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Tag: Repentance (Page 2 of 4)

Repent, The Kingdom Of God Is At Hand!

June 24, 2023 /

MaryEllen Montville

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

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

Smack dab in the middle of foretelling of God’s impending judgement—Zephaniah reminds Israel that Love and mercy have always been the Father’s heart towards them—towards all His children. One of the most quoted and recognized Bible verses makes this Truth abundantly clear. “For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.” –John 3:16 AMP.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do You Believe?

April 8, 2023 /
MaryEllen Montville

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age.” –Titus 2:11-12.

Many of us will celebrate Resurrection Sunday tomorrow morning. Yet what Christ did—defeating death, sin and the grave, making it possible for “whosoever will” to be restored to right relationship with the Father, coming not to judge, but save, indeed supersedes a day, any day, on man’s calendar.

Because, somewhere in eternity past, in obedience to the Father’s will, Jesus deigned to leave God’s side temporarily, to step away from the Perfect and Holy Majesty on High. God’s saving grace wrapped Himself instead in humility and flesh. Born into obscurity, Jesus was laid in an animal trough. He tasted our temptations while remaining God’s only sin-less, sacrificial Lamb. “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” –1 Peter 1:20.

Jesus, who wrote the Book on self-sacrifice, God’s Living Word, died that you and I might live. “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.” –Hebrews 2:14.

Christ, the King of Kings, was born not to the royal, the high and mighty—though they are welcome at His table, in His heart.

No. Jesus chose to live amongst, be born to, poor people, according to the world’s standards, that is. Jesus came to serve, not to be served, to extend His Royal Scepter of grace and mercy to all those who only deserve death. To lay down His life for the least of us—the trainwreck, the sin-soaked addict and homosexual. The prostitute, the wife abuser, liar, the child killer, and the murderer.

And, dear Christian, since we have tasted so great a Love, been set free from the certain death sentence, that automatic guilty verdict rendered when we succumb to sins allure, as our Scripture instructs then, ought we not live sensibly? Choosing to deny our flesh, clinging instead to every Word that comes from the mouth of God? Denying ungodliness and worldly desires, living righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age.”

 You and I, dear believers in the Lord Jesus, have been called to a life counter to the world we live in—always remembering this world is not our home. Like Jesus, the Firstfruit of the resurrection to come, our heart’s desire, our earthly mission ought to be to do the will of the Father. To join Jesus in the death of our wills, wants, and fleshly desires that we might also join Him in the joyful celebration awaiting all those who, through Christ’s victory over sin and death, will soon, and very soon, live with Him forever and ever, amen!

And for anyone who thinks this is impossible, I will remind you that this is Ressurection season! A season of “suddenly” and of the unexpected!

Undoubtedly, many in Christ’s day, even some closest to Him, never expected to truly see Jesus rise from the grave on the third day—even though He had told them He would. And as it was then, so it is now, today. Many will not believe Jesus’ Word. Moreover, they refuse to believe Jesus is who He says He is and will do all He says He would do—was born, lived and died to do! And that includes His soon return to judge the living and the dead.

How I pray you will not be counted among those who refuse to believe.

Instead, you’d call out to Jesus today, taking Him at His Word on this Ressurection eve. That you’ll choose to accept, He is Mighty to save even the one who sinned so greatly that they’ve bought into their enemies lie hook, line, and sinker. The lie telling them Jesus couldn’t possibly want them, save them. The lie that says you’re too far gone, their sin too great for Jesus to remove.

Yet tomorrow’s celebration of our Lord’s victory over death and the grave truly is a new beginning—a next and not an end.

Let tomorrow’s dawn find you, find us all, those waiting on the return of our Lord, with eyes fixed on the horizon. “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” –Hebrews 12:2-3.

Because for every Blood-bought believer, tomorrow marks the rolling away of the stone; Life, not death. Revealing the next chapter of that abundant life Christ came to give all those who would believe in Him. His here-and-now life. And, His eternal life.

Tomorrow marks the season of revisiting, of resurrection if you will, of hopes and dreams deferred. Tomorrow marks the beginning of a time and times of new strength and vigor—a fresh grip on our sleepy faith. And, Oh, Beloved, how our “weary from well-doing hands “would benefit from a new grip.” 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.

So I am not at all surprised that Holy Spirit led me to Titus Two for today’s teaching. For some, the end of a thing. For others, new beginnings. If you doubt me, the one who’ll be saved tomorrow will be sharing their testimony of how they felt hopeless this week, yesterday, last night, wanting to end their life. They’ll tell you how in desperation, not even sure if they genuinely believed God cared, they cried out to Jesus in despair nevertheless. And they’ll testify how, in His mercy, Jesus showed Himself real to them—alive. And because He did, they are still.

If I were you, I wouldn’t miss church tomorrow. More, starting today, I’d choose to take God at His Word because it is our choice. “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”

“The grace that has appeared,” the One Paul refers to in today’s Scripture, is, indeed, King Jesus!

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” –John 11:25-26. Jesus was talking to Martha, Lazarus’ sister, beside Lazarus’s grave. Then this happened a few minutes after asking Martha if she believed Him: “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” –John 11:39-43.

If I were you, I wouldn’t miss church tomorrow. More, starting today, I’d choose to take God at His Word.

Kingdom Acceptance.

March 25, 2023 /
Matthew Botelho

Hello to all my brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus. It is finally here. Spring has come! A new season is upon us, meaning new opportunities for those praying for breakthroughs in their families.

Spring is a time of rebirth, and those old habits and mindsets shall be put to rest. I pray, dear friends, that the renewing of your mind has begun. I pray that new ministries will be birthed through each of you and that I truly believe some “unfinished” works are being brought back into remembrance by our Lord Jesus. It was only for a season, my friends, that those works were laid down. It is time to pick it up again. Praise God! 

As I was reading my devotional this morning, the title struck me. The devotional was titled “Rejecting the Spirit of Rejection” and what a timely word it was—and is. My dear friends, so many of us have gone through times of rejection. Even in our Christian walk, we will go through times of rejection. At school or the workplace, there are moments when the world will try to make us believe that we are the “odd man looking in.” That is just not true.

Jesus told us it would be difficult, especially how the world views believers. But we are sanctified by the Blood of the Lamb and have been set apart to be holy and righteous, set apart, dear friends, to do good works. The apostle Paul makes this very bold statement:  Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. “ So as difficult as times or seasons may be, stand firm and do not be ashamed of Jesus—or His Word; God’s mercy has saved you in Christ Jesus.

That rejection you may experience from the world should not be something for you to be saddened over. God said through the prophet Isaiah, “The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and flower fades, But the Word of our God stands forever.” –Isaiah 40:7-8. Now we all have stories of how family members or some friends have stopped talking to us because of our faith in Jesus. I know I have. Still, we cannot give up on those loved ones because Jesus never gave up on us. Even while we were sinners, Christ died for us. But these trials and rejections still hurt dear friends. Oh, how they hurt. But In all things, we are to pray and petition our Lord that He will give us the strength to endure. 

Think about the night when Jesus was betrayed and turned over to the temple guards. He prayed to the Father for comfort. He cried to the Father, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass over Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”—Matthew 25:39. What an earnest prayer He prayed. Do you think Jesus did not know rejection? His very own people did not recognize Him as the Messiah, and a few moments after He prayed a second time, His own disciples scattered and left Him. And Jesus prayed, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”—Matthew 26:42

Even when we feel there is no hope, our heavenly Father is still in it with us.

So If God does not remove the rejection or fiery trial from you, He will go through it with you. He will be your strength and courage. Jesus endured everything He went through on this earth with you in mind. He did it all for you, so you will never face rejection or trials alone. He promised His Holy Spirit to be with you always.

Jesus said, “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” –John 15:26.

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” – John 16:13

You may not see or feel God, but Jesus is in your every circumstance or trial, and His promises are always there for you. You may have to drink this cup, but it will not last. Psalm 30:8  assures you of that! “Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning” Oh, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice! Jesus assures us the world may reject you, but He never will: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who come to Me I will by no means cast out.” –John 6:37. 

God promises, through His son, we will never be forgotten or set aside. You are the apple of God’s Eye, dear friends.

No man can make this promise and keep it. For man, this is impossible. But with God, all things are possible. His love for you is as wide as the east is from the west; there is no end to God’s love for you. As humans, we will always fall short. We will let our flesh get in the way, and we will let each other down; true story. We will never, ever know the type of rejection our Lord did. I mean, EVER! But, when rejection does come, and it will, we need to see it as an opportunity to pray, Oh heavenly Father, let this coming rejection pass from me, Lord, and let Your will be done during this trial.

Allow His will to be done during times of trials and discouragement. It’s during that time of rejection, and testing is when your faith will truly grow.

We may not recognize it immediately, but God always answers our prayers. Even His “no” is an answer or His “not right now.” It may not be the answer you seek, but we need to trust the process. Some pressing, crushing, and very uncomfortable moments may be attached to your faith being stretched, but trust the process. 

Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

As I close my dear brothers and sisters, I invite anyone who is reading this and does not know our Lord Jesus to confess your sins to Jesus and allow Him to make His abode in your heart. Proclaim Him as Lord and Savior over your life. Be washed clean by His blood, and be renewed in your spirit. Jesus loves you with an everlasting love, and He wants nothing more than to be in a relationship with you. This day is your day for salvation! Amen.

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.

He Will Prove Himself

December 10, 2022 /
Kendra Santilli

With the faithful you prove yourself faithful, with the blameless you prove yourself blameless, with the pure you prove yourself pure, but with the crooked you prove yourself shrewd. For you rescue an oppressed people, but you humble those with haughty eyes.–Psalms 18:25-27

How you perceive God is a direct reflection of the position of your heart.

The heart that is in the position of hating God or believing that He doesn’t exist is the heart that has never met Him. If only they knew how good He is, how kind He is, how faithful He is. If only they knew Him as I do: Rescuer, Healer, Restorer, and Friend. He is always faithful to meet me in my need, but when I am not in need, it is easy to allow my heart to slip into the mode of thinking that convinces me that I can make it on my own. I forget His faithfulness to me when I don’t remain faithful to Him. I can easily forget that God’s ways are good and blameless if my eyes are fixed on the world’s injustices, but when I shift my gaze toward Him again, I see Jesus in His light, for who He is. As I draw near to Him, He draws near to me (James 4:8).

His presence is made known to the heart that needs Him. He is so near to the broken-hearted and the oppressed. He can’t resist responding to a sincere cry for help because He’s that good. Conversely, there is the heart that believes they don’t need help. To this person, there’s never a sincere cry for help, preventing a sincere experience of His intervention. The pride of life and one’s own achievements can blind a person to their need for the Lord and His mercy. This pride boasts of self-sufficiency, convincing a person that they can do everything independently. It views God through the critical lens of self-righteousness. It makes the heart doubt the goodness of God and His faithfulness, taking matters into its own hands without realizing that His ways are better than ours. It fails to remember His goodness. In turn, these people can’t see through God’s perspective. These people perceive God as shrewd because of the pride that has kept their hearts closed to knowing Him as faithful, blameless, and pure. I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve. –Jeremiah 17:10.

So he will repay according to their deeds: fury to his enemies, retribution to his foes, and he will repay the coasts and islands. – Isaiah 59:18. The truth is the God of the Bible is faithful to His faithful ones, and His faithfulness is good. But to His enemies, He is just. What have your actions warranted? This life is our one chance at choosing Jesus. He is drawn to clean hands and a pure heart. It may seem contradictory because if you don’t have a pure heart, how can He be drawn to you? And, if everyone is a sinner, how can there be one pure enough in heart for Him to reciprocate purity? The beauty of our God is that even in your trespasses, He can purify your heart and cleanse your mind if only you would ask! Just realizing that your heart could use cleaning is enough for Him to begin His work within you. He repays all your work according to what you’ve done. I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve. –Jeremiah 17:10. The heart that generously does good by His grace, He repays richly. But to the selfish and prideful of heart, He proves Himself shrewd.

He takes care of His people, and we will see Him faithful, blameless, and pure. But for the tainted heart, He is absent and just. The good news is that for those who come to Him, He does not leave them the same way in which He found them. Jesus is the one who transforms hearts and renews minds. He can take a heart of stone and make it flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).

Today will you examine your heart and let Him into those pieces of you that otherwise feel unchangeable? He wants to make you a new creation, restoring your heart to His original design of fellowship with Him. It is in fellowship with our Creator that we become whole. If you don’t know Jesus, I invite you to ask Him to make your heart of stone, making it into a heart of flesh. Ask Him to help you become faithful to Him, and let Him prove Himself faithful to you in the process. Ask Him to open the eyes of your heart to see Him as blameless and pure, not shrewd. He is waiting.

Fading Out

September 8, 2022 /
Kendra Santilli

“He must increase, but I must decrease” –John 3:30.

The cycle of living can feel so exhausting. Wake up, eat, work, take care of the house, sleep, repeat. I think we can agree that at one time or another, we have all understood, related to this reference from Ecclesiastes 1:2 “Utterly meaningless, everything is meaningless.”

We try our best to be good people. Yet leaving a mark on the world feels like a futile effort many days. In the Gospel of John, we are presented with an example that exemplifies a counterintuitive approach to fulfillment. John the Baptist (not to be mistaken with John the apostle who penned the Gospel of John) is introduced in John 1. “There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light [Jesus] so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light” – John 1:6-8.

John was Jesus’s cousin, a prophet who lived in the wilderness. John wore clothes made from camel hair and ate wild honey and locusts. Since his ministry was to prepare the way of the Lord, he would come to the people telling them to repent, to water-baptize them, and to declare there was one to follow after him (Jesus). You can read all about this in Mark 1:1-9.

I imagine John the Baptist would have been perceived as an odd man, but then again, God often moves through those we’d least expect Him to use. For John the Baptist, his ministry was fulfilled by the coming of Jesus.

And John’s purpose? Pointing everyone to Jesus Christ.

In New Testament Scripture, John’s ministry is our first example of a person testifying of the person of Jesus. The Bible says of Jesus, “He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and yet the world did not recognize him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” –John 1:10-11. And while the rest of the world didn’t recognize Jesus, John recognized Him instantly.

God was using John to prepare the hearts of those who did not know Jesus. Although the Old Testament is full of prophecies of Jesus and the entirety of the Bible points to Jesus, John is perhaps one of the first to see Jesus—physically. John gave his whole life to tell the world about the person of Jesus.

There is a great lesson we can learn from John the Baptist about pointing the world to Jesus.

John the Baptist was selfless. While the world teaches us to focus on ourselves, God’s Word teaches us to love others even when they do us wrong. The culture of this world is one of selfishness. It looks inward for its fulfillment instead of allowing its Creator to fill and fulfill its every need, including its unseen needs. The world is centered on self-gratification instead of loving thy neighbor. And as more of society has welcomed the idea of self-centeredness, it has also drifted away from the One who can deliver them from the mental prisons that hold them bound. The result? A society that has increasingly accepted depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation as normal. And while taking care of yourself is essential, it shouldn’t be our sole focus. We were created to love and exist in fellowship. Loving and serving God and one another.

Throughout the Gospels, we don’t read of John focusing on himself. There is no evidence in the scriptures of John focusing attention on himself. Instead, he readily released his disciples when they wanted to follow Jesus. When John saw Jesus passing by, he quickly said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus” – John 1:36-37. John didn’t get offended that his disciples went to Jesus, no. His attitude was one of rejoicing. “My joy is complete” – John 3:29.

Is Jesus enough to make your joy complete? Or is your joy made whole by your job, family, or ministry? While each gives us a sense of well-being, Jesus must be first. Everything else is just extra. Our prayer and deepest desire should be that Jesus fills us more than we thought possible. And, for that to be enough.

John the Baptist baptized with water, but the Bible says that Jesus baptizes (present tense intentional) with the Holy Spirit. – John 1:33.

It is impossible to live a life of faith without the help of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus gives us His Holy Spirit without measure. “The man whom God has sent speaks God’s message. After all, God gives him the Spirit without limit” – John 3:34.

Our human nature is bent on us taking care of ourselves first. So, it is counterintuitive to put others before yourself, including Jesus. The work of the Holy Spirit in us gives us the grace to manifest His love supernaturally. So, I’m not talking about us manifesting love by our own power. The True Source of supernatural love is Jesus Christ, manifest and evidenced by the Holy Spirit at work in us.

The Holy Spirit does not make us do anything or possess us to do anything, however. But He does lead us. Scripture clarifies, “If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” – Romans 8:13-14. The choice is yours.

If we belong to Jesus—have professed Him as our Lord and Savior, His Spirit leads us. Yet, given that Jesus has also afforded us free will, we are allowed to obey or disobey His Holy Spirit’s leading us. Even though the Holy Spirit will always lead us in the way of Truth in Christ Jesus, to abundant life. Not only eternally but also on this side of eternity.

I pray that you invite the Holy Spirit to lead you in living a selfless life that points to Jesus and loves others unconditionally. If you don’t know Jesus, invite Him to your heart today and ask Him to help you live with purpose and fulfillment as He makes your joy complete.

You Are Mine.

September 3, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Have you invited them in—made room for them?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All things are possible with God.

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

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

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

But I Thought…

August 20, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” –Isaiah 55:8-9.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yet the Israelites just couldn’t see it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fixing Your Heart on God.

August 13, 2022 /
Kendra Santilli

“For my people have committed a double evil: They have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, and dug cisterns for themselves— cracked cisterns that cannot hold water.” –Jeremiah 2:13

In Jeremiah, Chapter Two, God describes Himself as the fountain of Living Water, reminiscent of how Jesus referred to Himself in John 4:13-14. Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Could this have foreshadowed who God’s Holy Spirit would be to us?

God tells Jeremiah that He alone is the fountain of Living Water, its Source. Through Jeremiah, God asks his people, “what more can you possibly need?” Jesus’ saying that He can give anyone Living Water is groundbreaking to those who know the Scriptures. If Jesus can provide this Water, it must surely be the Spirit of God flowing from the Father Himself.

Within Jeremiah 2:13, God paints a beautiful picture of humanity seeking fulfillment in things that don’t last.

A cistern is a secondary source of water. For example, a cistern would hold water from rainfall. These cisterns could dry out quickly and wouldn’t fill again until there was an overflow from something else or another rainfall. A fountain, like a spring, is a primary source of water. A constant flow of water from which you can continually draw. God is telling Jeremiah His people have abandoned Him for a secondary source of belonging. They have abandoned the True Source for a low-quality, unfulfilling version. One that will leave them sick spiritually and, ultimately, would destroy them.

I see some of us in this picture—today’s Christians that is.

A people who too often neglect God for a lower-quality source of fulfillment, still, I invite you today to read the message found in the book of Jeremiah as a call to humble yourself and return to the Father.

The book of Jeremiah is centered around a prophet in the Old Testament by which this chapter was named. He came from a line of priests in a town called Anathoth, believed to have been about 3 miles Northeast of Jerusalem. We know that Anathoth was still part of the Israelites’ territory because the settlers there were priests from the tribe of Benjamin, one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Because of the amount of lamenting we read from him, Jeremiah is known as “the weeping prophet.” At first, I thought he was just an emotional guy, but as I dove into this book, I realized his weeping resulted from a touch from God that had given him a heart for God’s people—Jeremiah’s heart was hurt by what hurt God’s.

While judgment seems to be a theme threaded throughout the entire book of Jeremiah, we also feel the ache of God’s heart for His people.

We read of God’s desire for His people to be restored to Him before His judgment comes. While the Bible does not talk much about Jeremiah’s life before becoming a prophet, it tells us Jeremiah came from a line of priests, indicating he grew up learning the scriptures. He was not rogue when God called Him. Following the examples of the prophets in the Old Testament, Jeremiah was mentored before stepping into his calling. Jeremiah had submitted himself to the Temple’s work and to serving Anathoth’s people when God called him to be a prophet. The interesting thing about God calling Jeremiah is that his tribe was outside Jerusalem. Year’s prior, King Solomon had banished this tribe from the Temple into Anathoth because of their disloyalty to him. Their being banished tells us Jeremiah came from a line of priests who could only serve the people to a degree but could no longer offer sacrifices in the Temple.

Why would God call someone from this family instead of a priest with full access?

Asking this question of you, Christian, asking it of us all, why would God call sinful people only to banish us from His presence? I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again- God is not afraid of our past, status, or reputation. He has a way of redeeming what seems lost to fulfill His divine purpose. Jeremiah had a specific assignment: to restore the hearts of God’s people to the Lord.

Jeremiah was called to talk to God’s people about God, above interceding for them; God already knew their transgressions and hearts were callous towards Him. The funny thing about this is that we often expect God to force people to choose what’s right, but our praying usually has to be coupled with action. “Faith without works is dead” –James 2:20.

We can pray for our brothers until our dying breath, but if we never open our mouths to sharpen them or tell them about Jesus, we will have only made it halfway. Praying for someone is what prepares their heart. Actions plant the seeds the Holy Spirit will water. Excuses don’t work with God. Jeremiah was a young man who tried to use his youth as an excuse to avoid his calling, but God nipped that in the bud by telling Him that he was purposed for his calling long before he was born. “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” –Jeremiah 1:4-5.

In that moment, the Bible tells us, “The Lord reached out his hand, touched my mouth, and told me: I have now filled your mouth with my words. See, I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and demolish, to build and plant”– Jeremiah 1:9-10. Jeremiah is then filled with the Spirit of God and calls Israel out on their sins as a nation. He also begins to feel the sadness of Israel’s repeatedly turning away from the God who had saved them—time and again. I get the sense that God felt the betrayal by the people that He had chosen long ago to be His family. Remember, the first commandment of the Mosaic law is this: “you shall have no other god before me”– Exodus 20:3. Yet again, Israel had worshipped other gods, even making an idol of the Temple. “Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” –Jeremiah 7:4.

Israel had turned the Temple into a god instead of turning to God, seeking His presence.

The Temple became Israel’s cracked cistern. What’s yours?

If turning God’s Temple from their Source into a “cistern” wasn’t grievous enough, the Israelites also turned to pagan gods. Any other source save God alone, any cracked cistern, will never sustain you and will cause a depletion of your soul’s life.

Maybe your cistern is a significant other? Perhaps it’s your children, church, pets, home, your money? Where are your attention and affections focused? If Jesus is not the first thing that comes to mind, you’ve found a cistern.

God wants your heart.

He aches for you to come Home, tapping back into the Fountain of Life, His Living Presence in you, His Holy Spirit. Jesus is rich in love and mercy, and He abounds in blessings. God wants to bless you and provide for all of your needs. God wants to fill you with the joy and peace that can only come from His Pure, Living Water.

Hebrews 13: 8 reminds us: “God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” He wanted the hearts of His people then, and He wants them still. He wanted a family then, and He wants one now.

We were made for God, and in Him is where true peace is found.

Ask God today to expose your “cracked cisterns.” Then, ask Him to fill you with His Spirit, which will cause you never to thirst again.

And friend, if you have not asked the God who gives all who ask His Pure, Living Water, ask Him today. Drink deeply, and be satisfied. No cistern you have used to date will truly satisfy your longings as Jesus can. “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” –John 4:13-14.

The Choice Is Yours.

July 2, 2022 /

MaryEllen Montville

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him” –Deuteronomy 30:19-20.

Last Sunday, our congregation witnessed six souls openly profess their eternal allegiance to Christ Jesus when they stepped into the baptismal pool—joyfully taking the next step in their most sacred of relationships: their relationship with God. Their old man left at the bottom of that pool. A new man rose up, breaking that watery surface, stepping out. “and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him” –1 Peter 3:21-22.

These six souls, some walking with the Lord longer than others, one of them for literally one day, decided in their hearts to follow the “narrow path.”

“But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it” –Mathew 7:14. Yet despite its difficulties, each chose to take this path with its winding way, its mountain top highs and valley lows, its sacrifice and loss, partly because of the “Pearl of Great Price” awaiting them at its end. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it” –Matthew 13:45-46. But before we all gathered around the pool to celebrate with our brothers and sisters, we heard a powerful sermon preached. One intentionally stitched together with words like sin, forgiveness, and free will, a sermon brimming with the love of God for a sinful world. It was a map of sorts, no, not of sorts, it was a map. One whose X was clearly marked.

It was a sermon packed with hope, making clear that we must choose between life and death.

“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead” Acts 17:30-31.

This teaching, though not the easiest to hear, made clear that Jesus, knowing only a Pure, Spotless sacrifice could ever restore the intimate relationship broken back in the garden, determined to wrap His Godly Perfection in human flesh and be born among us. Choosing obedience to the Father, He came into this world. In like fashion, when His work was completed, Jesus chose to lay down on His Cross, leaving this life behind and returning to the Father. “No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded” –John 10:18.

It made clear the wages of sin are death.

Reminding us of what Romans 3:23 makes plain: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It detailed that salvation is a gift from God, freely given, yet each man must open his heart and choose to accept what God has offered him. Men are saved only by accepting Jesus. Not by works, so none of us can brag or boast. “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.

There is only One way to God, and His name is Jesus. “ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” –Acts 4:12.

According to Scripture, the sinner’s basic problem is unbelief. “And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me” –John 16:9. This teaching reminded us that anyone who refuses to believe, despite proofs, is rejecting Jesus and, if rejecting Jesus, is rejecting the Father and Holy Spirit in kind. Speaking to His disciples, Jesus made this plain: “Then he said to the disciples, “Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me. And Anyone who rejects you is rejecting me. And Anyone who rejects me is rejecting God, who sent me” –Luke 10:16.

“Unbelief is saying to God, “thanks, but no thanks, Jesus. I’ve heard all you had to say, but you go your way, and I’ll go mine. You’re not worthy of my faith, trust, or love. I don’t want or need you in my life.” –Pastor Lino Braga.

Crickets…

You could have heard a pin drop in the church. We were reminded that the sin of unbelief is alive and well in the church today. Witnessed weekly whenever God’s Word is shared, yet rejected—an ongoing proof of man’s wickedness. “For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed” –Hebrews 4:2.

In conclusion, I’ll add this: The parent of all sin, unbelief, was employed by God’s enemy in the garden.

Satan’s ability to sow seeds of doubt, division, unbelief, even spiritual death in the hearts and minds of others is no new thing. We read of it in Genesis 3:1 when Satan deceived Eve. “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” And we all know what happened next. Now hear what Jesus says of those who foolishly choose to follow after the one who desires to keep you eternally separated from God. Keep you dead in your sin, in this life, and the next. “For you are the children of your Father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the Truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the Father of lies” –John 8:44.

Now you may be saying, “wow, MaryEllen, this teaching is harsh. And to that, I’d answer, “Truth is not always pleasant or easy to hear, yet love compels me to share it with you. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” –John 8:32. Know this: God’s heart is that none perish—God loves you. Jesus is long-suffering, full of grace and love and mercy. But His Word assures us He will not tolerate our intentionally rejecting His love forever. Sadly, one day, He will turn away. Quit pursuing you. Quit sending people like me to get your attention. He’ll let you have your own way—remember, you get to choose. God will not force Himself on you.

So, friend, you need not live in unbelief for one more minute.

But if this has been you, please know God loves you and desires a loving relationship with you, regardless of your sin or past; I can personally attest to this Truth. Christ pulled me out of the hotbed of my sins, changing me from the inside out. Not overnight, but steadily, day by day—still. Know that Jesus is offering you another chance today. Choose Him, please. Ask Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior. Repent of your unbelief and be saved. Your unbelief is no match for God’s Love for you. God is not a man that He can lie. Take to heart God’s promise to you found in Isaiah 45:25. “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”  

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