your job doesn’t define you.

Your true identity is revealed to you by Jesus once you have a genuine encounter with Him. Then, He will call you saying, “Follow Me, ” wherever He may lead you.

When I read how Jesus called Nathanael, I chuckled.

Nathaneal meets Jesus and is blown away by what Jesus says to him. They have never met, yet somehow Jesus knows all about Nathanael. “Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards Him, and said of him, ‘Behold, and Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” –John 1:47

Jesus sees Nathaneal and knows how much he loves God.

There is no lie or deceit in him. That sounds to me like Nathanael keeps the Word of God close to his heart and has spent his life putting it into practice. Now, Nathanael gets to speak and serve Jesus, the very Word made flesh. “Nathanael said to Him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” –John 1:48

When you least expect Him to, God sees you.

 When you are at your happiest or at your lowest, God is there.

Jesus is present during times of uncertainty and He is also present when you’re feeling confident.

Scripture does not say why Nathanael was sitting under a fig tree. It simply states that God saw him there. How truly comforting this is for you and me. “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” –Romans 8:38-39

Nathanael knew God. Had been searching for Him. Yearning to see Him.  Nathanael didn’t need to see Jesus do miracles or teach the multitudes. What Jesus spoke to him was enough for him. So, when Jesus asked Nathanael to follow, Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree’, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” –John 1:50

I wonder if Jesus smiled when Nathanael answered Him? Why? Because in that one moment,  by Jesus just speaking to him, Nathanael believed Jesus was the Son of God. May we, the believers in Christ Jesus,  witness the “greater things” Jesus talked about with Nathanael.

Who is Jesus to you?

Jesus asked this same question of His disciples, and Simon Peter responded with this:

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” –Matthew 16:15-16

What a powerful declaration of faith.

Jesus is the Christ!

He is Lord!

Every Blood-bought believer will say, “Jesus is my Lord and Savior.” Yes, Jesus is your Savior, and yes, your sins have been washed away by Jesus’ Blood shed for you. And yes, Jesus gave His life for you so that you can live eternal life with the Father.

But is He your Lord and master? Or is He just a man who has good moral teachings? Is He one way to get to heaven? Or is Jesus your Lord and Savior? Does His Holy Spirit live in your heart, guiding you, calling you, as He did His disciples? Is Jesus Lord of your family? Your finances, job, and your decisions?

Do you obey His Word, or is your guide other people’s opinions?

Are you trying to please man or God? Does God have your full attention?

The apostle Paul writes to the church in Galatia, “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? For if I still please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” –Galatians 1:10

We don’t have all the answers. But because we have God’s Word, we do know this: All Jesus ever asked of His disciples was to “follow and obey Him.”

It’s no different for us; just follow Jesus, even if you don’t understand where He’s leading you yet, just be obedient and follow Him. It will all be made clear. As His follower, I can promise you that. “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” –Galatians 6:9.

My prayer to my brothers and sisters is that, whatever the circumstances, God has the final say in your life. Be rooted in your faith and know that whenever storms come, Jesus has you. Amen. “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will like him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” –Matthew 7:24-25

And for you, friend: Such undeniable faith can be yours. How? It starts with Jesus. He made it so simple for us to have a genuine relationship with Him that even a child can do it. Invite Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior. He promises He will come to anyone who sincerely invites Him into their life—no matter their past. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” –John 5:24

Help!

September 2, 2025 /

Elda Othello-Wrightington

HELP!

A four-letter word that is often used in tough moments, in times of testing, and moments of despair. It’s a word you use when you are at the end of yourself and you just don’t know what else to do or say. “Help!” can be an emotional cry for assistance or aid in almost any life circumstance.

Help, however, is often overlooked as one of the best kinds of prayers one can ever pray.

This has been a tough season for many people for varied reasons. Many things are happening in our personal lives, not to mention within our communities, cities, and nations. At times, I find myself at a loss for words, even when it comes to prayer.

Have you ever found yourself in that place?

You’re not even sure what to pray?

One day recently, I started praying, but I didn’t know where to begin. There were so many things I could pray for, and I had been praying for them. Their faces and situations flashed before my eyes, but all I could muster up to say was “Help.” Then, suddenly, this Scripture came to mind: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” –Psalm 121:1

In that instant, I realized that one Word. HELP is all over Scripture. Many prayed for it, both in the Old and New Testaments. It was this realization that caused me to cry out to God for help, because the straightforward word ‘help,’ cried out in faith, is a prayer you and I can pray at any time.

I began searching the Scriptures and found other “help” passages, such as Psalm 79:9, “Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.”

And Hebrews 4:16 says this about God’s desire to help His children, “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.” He wants us to come to him for help and more importantly to cry for help.” And do you know what? As I continued to read these passages on help, the revelation I received was that God responds, He can and wants to help us.

Listen to what God says in Isaiah 41:13: “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

I was blown away!

God responds to our cry.                                                                                          

Just a few verses before, in verse 10, Jesus says to us, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Jesus knows how hard life can be and that we will, at some point, reach a place where we will need to cry out to Him for help. And He promises to respond by helping us and strengthening us, and, more importantly, to walk alongside us in those dark or difficult moments.

Oftentimes, it’s we who forget God wants to respond and that He has responded to our cry for help in times past.

 It was then that the Holy Spirit prompted me to remember that God is our Helper. Scripture is clear on that: “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” –Psalm 124:8.

We sometimes forget that.

 I know I can get lost in life’s “emergencies”, and sometimes forget “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” –Psalm 46:1. But when that happens, Scripture reassures me that, “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.” –Psalm 54:4

Oh, what comfort it is to remember that God is with us and helps us.

I often tell some of my clients to create a memory jar, where they write down their wins of the week on pieces of paper, and then put them in the jar. I encourage you to write down moments of God’s faithfulness throughout your week. Write down those moments when Jesus heard your cry and answered your prayers. Start a “thank You, God, jar” of your own. Fill it with all those times God heard your cry and answered you. Then, if you find yourself forgetting His faithfulness, especially during those tough seasons, go back to your jar, tip it over, and read your wins.

Be reminded of what the Lord has done!

It will not only encourage you, but remembering can surely turn into praise and worship as you remind yourself of God’s faithfulness in the past. That, too, friends, is a form of prayer and an aid in times of distress. Praise, thankfulness, and worship help soothe the heart.

But here is the best part of the revelation of the word ‘Help’: God promises to send you the Helper, the Holy Spirit. You may be reading this and have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. I encourage you to do so right now. Say this prayer with me, “Lord, I need you. I confess that I need your help. I make you the Lord of my life today. I’m sorry for my sins. Come into my heart. Help me! If you just prayed that prayer and meant it, guess what? You now have the Helper! Don’t take my word for it, take God’s! “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

Jesus promises to send us His Holy Spirit. John 14:16 says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.” Your Helper advocates for you when you are in distress and when you don’t know what to pray for. It says in Romans 8:26, “in the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

Our Helper prays for us when we don’t know what to pray for.

Our Helper lives in us and gives us power. Acts 1:8 assures us that: “And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”

The Holy Spirit also provides counsel and wisdom, helping you navigate every season. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” –John 14:26.

Friends, may I encourage you to call on God for help when you don’t know what else to pray? Do it today. He is near and ready to answer you.

Jesus wants you to remember to ask Him for His help.

He wants to walk alongside you.

May you cry help, today!

Put it In the Water…

August 23, 2025 /

MaryEllen Montville

“When she could hide him no longer, she made a papyrus basket, coated it with tar and pitch, placed the baby inside, and set it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.” –Exodus 2:3.

There comes a time in every man’s life, many times, actually, where we have to put the basket in the water. We have to let go and trust the plan of the Father. –Elizabeth Elliott.

I pray God uses the above picture to remind us of two things: first, that what God placed on Amram and Jochebed’s hearts to entrust back into His Providential care was an actual baby, their precious, infant son.

God often asks His elect to do hard things—Father Abraham, Queen Esther, and each of Jesus’ Apostles would surely attest to this Truth.

Secondly, I pray God’s Holy Spirit reminds us that Jesus does not ask us to do something He has not already given us the grace, strength, and ability to accomplish. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” –2 Peter 1:3.

But back to Amram and Jochebed.

Think of the level of faith it took for Jochebed to obey God.

Moses is the child referred to in Exodus 1:1 as a “goodly baby.” The term “goodly” or tov in Hebrew is a throwback to Genesis, where we first hear it used by God on the 6th day of Creation to describe the perfection, functionality, and completeness of all of His works. “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was (Tov) very good…”

God was now asking Jochebed to take her hands off of the very “goodly child” He had given them, and to trust Him that He would protect and care for Moses. Today’s scripture assures us that Jochebed did just that. She trusted God, put Moses in the basket, and released him to the Nile’s watery embrace.

“About this time, a man and woman from the tribe of Levi got married. The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She saw that he was a special baby and kept him hidden for three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she got a basket made of papyrus reeds and waterproofed it with tar and pitch. She put the baby in the basket and laid it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile River. The baby’s sister then stood at a distance, watching to see what would happen to him.” —Exodus 2:1-4.

That “goodly” babe would grow into a man God had foreordained to help deliver His chosen people, Israel, from Pharaoh’s cruel, oppressive grip. Though Jochebed knew her baby was tov, destined even, for something great perhaps, still, circumstances dictated she had no choice other than to leave Moses’ fate in God’s hands; a fate, mind you, the Providence of God Himself had orchestrated.

What’s in your basket, child of God?

What precious promise, hope, ministry, child, partner, possession, what future dream have you been doing your best to keep hold of, beloved?

What precious thing is God asking you to entrust to His Providential care as He calls you to follow Him to the watery edge of surrender?

It’s from God, that much you know.

You’ve held it close to your heart, fed it, nurtured it for a season, and the peace of God that only He can give assures you it came from Him.

And yet, despite all of this, God’s Providence is, dare I say, bearing down on you, pressing you to release it back into His care. To trust Him, despite your knowing.

You sense His Holy Spirit pressing upon you to move in a direction so diametrically opposed to your own desire. Yet, His pull is so powerful it feels like some super magnet you cannot resist, drawing you in the utter opposite direction from where or how you thought you’d go.

Now all you can do is put your basket in the water, stand back, keep watch, and wait on God.

What will you do, beloved, when you can no longer “hide away” what God has given you? When you come face to face with having to know for certain if you genuinely believe that God will provide you with the grace to surrender all into His providential care?

An aside here for anyone who has never encountered the term “Providence” associated with God. Scripture explains God’s Providence rather simply: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” –Proverbs 16:33.

Or maybe you’d recognize God’s Providence explained this way: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” –Jeremiah 1:5.

As with Moses before him, God had predestined Jeremiah for the work and calling planned for him to do before the foundation of the world.  

So it is with you, too, beloved.

God has given you a “goodly promise,” and the peace that only He can provide a soul confirms it. And yet, if God is asking you to entrust what you “know that you know” He has given you, back into His Sovereign care, will you obey Him and put your basket in the water? Or do you want the gift God has given you more than you desire its Giver?

Each man must search his own heart; I pray that each of us follow Jochebed’s example.

I pray we’re all seeking to know and trust in the Giver far more than wanting to hold onto something we know He has given us.

Just as Jochebed could never lose Moses, regardless of God’s actions or how He might use him to accomplish His Kingdom purposes and plan, neither can you lose what God has entrusted to you.

“tov” doesn’t simply mean “good” as in God’s finished Creation, being perfect, functional, beautiful, and complete.

Tov also implies that something or someone fulfills the Divine purpose for which it was created.

With this in mind, I pray, like Amram, Jochebed, and Moses before you, that you might fulfill your true purpose in God: to trust Jesus, desiring Him and His Perfect, Providential will for your life more than anything else. Far above people, dreams, hopes, husbands, wives, children, relationships, even those heart’s desires, He’s entrusted into your care. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” –Exodus 20:3.

Put it all in the water, beloved child of God, taking Him at His Word. Believing that you cannot lose what Christ has given you—even unto your very life if you’ll but trust Jesus enough to release it back into His care. “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” –Matthew 6:33.

In Romans 10:9-10, God has made a straightforward way for you to do just that: “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses resulting in salvation.”

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