Pastor Mary Haley

Discipleship is about serving the Lord and becoming an instrument who releases the grace and goodness of God into the lives of others. We can witness Old Testament servants whom God used to do amazing and miraculous works, as well as New Testament servants who emulated the love and power of Christ to heal and touch loves.

These servants of the Lord did not have special powers in and of themselves; all supernatural power comes from God. They were human beings just like you and me; they struggled with the same challenges and weaknesses. Therefore, every servant of God must be guided and led by the Holy Spirit or there will be a temptation to try to control the ministry in their hands or the people in their care. True ministry is loving your family, friends, taking care of neighbors; not only what is done on church grounds. We are servants of the Lord in Christ and we must recognize all of these realities. Discipleship is being willing to give all the glory to God; sometimes leaving us “feeling” used or even unappreciated. For this reason, we cannot be led by our feelings.

Yesterday, we looked at one miracle God performed through the prophet Elisha and how his compassion and love for God and people brought the impossible into the natural realm. Today, we will look at another miracle God does through Elisha and his servant, Gehazi. The Shunemmite woman extended kindness to the man of God [and therefore loving God]. Her kindness was rewarded in a supernatural way. Nothing good we do goes unnoticed by God and he knows the desires of our hearts.

Our families may be wonderful in taking care of us emotionally, but God still wants to be our Provider. So, in whatever area God has you serving, please ask God how you can be an even greater blessing and source of hope to those around you. God may open up the windows of heaven and poor out a supernatural miracle through your faith.

2 Kings 4:8-17 NLT Elisha and the Woman from Shunem
8 One day Elisha went to the town of Shunem. A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to come to her home for a meal. After that, whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for something to eat.

9 She said to her husband, “I am sure this man who stops in from time to time is a holy man of God. 10 Let’s build a small room for him on the roof and furnish it with a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he will have a place to stay whenever he comes by.”

11 One day Elisha returned to Shunem, and he went up to this upper room to rest. 12 He said to his servant Gehazi, “Tell the woman from Shunem I want to speak to her.” When she appeared, 13 Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her, ‘We appreciate the kind concern you have shown us. What can we do for you? Can we put in a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’”

“No,” she replied, “my family takes good care of me.”

14 Later Elisha asked Gehazi, “What can we do for her?”

Gehazi replied, “She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is an old man.”
15 “Call her back again,” Elisha told him. When the woman returned, Elisha said to her as she stood in the doorway, 16 “Next year at this time you will be holding a son in your arms!”

“No, my lord!” she cried. “O man of God, don’t deceive me and get my hopes up like that.”
17 But sure enough, the woman soon became pregnant. And at that time the following year she had a son, just as Elisha had said.

Prayer: Lord, I marvel at how the Shunammite woman is hesitant to ask for what she wants most of all: a son. Yet, you imparted that Word of knowledge to Gehazi and the blessing came through Elisha, anyway. I am inspired by how far you go to love us and to bless us. We certainly are blessed to be a blessing. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God is always seeking to make his presence known to his human creation. This is the Truth from the past, present, and will remain the Truth until the return of Christ for his Bride—the Church. The struggle for humanity in relationship with God has always been, continues to be, and will remain apostasy: Defiance against God’s authority and an abandonment of the core beliefs, standards, and love that must mark God’s spiritual family.

For the people in the past who resisted God’s efforts to reveal himself, they found themselves facing perilous times. The Old Testament is full of lessons where apostasy robbed those who started in a relationship with God, yet found themselves separated by their deceived choices. Faithfully, God sent prophet after prophet to gain the people’s attention—urging them to return to his care and grace. Sometimes they repented and returned and sadly sometimes they did not.

The God of the Old Testament was not harsh, he was desperately seeking to gain back his children by helping them see he was the only One who could save them from sin and death. Salvation by grace through faith has always been God’s way. Therefore, if the people would stay under the shelter of God’s covenant, they would experience the provision of his grace, as well as the tender and many times miraculous care of the Lord. Think about the Ark, the Exodus, the Wilderness, etc. All of these saving acts of God in the Old Testament point the way to the New Testament salvation opportunity brought by Jesus to save the world from sin and death.

In our passage today, the prophet Elisha is revealed as a servant of God—his ministry was focused on repentance as he sought to turn a nation from idolatry and apostasy back to God. He served the Lord as a person moved by compassion to share the grace and provision of God for the poor, vulnerable, and desperate. He restored lives. There are four miracles recorded in Chapter 4 that demonstrate God’s mercy and compassion for those who would love and serve him.

Our focus today is found in the grace of God to supply the oil that maintains a family’s freedom. This desperate woman and her sons collected as many containers as they could find and the oil kept running from a single vessel of oil until there were no more containers to fill. The collection could be sold in order to pay off the debtors and live on the rest of God’s supply. God is always able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask of think; his ways of meeting our needs are just very different than we may anticipate (Eph 3:20).

In this present time, God is still revealing himself in his Word and in his world. All the authority of heaven and earth have been given to Jesus the Messiah. For this reason, it is essential that we place our faith in his tender care for those who will step out of apostasy and into discipleship. Our faith determines a great deal. God blesses our faith. So, let’s really think about trusting God more, ourselves less, and set our faith out for exceedingly abundantly more that we could ask for or imagine. God’s provision is large when our faith in him is great, because nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).

2 Kings 4:1-7 NT Elisha Helps a Poor Widow
1 One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.”
2 “What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?”
“Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,” she replied.
3 And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. 4 Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.”
5 So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. 6 Soon every container was full to the brim!
“Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons.
“There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing.
7 When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, “Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for this wonderful lesson from the prophet Elisha that reveals your tender mercy and compassion for the hurting and brokenhearted. You are our supply of oil; you are the Anointed One we so desperately need. Today, I pray for our hearts to hold more of your grace and provision for us. You know what we need before we even pray; we can find ourselves so empty, but we proclaim you to be our Supply. So, please refresh us and refill us to overflowing, so we may continue to serve you and love others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Last Thursday I attended a collaborative learning luncheon in Tampa. It was a wonderful blessing, because I rarely get a chance to attend many workshops or conferences. This one was governed and grounded in love for humanity, but shined the light of God [Truth] on the power of darkness to destroy people when they step into immorality—sin against God’s standard of righteousness.

Now, we may automatically gravitate toward a definition of immorality that is only about sexual sins, but it is fundamentally about transgressing God’s righteous standards and will for us. Therefore, immorality can be actions, but also a mindset or attitude that leads us to partake of the darkness of the world in all kinds of ways. When we do not guard our souls—minds, wills, and emotions—we are vulnerable to be led by our flesh or the world rather than by the Spirit. Deception can begin to take dominion—which means humanity will be confused about the Truth.

God loves us and knows all about the temptations we may face; ways the enemy uses to lure us away from the narrow path that leads to transforming us as God’s temple. If you have accepted the work of Christ on the cross for the salvation of your sin, you are now the temple of the Holy Spirit and he works to increase your growth in the nature and character of God in which there is NO darkness.

In his letter to the Church at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul has to remind the people about the “fitting behavior” that leads to life with God (5:1-5). Before Christ makes us spiritually alive, we are dead in our sins, so it is not our place to judge the lifestyles of the world—we were once a part of it. But, in Christ, we are becoming God’s children of the Kingdom. God will judge the world, so our job is to live like Jesus so people will experience the true love and nature of God in and through us.

We cannot live like the world while at the same time proclaiming we have received Jesus. It is true we live in the world, but in Christ we are becoming the revelation of the righteousness of heaven. Oh, it would be so wonderful to never have to deal with our fallen nature again, but we will have to deny our flesh and our inclinations to sin until we are home with God. Temptation will always seek to pervert the Truth of God’s will in order to get us to eat the things that destroy spiritual life with God. Remember, Satan said to Eve, “Did God really say…?” (Gen 2:1-3). Yes, he did; and to live apart from God’s righteous standard leaves humanity separated from God.

Although we are saved by grace through faith, we must live in the light of Truth and the Spirit makes that possible as we choose to obey God’s righteous will in exchange for the sin-infected inclination of human will. We may like to think we are a complete work at salvation and in the spirit we are, but that must be lived out one choice at a time and is manifest in our thoughts, attitudes, AND behaviors. Simply said, we choose to do things God’s way, because we know he is our Creator and returning to him means living in the light of Truth—Christ. Truth is a person, so we must connect to Christ in all areas of our lives.

No one can live in the Truth of God’s righteous standard without Jesus and the power of the Spirit. It all really comes down to making righteous choices that can be very painful. The more deceived we become—because we try to excuse certain aspects of immorality—the harder it is to comprehend the Truth. For this reason, God has put his standard into place. Love is God, so as we love him and others…we must live like Jesus, because we have chosen to become his spiritual Temple.

Ephesians 5:6-20 NLT
6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,

“Awake, O sleeper,
    rise up from the dead,
    and Christ will give you light.”

Living by the Spirit’s Power
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, we long to be more dependent upon you. We need the work of the Spirit to fill us and help us become more like Christ. Help us face the Truth about the areas in our lives that need your redeeming and healing touch. We should never look like the world in how we love and live. So, Holy Spirit, please continue to produce the righteous fruit within us so we can remain faithful to your character. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Sometimes really amazing people who would give us the shirt off their backs can sound harsh when they disagree with us. They are loving, but have an angry delivery tone when they are concerned. By the way, we can struggle in this area, too. Sometimes we may err on the side of being passively delicate [too subtle/not to the point] and sometimes we will err on the side of being undiplomatic [not able to speak without upsetting others]. There is a road to both of these responses…yet, there is a narrow pathway between them. Balancing the Truth in love is never easy.

It is not comfortable when another person challenges us [encourages us to do something different], but it may be beneficial to us. Sometimes we simply do not see the dangers of certain decisions or actions. I don’t know of anyone who enjoys being scolded or corrected, but sometimes we certainly need it. When we are confronted with the Truth by someone, we will need to make a choice to not make that individual our enemy [adversary]. Knowing the Truth is what sets us free. As his children, God always sends the Truth to bring us well-being, as well as spiritual and personal growth and many times he uses diverse people to do it.

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul has a concern—compassion with a desire to bring a positive change. So, he gives contrasting spiritual direction to the early church in Galatia. They have been listening to a legalistic leader, but Paul wants the people to remain liberated and live in the Truth. He knows they will have greater joy and freedom in the Spirit. So, he speaks into their lives in a corrective tone, but encourages them to understand he is not their enemy; he is speaking the Truth in love.

The Truth can certainly hurt, because when confronted we are presented with the opportunity to see things differently and we may not like or welcome any change. As a leader, Paul had to pursue the Truth and lead people in it, because he was accountable to God. Speaking the Truth in love is the goal for every believer. It’s not easy, but we are learning.

Galatians 4:8-20 NLT Paul’s Concern for the Galatians
8 Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. 9 So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world? 10 You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years. 11 I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing. 12 Dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to live as I do in freedom from these things, for I have become like you Gentiles—free from those laws [ceremonial].

You did not mistreat me when I first preached to you. 13 Surely you remember that I was sick when I first brought you the Good News. 14 But even though my condition tempted you to reject me, you did not despise me or turn me away. No, you took me in and cared for me as though I were an angel from God or even Christ Jesus himself. 15 Where is that joyful and grateful spirit you felt then? I am sure you would have taken out your own eyes and given them to me if it had been possible. 16 Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?

17 Those false teachers are so eager to win your favor, but their intentions are not good. They are trying to shut you off from me so that you will pay attention only to them. 18 If someone is eager to do good things for you, that’s all right; but let them do it all the time, not just when I’m with you.

19 Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. 20 I wish I were with you right now so I could change my tone. But at this distance I don’t know how else to help you.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for reminding us today about our tone when we are sharing what’s on our hearts with others. We can believe the best about our intentions, but still hurt others. Really loving others is wanting your highest and best for them. So, help us to be tenderhearted with how we say what we need to say in order to share the Truth in our hearts. Let love be our goal and faith in the Truth be our fuel. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

It is usually difficult to face our human weaknesses, but it is always a spiritually mature attitude in which to stand before Almighty God. When we face our weaknesses, it opens the door to operate in the strength and power of God. That is when we become aware and others around us recognize the Truth living in us. So, we must choose to humble ourselves, because life will bring challenges that test our faith and reveal our weaknesses. The key to pleasing God is to stand strong in the Truth during the times when we are utterly dependent upon what Christ alone can do.

When we are navigating our lives according to the compass of the Truth, we are pleasing to the Father. We cannot use our desires or circumstances to determine the direction for the journey. Indeed, many times our desires are opposed to God and our circumstances are challenging, because the Truth living in us is either being revealed or opposed.

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul is getting ready for his third visit to the Corinthians. He wants to celebrate their growth in the Truth, but he is not sure that will be the case. Some of these believers are living in such a way they are opposing the Truth rather than revealing it. So, Paul warns them ahead of his visit that if they continue to oppose the Truth with their actions, he will have to confront, discipline, or even ask them to leave the assembly.

This may seem harsh to us at first, but the Body/Church must all be going in the same direction—into Christlikeness and Oneness or wholeness. Otherwise, there will be a spiritual tug-o-war limiting the growth of the whole. Leaders, like the Apostle Paul, who know spiritual maturity is what pleases God, will spiritually guide the people toward a committed and growing relationship with God. Leaders who care about pleasing the people—telling them what they want to hear—will accept spiritual immaturity and convey this is all the Lord requires. In my heart, this is opposing God’s power made available in Christ.

Friends, if Jesus is coming back for a radiant or “glorious Church”—pure, holy, without blemish, reflecting the perfection of Christ—let’s remember this is a spiritual state of being free from the power of sin and marked by righteousness (Eph 5:27). We must demonstrate and reveal the love of God and his character as we remain committed to the teachings of Christ who has freed us from the power of sin and death. The destination of the world depends on the revelation of the Christ in his Body/Church. So, we reach for righteousness and run along the illuminated path of Truth.

2 Corinthians 13:5-10 NLT
5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine [committed]. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you [ongoing experience in you]; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. 6 As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority.

7 We pray to God that you will not do what is wrong by refusing our correction. I hope we won’t need to demonstrate our authority when we arrive. Do the right thing before we come—even if that makes it look like we have failed to demonstrate our authority. 8 For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth. 9 We are glad to seem weak if it helps show that you are actually strong. We pray that you will become mature.

10 I am writing this to you before I come, hoping that I won’t need to deal severely with you when I do come. For I want to use the authority the Lord has given me to strengthen you, not to tear you down.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for this reminder about what pleases you and how we are to examine our lives each day. We confess our weaknesses and give them to you in exchange for your strength and power in the Spirit to remain faithful. We reach for maturity knowing we become more like you as we obey your commands of love. Help us to take the necessary steps today toward righteousness. We commit our lives to growing in the Truth, because we desire to please you as our Creator above all created things. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Peter, James, and John have just witnessed heaven touching earth as Jesus is transfigured and revealed to them as the Son of the heavenly Father. It was a miraculous mountaintop moment with God. It was so awe inspiring these disciples did not want to leave the mountain; rather they wanted to camp there and rest in the presence of God. I’m sure we would have desired the same.

In our passage today, Dr. Luke’s gospel follows Jesus down the Mount of Transfiguration and into the valley. We follow Jesus and the disciples from a spiritual realm of God’s power and glory to the valley where evil has been busy robbing God’s human creation of abundant life. I can only imagine the contrast between these two experiences for the disciples. But, Jesus takes authority and changes not just one life but many.

We know this child suffers demon possession; if it were epilepsy, Dr. Luke would have used that word. We don’t really know why the disciples could not drive out the unclean spirit, but it still teaches us a very important lesson about faith and leaves us with the reminder that we can do nothing of eternal value in our own human strength apart from the authority and power of God, as well as faith in Christ.

Not every day is a mountaintop experience; in fact, some days are hard, challenging, and painful. There is a difference between eternal life in heaven and temporal life on earth. Yet, Jesus takes each one of us up the mountain only to be led back down and through the valley. King David knew all about both parts of the journey, yet like him we must fear no evil for God is with us.

As we look at our journey in life, like the disciples, we see the contrast between the goodness of God and the work of evil. The closer we get to God the more we gain a clearer vision of the work of evil. Truth is Light. The Spirit takes us out into a dark world, so we can be bearers to the Truth of God’s love for the world. Salvation is a miracle and it comes through faith in Jesus the Christ.

Luke 9:37-43 NLT Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy
37 The next day, after they had come down the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus. 38 A man in the crowd called out to him, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, my only child. 39 An evil spirit keeps seizing him, making him scream. It throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It batters him and hardly ever leaves him alone. 40 I begged your disciples to cast out the spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”

41 Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you and put up with you?” Then he said to the man, “Bring your son here.”
42 As the boy came forward, the demon knocked him to the ground and threw him into a violent convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil [unclean spiritually, morally, and physically—opposed to God] spirit and healed the boy. Then he gave him back to his father. 43 Awe gripped the people as they saw this majestic display of God’s power.

Prayer: Lord, we must thank you for every mountaintop experience you have provided, because it makes us hunger and thirst for what only heaven can offer. We pray for courage and strength to take one step after another following the Light of Truth in a world that only knows the ways of darkness. Your supply of goodness is limitless, so we call for abundant and refreshing grace as we seek to live for you in a dry and weary land. Be our constant Companion and guide us along righteous paths. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

As human beings, we have innate powers; God has given them to us. Although we have inherited a sin nature from the world, we still have innate powers from the Creator. We have human wisdom, strengths, resiliencies/survival instincts, emotional responses, moral sense, and capabilities that are present from the womb; no learning required. The Lord who created and provided these innate powers, now asks for us to connect to Christ and allow him to gently guide that human innate power into his divine goodness where we find Oneness with God.

God’s Word has a lot to say about Oneness, because it is his purpose to bring this sinful and rebellious world back to wholeness in Himself. As Jen was sharing in the devotional, yesterday, we must take a side on the work of Christ for salvation in order to enjoy peace with God. Jesus is Truth and we must side with him vs. side with our flesh or the world. Agreeing with God is the place where we find and enjoy Oneness as a spiritual family; no more favoritism and no more prejudice.

We have spiritually been connected in Christ, but we must trust the work of the Holy Spirit to bring our souls [minds/wills/emotions] along to live in the will of God—making us whole in the Truth. We are becoming a family of diverse loving people learning to live as One Body with One God. The Holy Spirit leads God’s “body-building” process for living. We must listen and obey.

Think about the spiritual family and how different we can all be yet, we are called to become One in Christ. We certainly need a lot of help from the Holy Helper for that purpose, right? But “becoming” is the word we must hang onto all the time. We are not finished as a family, we are “becoming” One. Be careful to whom you give your power each day: Our Holy God, your fallen flesh, or the deception of Satan. The believer’s purpose is to live for the glory of God. There lies the choice of taking sides. Who guides your power and how is it being used? I pray it’s for Oneness and Peace in becoming God’s Temple.

Ephesians 2:11-22 NLT Oneness and Peace in Christ.
11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.
17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

A Temple for the Lord
19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

Prayer: Lord, we know we are in the process of being built in Oneness as your spiritual family. Help us to see the journey from your perspective. We can find ourselves taking information and learning in such different ways that it can feel challenging. So we turn to you. Father, guide our innate power to see our differences in light of your creative beauty; we can then learn godly Truth from one another. Jesus, guide our power to focus on your selflessness; we can learn to lay down our wills and exalt the Truth of your will. Holy Spirit, guide our motives and actions; we need your help to apply the Word and live the Truth. Please help believers across the world become One. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Legalism has been and continues to be a flesh problem among God’s people.  A working definition of legalism is conforming to a standard for the purpose of accomplishment; which is ultimately a way of exalting one’s self.  A legalist believes in order to be right with God a person must ‘do something;’ add good deeds to Christ’s good deeds in order to please God.  We are not made right with God based on anything we bring to the table besides humility and repentance.  We are made right, our sins forgiven, and given eternal life through faith in Jesus.  Salvation is not made more secure by anything we do.

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul tells the Galatians to stop thinking they will be closer to God if they “do” spiritual things.  Although our obedience is essential, God has chosen to save us based on grace [unmerited favor].  These early believers had fallen into a legalistic mindset of salvation.  Paul tells the church they cannot approach God by trying to keep the law—because only Jesus was able to obey it perfectly.  

The law reveals the nature and will of God.  It points out our sin; clearly we see it is impossible to obey it by our will alone.   Essentially, the law proves our sinful actions are an offense to God and we remain sin’s prisoners without Jesus who provides a way of escape.  The law is important, because God has written it on our hearts.  As well, the law partners with the promise of God to bring unbelievers to faith.

Friends, Jesus is the Promise; the Seed of Abraham.  We have already failed to obey the law, so let’s do what we need to do and depend on God’s grace to teach us how to live.  Pray and ask Jesus for help, seek his grace for guidance, and knock on the door of heaven and speak the name of Jesus. Have a blessed weekend…

Galatians 3:15-22 NLT The Law and God’s Promise

15 Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. 16 God gave the promises to Abraham and his child [seed]. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children [seeds],” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ. 17 This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. 18 For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise.

19 Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. 20 Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham.

21 Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. 22 But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for making salvation so wonderful and yet so easy to receive.   Forgive us for making it complicated and self-exalting.  Help us to share the Truth that it costs you everything, but only costs us our sinful pride.   In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

“The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls Father.” 

 Charles H. Spurgeon 

19th century preacher/theologian

What is God like?  God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24).  We begin to know God by forming a personal relationship with him through Christ; we taste his abundant and miraculous Love.  As a result of our connection to Christ, we start seeing God in nature, as well as working through the many circumstances we encounter in life. Our faith grows and, in the Spirit, we are assured of his presence with us.  He is our Helper; He is real and genuine. 

Here’s a list of some attributes ascribed to God in Scripture:

• Omnipotence: All-powerful.
• Omniscience: All-knowing.
• Omnipresence: Present everywhere.
• Immutability: Unchanging.
• Holiness: Set apart, pure.
• Justice: Fair and righteous.
• Love: Showing love and compassion.
• Mercy: Compassion and forgiveness.
• Goodness: Kind and generous.
• Faithfulness: Reliable and trustworthy.
• Eternality: Existing outside of time.
• Self-existence: Existing independently.
• Spirit: Non-physical and immaterial.
• Truth: Genuine and real.
• Wisdom: Possessing perfect knowledge and understanding.

We glorify God when we live our lives in alignment with his divine characteristics—the Truth.

In our passage today from the Book of Romans, the Apostle Paul addresses hypocrisy—which is saying the right words to others, while knowing the Truth has not taken root in our own life.  Israel was privileged to receive the covenant law from God—a special relationship with him—for the purpose of being a light to the Gentiles [non-Jews].  However, they were inconsistent with living up to God’s purpose for them. They preferred empty self-righteous piety.

The law is holy and was never the problem; it just did not have the power to change human hearts.  The law may tell us what to do, but it cannot empower us to do it.  Now, in the Spirit of Christ, the law of God is written on human hearts; our hearts.  Therefore, we are transformed by the motivation of our hearts to obey the Lord.  Our hearts must be right with God in order to enjoy fellowship with him!  

Circumcision of the heart is something the Word and the Spirit symbolically does within. We separate from the world’s ways and devote ourselves to God.  Our purpose is to please God—bring him glory—by how we live our lives, as well as how we love him and how we love and treat everyone else.  The beauty of God’s Spirit is he is able to help us apply God’s word in a way that is consistent with his intentions.  Today, I pray for us to grow in our trust of God, to rely on the Spirit, and to genuinely love others.

Romans 2:17-29 NLT The Jews and the Law

17 You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him. 18 You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law. 19 You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. 20 You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth.

21 Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? 22 You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples? 23 You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it. 24 No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.”

25 The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile. 26 And if the Gentiles obey God’s law, won’t God declare them to be his own people? 27 In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God’s law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God’s law but don’t obey it.

28 For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for the work of your Spirit to lead us into the Truth.  Thank you for changing our hearts; taking our hard hearts and giving us a heart that is obedient to your purpose for us.  We desire to live in such a way that all people will see and understand your amazing attributes and beautiful nature at work in us.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

We have all experienced coming to a ‘fork in the road’ of life.  You know what I mean by this metaphor, right?  It is a defining moment when we must choose between two very specific courses of action—two very different routes to travel.  It’s a pivotal decision with no return. One route is wide and feels safe; it may be welcoming and celebrated by many people.  Yet, the other route may be narrow, lonely, hard, and involve a measure of suffering.  So many times this is the road Jesus walks. Will we follow?

In these moments, we know we are facing uncertainty and change that will be accompanied by irreversible consequences—moral, ethical, or even eternal.  Life can be altered in these moments which will affect spiritual development, relationships, and even most assuredly personal growth.   It’s a test of integrity; Jesus is the teacher and the Holy Spirit is the proctor of the test.

In our passage today, Daniel faces a fork in the road.  He must choose between a Babylonian lifestyle of privilege and “unclean” delicacies—one that would defile him—or a Hebrew slave’s ration of veggies and water—one that would please the Lord.  Daniel chooses to place his highest allegiance as a servant of God; he knows it is the Lord who makes him strong and successful.  Although God’s way is sometimes strewn with struggles and suffering, in time God reveals his faithfulness and provides the privileges of heavenly grace.

Integrity is very important to God.  As God’s children, we will face the integrity test—a fork in the road of life—a decision to do what is righteous before God even when it is not popular.  Integrity is valuable and although we have all fallen short of practicing it flawlessly, we must leave the past behind and press forward seeking to live without compromise.  Integrity not only pleases God it sets us up to receive his promises and enjoy the freedom and power that only God can provide.

Daniel 1 NLT  Daniel in Nebuchadnezzar’s Court

1 During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah,[605 BC] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia and placed them in the treasure-house of his god.

3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives. 4 “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.” 5 The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service.

6 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah. 7 The chief of staff renamed them with these Babylonian names:

Daniel was called Belteshazzar.
Hananiah was called Shadrach.
Mishael was called Meshach.
Azariah was called Abednego.

8 But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. 9 Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. 10 But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.”

11 Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 12 “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. 13 “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” 14 The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.

15 At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. 16 So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.

17 God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.

18 When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. 20 Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.

21 Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.[539 BC]

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for this integrity lesson from Daniel. As your children, may we live without compromise in this world and may we trust you as Daniel did.  He was a captive, yet he honored those in authority without dishonoring you.  Holy Spirit, help us to live in a way that honors you but delivers respect for the people [believers or unbelievers] we are to serve while here on earth.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.