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

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 “What does it matter, Follow Me!”

January 11, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Matthew Botelho

Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” – John 21:22.

Blessings and happy 2025 to our Sonsofthesea family! I pray the lessons we learned in 2024 were used to help us grow and will be put to use in the new season God has blessed us with. I pray you encounter new opportunities to share the Gospel, dive deeper into God’s Word, learning more of God’s will for your lives. In case you’ve forgotten, You are all very special to God. Let me remind you of Jesus’ finished work on that cross. How He paid your sin debt with His life. How He shed His precious Blood for you, for each of us; your salvation, our salvation, is a gift, and what an amazing gift it is to be set free from sins icy, cold grip. “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” –1 Corinthians 15:55.

“The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” –1 Corinthians 15:55-57

Last year I posted a teaching here entitled “Follow Me.” Today, I felt a need to revisit it.

I love this small bit of scripture in John 21:21-23. There is so much going on in it. “When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

To give you context for the heart of today’s teaching, let’s briefly revisit John 21:15-19:

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Jesus restores Peter during this beautiful conversation. It is a reminder that even if you fall short, Jesus is there to restore you. Jesus knew Peter’s heart. That Peter was sorrowful and repentant after having denied Him. In verse 19, Jesus looks at Peter and says, “Follow Me.” After forgiving and restoring Peter,  Jesus and Peter continue talking when John suddenly walks up behind them.

Soon after seeing John, Peter asks Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” I love Jesus’ answer to Peter, and I pray that this hits home with you as well because it sure hit home with me, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?” –John 21:23.

Jesus told Peter not to worry about what He had planned for John. All Peter needed to do was follow Jesus and do all Jesus had for him to do. In other words, don’t focus on who is around you and their actions. Stay in your own lane. Do the work Jesus has given you to do.

I pray YOU will follow Jesus the way He has called YOU to go this year.

I believe we are all looking for significance in our walk with Jesus. We are made for more than just sitting and waiting for Jesus to return. In John 6, the people asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” –John 6:28-29

Jesus reminds us in Matthew 6:33 of what is most important in our daily walk with Him: To Seek first the kingdom of God. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

I pray fulfilling Jesus’ command to seek God’s Kingdom first will become your heart’s anthem throughout 2025. God wants you to follow Him as He has instructed you. Forget about what others are doing. Focus instead on what Jesus calls you to do. We can get so lost in our wants and desires, thinking, “I would love to teach like that one…” or “I would love to pray like they do…” yet that may not be the path God has chosen for you; God never called anyone ever, to walk in someone else’s anointing.

Yet you have no idea what it costs that brother or sister to walk in their anointing.

Jesus said, “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it. Lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.” – Luke 14:27-30.

Remember Jesus’ Words, my friends; carry your cross and count the cost of what it means to follow Him. Yes, there will be moments where you feel alone, but you are not alone. Jesus said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” –Matthew 28:20.

You may feel like what the Lord has asked of you is too much for you, and it is. Remember, it is Jesus who is doing the work through you. “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” –Philippians 2:13.

The work is finished.

In John 19:30, Jesus assured us of this Truth before He gave up His Spirit to the Father, “It is finished!” Jesus is faithful in bringing you through hard times. Remember, “He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” –Philippines 1:6.  

The above Scriptures are only a few of the promises Jesus has given us to cling to in times of trials or weakness; there are so many more.

Friends, don’t let 2025 be filled with comparison. If we are Blood-bought believers in Jesus Christ, then we’re not competing with each other; we are One Body—His Body. “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all.” –Ephesians 4:4-6.

Let 2025 be the year we walk in unity as we follow God’s path for our lives.

With all that said, the bottom line is this, will you follow Jesus into 2025?

The Good Samaritan: Loving Beyond Boundaries

January 1, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Pastor Samuel Cordeiro

“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” –Luke 10:25-37.

In this passage of scripture, we encounter a profound and challenging parable that reveals the heart of God’s kingdom—a call to love beyond boundaries. An expert in the law approaches Jesus with a pivotal question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus, in His wisdom, redirects the question: “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” The expert in the law rightly recites the law: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” But then comes the follow-up: “And who is my neighbor?”

The man correctly understood that the law demanded total devotion to God and love for one’s neighbor. But the religious leader’s understanding of “neighbor” was missing. This question, meant to justify himself, sets the stage for one of the most powerful stories Jesus ever told—the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The Radical Love of the Kingdom

The Good Samaritan’s story isn’t just about helping someone in need. It’s a call to break down barriers, love beyond boundaries, and risk our comfort for the sake of Christ-like compassion. Through this parable, Jesus challenges us to redefine who our “neighbor” is and what it means to love them.

Who Is My Neighbor?

The Samaritan’s story begins on a dangerous road from Jerusalem to Jericho, notorious for its robbers. When a man is attacked, left beaten, and half-dead, two individuals—respected in society—walk past him: a priest and a Levite. Both choose to avoid him, prioritizing their own status or safety. But then, a Samaritan—despised by Jews—steps in. Despite centuries of prejudice and hatred between Jews and Samaritans, he chooses compassion.

So, who is our neighbor?

Is it someone who doesn’t look, think, or worship like us?

Is it someone we’ve written off because of their past?

Is it the person who has hurt us or holds different political views? Who have we, perhaps unintentionally, labeled as unworthy of our time, attention, or mercy? The answer is clear:

My neighbor is everyone Jesus valued worth dying for on the cross at Calvary.

EVERYONE, NO EXCLUSIONS. That includes those we may find challenging tolove.

1 John 4: 19-21 19 “We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

While we don’t deserve God’s forgiveness, His grace supersedes our sins.

 Compassion Over Status and Self-Preservation

The priest and Levite’s failure to help the wounded man reminds us how easy it is to let status or fear hold us back. The priest likely feared becoming ceremonially unclean. The law required priests to remain ceremonially clean, especially if they were on their way to performing temple duties. In this context, touching a potentially dead body would have made the priest unclean, requiring a lengthy purification process. So, to maintain his religious “purity,” he chose to walk by.

Like the priest, this Levite may have been concerned with ritual cleanliness. Still, perhaps even more so, he might have been worried about his safety or social repercussions. In a sense, his decision to “pass by” may have been rational, but it showed a lack of trust in God’s calling to love others boldly.

Both missed the point of God’s law, which places mercy and justice above ritual or convenience. God emphasized this truth when He said, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea 6:6).

Compassion often costs us something—time, comfort, or resources.

But God calls us to move past our excuses and trust Him to work through our acts of love.

The Aroma of Christ

As followers of Jesus, our lives carry an aroma—a spiritual fragrance that points others to Christ. In 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NLT), Paul writes, “But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now, he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance

rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?”

When you walk into a room, the atmosphere changes.

Not because of you or anything special about you personally, but because the living God, the Holy Spirit, decided to take residence in you; we must remember the authority and privilege we have as believers of Christ Jesus that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, lives in us! And through the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we can speak life to a dead situation, encourage a depressed soul, and be used to bring healing to a hurting body! God calls us to be the hands and feet of Jesus today in our generation.

What aroma are you spreading?

Does your life reflect the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control? Or does it reflect the world’s tendencies—bitterness, division, and self-interest? Jesus says it this way in John 13:35: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I have heard it said this way… a plum tree doesn’t eat its own plums. A pear tree doesn’t eat its own pears. All it gets is water and sunlight. Because the fruit isn’t for themselves; they are for people who pass by (our neighbors). Why? Because your gifts aren’t for us or our pleasure –they’re for God to use to bless others.

What we need are rivers of Living Water (the Holy Spirit), Sunlight (Christ Jesus, the Son of God), and wisdom!

Be the Neighbor

Jesus ends the parable with a challenge: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replies, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus’ response is simple but profound: “Go and do likewise.”

Jesus calls us to not only identify our neighbor but to be a neighbor.

The focus shifts from “Who am I required to love?” to “How can I show God’s love to others?

The Samaritan’s actions went beyond a random act of kindness. He took the wounded man to an inn, paid for his care, and promised to return. His compassion was sacrificial, costing him time, money, and effort.

What does it look like for us to “be the neighbor”?

Helping those in need—from coworkers to strangers on the street.

Serving with humility—whether in our homes, communities, or churches.

Loving sacrificially—even when it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable.

We have the incredible honor of being the hands and feet of Jesus and carrying Christ’s aroma everywhere we go. Let’s be bold enough and humble enough to serve our neighbors around us with Christ’s love, mercy, and compassion.

The Challenge for Us

Confronting the needs of others reveals our attitudes:

 The priest and Levite saw the wounded man as a problem to avoid.

The Samaritan saw him as a person worth loving.

And Jesus? He saw them all—and us—as worth dying for.

This new year, let’s ask God to soften our hearts and open our eyes to the neighbors around us.

Let’s be bold enough to step into uncomfortable places and humble enough to serve with the love, mercy, and compassion of Christ. Because in the end, loving our neighbor isn’t just a command—it’s a reflection of the One who loved us first.

As we reflect on the parable of the Good Samaritan, we see a clear picture of Christ’s love for us—His selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love for us when we were beaten, broken, and left for dead in our sin, Jesus didn’t pass us by.

He stepped down from heaven, took on the weight of our sin, and paid the ultimate price with His life so that we could be restored and made whole.

But just as the Samaritan’s compassion required a response, so does Christ’s love for us. The Bible says in Romans 10:9, “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.”

Perhaps you’ve been walking on the road of life, feeling beaten down by mistakes, guilt, or the weight of the past. Maybe you feel abandoned like no one cares or sees you. Let me assure you today:

Jesus sees you. He loves you. And He’s reaching out to you right now.

A New Order.

October 26, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.” –Hebrews 10:1.

The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God. –C.S. Lewis.

The prophets foretold of His coming—this King like no other— a foreshadowing. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” –Micah 5:2.

Year after year, the people had brought their lambs, rams, and doves, each one’s throat formulaically slit by the high priest. He spilled its lifeblood to atone for their sins. According to what God had told Moses, blood would always be required for the remission of sin. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.” —Leviticus 17:11.

“Rid me of my sin! “Accept this animal’s blood as my atonement!”

It worked—for a time. But only for a time.

New blood would need to be spilled next year and the next.

The spilling of innocent blood was a stopgap only. A foreshadowing, pointing straight to the One spoken of by the Prophets of old—evident to those whose eyes would be opened—yet missed by those who, despite the myriads of detailed pieces of evidence painstakingly laid out for them by the Prophet Isaiah alone, refused to see entirely. “But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshipper. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.” –Hebrews 9:7-10.

Read for yourselves just a few sentences of Isaiah’s words concerning the One foretold of. He who would come to do what no amount of blood shed from even a herd of animals ever could. “He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” –Isaiah 53:2-3.

Friends, it was God Himself who stepped down from heaven.

God took on flesh: helpless, dependent, human flesh, all that He might fully experience our weaknesses, helplessness, and dependence firsthand, in all its forms and fashions—yet even in His taking on our flesh, He sinned not. This sin-less Jesus would die in your place and mine—we who were born in sin—so that we might “get to” experience His eternal life within us. Should we accept His offer of salvation, that is. “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.” –Hebrews 4:15.

This unfathomable, Divine exchange—Jesus’ innocence swallowing up our guilt. Father God willingly offered up His only Begotten Son, who then freely laid down His Life so that we might gain eternal life. “Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.” –Galatians 1:4-5.

His Revelation declares He is named Faithful and True.

He’ll come again wearing a robe dipped in blood, and His title is the Word of God.

This King’s name? Jesus, Son of God—our Savior. King of kings and Lord of lords. “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.” –Revelation 19:11-13.

He alone, the Perfect atoning sacrifice. His Spotless Blood alone is able to wash the filthiest of sinners white as snow. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” –Isaiah 1:18.

“But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings  you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'” When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” –Hebrews 10: 3-10.

This same Jesus foreshadowed in the Old Testament, spoken of there as self-existent, eternal—having no beginning nor end, is confirmed to be God in the flesh in the New Testament by the Apostle John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” 1 John 1:1.

Soon and very soon, this same Jesus will come again.

Jesus, speaking through the Apostle John, assures of this.

Jesus came to John when he was exiled on the isle of Patmos and revealed to him all of what was yet to come in such startling detail that if you’ve read news headlines this week, you’d swear the Apostle John got his information from that same news source. In Truth, He did.

Jesus, Omniscient God He is, shared with John all that is to come.

By default, that would mean this one statement made by Jesus must be Truth as well: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” –John 14:1-6.

Jesus is coming back; that is a fact, believe it or not.

But here’s the thing: that “place” Jesus has gone to prepare is for those who believe in Him, those He knows intimately, those He calls friends. Those who have a relationship with Him. Is that you, friend? If not, it can be

Jesus certainly wants it to be.

Jesus gave His life solely for you to ensure that it might be. “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.

You need only ask Him into your life as Lord. His Holy Spirit will take care of the rest of what needs to happen. Please, don’t allow men to complicate what Jesus made so simple; even a child can receive Him. “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.

Remain In Me.

September 28, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father.” –1 John 2:24.

In his first Epistle, John the Apostle admonishes us four times within four verses to “remain” both faithful and in fellowship with Christ Jesus, and he adds our doing this is a sure sign of our love and obedience to God and His Word. “And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.” –1John 2:3-5.

Perhaps, as John was writing this portion of his Epistle, he was reflecting on earlier times.

Those days when he and his brothers spent drinking in every Word that fell from Jesus’ lips as they walked, talked, worked, ministered, debated with, and questioned Him so as to know and learn everything Jesus had to teach them. I pose this question because, upon reflection, the heart of John’s words in his Epistles concerning remaining connected to Christ—obeying Him, abiding in Him, could easily be interchanged with those spoken directly to him by Jesus in his Gospel. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” –John 15:5;8.

At their core, each verse points to how crucial staying connected to Christ truly is.

This cardinal precept of “remaining,” of spiritual intimacy with God, was a point Jesus emphasized the importance of repeatedly with His friends—and through them, to us. This precept of abiding is repeated throughout the Gospels—particularly in John’s.

Yet how? How do we “remain” faithful to what we’ve been taught from the beginning when nearly every day we hear of some new theory, new doctrine, some new “Word from the Lord” splashed across YouTube or social media, from the pulpit or whispered in our ear from a “well-meaning” yet albeit naïve believer. How do we “abide” in Christ when we’re being pulled this way or that by family members who demand, we choose between being with them or following after “this Jesus of yours.” When that addiction we thought was long behind us, the habit that had all but destroyed us, seems to be calling to us. A vague yet familiar siren song emanating up from our memory.

When your marriage is in crisis and, no matter of counseling, prayer, or late-night raging at the pain of disappointment and betrayal seems to heal it. How? When your wayward child is drifting further and further away, duped by a culture filling their heads with lies and confusion. When that stinging church hurt, or the betrayal of a life-long friend threatens to grow roots of bitterness in your heart. When the boss says that you must work on Sunday or participate in some office practice, that goes against your faith and principles, or it’s your job.

Thankfully, as believers, the answer to these questions isn’t complicated.

The process of our overcoming may be muddy and challenging, but the answer itself is straightforward. “…remain in my love.” –John 15:9. Jesus assures us, the solace and strength we need to overcome any trial is not only readily available to us, but found only in Him.

Equally, a prolific seed of Truth is found inside this simple verse: our unequivocal need for absolute Oneness with God. “Without me, you see, you can’t do anything. –John 15:5.

Sounds simplistic, I know. Maybe even trite to some.

However, absolute Oneness with God is what our relationship with Jesus must be built upon for us to flourish—to overcome and thrive spiritually.

We must have a resolute, watertight bond with our God. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” –Matthew 7:24-25.

And yet beloved, when we’re the ones facing the mountain before us, the death, terrifying diagnosis, betrayal, break-up, or loss, this simple Truth of abiding in Jesus, clinging to Him, placing a measure of faith we didn’t even know we possessed in Him, can feel not only daunting, but down-right impossible for some of us to swallow. And yet, swallow we must. Staying connected to Truth—to Jesus, we must.

Our feelings will fail us, so will our hearts, courage, and minds—our friends, too, as well intended as they may be. In times of trials, only Jesus can help us. Save, heal, deliver, strengthen, enable, make a way through or restore us.

Only Jesus.

Actually, this is true every day. For most of us, unfortunately, we only become aware of this when the winds and waves are threatening to take us out.

Each verse in today’s teaching is intended to harken us back to Jesus. To Remind us we can do nothing apart from Him—not even those things we so readily take for granted, like drawing our next breath.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly states that He came not to exercise His own will but to do the will of the Father who sent Him. To say what He’d heard the Father say only. “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does…” –John 5: 19-20.

At the core of all Jesus did was an ever-present determination to obey God and His Word to the utmost, even unto His death on the Cross.

It was this burning love for the Father, this fixed determination that was such a part of who Jesus is that nothing and no one could lure Him away from oneness with the Father. This absolute oneness caused and enabled Jesus to do what the “fully man” in Him momentarily stumbled over. “Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” –Mark 14:35-36.

We would do well to imatate Jesus by remaining in, trusting in, the love of the Father for His children.

Beloved, you have a Great High Priest who knows how hard it is for you right now. He not only sees you but that all but unbearable weight of pain you’re carrying—He’s been there. It’s why, in part, He sent me to remind you to stay connected to Him—your True and Only Source of Strength. Abide in Him. Trusting that the strength, healing, rescue, answers, or freedom you need—have been praying for— is found only in Jesus—that He has you.

Your trial, the “hour” that has come upon you, is safe in God’s Hands.

No matter what things look like, regardless of how dark it may get, trust God, beloved, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand.  The Father and I are one.” –John 10: 28-30.

Friend, Jesus made connecting with Him simple. Here’s how: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10. I encourage you to call out to Jesus as your Lord and Savior today, become one with Him—abide in Him.

“Cleansing A Leperous Heart”

September 7, 2024 /

Matthew Botelho

“While traveling to Jerusalem, He passed between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, men with serious skin diseases met Him. They stood at a distance and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When He saw them, He told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going they were healed. But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and with a loud voice, gave glory to God. He fell facedown at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus said, “Were not cleansed? Where are the nine? Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well.” –Luke 17:11-19.

As stated, these ten men had a severe skin disease, which Scripture hints at being leprosy, a chronic but now curable infectious disease mainly causing skin lesions and nerve damage. The Law of Moses stated: “The person afflicted with an infectious skin disease is to have his clothes torn and his hair hanging loose, and he must cover his mouth and cry out ‘unclean, unclean!’ He will remain unclean as long as he has the infection; he is unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.” –Leviticus 13:45-46

To make a point, I’ll use this metaphor. Just as leprosy deteriorates the flesh, unrepented sin will deteriorate your soul, causing you to live removed from God. It may even cause your death.

Brothers and sisters, before we came to Christ, we were as unclean spiritually as these poor men were physically.

Our hearts were diseased and riddled with sin.

Our minds were saturated with the things of this world, the lusts of the eyes. “For the mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit itself to God’s law, for it is unable to do so. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” –Romans 8:7-8

And we know that the longer a person chooses to live a sinful life, the more the evidence of their sins radiates outward. Their outward man becomes a reflection of their inward sins. “The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable–who can understand it?” –Jeremiah 17:9.

As with the ten lepers in today’s Scripture, your sin will cause you to live apart from God.

Man cannot rid himself of sin, but God made a way for all men to be free and be cleansed of all inequities through His son, Jesus. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” –Romans 6:23.

Concerning the lepers: “He told them, Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going they were healed. But one of them, seeing that he was healed, returned and with a loud voice, gave glory to God. He fell facedown at His feet, thanking Him. And he was a Samaritan.” –Luke 17:14-15.

These lepers cried out to Jesus, “Have mercy on us!”  and a repentant heart is what God wants. You may have been cast out, friend, but know that God still sees you, even though your sin has distorted your heart. Jesus still knows you and loves you.

They cried out for mercy and acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Master over their sickness and hearts. God does not want you to remain in your sin. He wants you to be all He created you to be: holy and full of purpose. In Mark, Jesus reminds us of this: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news!” –Mark 1:15.

 When these ten lepers heard Jesus say, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” Something stirred inside them. Having lived as cast-outs, it must have been a while since they had felt this stirring of hope inside themselves.

Their disease had plagued them for so long they had forgotten what it felt like to have hope and faith. But because of Jesus, their faith had been stirred up, and, in obedience to His command, they ran to show themselves to the priests.

But why did they have to show themselves to the priests?

Showing yourself to the priest was written in the Law of Moses, and Jesus never contradicted His Father’s Word. “But if the raw flesh changes and turns white, the priest must pronounce the infected person clean; he is clean. “–Leviticus 13:16-17. Also, the local priests must have known about these ten men and their condition. Their all being healed together was Jesus’ way of sending a message to these priests that the Messiah had come. Surely, they would remember what the prophet Isaiah had said about Him: “He Himself bore our sicknesses, and carried out pains; but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.” –Isaiah 53:4.

Ten men received healing from something that had taken everything away from them, and then, each man was restored because of their encounter with Jesus—there must have been some head-scratching happening by those local priests.

Friends, instead of sorrow and living as cast out from God because of your sin, you too can come to Jesus in complete repentance and cry out, “Jesus, save me! Have mercy on me!” Because of His mercy and great love for you, Jesus will change your heart and heal your inner man. He’ll redeem you, making you holy and clean by forgiving your sins and giving you new life! “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” –John 3:3.

Once restored, Jesus, our high priest, declares us clean and in right standing with the Father!

We read only one leper returned to Jesus and gave glory to God, a Samaritan, which the Jews hated. He was that one who needed a touch of God; the others got what they came for and then went their way. Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Didn’t any return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He told him, “Get up and go on your way. Your faith has made you well.” –Luke 17:17-19.

We should not take God’s blessings for granted, especially His gift of grace. “Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” –Psalm 2:12.

Friends don’t be like the nine who got what they came for and then forgot to thank Jesus for what He had done for them. Instead, raise your hands in joyous admiration and thank Jesus for His true gift of salvation! The Blood of our Lord Jesus has cleansed our leprous hearts.

Like the ten lepers, Jesus has made us new creations.

As I close this week’s teaching, know that we at Sonsofthesea are praying you know God’s love and the Truth that salvation is found in no one but in His Son, Jesus.

Do not harden your heart or turn away if you hear His voice calling you. Today is the day of salvation. Repent of your sins and ask Jesus to come into your heart. Believe His promise to you: “Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him and he with Me.” –Revelation 3:20.

Amen.

Sin And Dinosaurs

May 11, 2024 /

MaryEllen Montville

“For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” –Romans 6:14.

You may ask, “What’s the connection between sin and dinosaurs?” Bear with me. We’ll get there. Holy Spirit birthed this title and teaching after reading a morning devotional about how, in today’s world, many have drifted away from or ignored altogether—the concept and consequences of sin and sinning—even some professing Christians.

There is physical and scientific proof that dinosaurs roamed planet Earth for some 165 million years, but there is also proof those same dinosaurs became extinct approximately 65 million years ago. Categorically speaking, no one in our modern world can realistically live in fear of being overpowered by a dinosaur. Conversely, sin predates dinosaurs. It has been with us since the fall of Adam and Eve. “Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man, and death as the result of sin, so death spread to all men, no one being able to stop it or to escape its power] because all men sinned.” –Romans 5:12.

Yet, unlike dinosaurs, sin is very much alive and overpowers many in today’s world.

If you doubt this, watch the news. Daily, you’ll witness evidence of sin and its dire effects on the lives of so many men, women, children, teens, and young adults; those who come face to face with sin’s deadly presence—robbing them of hope, joy, peace, family, relational stability and, ultimately, both natural and eternal life.

So, in answer to the question: “What’s the connection between sin and dinosaurs?”

Simply put, one no longer has the lethal power to destroy lives, while the other very much does. Unapologetically, sin is often incognito, an unrelenting tyrant.“But each one is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to commit sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion). Then when the illicit desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin has run its course, it gives birth to death.” –James 1:14-15.

To find the only True explanation of how sin can and does rob us both in this life and the life to come, we must go to the only Source of Truth: God’s Innerant Word. “For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.” –Romans 5:17.

From the beginning, sin has gleefully robbed the saved of God’s blessings.

More tragically, whether acknowledged or not, sin is daily robbing the unsaved of eternal life.

Sin blinds them to the opportunity to experience intimate fellowship—a one-on-one relationship with Jesus, now and in the life to come. “But each one is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to commit sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion). Then when the illicit desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin has run its course, it gives birth to death.” –James 1:14-15.

Through his admonition, James intends to instill this Biblical Truth in both the believer and those yet to believe.

For the believer, James is warning us to stay alert! To follow Joseph’s example and not entertain nor linger in sin’s presence. To literally run from sin! “ so she grabbed Joseph by his outer garment and demanded “Let’s have some sex!” Instead, Joseph ran outside, leaving his outer garment still in her hand..” –Genesis 39:12.

James also reminds believers: so long as we live in these natural bodies, both our intrinsic sinful nature —and the enemy of our soul—can and will, without warning, rear their ugly heads, determined to entice us to reach back and dredge up, make excuses for, give mouth-to-mouth to, those sins meant to stay dead.

To go dumpster diving—pulling out long discarded sins that reek of death and ruination.

In Hebrews 12:1, the Apostle Paul also admonishes us regarding ridding ourselves of sin so that we might run our race unencumbered by sins’ exacting weight: “…let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed curse of the race that is set before us.”

For the unbeliever, sadly, sin will always have its way so long as the person continues to attempt to do life minus, the only Source of Life. To be set free from the grip of sin and death, one must be born again. These are not my words. They’re the Living Truth Jesus shared with Nicodemus—is sharing with you today. “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” –John 3:3.

Another reason being born again is necessary is for a person to receive and understand the spiritual things God chooses to share with them.

Being spiritually dead, the natural man is incapable of receiving these gifts. “But the natural [unbelieving] man does not accept the things [the teachings and revelations] of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness [absurd and illogical] to him; and he is incapable of understanding them, because they are spiritually discerned and appreciated, [and he is unqualified to judge spiritual matters].” –1Corinthians 2:14.

James and Paul, speaking to believers, remind us that we, though saved, are still sinners. We are still prone to falling back into old habits, picking up once-discarded sins. Jesus, too, shares this same Truth in John 5.

After finding and healing a man who had been lying beside the pool of Bethesda for some thirty-eight years, Jesus admonishes him not to return to his past sin lest his next affliction may be worse than his last. “But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” –John 5:14.

 Though not stated plainly in Scripture, some theologians agree this man may have ended up crippled as the result of an untreated sexually transmitted disease.

Was sexual sin the sin that had so easily entangled this man?

Only he and the Lord know for sure. I use him as an example, as he is one of the only people in Scripture who we read about Jesus saying, “Something worse may happen to him.”

Typically, after having healed someone, such as a woman caught in adultery, Jesus tells those He heals to sin no more.“Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” –John 8:10-11.

So, was Jesus’ telling this man that there is a far greater devastation that could overtake him than having once been a cripple for thirty-eight years—of his having reaped a thirty-eight-year harvest of crippling consequences for the sinful seeds he had once sowed?

Or, is Jesus warning this unnamed man, as He did His disciples, and through them, us—of the greater eternal penalties of our unrepentant sins?

“I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will point out to you whom you should fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority and power to hurl [you] into hell; yes, I say to you, [stand in great awe of God and] fear Him!” –Luke 12:4-5.

To recap, I asked: “What is the connection between sin and dinosaurs?”

And in answer, I said: “Simply put, one no longer has the deadly power to destroy lives, while the other very much does.”

So then, is there hope for us? Can anyone be saved from the deadly consequences of their sins?

The answer: Absolutely!

How? By repenting of our sins.

By not pretending that, like dinosaurs, sin is prehistoric.

Satan loves nothing more than for you to believe the same lie he once got Eve to believe—doubt God’s Word. “Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the LORD God had made. And the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, “Can it really be that God has said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” –Genesis 3:1.

Yet Satan’s ploys and recycled tactics are no match for God’s Immutable power.

So if you genuinely want every sin you have, or ever will commit, washed away, then, as Jesus assured Nicodemus. “You must be born again.”

Sure, you can choose to ignore the words I was sent to share with you with little consequence, but I pray instead you’ll ask Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior because ignoring His Words will have eternal consequences. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among people by which we must be saved [for God has provided the world no alternative for salvation].” –Acts 4:12.

Jesus, Our Deliverer.

March 2, 2024 /

Pastor Maria Braga

“And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” –Psalm 50:15.

We’ve all heard the word deliverance. Deliverance can be interpreted in so many ways nowadays. But Jesus is the only True Deliverer. One of God’s names, Jehovah Mephalti, means “The Lord, my deliverer.” We live in a time when many Christians should be more focused and learn to trust the Lord with all their hearts instead of chasing after signs and wonders. According to today’s Scripture and others, apart from Jesus, there is no deliverance. But thanks be to God, who delivers us through Jesus Christ our Lord! “Wretched and miserable man that I am! Who will [rescue me and] set me free from this body of death [this corrupt, mortal existence]? Thanks be to God [for my deliverance] through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind serve the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh [my human nature, my worldliness, my sinful capacity—I serve] the law of sin.” –Romans 7:25.

Once Jesus Delivers a person, that person is free indeed.

When we need deliverance, we are to call on Jesus, “Jehovah Maphalti,” our Deliverer, the only One who has the power to deliver each of us when we face oppression, disappointment, depression, anxiety, fear, and any other adjective that describes our situation.

Jesus delivers us from so many things:

• The Evil one (Matthew 6:13)

• Our enemies (Psalm 31:15)

• Death (Psalm 33:19)

• Personal Attacks (Psalm 18:43)

• Fears (Psalm 34:4)

• All our troubles (Psalm 34:17)

A deliverer is someone who rescues us from harm or danger. Our Savior, Jesus, came to save us from sin, bondage, and death.

Since the day we gave our hearts to Jesus (and if you have not, consider this your invitation to do so right now), we started journeying with Him on this intimate walk of faith. Being the only One who died for us, He is the only One who can provide the Dunamis power to deliver us.

According to her article in Bible Study Tools.com, Contributing Writer Annette Griffin helps us define God’s dunamis power: Dunamis is used 117 times in the New Testament. Dunamis represents the kind of power that is an inherent force. It flows from a person to give them the ability to do supernatural things, like miracles or morally excellent acts.

Jesus knows your pain, sadness, cries, and joys. He understands what it takes to be delivered. As you cry out to Him, Jesus feels your pain and agony because He is a person who has experienced everything we have experienced, yet He is without sin. He holds you up when you are too weak to walk. God holds your hand when you feel like fainting; Jesus picks us up when we hit bottom. Only He can deliver you. When you call out to “Jehovah Maphalti,” He responds and delivers us. No one else but Jesus can save you! “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” –Acts 16:31

The first deliverance we experience in our lives is the miracle of salvation.

When we accept Jesus into our hearts, Luke 15:10 tells us that angels in heaven rejoice. “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents [that is, changes his inner self—his old way of thinking, regrets past sins, lives his life in a way that proves repentance; and seeks God’s purpose for his life].”

They rejoice not because they are surprised but because of a great victory.

Salvation is where everything begins for those who put faith in Jesus.

After their initial deliverance from sin and death takes place through faith in Jesus, each day that passes holds a new deliverance.

But deliverance from what? Romans 12:2 teaches us to renew our minds and be transformed daily, discerning God’s will for us. “And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].”

We grow daily by reading the Scripture, attending a local Bible-teaching church, having an active prayer life, and thinking the right thoughts. This is how we start to bear fruit.

Now we know that Satan is real, demons are real, and curses are real, but we also know we have deliverance by walking in sync with Jesus, who is far more Real than all these. We no longer “lean on our own understanding, but in all our ways, we acknowledge Him, and He directs our path.” –Psalm 3:5-6.

Jesus took every one of our sins, any curse spoken over us, to His Cross so we could live free. Jesus carried our sins, so we no longer have to.

Jesus is our strong tower, One who will not be taken down.

We fear not – because He covers and protects us under the shadow of His wings. “Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious and merciful to me, For my soul finds shelter and safety in You, And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge and be confidently secure Until destruction passes by.” –Psalm 57:1.

Once delivered, each person has the privilege of living free instead of living in mental or emotional oppression.

Jesus took upon Himself our sorrows, our sadness, our depression.

We no longer need to live confused or under a curse.

By growing in God’s Word, we grow in freedom, faith, wisdom, and the understanding of who God is.

We don’t need to run here and there looking for what is already inside us. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is alive and well and living within us. We must only step into our deliverance daily by receiving God’s forgiveness, forgiving others, and going on about the Father’s business.

Our pastor declared 2024 as the “year of growth.”

As we develop and grow in 2024, we increasingly understand that we “wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” –Ephesians 6:12.

Growing in the Truths found in God’s Word takes effort and commitment.

Taking the time to get to know our Deliverer is essential for our faith walk. The more we read God’s Word, the more revelation we receive from the Spirit of God. Still, it all begins with our decision to accept God’s free gift of salvation and our desire to get to know our Deliverer, Jesus, Jehovah Maphalti.

Psalm 34:17 says: “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles.” How beautiful are these promises from His Word? God hears and answers according to His will for our lives. He doesn’t only deliver us from some things but from “all things.” The thing is, He doesn’t respond when we demand; He answers according to His timing and will. “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” –Psalm 50:15.

Many times, we want it now! When God says: wait, no, yes—just not yet. Why? Only God foresees what we can’t. We must grow to understand that He is Omnipotent—All-Knowing and trust that Jesus always knows better.

Will we believe what He says and wait on Him? Will we honor His answer? What if His answer is not what we want to hear?

I remember when I surrendered my life to Jesus, crying out to Him to deliver me from my thoughts, my old ways, and my habits. One day, I cried bitterly for hours, fearing He wouldn’t change me. I wanted to change, be more like Him and less like who I had always been. Over the years, I have changed and learned that His faithfulness never fails me. He is faithful to complete the work He begins in each of us. Each day that goes by, I want to live in this freedom I have in Him. I pray that He renews my mind daily and helps me live free. Accepting the deliverance and freedom in Jesus’ Last Words on the Cross: “It is finished.”

Jesus, please help me to experience this freedom today. Please allow me to trust You more, to lean entirely on You. Please teach me how to surrender to You all my days and help me grow and become more like You each day. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” –Ephesians 2:8-10.

Reset, Refocus.

January 14, 2023 /
Kendra Santilli

Entering a new year always comes with “the thrill of hope!” Yes! Just like in the Christmas carol.

It is only fitting as we just came out of the season of rejoicing in the advent of Jesus Christ and all that comes with it: joy, peace, love, and hope. The spirit of the season leaves us ripe with the hope of a fresh start. I mean, the natural succession of the Christmas season is the anticipation of new beginnings. They’re what Jesus came to do, after all. He came to give us a new name, a new start. He came to rewrite humanity’s story so that we could, once again, have a relationship with our Creator God, finally free from the spiritual bondage of sin.

At the beginning of every year, our church prepares for corporate fasting and prayer like many other churches worldwide. I felt at a standstill this time as I approached the fast, praying and searching for direction on what to pray. I felt the Spirit of God whisper to my heart, “get to know me.” It was a call to focus, once again, on Jesus. It was the gentle hand of the Father turning my head back toward Himself, knowing that I have all that I could ever need with Him.

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. – Colossians 3:1-4

Following Jesus is the furthest thing from a passive lifestyle. It is an active choice to live by faith in Jesus. Not only for our spiritual freedom but also for the freedom of others.

Yet somehow, it is easy to get comfortable with our freedom. We slip into autopilot when we realize that what we have feels good. The result is a slow leak of faith. We move from seeking God’s heart to fitting His heart into our agendas. We become so consumed with the cares of this life- work, school, home life, family, volunteer work- that we forget to leave space for the One who is the very source of that life. Even when we are doing things for Him, our God-given purpose can turn our worship and affection toward our “calling” or “purpose” rather than God Himself.

As a believer, do you worship, worship, or worship the One you should be worshipping? For the one who is searching. Do you worship your accomplishments, or have you encountered the One who gifted you with those things?

 Throughout the Bible, a consistent re-invitation is offered to find fulfillment by following the Lord. Still, as human nature has it, we revert to our comfortable rhythms and patterns. Yet one of the very defining characteristics of a believer is the death to self. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! — 2 Corinthians 5:17

 But instead of living with eyes of faith that come with new life in Christ, we keep wearing blinders of complacency—doing what makes sense to our minds without ever considering His plan.

 Keeping our minds consumed with the things on earth shifts our hearts from heaven-focused to self-focused. Set your minds on things that are above. This is a daily discipline. How often do you think about the things of Heaven? Does God enter your thoughts regularly, or is He only considered after everything has taken place in your day, week, or month? Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. —Romans 12:2.

We renew our minds by meditating on the Word of God and by checking our thoughts regularly. Yet reading and remembering are two different things. We must read and digest, digest and remember, remember and meditate. That is the practice of mindfulness. It is living on purpose, not passively. This year, would you join me in resetting your focus on Jesus? Let us turn our gaze from trivial things that rob us of our affection for Jesus and shift our focus back to Him! As we do, He refines us, making us new over and over again. This year, I invite you to find your renewed identity and purpose as you seek the Lord.

If you don’t know Jesus, ask Him to reveal Himself to you. He will renew your innermost being as you surrender your life to Him.

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!

Foreshadowing.

October 22, 2022 /
MaryEllen Montville

“And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” –Nehemiah 8:10.

In Chapter Eight of Nehemiah, while reading from the Book of the Law of Moses, Ezra, the priest, reminds God’s people of the festival known as Sukkot, or the Feast of Booths. A feast God commanded the Israelites to observe. A feast of which those Israelites who’d recently returned from Babylonian captivity had long forgotten.

Sukkot is over now, but just. It ended at sundown, October 16th. God’s divine will and timing caused this verse in Nehemiah to leap off its page as I read it. Why? Perhaps God wanted to remind us, Jew and gentile alike, to “remember and rejoice.” And if you have a personal relationship with Jesus, that’s all the reason you’ll ever need to do both!

Now is the time to remember—to reflect. To re-consider how your loving, merciful, patient God delivered you from your “Egypt.”

And then, dear brothers and sisters, rejoice, thanking God afresh, this day, for His election of you. Sincerely repent of having drifted away, certainly. Then let your tired hands take a fresh grip on your faith and press on—despite your past sins. “So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees” –Hebrews 12:12. Wipe your eyes, rejoice that God has restored you like the prodigal and Israelites before you. Remember, too, that God’s hands continue to rest above and below you, hemming you in, Beloved. The Spotless Blood shed for you, protecting you now; you are loved with an unquenchable love. “You hem me in behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain” –Psalm 139:5-6.

Sukkot is a yearly feast God commanded all Israel to observe. It’s one of three “pilgrim feasts” Jewish people are commanded to celebrate, bringing their tithes and offerings to the Lord. Three times a year all your men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the Lord empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you” –Deuteronomy 16:16.

Sukkot follows the Day of Atonement. A day when every observant Jewish person rests from their labors and all pleasurable activities. Instead, they wholeheartedly fast and pray, repenting of their sins before the Lord. It begins at sundown and concludes at sunset the following day. We read of its origin in Leviticus 16. And it’s in this same chapter that we learn of the term “scapegoat.” “Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat” –Leviticus 16:7-10.

No, this isn’t a lesson in Judaism or its feast days. And yes, I am going somewhere with this.

We’re headed straight to the foot of the Cross, to Jesus, that Spotless Lamb of God. Jesus, our Advocate, seated at the Right Hand of the Father. God’s own Son, who put an end, once, for all, to any further need for scapegoats, animal sacrifices, and feast days. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 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 2:1-2.

Jesus has always been. From the Garden of Eden to the Book of Revelation, we see Jesus. The Alpha and the Omega, beginning and the end.

The foreshadowing of Jesus’ death, the shedding of His innocent, atoning Blood, understood in the imagery of the animal’s God slew in the garden. Innocent blood, shed—their bodies broken, stripped to cover Adam and Eve after they’d sinned. “The LORD God made tunics of [animal] skins for Adam and his wife and clothed them” –Genesis 3:21. God has always had a plan. From the time of man’s fall, before, really, somewhere in eternity past, Jesus was at the ready.

And as “way too big as that is for our limited, finite minds to fully take in,” God surely foreknew every detail of every life that ever has or ever will exist. He knows our every sin, thought, the decisions we’ll make, every word we’ll speak, well before we speak them!

My point? I have a couple.

Firstly, as one who has felt the weight of their sin, been convicted by God’s Holy Spirit for allowing myself to stray from my Father.  I empathize with why those Israelites began to weep when Ezra read from God’s Word. The reality of their desperate state had seeped into their hearts and minds; God’s Word ought to cause true repentance to pierce the heart of those who hear it. Remember, the Israelites knew God. They’d once walked in His ways, obeyed His commandments. Yet they’d drifted from Him. Instead of clinging to God, holding fast to His commands, they’d instead taken on the world’s ways—the pagan practices of their captors. They’d become almost indistinguishable from them. God’s people had become so immersed in the culture and comforts of Babylon that many decided to stay put—leaving God and Israel far behind them. Why?

Because leaving behind the world and all it had come to mean to them would have required sacrifice—and sacrificing their comfort, what had become familiar, was a price they simply weren’t willing to pay.

Secondly, I understand why those Israelites began to weep when Ezra read from God’s Word. They had been restored, forgiven, were home now, returned to the land God had promised their ancestor, Abraham. Covenant had been restored. Not that God had or could ever break it. Man alone does the breaking; God alone restores. Those Israelites gathered before Ezra had repented of their sins, and God, merciful Father He is, had washed them white as snow—a foreshadowing. I, too, have experienced this with God, at least partly—the washing as white as snow. Like so many of you, my brothers, and sisters, I’m still waiting. I’m hoping, looking forward to walking into my promised land. An eternity spent worshiping Jesus, that Spotless Lamb of God I spoke of earlier. Soon and very soon, like the Israelites before me, I will once again and forever be at home with my Lord, my Savior, my Great Love.

Dear reader, I understand that for one who does not yet know and love Jesus in the way I’ve spoken, asking you to ask Him into your heart as Lord and Savior might seem a strange request. But I’ll ask it of you, nevertheless. Why? Because I know Jesus loves you. Not like people you’ve known, who’ve loved and hurt you. Jesus’s love is pure and good. It restores and washes clean. Jesus’s love gives you hope and joy, and freedom. I know this not because I write about it but because I experience it, daily.

Jesus loves you. He wants to have a relationship with you. I pray you’d want that, too. Don’t stay stuck in the ways of the world. Come home to Jesus instead. How? By being born again. “But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame” –Romans 10:8-11.

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