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Tag: love (Page 4 of 8)

Yirah

April 1, 2023 /

Kendra Santilli

The English word for fear can carry with it negative connotations. While many unhealthy, paralyzing fears exist, we don’t always realize that fear can often be healthy. Fear of putting your hand on a hot stove is beneficial because it protects you from getting burned. The fear of falling protects you from falling off a building or a cliff to your demise.

Fear is a crucial survival instinct which helps keep us alive.

The Bible frequently speaks of the “fear of the Lord. “When hearing this phrase, there are two ways people initially react. They may retreat to some negative mental space, afraid of the man in the sky who can strike at any moment of weakness. Then there’s the interpretation that the “fear of the Lord” is a literary way of describing reverence.

As we dive deeper into this phrase, I propose that the fear of the Lord is both/ and.

 It is both standing in awe and trembling at His greatness. It is both the desire to remain secure in His love and the hesitation to hurt the heart of God. They go hand in hand. The Hebrew word for fear in this context is Yirah.

While the English language loosely translates Yirahto mean reverence, Yirah carries far more weight to its meaning than our English word for “fear” can bear. Yirah is being overwhelmed by something that is so much greater than yourself. It is to behold something that is far beyond your understanding. This fear causes us to put the Lord first in everything because once we’ve beheld Him, He becomes the most extraordinary thing we’ve ever known. Not that God is a thing, mind you.

The fear of the Lord brings wisdom.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” — Proverbs 9:10

Do you find yourself trying to draw near to God but not understanding His Word and ways? Ask yourself this: do I fear the Lord? Our experience with our Creator starts with what the Psalmist describes as the Fear of the Lord. The covenantal language in this verse shows us the natural exchange that happens as our hearts turn toward the Father. Wisdom starts with this reverential awe of God. Wisdom’s foundation is the fear of God. If you don’t understand, keep seeking Him until you find Him; keep reading His Word until it moves you. Knowing God and actively turning away from evil leads you to understand.

He said to mankind, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom. And to turn from evil is understanding. — Job 28:28

While you cannot force yourself to “fear the Lord,” you can develop it through beholding Him.

To behold God in your everyday life, you don’t need some special event. If you’re looking for Him, God can be beheld through prayer, His beautiful works of nature, your family, and the blessings all around you. When you encounter the presence of God, Yirah comes over you as you dwell in His presence. Drawing near to God develops your ear for His voice as He whispers wisdom into your situations.

The fear of the Lord ignites awe and wonder deep within you.

The book of Job exemplifies this kind of awe and wonder. Job is the biblical account of a man who lost everything. Yet the Bible calls him a man who was blameless and upright. Job’s thoughts and affections were pointed towards the Lord in all things. Even when his friends mocked him for still trusting God after losing everything, Job maintained that the Lord is good. There is a moment in this biblical account where Job powerfully encounters God. The Lord speaks to Job while he’s experiencing this deep sorrow and reminds God reminds Job of who He is!

For four chapters, the Lord challenges Job as He lists His remarkable works, reminding Job of who He really is. Job’s response was that of awe and wonder. “I am so insignificant. How can I answer you? I place my hand over my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not reply; twice, but now I can add nothing. I had heard reports about you, but now my eyes have seen you.” — Job 40:4-5; 42:5

Job was left speechless. When we encounter the maker of the universe, our response is none other than awe and wonder, fear, and trembling. He is more than we could ever even begin to fathom in our hearts and minds.

When the fear of God comes over us, our lives are never the same.

The fear of the Lord initiates trembling.

“Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling.” — Psalms 2:11

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” — Philippians 2:12

What good is striving to be good or righteous if it’s only done in front of others? It means nothing in the sight of God if our hearts intend to look good to those around us. God desires that our hearts are pure, that we genuinely live rightly before Him, and not just want to look like we live righteously to others. When our motive is to honor God above anything else, our behaviors naturally align in our public and private lives.

Our lives begin to match the Yirah of encountering the God of the universe.

I pray you’ll encounter God in a new way this week. If you have not yet met God in a life-changing way, I invite you to ask Him into your life. Let Him make you a new creation today as you make Jesus your Lord and Saviour. I believe the fear of God will come over you as you surrender to Him, and you will begin to live in the awareness of His awe-inspiring presence.

Let’s Talk About Suffering.

February 4, 2023 /
MaryEllen Montville

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 I was not saved when that stroke occurred.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Invite.

January 21, 2023 /
Matthew Botelho

“Come to the banquet!” dropped in my spirit Sunday during corporate worship. As the worship team played, a stillness came over the congregation when the Word came forth through a dear sister, “Be filled with His Word. Be hungry for the Word!” As those words were spoken with authority, I heard the Spirit say, “Come to the banquet! The invitations have been sent!”

It is so amazing how our Lord will speak in part through one person. Then another will say the same Truth, confirmation that the same spirit is flowing through both. For we each know in part, and we prophesy in part. But God is the God of order, and we are one Body.

My dear brothers and sisters, new friends, I pray this teaching speaks to you.

God is calling you, calling us all—deeper in this season. There are settings at His banquet table not yet seen and foods not yet tasted. Heavenly delicacies of favor and blessings. For His word is rich and filling. Crave the daily bread that is placed on the altar! The invitations have been sent out. The question is, will you accept it?

As the Lord spoke this to me, He led me to Matthew 22, The Parable of The Wedding Feast. Jesus is teaching the people what the kingdom of God is like. Now, if you don’t know what a parable is, that’s ok. Neither did I at the beginning of my walk. We are all at various stages in our walk with Jesus. A parable is a simple story that illustrates a moral or spiritual lesson. The people Jesus was teaching were babes in the faith, exactly how you and I started. Yet He met them where they were.

In Matthew 22: 1-3, Jesus teaches, “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding, and they were not willing to come.”

God has arranged a marriage for His Son. The people of Israel are His chosen people. The nation is the bride, and Jesus is the Groom.

Jesus’ disciples delivered the invitations, proclaiming that the kingdom of God had come! Some accepted and received the Good News. However, other people didn’t want to accept the Truth, even though miracles were being performed before their eyes! Many that were sick and possessed by demons were being healed and delivered! How could they not see this as Truth? That Jesus is the Christ, our Savior! Jesus gives us the answer in Matthew 13:15, ‘For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.”

You are invited to this amazing, glorious wedding feast. A seat has been set for you at the table, yet you decide to remain where you are. Why friend?! What is taking such priority in your life that if the King, and I am talking about King Jesus, has personally invited you to come and sit with Him and enjoy the wedding banquet, where you will receive salvation, righteousness, peace, unspeakable joy. Why would you even think of saying no to that?! Still, God, who is rich in mercy, gives us a second chance by inviting us again.

As we read in the following few scriptures, we will see that man has not changed in the past 2,000 years.

God is calling His church back to Him. The Church is His Bride, and His Son, Jesus, is the Bride Groom. He has given humanity a second chance through repentance and salvation. Do you know that God will keep calling you until you answer and that not answering is an answer? God is calling you right now! Oh, how I pray that your answer is “yes, Lord. I receive you.”

Jesus says in John 14:23, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to Him and make Our home with him.” My brothers and sisters, friends, Jesus wants to be in a relationship with you. And a relationship requires love.

Matthew 22:4 “Again, he sent out other servants, saying, “Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”

It is a big deal when God repeats something within the same chapter of scripture. Notice that He sent His servants out not once but twice. All things are ready! The menu has been prepared, and it looks like a giant BBQ is being served. God has spared no expense. All you need to do is accept the invitation and say yes. It sounds so simple, and yet we complicate things. “Sorry I cannot attend, I must………” (insert your reason here). “But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.”—Matthew 22:5.

We make time in our daily lives for what’s important to us, our priorities, whether our jobs or hobbies. But is Jesus Lord over our priorities—not one of them, but Lord over them? Do we set aside time out of our day for Jesus? Let us ask this question: how often are we picking up our Bibles? What about Facebook? Are you being fed by what is happening in the world, in friends’ and strangers’ lives? Or are you being fed by the Word of God?

My brothers and sisters, friends, I am guilty of this too. Holy Spirit has convicted me. I am no better than those I’m posing these questions to. We all fall short. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”—Romans 3:23.

My point, my friends, is that we need to refocus and realign ourselves to God’s will and His Word. Allow Holy Spirit to minister to you. And do not harden your hearts if you hear His voice. And as we end our time together this week, I pray that this teaching, more God’s inerrant Word, has stirred something deep within you. God willing, I will be back again soon to continue the next part of this teaching.

Dear friends, the things of this world are failing, and the days grow darker.

But God has invited you to come to His wedding feast. Jesus has come into the world as a Redeeming Light. He is both the invitation and the only way to salvation. Come to the banquet and be satisfied. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and repent of your sins. He is faithful to forgive. Amen. “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.

Trust, Me.

November 5, 2022 /
Maryellen Montville

“The Lord All-Powerful says, “Try this test. Bring one-tenth of your things to me. Put them in the treasury. Bring food to my house. Test me! If you do these things, I will surely bless you. Good things will come to you like rain falling from the sky. You will have more than enough of everything” –Malachi 3:10

If you’ve been attending church for any length of time, you’re likely familiar with today’s verse. It’s generally used in relation to tithes and offerings. And though we’ll touch on tithing today, there’s something else I’d like to share with you from this verse. A principle the Holy Spirit dropped in my spirit this morning as I was praying over this teaching concerning trust. He put His finger on two words from this familiar passage, “test Me.” And what God dropped in my spirit concerning those Words had little to do with money.

Let’s explore what He gave me, shall we?

Tithing involves obedience. It demands you meet God smack dab in the middle of His “test Me.” It means laying your tithe at His feet, walking away, and trusting God to keep His Word. Blessing you however He sees fit.

Having that level of confidence, of faith, that joy of giving back, the thrill of “I get to” is born from having experienced God’s faithfulness in the past. It springs up from a deep well of trust fed by an ever-deeper well of intimacy. An intimacy developed within your relationship with Jesus. And it’s sustained there. It’s fed, made fat by a steady diet of God loving you and your wanting, chasing after the Giver far more than His gifts. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” –Matthew 6:33.

I just spoke of a relationship with Jesus. Do you have one? If not, friend, before you read on, I ask that you stop and pray. I assure you; asking Jesus into your life as Lord of all is a choice with eternal consequence. There is no more important message in the world than this. Jesus loves you. He died in your place, making way for you to be restored into right relationship with the Father. A relationship broken in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned. “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for fall men” –Romans 5:17-18.

And If you don’t know how to pray, talk to Jesus; it’s really quite simple. Just ask Jesus to come into your heart as your Lord and Savior, tell Him you’re sorry for your sins, and mean it. I’m adding His Word to help guide you. “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.

Now, we can continue…

When you choose to believe God will do what He says He’d do, believe in the surety of His “test Me,” your measure of faith will be stretched. And over time, your faith in God as Promise Keeper will become rock solid, like that faith spoken of in the old hymn, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.” Though none go with me, I still will follow, no turning back, no turning back.

And yes, friend, you have the choice to obey God, to follow Him, or not.

Why? Because you have free will. Your salvation and free will are a gift from God; He has granted you the freedom, the weighty privilege, of choosing or denying Him. Life, or death.

Earlier, I spoke of the Holy Spirit, causing two Words in Malachi to stand out. I alluded the blessings you receive from God for the faithful, heartfelt surrender of your tithe aren’t invariably attached to some financial reward. And this is the truth. Because often, your blessing comes in the form of good health. It comes from having a warm, safe home or apartment or getting a new job. It’s God bringing that future husband or wife into your life. The blessings that flow from God’s “put Me to the test now in this” involves your eyes having opened this morning, Kissing your kids, your husband, wife, or parents, one more time. You can see and speak. You’re in your right mind.

Moving your limbs and having anything in your pocket to offer back to God is a blessing.

How about when your blessing is holding the child every doctor said you’d never be able to carry? Is that where God’s “test me on this” showed up in your life? Or was it in God’s answering that midnight prayer? When salvation was visited on your wild child, mom, or dad. Let’s talk about God’s greatest blessing. His having afforded you a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus.

Beloved, God’s “test me” really equates to His asking, “Do you indeed trust Me? Trust Me enough to accept that I know what is and isn’t best for you. Trust that I know when you need whatever you think you need right now.” Do you trust God’s character? That’s the real question here. That’s what the Holy Spirit dropped in my spirit. Because when God says, “test Me,” you can bet your life He’ll deliver. “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” – Numbers 23:19.

Friends, nowhere in the Bible do you read God telling anyone to test Him—outside of Malachi. Actually, the very opposite is true.

Yet concerning your giving back to God a portion, a mere tenth of all you’ve been blessed to earn, here God instructs you to test Him. Actually, it’s a command; to give Him back a tenth of your earnings and watch how He’ll bless your life. In Malachi 3:10, God explicitly references money, yours, by which I mean whatever money He has afforded you. “You might say in your heart, “The power and strength of my hands have made this wealth for me.” But you shall remember [with profound respect] the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore (solemnly promised) to your fathers, as it is this day” –Deuteronomy 8:17-18.

A humble heart recognizes that had God not blessed you, be it with one dollar or one hundred thousand dollars, you’d have nothing. Go ahead and reread Deuteronomy 8:17-18 if you doubt that.

So let me ask you this? Do you trust God? Are you willing to lay down that dollar in your pocket, the one He afforded you, and do what He asked of you? Test Him and see that if done with a joyful, loving heart, He won’t throw open the windows of heaven and bless you—however He sees fit. I have tested God on this, and I can assure you, friend, that God has been faithful to me in ways that have both blown my mind and humbled me to my core. And neither had little to do with money. The fact that Jesus died for me, has forgiven my every sin; if His blessings had ended there, I’d have been given what I did not deserve. And yet, Love continues to give and give.

Before I close, I must clarify that I am not suggesting that if you tithe a tenth of your income, God will bless you with some significant monetary windfall. Is it possible? Indeed, it is. He is God and can bless you however He chooses. But don’t get it twisted. God is God—He’s Holy. God is not the Lotto—lay down a dollar to win back one hundred. Nor is God an investment banker. Tithing is not about; I give God a tenth and He doubles my investment. God’s “test Me” is not tied to money. It’s bound to your trust in Him.

“That religion which costs a man nothing is usually worth nothing.”― Charles H. Spurgeon.

HARVESTING HOPE: That Your Joy Maybe Fulfilled.

October 29, 2022 /
Elda Othello-Wrightington

There is time and a season for everything. The most challenging seasons bring a lot of weight, pain, and questions. Yet they also bring unforgettable moments of God’s Faithfulness. Psalm 126:5-6 reminds us, “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.”

This has been a challenging season for me. In August, I had a miscarriage. Words cannot explain the utter emptiness I felt due to it. I actually felt numb. What made matters worse was how hard it was for me to worship. Anyone who knows me knows I love to worship and praise the Lord. Well, that first Sunday, when the worship team started playing, my hands went up, yet I felt absolutely nothing. For the very first time in my life, I couldn’t feel God. What I felt instead was numb and disconnected from my Daddy God.

Feeling disconnected from God scared me. It brought even more tears on top of that shed due to the trauma of my miscarriage. Hopelessness settled in my mind and slowly made its way into my broken heart. “Yet this I call to mind and there I have hope” –Lamentations 3:21. So one morning, I grabbed my bible, not really expecting anything but secretly hoping that maybe, just maybe, this would help me connect with God. And let me tell you, God spoke!

The Lord took me to the Book of Lamentations, Chapter Three. And did not my soul lament as the prophet Jerimiah’s did? It sure did. But the Truth of God’s faithfulness in this passage, for me, began the process of healing and gleaning. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fails. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” As believers, even during the most challenging moments in our lives, we can pull from God’s faithfulness, His Living Word, to help us cultivate hope. The passage goes on to say. “For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his love” –Lamentations 3:31-32.

God is a promise keeper. Despite the Israelite’s faithlessness and obedience, God still had a plan.

Someone reading this may be experiencing some level of grief. You’ve lost someone. Maybe something you were a part of for an awfully long time has ended. Things are changing, and you, too, find yourself lamenting. If you’re that person and haven’t accepted Jesus into your heart, I want to invite you to do so now. How? As always, your help, direction, the surety of every promise God has given you is found in His Living Word.

Romans 10:9-10 are the Words you’ll need to start your walk with the Lord today. They assure you of this simple Truth: “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.” I encourage you to open your mouth and declare Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Believe in your heart; honestly believe, with child-like faith, that if what you just prayed was sincere, you have been saved, freed from sin and eternal death. Galatians 3:22 reads, “But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.”

We have to have faith to have access to the promises of God. And that faith allows us to cultivate hope (and I’m not talking about faith in ourselves because, let’s be honest, sometimes faith in ourselves or others is not enough).

We must be connected to Jesus, for he is the author and finisher of our faith. “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” –Hebrews 12:2.

If you just decided to accept Jesus as your personal Savior, I’ll let you in on more good news!

You are now carrying something inside of you. And that something is God’s seed, His Living Word. It lives inside of you now! “Galatians 3:22 reads, “But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.” Hold on to God’s faithfulness. It will help you have hope, even in your tears and waiting. How? By remembering what God has done for you in the past. Remembering what His Word says about you.

There is hope, even if it is as small as a mustard seed, for the Word of God says, “Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches” –Matthew 13:32.

You might wonder, how can I continue cultivating hope for the harvest? To me, sowing in tears means never giving up on God, even when you want to give up on yourself, your future, or others. God’s plans are better than we can imagine simply because He is. He knows our beginning from our end, and His plan for us is good. “For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope” –Jeremiah 29:11.

So, one of the first ways to cultivate hope is to sow God’s Word into your heart.

May your heart be the tender ground where Its seeds are sown. Then, as a result, I hope you become grounded in God’s Word and His promises.

Even in our weeping, it is possible to harvest hope. We can weep and read the Word. We can weep and trust his promises. We can weep and know that every tear will reap joy in its season.Seed time and harvest are inevitable. However, what we produce results from how much hope we have and how we choose to respond to God.

So I leave you with this love note written to me from God. I’ll share it as a word of encouragement to you all.

I’m here. Stop doubting me. I know how much you care for me, and I know so many things don’t make sense. I am working in you, and I am not punishing you for anything. No one can understand the mystery of my ways because it’s designed that way. Giving up is never the answer. There is no death in my world. Your loss is not a loss to me. I am touching you with my love even if you don’t feel my touch. Be anxious for nothing. You can’t feel me because you need to relax. I can, and I will do what is best for you. Stop doubting if I am with you or if I hear you. Things are not always what they seem. —God.

John 15:11 NLT “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

The Compassion of Jesus

October 8, 2022 /
Kendra Santilli

What does it mean to be compassionate? Compassion is the ability to share in the sorrows of another. It is a mixed passion, composed of both love and sorrow. It starts with God the Father, and it also ends with Him. God’s reputation of mercy is reiterated several times by the Psalmists. “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” – Psalm 103:8. It was also spoken of in Exodus after God had freed His people from their captors. The prophets Jeremiah, Hosea, and Isaiah also reference God’s compassion. It continues into the New Testament at the advent of Jesus and into the early church.

Scripture tells of God’s compassion from the beginning of time, but through Jesus, who was God incarnate, we witness the manifestation of God’s kindness. Jesus is the greatest physical example of compassion we will ever know.

Certain seasons of life can render us weak, left to our own sorrow. These agonizing times are often the best teachers of what it means to rely on something or someone greater than us; for the believer, that someone is Jesus. When we can’t make any sense of a situation or feel God’s presence with us, God often uses those moments as opportunities for the promise of His Omnipresence to be felt and experienced in very real and tangible ways. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging” –Psalm 46:1-3.

In John Eleven, we read an account of the resurrection of Lazarus. Lazarus and his sisters were dear friends of Jesus, so when Lazarus died, Jesus felt the weight of their grief. Taking time to weep with Lazarus’ sisters, Jesus shared in their sorrow. He also felt the sting of losing a loved one. Everyone knew that if Jesus had intervened earlier, Lazarus wouldn’t have died. “Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You”…. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” – John 11:21-22, 25.

Those gathered at Lazarus’ graveside were yet to realize they were standing face to face with Resurrection Himself.

Jesus, in obedience to the Father’s will, raised Lazarus from the dead. He did this not just for his friend’s gain but to display the Glory of God. God had a plan, and Jesus’ raising Lazarus from the dead was part of that plan. At that moment, Mary and Martha’s faith in Jesus, the Son of God, met God’s perfect will, and Jesus, so moved by compassion towards His friends, called Lazarus from his grave.

And throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus performing miracles for a twofold purpose; He moved in obedience to God and had compassion for the people He served, whether deserving or not. Jesus performed miracles so people could believe in the One True God.

We see this again in Matthew 9:36. Jesus was moved with compassion toward the crowd. Walking among them, He was healing every sickness and disease. Still, when He paused to look at the crowd, the Bible says, “When he saw the crowds, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd” – Matthew 9:36. Jesus was the Good Shepherd the people had long awaited, whether they realized it or not. He knew that He was their deepest need. Time and time again, the scriptures describe Jesus’ acts as acts of compassion towards mankind.

I remember a time when I felt incredibly lonely, as if loneliness itself was my only companion. My car’s dashboard had a front-row seat to my sorrow. A moment alone meant a moment to release my anxieties and sadness through tears as I sat with loneliness in my passenger seat. I couldn’t see, hear, or understand where God was in the midst of my pain. Loneliness would respond to my beckoning cries with more profound sorrow and reminders of my inadequacies.

I had to read His Word when I couldn’t “hear” God. I could think of nothing else to do. After all, these Words are His penned message to us! By washing my mind with His word, I began to feel the presence of Jesus once again. The Jesus that had compassion on my sick mental condition. He started getting into my passenger’s seat first, so loneliness had to find another ride. Over time, Jesus healed my mind. He was moved with compassion toward me, personally.

So, whatever you may be going through today, Jesus’ compassion for you has not run out. He prayed for you right before He went to the cross for you. “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.” – John 17:20. Jesus, being fully God and fully man, shared in your same sufferings, and He knows your very human struggle. He understands them. Jesus once experienced them in His humanity as deeply as we do now. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 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 4:14-16.

Whether you’re weeping or rejoicing, Jesus has promised never to leave nor forsake those who believe in Him. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” – Matthew 17:20. So even if you don’t have much faith right now, I invite you to ask Jesus to guide you as you navigate difficult seasons of life. “Lord, I pray I would experience your compassion and grace even when it doesn’t make sense. Help me to look to you as I walk through this life, and give me a compassionate heart, just as you have. Amen.”

One Last Twist.

October 1, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“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” –John 15:4.

Abide in Me—remaining in perfect oneness, holding white-knuckled fast no matter what happens, staying attached and rooted. Webster defines abide this way: to remain stable or fixed in a state. God has been holding up this command to abide before me, turning it like a kaleidoscope. Abiding in Him will look the same, yet different from past seasons.God has been exposing the extent of our powerlessness. Making clear our great need for Him, now, more than ever; is that even possible?

Here’s the thought. Such shaking is upon us that if we foolishly allow ourselves the room to be lulled into thinking anything we do, have been gifted to do, can be done on autopilot, in our own power, we will quickly learn just how inept and hollow we are. Equally, in our foolish attempts at playing god, we risk being deceived, swept away by the faulty wisdom and ever-changing winds of this world.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, reminds his reader that all life is cyclical. “There’s a season for everything and a time for every matter under the heavens: a time for giving birth and a time for dying, a time for planting and a time for uprooting what was planted.” 

Everyone and everything under heaven has set times embedded within them. Every tombstone makes it blatantly clear. Even the leaves are attesting to this truth. What was once a tender bud in March turned into a rich green swatch in April—then onto a lush, green canopy. A shelter made possible by summer’s warm embrace. Now, these same leaves are changing yet again. Fiery, burnished reds and rich golds now.

Season following season, divine order, it’s how our God decided all creation would best work. One thing relies on another, with every-thing reliant on Him. Hence, today’s verse.

All of life, an ebb and flow, a holding on and a letting go of. Except that is where our relationship with God is concerned. That must be fixed, deeply rooted, unshakable. Listen to how King David describes those who abide, remain in, hold fast to God. “And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers” –Psalm 1:3.

In this, our most sacred, most significant relationship, there must never be a letting go. Unless that is, Jesus asks it of us.

And even then, our letting go isn’t of God; it’s of things. Of places, people, habits, jobs, relationships, thought patterns, or our worn-out, tattered way of doing things. When God impresses within us, when we get that knowing in our gut that God is asking us to let go of, move away from, change, or rid ourselves of something or someone, that is the only time a Blood-bought believer ought to let go of something which God has used to bless them. Until such time, we are to stand still. Remember, Beloved, you are no longer our own. You’ve been bought with the very highest price, Christ’s own spotless Blood.

Oh, sure, you can make decisions for yourself. You’ve been afforded that choice. You can, at will, change cities, homes, jobs, and relationships.  But here’s the thing, if it’s not God’s will for you, His timing, His “thing,” do you really want it?

My answer? Nope. No thanks. Been there, done that, and it was a total disaster!

God alone gives and takes away in every season—nothing is random. There are no accidents with God, only things we simply do not understand—yet. Job teaches us this lesson. God always, always, always has a plan. And it’s always good. “And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” –Job 1:21. So we either trust God or decide to rebel to take over God’s role in our lives? Thinking we somehow know better than He, what’s best for us, our lives, ministries, family life, relationships, etc. Judas did this. And we can read how it eventually ended for him in Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 24.

Today, so many are walking through a season of change and challenges. For some of you, just holding on to your faith in this present darkness is taking its toll on you. Yet just as change and changes are happening all around us in the natural, so too in the spiritual. God is up to something in that unseen realm—beyond the veil. We can feel it. We know it. God is moving, preparing, putting the finishing touches on, if you will, the place He’s gone ahead to prepare for us, his beloved children—His Bride. He’s finalizing his plans. God is removing, shaking loose, and making room for the fulfillment of His promises—every last one, the final turn of the kaleidoscope. So hold on for just a bit longer, Beloved. Trust God. He has promised to complete what He started in you. Besides, His strength, not your own, will bring you safely through these winds of change.

And so, weary one, I join my prayers to our Lords, the Apostle Paul’s, and to that great crowd of witnesses who have gone before you, having finished their race. Hang on! To your faith, your God, determinedly. Abide in Him. “So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong” –Hebrews 12:12-13.

What does that look like? Well, it’s more than just staying close. Abiding is obedience to Truth. And Jesus Christ is Truth.Abiding is oneness with God. Being bound to, united with, dependent on Him and His Holy Spirit for every-thing. Abiding is the embodiment of our covenant relationship with God.

I’ll end where I began, with a reminder—an S.O.S.

God is up to something in that unseen realm—beyond the veil. We can feel it. We know it. God is moving, preparing, putting the finishing touches on, if you will, the place He’s gone ahead to prepare for us, his beloved children—His Bride. He’s finalizing his plans. God is removing, shaking loose, and making room for the fulfillment of His promises—every last one, the final turn of His kaleidoscope.

Yet there is hope, friend. There’s always hope, so long as there is breath in your lungs. But this hope is found in Jesus alone. He is the only Way to the Father. The thief on the cross is your proof. “We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” –Luke 23:41-43.

So, if you’re His, I encourage you to abide in Him. But if you’ve yet to ask Christ into your heart, know this, the winds of change are blowing. You don’t need to be a Christian to recognize this. Turn on the news, read the front-page headlines, buy a gallon of gas or milk. Take a look outside your window, friend. Creation attests to the fact that everything is about to change. So please, turn to Christ today. “…if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved” –Romans 10:9.

Night Vision

July 23, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters” –2 Samuel 22:17.

It had always been God’s own Spirit at work in David. Wooing, shaping, molding, chiseling away, enabling David to see His God clearly, affording David a relational understanding of Himself few men possessed. It was God who had empowered David to press on amid unjust treatment, persecution, and betrayal.

David’s natural eyes failed him, as every man’s will—think Bathsheba here. Only God’s Spirit at work in David could enable him to see beyond the lusts of his own flesh and into the Spirit realm, discerning God’s will. It was God’s Spirit, His power and ability from which David drew strength, saw clearly, was given direction—enabling him to live by faith, not by sight, feelings, or faulty human judgment.

God’s Holy Spirit gave David something he did not possess in and of himself—night vision.

That ability afforded God’s children, by the power of His Holy Spirit, to see beyond their natural ability. David had it. And, if God’s Holy Spirit resides in you, so do you.

From youth through old age, David praised the faithfulness of his God. I say his God because David’s relationship with God was nothing if not personal, intimate even. Reading through the Psalms, First and Second Samuel, and various other Scriptures, makes this truth plain.

While tending his Father’s sheep, David spent days and nights serenading God with songs of love and adoration. David extolled God, glorifying God’s goodness, love, mercy, kindness, and power. He sang of God’s protection and tender care for him. David exalted God’s creative abilities and awesomeness.

David was a man who lived in awe of his God! There is much we can learn from David.

Whether we have been walking with the Lord for one year or fifty, our learning and determining to keep the flame of our love for God ablaze should be our primary focus, our number one goal in life. “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” Deuteronomy 6:5. David took God’s first command to heart, and God took notice of David’s heart. “After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will'” –Acts 13:22.

Yet nothing David accomplished for the Lord, not one thing, was done his own power, no. Hear the Word of God on this Truth: “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” –Zechariah 4:6.

It is impossible to carry out God’s plan and will in our own power. The Lord has made this abundantly clear throughout Scripture.

David was not a perfect man by any means—none of us are, save Jesus. “You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin” –1 John 3:5.

Yet, despite his many sins and shortcomings, God favored, protected, loved, and inclined His heart and ear towards David. God alone pulled David out of deep waters—and David knew it. He loved God for it. For saving him from his adversaries, those too powerful for David to overcome. And why did God do this for David? Love.

Yes, David undoubtedly loved God unashamedly, but never forget that it was God who first loved David. God who chose Him, anointed him, empowered David to do the work He had planned for him before the foundation of the world—and, as it was with David, so too with you and me. God has chosen us in Christ Jesus for His good pleasure, plan, and purpose—pulling us, pulling you, specifically, out from deep waters.

This mystery is far too great for this finite mind to take in fully! And yet, having been chosen in Christ, saved by Him, I am literally, eternally grateful to God. “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you” –John 15:16.

Friends, David was God’s choice long before one song of praise or word of love had ever formed on David’s lips. “Now the Lord said to Samuel, “…Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons. Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward” –1 Samuel 16:1; 13.

And, as it was with David, so too with you and I, Beloved of God.

Like David, we too have been afforded the high honor of having been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, sealed, eternally, in Jesus. His Spirit alive, at work in us, assures us of this Truth. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people” –Hebrews 2:14-17.

Having purchased us with the unplumbed price of His shed Blood, He is jealous of us, His Bride, wanting our love, undivided devotion, praise, ardent worship, and adoration; just as God wanted David’s. Any devoted husband rightfully expects his wife’s undivided love and affection. How much more than does our faithful Husband desire for all of us to want all of Him?

So let me ask you, friend, when is the last time you spent time just lavishing the Lord with love? When did you last set time aside to spend with God alone?

Now I’m not talking about an hour spent in route or rushed morning devotions. I’m talking about going for a walk or drive together, speaking and listening, admiring God, His creative ability in nature, and giving Him praise for it? When was the last time your heart was so filled with love for God that you had no choice but to cry? Not in sadness, in awe. In gratitude. How about the last time you spontaneously praised God? Just sang or danced before Him, worshipped simply because He is God and deserves your praise?

Now hear me, child of God. I don’t ask these questions to shame or chide you. Know that I ask them of myself before posing them to you. Confessing firstly, I am guilty of falling far short of the above. I am sure that is why, in part, God has placed this teaching in my own heart.

Instead, I ask these questions that we might course correct, returning wholeheartedly to our first Love—seeking out our Beloved, wooing Him.

God isn’t asking us to spend our days doing more and more for Him, family. He’s asked, asks still, that we love Him fervently. Not circumcised in the flesh only, hearers of His Word, but in our hearts, being doers of God’s Word. “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first” –Revelation 2:2-4.

Have you asked Jesus into your heart? Welcomed Him into your life as Lord and Saviour? Have you asked God to pull you out of the deep waters threatening to pull you under? If not, friend, why wait any longer? Call out to Jesus right now!

Unending Love, Amazing Grace.

July 16, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“And raised-us-with Him and seated-us-with Him in the heavenly-places in Christ Jesus, in order that He might demonstrate in the coming age the surpassing riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” –Ephesians 2:6-7.

‘Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear And Grace my fears relieved. How precious did that Grace appear the hour I first believed. My chains are gone, I’ve been set free My God, my Savior, has ransomed me. And like a flood, His mercy rains, Unending love, Amazing Grace. The Lord has promised good to me His word my hope secures He will my shield and portion be as long as life endures. –Chris Tomlin.

Via His Word and various worship songs, the Holy Spirit has spoken to me throughout the day. Stirring up in me reminders of His Holiness, His Power, His Amazing Grace, and Love. God has been refreshing me. Re-minding me (returning to my remembrance); He is not finished with me yet. His ongoing work of sanctification, my being made new, constant. “ And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” –2 Corinthians 3:18.

God has been reminding me of just how easily I forget what, said anemically, is the extra-ordinary privilege I have been afforded in having been chosen in Him. My having been saved by the finished work of Jesus, His life, death, and resurrection. My salvation, costing Jesus His life. I have been humbled today, brought low. Not in a bad way. That’s not the Holy Spirit’s style. Instead, I have been reminded that I am standing on Holy ground whenever God shows up as He has today; I’ve been in the very presence of my heavenly Father. My knees bent, hitting the floor in adoration and awe, feeling the weight of His glory all around me. Who am I that God would come to me?

Now, hear me here. I don’t say this lightly or with some false sense of humility.

I understand I am God’s child and that it is very natural for us to commune with each other. Yet, even knowing this; still, a holy reverence overcomes me whenever my Father shows Himself as plainly as He has today. And I pray that never changes. May I never lose my awe of such a Holy, Loving God.

In His infinite mercy and unfathomable love for us, His children, we who have been chosen in Christ Jesus from before the foundation of the world stand as living testaments, open letters, epistles of God’s unplumbed love. Both now and in the world to come. Irrefutable proof of the supernatural power of our God—to men and angels alike. In 2 Corinthians 3:3, the Apostle Paul says the following concerning your being a living testament to our God. “You show that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

Listen to how Angelica Duncan describes your being a living testament: “To be a living epistle means you are a living, breathing, walking letter of God’s goodness, glory, and grace!”

So for those whose memory of that precious sacred moment, the Sovereign God of the universe first revealed Himself to you, has dimmed. That very instant, God plucked you out of the kingdom of darkness, placing you safely, instead, into the Kingdom of His Marvelous Light. The Lord has sent me here today to lead you back. Back to the remembrance of the most wonder-full, life-changing miracle you have ever or will ever experience. The hour you first believed. To stir up a re-minder of the very precious gift of faith entrusted to you.

Hold tight to this Truth, child of God! Clinging to it as if to a lifeline, “your” lifeline. Salvation is nothing if not personal. Re-membering, Christ died for you.

No other gift, no matter how great, will ever have greater worth than the gift of your salvation. No healing or blessing, no ministry, spouse, no-thing will ever surpass you receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. Nothing. “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have” –2 Peter 1:10-12.

I pray you never forget the very second this unsearchable miracle occurred in your life, having been seared into your memory, indelible, until the Lord calls you back to Himself.

That very second when, like Paul, scales fell from your eyes. Then, for the first time in your life, you saw clearly. Not by human hands, mind you—no Ananias prayed over you. “Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again” –John 3:5-7.

Instead, you were persuaded God had sent His Holy Spirit to visit you as surely as He visited Mary—depositing eternal life into your belly. Filling you with His eternal promises and sealing you in Himself for all time, birthing a new man from the old. You have been washed clean, prodigal. Never forget that Truth! “In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God]” –Ephesians 1:13.

Chains that had you bound for years, some for a lifetime, falling to the floor. You have been set free from sin, death, and the law; because of Christ Jesus. Because God so loved you that He sent His only Beloved Son into this world to die in your place. All that “whomsoever” might be reconciled to Him, now and forever. “He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2.

Remember, too, child of God, when your eyes close to this world, they will open to an eternity spent in the loving presence of your Lord. Never lose hope then. “Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” –Luke 23:43.

Beloved brothers and sisters, listening to Chris Tomlin’s Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) Holy Spirit reminded me of the Truth Paul shares with us in today’s Scripture. And so, I’m passing along this oft-needed reminder to you, too, wanting to stir up what the Holy Spirit stirred up in me. A reminder of who I am in Christ Jesus. Contrary to how I may feel in moments of weakness, doubt, or fear, Christ is not finished with me yet. And neither is He finished with you. Keep moving forward, child of God. Keep trusting in God alone. “Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints” –Ephesians 6:18.

Friend, if you’ve yet to ask Jesus, who sets us free from our past, into your life as Lord and Savior, do it now, please. Why stay bound to your sin, addiction, or pain for one more minute? Live free this instant! “A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” –John 8:35-36.

The Cloud & The Spirit.

July 9, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our relationship with God is nothing if not personal.

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

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

Our God has never been caught off guard—

He has always had a ram in the bush.

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

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

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

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances. Then you will live in the land that I gave your forefathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God” –Ezekiel 36:27.

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

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