Tag: Salvation (Page 1 of 22)

When The Thorn Remains…

October 17, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com / 0 Comments

Emmanuel Lewis

There is a kind of pain that is hard to put into words…

You believe God can heal you. You know His Word says He is faithful. And yet, every morning, you still wake up with a wound that has not closed. You keep praying the same prayer month after month, maybe even year after year, but you start to wonder if heaven has heard the words you have spoken so many times.

You have worshiped through tears. You have quoted Scripture while your circumstances seemed to argue with every promise you were holding on to. You have encouraged other people to trust God, even while quietly wondering how much longer you can keep trusting Him yourself.

Yet somewhere in the silence, this question rises in your heart: Lord, if You love me, why am I still hurting?

That question can feel uncomfortable in church. We often know how to celebrate the testimony after the miracle, but we do not always know how to sit with someone still waiting for one.

What do we say to the person still standing beside a hospital bed, still grieving a loss, still fighting a battle in their mind, or still trying to rebuild what someone else broke?

What do we say when the prayer is sincere, the faith is real, but the pain is still present?

Let’s start here: God has never asked us to pretend.

In John 11, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother, Lazarus, was sick. They knew Jesus loved them. They knew He had the power to heal. Surely, they thought, He would come quickly. Yet John 11:6 tells us, “So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.”

Jesus loved this family, and He still did not arrive when they expected Him.

By the time Jesus reached Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Martha went out to meet Him, carrying grief and disappointment in the same breath. In John 11:21, she said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Those words carry so much honesty…

Martha was not denying Jesus’ power.

She was wrestling with His timing.

She believed He could have stopped the tragedy, and she could not make sense of why He did not come sooner.

Have you ever prayed a version of that prayer?

Lord, if You had intervened, maybe my marriage would be better. If You had answered, maybe my child would not have suffered. If You had moved when I asked, perhaps I would not be carrying this pain today.

Sometimes the hardest part of faith is not believing that God can move. It is trusting Him when He has not moved in the way we hoped He would.

Still, notice what Jesus does when He encounters Mary’s grief and the grief of those mourning with her. John 11:35 gives us one of the shortest verses in Scripture: “Jesus wept.” Jesus knew He was about to call Lazarus out of the tomb, but He still wept with the people who were hurting. He did not stand over them and tell them to have more faith. He stepped into their sorrow.

Jesus did not require them to understand the resurrection before He acknowledged their tears. We sometimes treat grief like it means our faith has failed. But Ecclesiastes 3:4 reminds us there is “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Scripture makes room for tears because God understands the hearts He created.

You can trust God and still be devastated.

You can believe His promises and still need someone to sit beside you while you cry.

Your tears are not proof that you have abandoned your faith.

Sometimes, they are the most honest expression of a faith that is struggling to understand.

Jesus never promised that following Him would mean a life without suffering. In John 16:33, He told His disciples, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Notice how honest that promise is. Jesus did not say trouble might come only if they failed to pray enough or believe hard enough. He said they would face trouble. But He also gave them something stronger than comfortable circumstances: the promise that trouble would not get the final word.

That distinction matters because we can become so focused on asking God to remove our pain that we begin to measure His goodness by whether He does or does not. The apostle Paul understood this tension. In 2 Corinthians 12:8–9, he explains that he pleaded with the Lord three times to take away his thorn in the flesh. He wanted relief. He asked repeatedly. Yet the answer he received was not the immediate deliverance he desired. Instead, God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul’s struggle remained, yet God’s grace was not diminished.

That does not mean every painful season comes with an explanation we will eventually understand. And it does not mean prayer should replace medical care, counseling, or the support of wise and loving people. Some healing comes suddenly. Some healing happens slowly through recovery, care, and community. Some losses cannot be undone in this life. And some questions stay unanswered long after we stop asking them out loud.

Still, unanswered questions do not have to become the foundation of our understanding of God.

Romans 8:38–39 gives us this assurance: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Notice what Paul does not promise. He does not say believers will never experience heartbreak. He declares that nothing we experience can separate us from the love of God in Christ.

Your pain is real, but it does not mean you have been abandoned.

Your unanswered prayer may hurt deeply, but it does not determine your worth.

And your present circumstances, no matter how overwhelming they may feel, do not get to define your whole story.

The greatest evidence of God’s love is not that He has promised to give us everything we ask for. It is that He gave us His Son.

At the Cross, Jesus entered the deepest reality of human suffering. He was betrayed, rejected, beaten, and crucified. He bore our sins so that we could be reconciled to God. And on the third day, He rose again. The resurrection declares that sin and death do not have the final word. That is why Christian hope reaches beyond circumstances.

Revelation 21:4 points us toward the day when God “will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” This is the promise our faith is moving toward: a day when suffering will end, death will be defeated forever, and God will make all things new.

We may not understand every season we will walk through, but we can trust the One who has promised to redeem His people. Until that day, we wait. Sometimes we wait with confidence. Sometimes we wait with questions.

Sometimes all we can manage is a whispered prayer: Jesus, help me make it through today.

Maybe that is where you are right now. Maybe you have been carrying pain for so long that you have started to wonder whether God still wants you. Maybe you have gone to church for years but have never truly surrendered your life to Christ. Or maybe you have spent so much time trying to fix yourself that you believe you need to become a better version of yourself before you can come to Him. But Jesus does not ask you to heal yourself before you come to Him. He invites you to come to Him for salvation. He offers forgiveness for sin, reconciliation with God, and eternal life to those who put their faith in Him.

Romans 10 says, “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.”

You do not have to understand every season before you surrender your life to Christ.

You do not have to resolve every question before you trust the One who went to the cross for you. And you do not have to walk through your suffering alone. Maybe today, your next step is to bring your whole life, not just your pain, before Jesus. Ask Him for help. Get the care you need. Let trusted people walk with you. Open His Word, even if you have to read it through tears. And remember: the Savior who wept at a tomb is the same Savior who conquered the grave.

I cannot promise that your circumstances will change on your timeline.

But I can point you to the One who offers a hope that suffering cannot destroy…

And if you have spent your life trying to heal wounds you were never meant to carry alone, let today be the day you come to Jesus. Not because you have everything figured out, but because the Savior who conquered the grave is still calling your name, and His arms are still open to welcome you home.

Home Renovations…

October 10, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com / 0 Comments

MaryEllen Montville

“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” –Psalm 127:1

I was awakened to this one Word in my Spirit: Renovations, plural.

Now, I love a good home renovation episode as much as the next guy: replacing outdated countertops and hardware, giving aesthetically unpleasing or ill-functioning cabinetry a fresh, latest look. Updating what is outdated and ineffective, watching it transform into something that changes the home’s function and atmosphere, and breathing new life into what no longer worked is fulfilling to watch unfold. And not only for the owner, but for everyone who gets to experience that transformation.

But the Holy Spirit didn’t show me an aesthetically pleasing renovation.

The houses He renovates often involve a far more labor-intensive, “deconstruct-to-reconstruct” process, spiritually speaking. The Lord Jesus often reconstructs, “a job at a time,” lest the homeowner grow faint under the meticulous work of the Master Builders.

Holy Spirit’s renovation work focuses on the building’s structure—what upholds, supports, and covers the home—not simply upgrading its cosmetic flaws. His deconstruct-to-reconstruct renovation process made sense to me, as I understand God is far more concerned with our character, our “support beams, roof, our pilings and the footings of our foundations” than He is with how aesthetically pleasing to the eye, if you will, our “house” is.

God’s heart, His desire from eternity past, is that His children walk uprightly in obedience and fellowship with Him, that He might bless those who do. “For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows [present] grace and favor and [future] glory (honor, splendor, and heavenly bliss)! No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” –Psalm 84:11. What earthly parent doesn’t want their child to grow up strong, confident in their parents’ love, living a good life built on an unshakable, righteous character—how much more than does God desire this for His children—and those He is calling to become His own even now.

God desires our proverbial house to reflect the righteous character of His Master Builder, Jesus, character placed in it the moment He took possession of it: Love, joy, kindness, goodness, self-control, patience, peace, faithfulness, and gentleness. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” –Galatians 5:22-23.

God made it possible for our homes to be “constructed” with these incalculable materials through Jesus’ sacrificial life, death, and resurrection—summed up aptly in Jesus’ final words: tetelestai, “It is finished.” The deed to your house, paid in full. Man’s sinful debt satisfied by Jesus’ sinless death.

Each man’s proverbial house is his soul, and only God can reconstruct a soul, returning it to its intended condition. “He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” –Psalm 23:3

Future homes will continue to be renovated: “deconstructed-to-be-reconstructed” until Jesus calls us all home. “For just as through one man’s disobedience [his failure to hear, his carelessness] the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of the one Man the many will be made righteous and acceptable to God and brought into right standing with Him.” –Romans 5:19

For our houses to be brought into right standing with God, some of His children will endure a far more intensive renovation process than others.

Because God loves them less?

Not possible!

No. It’s because of Jesus’ great love that some of His children will experience the more intensive renovation needed to keep their proverbial house standing, ready to pass inspection by its Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnificent Owner.

New girders will need to replace unstable main beams, and new floor joists will need to be laid to help carry weight straight to its foundation. Why? God knows the weight this house will carry—and how it must be built to withstand the storms of life, year after year…

Other homes may need new shingles to replace leaky patches on their roofs, keeping the elements out and protecting the work He’s already completed within. If the roof is faulty or leaky, it will eventually damage what lies beneath it—the walls, beams, and wiring—things essential for a safe, solid, well-built home. Additionally, mold and mildew can grow quickly in such conditions, causing this house quite literally to make its owner sick.

Thus, God repairs what’s faulty to make this house safe not only for its owner, but for all who enter…

In other homes, God sees the need to dig out the foundation and pour a deeper, far more stable footing that will undergird what He is constructing for years to come; God will use this major delay in the home’s construction to teach its owner patience and endurance.

Other homes still need to learn to rely on the Master Builder’s plans and materials rather than employing outside builders or employing inferior “do-it-yourself” materials in their own handy work, so-called. God will allow fiery trials to burn away the faulty tools and materials of self-reliance and put a stop to such building practices entirely.

Others have been built to face the vicious storms of adversity head-on; God has fortified their structures with indefatigable materials to withstand the warring storms that will rage against them and protect those God has called to enter them. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” –Matthew 7:24–25

And then there is the home of the prodigal.

Faulty materials were used when its owner cut corners and squandered the precious resources the Master Builder provided during its construction. Instead, they rejected the Master Builder’s offer of supplies, relied on their scant building knowledge, or hired less trustworthy builders who used shoddy materials to build their house. “But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!” – Matthew 7:26-27

As a result, they may taste the Master Builder’s severe mercy. His rigorous gutting of whole sections of their house, rebuilding them afresh, and shoring up their foundation, enabling them finally to withstand the Master Builder’s future additions. The Patriarch Jacob could easily attest to this Truth…

Beloved, only God Himself, the Good, Loving, Master Builder of the house, knows why He’s chosen and appointed some houses and not others for such rigorous deconstruct-to-reconstruct renovations.

The following Scriptures, however, point us, in part, towards an answer. “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” –Romans 5:1-5

Be sure of this, dear homeowner: whatever the trial Jesus allows to touch your house is for your good, to strengthen, purify, fortify, or refine your house and its reliance on Him, and it will result in your good and God’s glory. “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” —1 Peter 1:7

Who has built your house, friend? Was it the Master Builder, or have you taken matters into your own hands and built it yourself? Before you answer, consider the weight of today’s verse. “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” –Psalm 127:1

Friend, it is never too late to invite the Master Builder to renovate anything that needs updating in your house…

That’s Not For You…

September 26, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com / 0 Comments

Maria Braga

“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” –Mark 10:43

The less of Jesus this world has, the louder people cry out for personal recognition, status, power, and prestige. But throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, we see patterns of generations marked by godlessness and evil, followed by later generations who are good—for instance, King Hezekiah, “who trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him” –2 Kings 18:5.

Then there is King Josiah, who became king at eight years old and reigned in Jerusalem for thirty-one years (2 Kings 22:1). Both of these kings were righteous. Yet their sons strayed into terribly ungodly behavior (2 Kings 23:32).

Eli was a priest whose sons were “worthless men.”

“Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord.” –1 Samuel 2:12.

Similarly, Scripture accuses Samuel’s sons of corruption: “But his sons didn’t take after him; they were out for what they could get for themselves, selfishly taking bribes and corrupting justice.” –1 Sam 8:3. Not much has changed!

Many children today are still raised by Godly parents, raised in the ways of God, yet because of their free will, they choose their own path. It is not the parents’ fault, but the child’s free-will choice. Parents cry over their child’s unpredictable choices, but all they can do is pray.

In the opening Scripture, Mark, the Author of the Gospel, reveals an issue with the human heart: “pride and competition.”

Many today, consciously or unconsciously, cry out for power.

This longing can harm their spiritual well-being. Ungodly motives lead to pride, and, like the kings and priests of biblical history, some men begin to desire other people’s victories instead of pursuing their own. Man desires what he does not possess. They step out of their designated roles, mistakenly believing they can achieve greatness by doing someone else’s work, job, or ministry “better than” the one God has chosen. This principle is unchanged for the saved and the unsaved alike: John and James asked to sit next to Jesus on thrones, in places of honor. Danger lies in not fully understanding what we are asking for, and in operating out of our natural selves rather than as the spiritual beings we truly are.

When we read Mark 10 in context and consider the conversation in the verses before Mark 10:43, we learn that even John and James, the sons of Zebedee, Apostles of Jesus, had fleshly motives: a desire to sit on a glorious throne with Jesus. Jesus’ answer to them is astounding to me: “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink? Are you able to be baptized with the baptism of suffering I must be baptized with?” –Mark 10:38.

This is the same conversation Jesus would likely have with many today.

God is not looking for something new we can offer Him; rather, He wants us to use wisely what He has already bestowed upon us. We must grasp this fundamental Truth by accepting the fact that Creator God knew us before we were formed in our mothers’ wombs. “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 1:5.

Jesus is seeking hearts willing to embrace the commands He gives and the destinies He has ordained. He desires a people with open hands, unafraid to cultivate the spiritual fields around them without expectation—obedient and ready to surrender all they possess, as Moses did in Exodus 4:2, when the Lord asked, “What is that in your hand?” Moses replied, “A rod.”

Today, God asks each of us the same question: “What is in your hand? What have I given you already? And are you willing to use it for My glory?

Like Moses, our answer matters.

From birth, some are told how beautiful they are, or how good they are—how much they deserve the best, to be first, to win. Often, by age ten, many children believe they have “arrived” and begin to demand things they have no right to because of words spoken over them. They, in turn, start speaking to their parents and teachers with a sense of entitlement, creating a culture where so many children and adults alike today feel like they’re owed something.

Society struggles to learn God’s valuable lessons because it often refuses to recognize or believe in Jesus’ existence.

Self-evaluation is a good spiritual practice to do from time to time, checking where we are spiritually. In our humanity, we are creatures of habit, and habits are sometimes hard to break. We must retrain our minds in the ways of the Lord. If we belong to Jesus, we must start new practices and habits, so we begin to live as the “new creation” we are.

This new life is a gift from God to us that the enemy often tries to snatch from us.

Beware of the thief!

Today, few want to be servants; the term has taken on negative connotations. Instead, many compete for power and position, as our opening text points out.

Yet God is still seeking those who will pick up the towel and basin. Despite being in proximity to the Source of Living Water, even Jesus’ disciples, who walked alongside Him, debated who would sit at His left or right hand in the Kingdom. They too longed for seats of power and recognition.

I find it interesting that, while they sought glory, Jesus offered them the path to servanthood.

The greatest test for every Christian is learning that true greatness is found in the humility to serve. In a kind yet firm way, Jesus tells His disciples that seeking to be served is not the path He has chosen for them: “Among you, it’s not so.”

We understand in this that Jesus measures a servant’s greatness by humility.

Love is expressed through service to others. The universal language of God’s Kingdom is that of service, a concept understood across every nation and tongue. Can serving with a pure servant’s heart bring us as close as we can come to living heaven on earth—giving without expecting anything in return?

A believer who reaches this point of selfless giving has achieved a great measure of maturity. Serving is often a quiet, unseen act that leads to our rejoicing when we see others flourish. It may mean washing the feet of someone undeserving or showing love through our actions rather than mere words. Serving is a spiritual, sacrificial act!

No position is more esteemed, no ministry purer, no calling higher or holier than when someone responds as Mary, Jesus’ mother once did: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” –Luke 1:38.

To serve others is to die to self a little each day, so that Christlikeness can grow within us, allowing all who meet us to be touched by His greatness, not our own. Whoever wants to become great must first learn how to be a servant. Seek first God’s Kingdom, trusting in the promised result that everything else will come.

Here’s the principle: there is only One who is the Great I AM – Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient. He is our Great Creator God, Son Jesus, and Holy Spirit. His position is taken; it is not for you.

Father, I pray that everyone reading this today finds fulfillment by accepting you as Lord and Savior of their lives. May anyone hungry or thirsty for you find comfort and peace through your Word. May your Spirit touch and save all who are seeking to find you today. Bring each person the satisfaction and fulfillment they need. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

You say, “Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest” –Matt 11:28.

Can I Die Twice?

August 29, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

MaryEllen Montville

“And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.”

Today’s title posits a twofold assurance, which begs the question: Can a man die twice? The short answer is yes; he can. And yet, this same man may live twice. The choice for each rest in his hands—life now, and eternally, or death now—and eternally.

Each man must choose one or the other.

To not choose is, by default, that man’s choice.

In today’s verse, Jesus is refuting Jewish leaders who, being willfully blind, would not recognize Who stood before them—nor would they acquiesce to the miracle they’d witnessed nor to Jesus’ claim of Sonship with the Father—and so they did what they knew to do: rise up in unbelief and verbally assail Jesus. “So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God.” –John 5:16-18

The miracle they refused to acknowledge. The healing of a man bound for thirty-eight years. Instead, they called it a complete disregard for a law they themselves had stretched far beyond God’s intended purpose. “One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!” –John 5-10.

No one knows how old this man was, or at what age he first lay down beside this pool—Scripture doesn’t tell us. It’s likely, however, that in his mind, this place was his last hope, having exhausted all other options available to him. If he could get into these waters he’d heard had curative powers when stirred up—he’d be healed; his hope was all he had left. Had he been in his 20s, 30s, 40s, even when he’d come to this point of desperation?

Had this man who’d spent thirty-eight years of his life languishing beside a pool of water, due to his own spiritual blindness, convinced himself his healing would come through them only, or not at all? Scripture seems to nod in that direction; we just read his reply to Jesus when asked if he’d like to get well: “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”

How many today have been languishing beside some pool for years upon years, as well?

Not due to a physical malady, perhaps, as with this man; rather, they’ve been bound by drugs, alcohol, porn, a lying tongue, fornication, or idol worship or witchcraft. Maybe their malady is rebellion and unbelief? “For rebellion is as [serious as] the sin of divination (fortune-telling), and disobedience is as [serious as] false religion and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you as king.” –1 Samuel 15:23

They’re bound by self-reliance or reliance on “other.” Parents, a spouse, some statue or medal, their own child, even—some “pool” that carries their answer; if they could get in when the waters are turning.

But alas, that never seems to pan out…

So they languish, then, having decided this “pool” is their only hope, and if it can’t help them, then neither can anyone else. They stay bound to it, day after day for years, growing more and more hopeless as they watch others get what they themselves so desperately need—healing, hope, restoration, a new beginning.

Failing to accept the Truth that hope and healing can be theirs, if they’d simply say yes and receive it…

This is the first death: spiritual death. It happens when men decide not to listen to or believe God’s Word, which can save them…

Instead, they make the choice, and it is their own to make, to put their faith in anyone or anything other than the One who gave them life through their natural birth, and Who offers them new life, life eternal, when they acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. “Jesus answered him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.” –John 3:3

Jesus is man’s only hope—not some “pool” or person, not a priest or a religion—but the Person of Jesus Christ. “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.

Having seen the picture attached to today’s teaching, you may have noticed it’s of a branch snapped in two.

The result of its being broken is that this branch will not live; so too with every man. Sin snaps us in half, separating us from our Life Source, Jesus…

All men have been severed from Christ Jesus because of one man’s sin, so too have all men been afforded the Way to restoration and forgiveness of their sins. “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” –Romans 5:12;17

Notice I didn’t say sin stopped anyone from knowing Jesus’ name, from going to church, from owning a Bible, or from knowing what Jesus has done for others…

But I am saying plainly that if you are not grafted into what gives your Life eternal, this will result in the second death, which Jesus makes plain a few verses later. Listen: “The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man. Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.” –John 5:26-29

When Jesus sought out the man who’d been sitting by his “pool” for thirty-eight years, He did so to give him life now, in the form of hope, renewal, healing, and restoration, sure, but Jesus gave him so much more.

When that man jumped up after Jesus healed him, he didn’t do it in his own power. He did it by the power He’d just been given, the same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead. The power of God’s Holy Spirit had entered him, giving him the start of a new life then and the promise of Life eternal in the age to come.

Jesus had sought him out to give him life and life abundant…

Today’s title poses a dual question: Can a man die twice? The short answer is yes; he can. And yet, this same man can also live twice. The choice for each rest in his hands—life now, and eternally, or death now—and eternally.

Being the same yesterday, today, and forever, Jesus has come today, now, as you read this, to ask you, friend, the same question He once asked that man by the pool; a question each man must answer for himself: “Would you like to get well?”

I’m praying you’ll answer with a decisive, “Yes, Jesus, I do!” “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” —John 5:19

You Have My Word On It…

August 8, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

MaryEllen Montville

“I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.” –Psalm 138:2

Today, we’re going to begin at the end—of this verse, that is. We’ll start with its result, the honor of God’s name, then we’ll move on to its effect, reverencing and worshiping of our Lord. Sometimes, to understand a thing better, you have to take a step back to see it more clearly. Today is one of those times. It was the final twelve Words of this psalm that caught my attention. “For your promises are backed by all the honor of your name.”

There is no greater assurance a man will ever be given in this life than God’s Word.

If God spoke it, promised it—it’s a done deal. “For when God made the promise to Abraham, He swore [an oath] by Himself, since He had no one greater by whom to swear, saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.” –Hebrews 6:13-14

I can personally attest to this biblical Truth. Never has there ever been an instance where God has spoken to me, called me to follow Him, assured me He’d lead me or provide for me, and then failed. Not once, ever, in my nearly twenty years of following Him.

Time will surely reveal what God’s Word accomplished in eternity past—regardless of how long it may take any of us to receive it and, if it be God’s will, witness its fruit. What more perfect example of this Truth is there than Jesus’ own final Words, this side of eternity: “It is finished.” –John 19:30.

God’s Living Word accomplishes everything God intended for Jesus to accomplish before Jesus ever left heaven for earth. Let that sink in…

King David understood this.

We witness this truth in the fruit produced throughout David’s life through God’s unwavering protection, provision, and guidance. And today, we’ll read how David white-knuckled clung to this truth in some of the final words he shared before he died.

David’s dynasty and life were ending.

Still, Scripture tells us of David’s indefatigable confidence, even as he faced death, that God would fulfill every Word and promise He had made David—though he himself would not be alive to witness their fulfillment. “Is it not my family God has chosen? Yes, he has made an everlasting covenant with me. His agreement is arranged and guaranteed in every detail. He will ensure my safety and success.” –2 Samuel 23:5

Daniel also understood this, Truth. “Then the king was greatly pleased and ordered that Daniel be taken out of the den. So Daniel was taken out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in and relied on and trusted in his God.” –Daniel 6:23.

We’ll hear from Daniel again soon. He’ll teach us how God alone deserves all our praise, honor, all the glory and our worship…

But for now, let’s stay with David…

David had been chosen by God as the future King of Israel when he was still a young man. Some scholars suggest he was anywhere between 10 and 19 when Samuel chose him from among his brothers and anointed him as king, replacing the reigning king, Saul. At that time, men needed to be 20 years old or older to serve in the army; Samuel had found David tending his father’s sheep. “Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel told him, ‘The LORD has not chosen any of these.'” And Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied, “but he is tending the sheep.” “Send for him,” Samuel replied. “For we will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” So Jesse sent for his youngest son and brought him in. He was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him, for he is the one.” –1 Samuel 16:10-12

Now you might be saying, okay, but what does this have to do with David honoring God, like in the last twelve words from today’s verse?

Through faithfully tending his father’s sheep and faithfully serving his father and brothers both, God was shaping David’s heart to one day serve a nation. Through service and obedience, trials and testing, David would learn to trust and defend the Lord His God and His every Promise in all matters, great and small.

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin…” –Zechariah 4:10

David did not despise his “small” beginnings, and God saw how humble and pliable, yet valiant and devout David’s heart was in His Hand. “As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand” –Jeremiah 18:6

Throughout David’s life—every trial, test, every “giant” he’d face—David held fast to God: “David answered, ‘You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel’s troops, whom you curse and mock. This very day God is handing you over to me. I’m about to kill you, cut off your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole earth will know that there’s an extraordinary God in Israel. And everyone gathered here will learn that God doesn’t save by means of sword or spear. The battle belongs to God—he’s handing you to us on a platter!” –1 Samuel 17:45

David, like Moses and Noah, Father Abraham, and God’s prophets, who foretold Christ’s coming, suffering, and salvation—never witnessed it for themselves —yet held fast to God’s leading and guiding. His every Word of hope. His every Promise. Hence, David could come to the end of his life like so many of God’s servants before Him, ready to face the One he had loved and served, fully confident that everything the Lord had promised him would come to pass—not because David would be blessed to see it all; he wouldn’t, he believed, because God said it.

” This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.” –1 Peter 10-12

What a blessed assurance for us all, beloved. “You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.” –1 Peter 10:8-9

I didn’t forget about Daniel.

He’s going to teach us about the first part of today’s verse: bringing us back to the beginning so that we might end up doing what David and Moses, Abraham, the prophets, and Daniel did. What we’re called to do until the Lord returns, or should He tarry, and call us Home. That is to worship Jesus! King of kings and Lord of lords.

To bow before Him in reverence and humility, acknowledging His Lordship over our lives always, in everything we do. “May the name of God be praised forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to him. He changes the times and seasons; he removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals the deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with him. I offer thanks and praise to you, God of my ancestors, because you have given me wisdom and power. And now you have let me know what we asked of you, for you have let us know the king’s mystery.” –Daniel 2:19-23.

Beloved of God, as surely as God has kept His promises to our brothers before us —be encouraged: He’ll do the very same for us—for you.

Hold tight to that Truth, as David and Daniel, Moses and the prophets of old did, as you pray for your prodigal, that parent or friend, yourself, or anyone you’re believing, interceding for. “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” –Numbers 23:19

This same Jesus, the God of David and Daniel, Moses, Abraham, and all the prophets, promises you today, new friend, that if you don’t know Him as Lord and Savior, you can: “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

Light Up The Darkness!

August 1, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

MaryEllen Montville

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.” –Matthew 5:14

Jesus did not spill His precious Blood, paying the ultimate ransom—His life—for you to live small, hidden, or fearful of the judgment of mere men, beloved. To blend into a world that is not your home. To “hide” your Light, Christ alive in you, out of fear of what men may say or think about you. I can almost hear the Apostle Paul shouting to you across the ages even now, “God forbid!” He is reminding you, through his writings, doing all he could to save you from committing such a sin. “As far as the Law is concerned I may consider that I died on the cross with Christ. And my present life is not that of the old “I,” but the living Christ within me.” –Galatians 2:20.

Christ in you is your identity now; in case you’ve momentarily forgotten…

You are no longer your own, beloved. You no longer “get to” live hidden away; if indeed you belong to Jesus, that’s impossible. “You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.” –Matthew 7:16-17

Hear me now: I haven’t come to condemn you, rather to remind you, and myself, of who we are and of the unfathomable cost our Lord and Savior paid, that we be afforded such a privilege as to be His Light-bearers in this ever-darkening world. “He alone possesses immortality [absolute exemption from death] and lives in unapproachable Light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal power and dominion! Amen.” –1 Timothy 6:16

Being offshoots of Jesus’ unapproachable Light, we “get to” shine for all to see, directing men then toward our Father; by following Jesus’ example, who lived His life on earth to draw all men to the Father. “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” –Matthew 5:16

Those who belong to this world, are and will continue to, demand you dim your Light, Christ in you, insisting even that a single Source of Light doesn’t exist, instead, that, there are multiple light sources at work in the world; they do their level best to extinguish the One True Light of Christ altogether—as if they held such power—not wanting their sin or rebellion against the One True God revealed. Like their father, they prefer to hide in the shadows, far from the Light of Christ. “You are of your father the devil, and it is your will to practice the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar and the father of lies and half-truths.” –John 8:44

But you, child of God, and you whose heart God is tugging on even now, you are, or are being called to carry a Light so Pure, so Holy and alive, it cannot be hidden; you cannot stay hidden.

I believe the Lord sent me to you today to remind you to Whom you belong—and that’s not yourself. You belong to Jesus, and He expects you to do what you were created, in part, to do. And that is to shine His Light into the utter darkness so that in seeing your Light, those in the world will be without excuse, having witnessed its Source. “For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification].” –Romans 1:20

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.” –2 Corinthians 4:6-7

Whatever has been holding you back from letting the Light of Christ in you burn ablaze, or from carrying the Light of Christ within you, I came to encourage you today to turn to, or return to, Christ.

Ask Jesus for the strength to push past the voices of those who call you a Jesus freak.

Those who reject you or who have abandoned you completely because of your devotion to Jesus. That husband, wife, or child, mother or father who has grown cold towards you. The boss who says he’ll fire you if you don’t stop talking to your coworkers about this Jesus, enough already! Stop it! We don’t want to hear about Jesus any more! Don’t you get it! Just go away already…

Take heart, beloved, keep pressing into Christ. He will strengthen you to finish the good works He has called you to do. “We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.” –2 Corinthians 4:8-10

Weary soldier, fearful new friend, ask God’s Holy Spirit to fill you, or fill you afresh, if you’ve never asked, with the same fiery Light and power He freely gave those who first prayed in faith believing He would. “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.” –Acts 2: 1-3

Then, let Jesus’ Light, this same Magnificent, Pure, Holy Light that has been piercing the darkness of men’s hearts for millennia, burst forth out of you, like a bridegroom from his bedchamber, unashamed and undeniable. You are God’s messenger: A Light carrier for the King of Kings. You are partnering with heaven when your Light burns brightly and unashamedly before all men—especially those who reject you for His name’s sake. “I tell you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will also confess him before the angels of God. / But whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.” –Luke 12:8-9

Blaze on, beloved! In the power of His Might! “Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.” –Daniel 12:3

Friends, you can carry this Magnificent, saving Light of Christ Jesus in you, but first, you must ask Jesus to be Lord and Savior of your life. Won’t you do that right now? Be freed from the darkness and walk in Pure Light… “because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.” –Romans 10:9-10

If We Are Lacking Love, We Are Lacking Everything.

July 11, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

Wesley Mendes

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” –1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Throughout the Bible, God’s Word speaks about the posture of our hearts. Whether you’ve been a Christian for a long time or are just beginning your walk, it’s important to reflect on the condition of your heart and intentions. We must ask ourselves before we step into our responsibilities or our ministries, if any; before we use our God-given gifts or talents, this one vital question:

Am I walking in love?

The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal…”

Think about what Paul is saying.

You can preach powerful sermons. You can sing beautifully. You can pray passionately. You can serve faithfully every week. You can even operate in incredible spiritual gifts.

But if love isn’t the foundation…

It’s just noise.

Paul goes even further. He says that you could understand the deepest mysteries of God. You could possess faith strong enough to move mountains. You could give away everything you own to help the poor. You could spend your entire life serving others.

Yet without love…

“I am nothing.”

“I gain nothing.”

Those are very sobering words.

Love isn’t an accessory to the Christian life—it is the very evidence of Christ living within us.

Everything we do should be anchored in the love of God because everything God does flows from who He is. Love Itself. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. “–1 John 4:7-8

God doesn’t simply show love.

God is love.

So if our service isn’t anchored in love, it isn’t anchored in Christ.

Jesus illustrated this beautifully in Matthew 18:23-35 through the parable of the unforgiving servant: “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went to their master to tell him everything. “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

A servant owed a debt so enormous he could never repay it. Yet instead of receiving the punishment he deserved, his master forgave the entire debt. Entirely. Freely. But that same servant walked out, found someone who owed him a tiny fraction by comparison, grabbed him by the throat, and demanded repayment without mercy.

Jesus’ point is unmistakable.

How can someone who has received unimaginable mercy refuse to extend mercy?

How can someone who has been loved so extravagantly refuse to love others?

The truth is…

God loved us when we were at our worst.

God forgave a debt we could never repay.

God showed mercy when justice was what we deserved.

Today, He gives us the privilege of representing Him.

What an incredible responsibility.

We must first examine our hearts, asking ourselves: “Are we showing up in life with the same love that Christ first showed us?” Whether it’s at home, at work, or at school, our goal is to reveal Jesus.

Being a Christian was never meant to be a performance. “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.” –Matthew 15:8-9

As Christians, we’re meant to pour from our overflow; what’s already inside of us.

From the overflow of the grace we’ve received.

The mercy we’ve experienced.

The overflow of love that rescued us.

Your every act of service, in all you do, be rooted in this one simple truth …

You have been loved beyond measure. Now, go love others in the same way.

If this speaks to your heart today and you realize you’ve been lacking the love Christ has called you to live out, don’t let that discourage you—let it draw you closer to Him. Ask God to strengthen your heart. Ask Him to reveal the places where you’ve become impatient, unforgiving, judgmental, or simply indifferent. Invite the Holy Spirit to transform you so that when opportunities arise to show mercy, grace, compassion, and love, your response reflects the very heart of Christ.

Remember, demonstrating the love of Christ isn’t about trying harder in your own strength. It’s about allowing God’s love to change you so deeply that loving others becomes the natural overflow from what Jesus has already done in you.

And if you’ve never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, today can be the day that changes everything. The Bible assures us: “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

Jesus is the Son of God. He lived the perfect life we could never live, died on the cross for our sins, and three days later rose from the grave, defeating sin and death so that we could have eternal life.

Today, you can come to Him by faith, praying: “Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You died for my sins and rose again on the third day. I repent of my sin, and I ask You to forgive me. Come into my life, be the Lord of my heart, and help me follow You all the days of my life. Thank You for loving me, saving me, and making me new.” If you prayed that prayer with a sincere heart, welcome to the family of God. Your journey with Jesus has just begun, and He will continue to shape you into someone who reflects His love more and more each day.

Who? Me, Lord…? Yes, You!

June 20, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

MaryEllen Montville

“And the Lord said to him, ‘But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me.” –Judges 6:16-17

Before Gideon had offered up a single word of protest to God, one single, “I’m not qualified,” in God’s Divine Providence, the Midianites were defeated foes; still, God used Gideon to accomplish this. Likewise, God uses you and me today to do the same, fulfill His will. “So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” —Isaiah 55:11

Have you ever had a Gideonesque conversation with God?

Have you ever told the Creator of the universe—the One Scripture says, formed you in your mother’s womb and knows your every thought before you even think it, what it is you are or are not, capable of doing, being, or becoming? Shamefully, I have! Yet I now recognize the futility of ever having had such a conversation after its being held up to the Truth of God’s Word: “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

Yet that’s precisely what had happened with Gideon…

God had appeared to Gideon while he was threshing wheat in a wine press; threshing wheat where grapes, typically, are pressed to make wine because one: Gideon was hiding, and two: Gideon was afraid. From whom and of what? Gideon was hiding from the Midianites, who were attacking Israel at that time and stealing their food stores.

Gideon hid in the winepress to thresh wheat out of fear he’d be seen threshing by the Midianites, and they would come to steal his remaining wheat. These few details are a whole teaching in themselves, but they’re for another day, maybe a part two to this teaching?

What we’ll focus on today is that part of Gideon’s story where God appears to him, calling Gideon what he did not—could not—see in himself.

Only God knew who Gideon would become, because God Himself had foreordained Gideon’s life, imbuing it with a perfect purpose and plan—and that wasn’t to hide out in some winepress. It’s this part of Gideon’s story I felt led to focus on today. “And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” –Judges 6:11

Like Gideon, I believe some of you have heard God calling you by a name you also don’t yet recognize. “And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” –Judges 6:12

Who? Me, Lord…? Yes, you!

God is asking you to step out in faith, beloved, into a new season you feel woefully unprepared for—totally ill-equipped and wholly unqualified to take on, if you’re being honest. Like Gideon, you keep asking God for a sign that it’s really Him who is asking this of you. Him who’s put this desire in your heart. “Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” –Judges 6:36-37

Despite all your questioning, beloved, hear this: it’s already here. Remember, in God’s Providence, the Midianites were defeated before God called Gideon to do battle with them, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” –Matthew 6:10

So this new name is commensurate with the calling God has placed on you—remember, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and, so as He did with Gideon, God calls each of us according to how He sees us, which, typically, is not how we see ourselves. “For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].” –Ephesians 2:10

Before you know it, you too will be walking into God’s next for your life, whether that’s a brand-new relationship with Jesus or into the new thing Jesus has placed on your heart to do. Then, I pray, your questioning and self-doubt will become little more than a memory. Because if God planted that God-sized vision, desire, or calling on your life, then God will bring it to pass.

Remember, friend, “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken and will He not make it good and fulfill it?” –Numbers 23:19.

What God has predestined for your life and mine, beloved, what He calls us—who we are, right now, but can’t yet see in ourselves, will come to pass. “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” –Psalm 43:19

Still, you hand God every excuse for why He’s gotten it all wrong, how what He is calling you to do is simply impossible; you’re not alone, Gideon made that same mistake. Maybe you’re thinking, “Surely God’s forgotten my past! What I’ve done, who I’ve been—how I’ve failed Him?”

Maybe you feel weak as water, in character or faith?

So, out of fear or shame, you make excuses—you hide, but God will always find you out, beloved! “Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” And Gideon said to him, “Please, my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” –Judges 6:11-15

Friends, God’s Word is filled with stories such as Gideon’s.

Accounts of people much like you and me, ordinary people doing ordinary things, and then God showed up and transformed their ordinary into the extraordinary; events and the feats we read about throughout His Inerrant Word. Think of Noah, Father Abraham, Elijah, Esther, or the Apostle Paul. So it’s here then, I’ll remind you, the one hiding out today, or you, who’s feeling inept, inadequate, the very least of His children—that nowhere in God’s Word do we witness God call a person to do anything He did not fully equip them to do. “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” –Philippians 2:13

You’re right to feel the way you do, beloved, because the Truth is, apart from God, you and I are indeed woefully inept, completely ill-equipped. But with God, in the power of His Might, you and I can and will do all that He has foreordained us to do. “In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].” –Ephesians 6:10

Have you asked Jesus, this same God who once called Gideon, a man who felt unworthy of the call God had on his life, to come into yours? To give you a new beginning in Him. If you will, and you mean it sincerely, Jesus will come and make you a new creation; old ways will pass away, and Jesus will make all things in your life new again. God promises: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

Condemnation vs. Conviction: Is the Cross Really Enough?

June 13, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

Wesley Mendes

“There is therefore now condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” — Romans 8:1

Many believers faithfully attend church, worship passionately, serve consistently, and genuinely love Jesus, yet still carry a weight Christ never intended them to bear; living under a cloud of guilt, shame, and condemnation. Every time they stumble, every time they battle the same temptation, every time they fall short, they begin to believe the lies of Satan:

“God must be disappointed in me.”

“I’m not good enough.”

“Maybe I’ve failed too many times.”

“Maybe I’m too broken for God to use.”

If we’re honest, most of us Christians have wrestled with these thoughts at some point in our walk. The problem is, these thoughts do not come from Jesus…

Jesus’ Gospel is not built upon your perfection. It is built upon His perfection.

The Cross is enough.

Jesus’ Blood is enough.

Jesus was and is more than enough.

This does not mean sin is acceptable. By no means!!! It does not mean we stop pursuing holiness, but it does mean that our failures do not have the final word because Jesus already has. One of the greatest tricks of the enemy is convincing believers that conviction and condemnation are the same thing. Which they are not. Condemnation says:

“You failed, so you are worthless.”

“God is finished with you.”

“Hide from God.”

“You’ll never change.”

“You are your sin.”

Condemnation drives people away from God. It produces shame, fear, and hopelessness.

Conviction, however, sounds different. Conviction says:

“This path is hurting you.”

“Come back to Me.”

“Repent because I love you.”

“You are called higher.”

“Your identity is still Mine.”

Conviction draws us closer to God. It reveals sin while simultaneously reminding us that God’s grace is available.

The enemy wants us trapped in shame. The Holy Spirit wants us restored in love. When Jesus went to the Cross, He didn’t partially forgive sin, leaving some for us to carry. He didn’t say, “I’ll cover everything except the mistakes you keep repeating.” Jesus forgave our every sin: past, present, and future. All of them. Scripture tells us in Colossians 2:14, “Christ canceled the record of debt that stood against us and nailed it to the cross.”

Think about that…

The accusations, failures, guilt, regrets, and shame that once stood against us were nailed to the Cross with Jesus. So why do so many believers continue carrying what Christ already carried?

Many Christians repent but continue punishing themselves. They ask God for forgiveness but continue living condemned. They worship on Sunday while secretly believing God is angry with them. But if the Blood of Jesus is powerful enough to save you, it is powerful enough to restore you.

Peter’s Failure Didn’t Disqualify Him

Peter provides one of the clearest examples of God’s restoring grace. Peter loved Jesus deeply. Yet he repeatedly struggled with fear and inconsistency. He stepped out of the boat in faith but, afraid, began to sink. He boldly declared that he would never abandon Jesus, only to deny Him three times before the crucifixion. Peter’s failure was public, painful, and undeniable.

Yet after the resurrection, Jesus did not condemn Peter.

Jesus didn’t ask him:

“Why did you fail Me?”

“How could you betray Me?”

“What makes you think I can trust you again?”

Instead, Jesus asked a different question:

“Do you love Me?” Jesus restored what shame tried to destroy.

Even before Peter failed, Jesus told him, in Luke 22:32, “When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Notice Jesus didn’t say “if.” He said, “When.” Jesus knew Peter would fail, yet He still chose him. That’s grace.

God’s pattern of patience:

Peter wasn’t the only person in Scripture who struggled repeatedly. Moses battled anger and frustration. Samson repeatedly compromised and gave in to temptation. Jonah continually resisted God’s calling. The Israelites complained, doubted, and rebelled, even after witnessing God’s miracles.

Yet throughout Scripture, we see the same pattern.

God corrected them.

God disciplined them.

God taught them.

But God did not abandon them!

These stories do not excuse sin. They reveal the incredible patience and mercy of God. God does not say, “Keep sinning, it doesn’t matter.” But neither does He say, “One more failure and I’m done with you.” A loving Father convicts, corrects, restores, and continues calling His children forward. One of the greatest battles believers face is identity. Many people define themselves by their struggles. They say:

“I’m an addict.”

“I’m an angry person.”

“I’m a failure.”

“I’m damaged.”

“I’m too far gone.”

But Scripture says something different. Second Corinthians 5:17 declares, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Your struggle is not your identity. Your worst moment is not your identity. Your past is not your identity.

Your identity is found in Christ.

Our enemy constantly reminds us of who we were. God continually reminds you of whose you are. When you understand your identity as a redeemed child of God, you begin to fight from a place of victory rather than for acceptance. Some people become uncomfortable when grace is emphasized because they fear it will encourage people to sin.

But TRUE grace does just the opposite.

Grace does not say, “Sin doesn’t matter.” Grace says, “You no longer have to remain enslaved to sin.” Real grace changes the heart. Love transforms a person from the inside out. People who understand grace don’t want to run toward sin. They want to run toward Jesus.

The more we understand His mercy, the more we desire to honor Jesus with our lives.

Conviction changes behavior through our relationship with Jesus. Condemnation attempts to change behavior through fear. Only one leads to lasting transformation. When Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” He meant exactly what He said.

Your salvation was not left unfinished.

Your freedom was not left incomplete.

Your forgiveness was not left partial.

The Cross settled it.

You do not earn God’s love.

You do not earn grace.

You do not earn salvation.

You receive them by faith in Jesus Christ.

Because of the Cross:

You are loved.

Mercy is available.

Grace is greater.

Your failure is not final.

The enemy wants believers trapped in shame because shame keeps people hiding. But God calls His children into the light. There is a difference between conviction and condemnation. One brings you back to the Father. The other drives you away from Him. So if you belong to Christ, stop carrying what Jesus already carried. Stop living as though the Cross wasn’t enough. Stop allowing shame to speak louder than God’s promises. Romans 8:1 still stands today: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Notice it doesn’t say there’s less condemnation; it says no condemnation.

If you’re struggling with feelings of condemnation, invite Jesus into your heart as your Savior. Jesus promises to take that burden from you. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed.” –Luke 4:18

God’s Pause

May 30, 2026 / ministermaryellen@gmail.com

MaryEllen Montville

“Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics.” –Esther 2:12

It was in this place where God hit the pause button on Esther’s life—not forever, but for a time. A pause is only for a set time. Never forget that, beloved, especially when it starts to feel like forever. God’s pause is that space between calling and its fulfillment. That time —however long, God uses to prepare us for His next…

Are you there?

Does it feel as if God has hit the pause button on that hope He placed in your heart? That vision of your “next,” He shared with you?

Are you looking around, wondering if God somehow forgot you?

When God hits pause on your life, it can feel isolating—you start questioning yourself: “Did I truly hear from God?”

If you don’t guard your heart in this place, silent as the grave, often. Still, like trees before a storm, heavy feeling, even, not light and freeing as you’d expect, Satan will have access to that open door he needs in convincing you that God has abandoned you; that the silence, this lack of movement, the stillness, it’s all proof that what you’re feeling is real: “God has no further use for me.”

You’re there, aren’t you?

In the pause? That Holy tension…

Holy Spirit will not let you escape it, no matter how hard you fight Him—not that you want to, fight Him, that is. You just want something to happen. Some sign from God that He hasn’t forgotten what He promised. Hasn’t forgotten you.

Because that’s what it feels like right now, and the weight of those feelings is making your knees buckle. Because sometimes believing for something so big is bigger than your “right now” faith. That’s when God, being Lovingkindness and infinite mercy Himself, creates a pause…

You’re no longer where you’ve been, looking around you, that much is obvious.

Still, you’re certainly nowhere near where God is taking you, the Holy Spirit keeps confirming that much…

You’re in that place where nothing but everything seems to be happening all at once. You just can’t seem to pull all the threads together just yet, so the picture of the completed tapestry is just there, out of view—still, something is happening.

God used a pause in Esther’s story to prepare her.

Again, Loving Father, He is, Jesus knows our frame; what and how much we can withstand before the weight of His intended blessing breaks us instead. “For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust” –Psalm 103:14. So God lavishes His gifts of time and His personal attention upon us—ensuring every detail, each person required, friend or foe, every lesson and element needed to fully prepare us to thrive under the full weight of His blessing, is brought together at just the right time, in just the right place to be used with meticulous precision.

Still, how Jesus prepares each of His children for what He has for us varies according to His plan for our lives. “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” –2 Corinthians 1:21-22

Take Joseph, for instance; there were no spa treatments in Joseph’s story.

Instead, his time of preparation included a pit and prison, betrayal and lies.

Father Abrahams’s pause meant leaving home and family behind and heading off to somewhere known only to God, with no map in hand. His only directions were God’s go and His promise. “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people, and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth. I will be blessed through you.” –Genesis 12:1-3

What about Noah? People thought he was a complete loon!

Building something no one had ever heard of to be prepared for something no one had ever seen. Rain? What’s that! And all because the unseen God he served, the God with the yet unknown name, said to. “And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.” –Genesis 6:13-14;19;22.

Then there’s the man Jesus chose to be His forerunner.

Who goes around munching on locusts and wild honey? Who does that! Yet John faithfully traversed the wilderness wearing clothes made of animal skins and, to anyone who would listen, screamed aloud about a Kingdom yet to come: they needed to repent and be baptized; the Messiah was coming—man judges by outward appearance, for God, it’s all about the heart. “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'” John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” –Matthew 3:1-5

My point: the list of those servants who have experienced God’s pause—His deafening silence and seemingly fluid relationship with time —can all be found between the covers of your Bible; your experience with God’s pause is not unique, beloved. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s pause button has been obvious—if we have eyes to see it. Actually, it’s in Genesis, if you read with the eyes of the Spirit, where you’ll find an instance, maybe a first, where God chose to hit His pause button. It’s where He sheds the blood of innocent animals to cover over Adam and Eve’s nakedness, their sin. “And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.” –Genesis 3:21

“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

It would take some 40 centuries, yes, centuries, before God took His finger off that particular pause button. Still, He had prepared the perfect time and place, had selected the absolute right, not perfect, people: friends, and foes, needed to introduce His Perfect Lamb to this world.

So you see, beloved, God has not forgotten you.

He’s just hit pause because to Him, our character matters more than our comfort—some of us get spa treatments, others, pits and prison. Why? God, our Loving Master Potter, is doing what He alone knows is best for each of us. He is preparing you —preparing us all —to be received; not by any earthly king but by our King, Jesus—and that kind of preparation takes time, His, not yours. “But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?'” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?” –Romans 9:20-21

Do you know Jesus Friend? He not only knows you, but He loves you. What if the fact that you’re reading this today isn’t an accident? What if, instead, it’s God saying the pause is over? That today is the day Jesus has chosen for you to follow Him, to be His. “For he says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” –2 Corinthians 6:2

Tag: Salvation (Page 1 of 22)

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