Pastor Mary Haley

Every week, in some practical way, I teach people how the Word of God emphasizes spiritual formation; growing up in the fullness of Christ. In order to receive, we must first understand the supremacy of Christ the Living Word in the provision and plan of God. The Word must become our teacher; we are the humble and eager students awaiting divine instruction. God not only helps us understand the divine plan and how we fit into it, the Lord remains with us to guide us with wisdom along the way. In our reading today, the psalmist reinforces the power of the Word to guide our faith and enrich our relationship with God.

Psalms 119:25-32

25

I lie in the dust;

revive me by your word.

26

I told you my plans, and you answered.

Now teach me your decrees.

27

Help me understand the meaning of your commandments,

and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds.

28

I weep with sorrow;

encourage me by your word.

29

Keep me from lying to myself;

give me the privilege of knowing your instructions.

30

I have chosen to be faithful;

I have determined to live by your regulations.

31

I cling to your laws.

Lord, don’t let me be put to shame!

32

I will pursue your commands,

for you expand my understanding.

Daily Devotional from Pastor Mary 7-22-19Prayer: Lord, thank you for the power of the Word to teach me the truth of your heart. Help me remain in your will and live by your boundaries. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

July 19, 2019

Ephesians 3:14-21 The Message (MSG)

 

In the divine plan, the children of God become a family.  As family, we are built together by our faith in Christ—the Head of the family. Life with God is all about Christ’s perspective; Christ is embodied Truth. So, Christ calls every follower out of the world and into the work of truth and grace to make us One.  “He calls us a chosen people, a royal priesthood; his very own possession” (1 Peter 2:9).

 

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul encourages his spiritual family in Ephesus to experience the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love; to be strengthened into One whole family by the Spirit.  Paul is not praying for the family to experience the same kind of love each follower has for Christ.  Instead, Paul is praying for the family to experience the same kind of love Christ has for each follower.  Big difference!  Christ’s love is devotedly pure, limitless in resources, and comes with a connection to supernatural power.  The word power used in our passage is from the Greek word, “dunamis” from which we derive the word dynamite.  So, Paul is praying for the family of God to experience the same measure of love and power that is equal to the fullness of love and power found in the incarnation of the glorious Christ.  Christ is the embodiment of the Godhead and he makes it possible for us to embody the Godhead, too. Is this how you see your identity?  If not, please exchange your wrong thoughts for Christ’s perspective of Truth. “The Lord has told you what is good and this is what he requires of you; to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

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July 18, 2019

Amos 5:10-17 Contemporary English Version

 

Last night I was reading some excerpts from a book on evangelism; specially, I was reading about evangelist, Charles G. Finney who was a leader in the Second Great Awakening—a 19th century protestant revival in the United States. This man of God spent years preaching about “heart reform” or conversion that would lead people toward a movement of “social reform” or justice.   Finney had an encounter with the Spirit of God that set a new course for how he viewed Christianity; the Christian’s responsibility before God to live revealing the Truth of Christ’s indwelling presence.  Finney’s passion to see God’s people understand the essential work of the Word, faith, and grace to bring holy reform to humanity’s sinful heart and actions, actually influenced the nation’s leaders and helped to abolish slavery in our country. Reading and preaching the Word of God set forth a plumb line of responsibility for the lives and actions of God’s sons and daughters. When the heart of a person is given to the Lordship of Christ—placing faith in him alone—all things are possible. Where sin abounds, grace becomes even more abundant (Rom. 5:20). To God be the Glory!

 

In our passage today, the prophet Amos is delivering a similar message from Almighty God to his people; they are to live in the Truth and reflect God’s character and heart to the world.

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July 17, 2019

Matthew 25:31-46 New Living Translation (NLT)

 

Do you see yourself as a person who is prepared for uncertainties? For example, we are in the midst of hurricane season.  Do you have a plan in place?  Every time a hurricane heads toward Florida, I am grateful for the weather warning.  We may not know what to fully expect from the storm, but we are guided to prepare for our safety in the midst of it.  Whenever an evacuation warning is given, there are still people in the path of danger who mocked the storm and refuse to leave their “stuff.”  Those can be life or death decisions. To be told of the danger and still make a decision not to prepare oneself by seeking a safe place is truly foolish.

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July 16, 2019

1 John 3:11-17 

 

Do you believe the love of God in Christ wants to reach out through you every day to touch lives? How about other believers; those who declare, by the power of the Spirit, Jesus is Lord of their lives? Father may want to love more of his children by expressing his love and goodness through you. If you believe this is true, you will not be participating in the work of Christ if you isolate yourself from certain believers or hand pick a few folks you will love. Doesn’t it make sense that Christ would reach out through you to love those who are the most challenging in order to reveal the presence of the Lord in you who wants to produce the fruit of authentic love and faith? 

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July 15, 2019

Colossians 1:9-14 The Voice

 

I dearly love knowing that people pray for me; I feel the love of God when I am lifted before the Lord in prayer. Life is tough; circumstances can overwhelm any one of us and cause our faith to be shaken. The enemy tries to isolate us, but the Spirit gathers us and calls us into prayer. That is why God calls us to live as a family under his authority; we are stronger and healthier together as we focus on Christ. We overcome the challenges of life, because we use our faith to pray for one another in order to remain strong and victorious.  By faith, we grab ahold of the L.I.F.E. Jesus promises.

 

Our passage today is based on a prayer of thanksgiving penned by the Apostle Paul. In his prayer, he prays for the church at Colossae. But, my friends, this prayer is also for us. So let’s take time to pray for our loved ones and all fellow believers to hang onto L.I.F.E.  

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July 12, 2019

Acts 7:9-16 The Voice (VOICE)

 

When you face the hard places in life, do you still know God is with you and working in your behalf? Every place of trial stretches our faith and trust in God. I have many loved ones who are facing hard places right now. They must fight every feeling of having been forsaken by God. Jesus taught his disciples and he teaches us, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). 

 

Yesterday, we explored how the Lord is our Rescuer.  We touched on how sometimes the Lord rescues us by intervening in our circumstances. However, sometimes the Lord rescues us by covering us with his grace and wisdom, so we can stay in the hard places and be a witness to God’s power working in and through us.  It is God’s heart to draw all people to himself; his ways are not our ways (Is. 55:8).  If you are going through some hard times, please recognize you have an opportunity to reveal God’s presence to others.  Stay humble and trust the Lord to overcome in your life.  Be encouraged by our lesson today from the life of Joseph.

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July 11, 2019 John 3:16-21 The Voice (VOICE) Every day I enjoy God’s miraculous creation. I enjoy nature and relationships. Yet, as beautiful and diverse as God’s creation emerges each day or as much as I enjoy my relationships, I never lose an awareness that this world is rebellious against God and, therefore, headed toward destruction. According to Scripture, the world and its inhabitants needs to be rescued and the Rescuer is Jesus—the Son of God. In our passage, today, John reminds us about our need to come to the Light or Word; to see things from God’s perspective. Shining this Light is the work of the Rescuer. When we come to Jesus, he illuminates the darkness of the world and draws our attention to the sin hiding in our own souls (mind/will/emotions). Jesus is such a Gift, because without him we would arrogantly walk around deceived all the time and ignorant that we are headed for our own destruction.

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July 10, 2019 Psalm 119:73-80 The Message (MSG) It is really good to be back from vacation; however, John and I completely enjoyed the mountains of Georgia and the solitude of our little log cabin in the woods. Interestingly, before arriving to our restful cabin, we endured a major traffic challenge. The traffic in Atlanta was horrendous, but eventually (note, we endured for a period of time) that tremendous traffic “blockage” caused us to change our planned course of travel. Jesus brought us a lesson. We got off the main highway and headed along a new route; an uncharted route for us. This route was exponentially better than the original path we had planned to take and still delivered us to our cabin of rest. That which we initially saw as extremely negative—traffic mayhem—actually served to help us see the working of the Word in our behalf.

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June 28, 2019 Galatians 4:8-16 New Living Translation (NLT) God has called me to preach and teach his Word of Truth; hearing His Word miraculously brings regenerating love to human life. By listening to the Truth, we become mature in Christ’s love (Eph. 4:15). “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right” (2 Timothy 3:16). In our passage today, the Apostle Paul was able to speak Truth to the Galatians when he first came to preach to them. They joyfully received the Word and invited the Spirit to help them live it out in love. However, in time these same Galatian Christians began to move away from the Truth; finding themselves enslaved to the world’s principles. Scripture teaches us to connect with the Living Word of God, so we can live in the Truth as God’s children. God makes the power available!

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