Pastor Mary Haley

February 26, 2018

Genesis 21:1-7 New Living Translation (NLT)

God is all-powerful and he can stretch the limits and cause unheard of events to occur.  The rhema (uttered/spoken) word of the Lord came to Abram announcing he and Sarai would be having a child in their old age.  They had to believe by faith that God would fulfill his promise no matter how challenging the circumstances.  God delivered His promise into their arms. So, by faith put your trust in God, because he is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all you could ask or think according to the power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20).

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February 22, 2018

Romans 3:21-31 New Living Translation (NLT)

God chose for his children to be saved by faith through grace.  Why do you think God chose faith as the necessary action for salvation?  I believe it is because faith presses us to admit there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. God is holy and we are sinners in need of cleansing and the impartation of the Spirit of Holiness.  Faith exalts what God has done for us—taking our sins upon himself—and our willingness to simply receive his gift of forgiveness.  Faith calls us into relationship with a loving God who wants us to know the extent to which he would go to bring righteousness to us so he can be with us. Amazing!  Thank you, God!

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul is reminding the church in Rome about their need for faith in Jesus Christ.  He also challenges the new believers to continue the journey with the Spirit of Holiness; being made into the image of Christ (Love) one day at a time.  Don’t stop your journey at the cross.  Bow at the cross, then move beyond it to find the richness of grace awaiting to bring you even closer to our Holy and Loving Lord. Ponder that for a moment, because it should excite your soul!

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February 20, 2018

1 Peter 3:8-18 New Living Translation (NLT)

There are many, many wonderful lessons in our reading today.  We are brought to God through Christ and we are to have his mindset.  What is the mindset of Christ?  To see ourselves as one household connected to Christ.  That means we deeply appreciate and serve one another and keep a clear conscience of how we love each other.  There should be no relationships stronger on earth than our spiritual connections in Christ who is Love incarnate and the Head of the Church (believers).  We are his Body reaching out to others, moving in synchronicity with the Spirit, to serve in God’s mission of salvation.

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February 19, 2018

Ephesians 2:1-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

In the days of Noah, God brought a flood.  Noah and his family were in the ark; they were both saved by the water and saved from the water.  They were saved by the Spirit from the flooding judgment of Almighty God.  And, that water of the Spirit is a picture of baptism that now saves us through a response to God from a clean conscience.  Baptism is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:20-21).

Because of the Spirit, we are now made alive with the resurrected Christ.  We are baptized into the Spirit of Christ.  We can follow his lead for our lives and we can have his strength to live in the love and presence of God so we can do the good things he has planned for us.  There is no fear and no judgment; we are saved to Testify!

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Daily Reading 11-3-17

Psalm 43:5 Good News Translation (GNT)

Human emotions are fickle; they can run high and then low without much warning.  As well, they can be difficult to tame and bring under the authority of the Lord.  When our emotions run low and we find ourselves sad or discouraged, we should not just “sit in our sadness.”  Instead, we need to open the Word of God and receive wisdom from the many heroes of the faith.  What did they do when they felt this way?  They meditated on the goodness of the Lord. 

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Daily Reading 11-1-17

Matthew 5:1-12 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Over the past three days the Lord has been drawing my attention to the word, “Blessed or Blessing.”  In the Greek, the word “blessed” is translated using many different descriptive words that are all interconnected.  In today’s passage, I will use brackets to highlight a greater understanding of the word “blessed,” as well as the response of God on behalf of those pursuing the “blessing.”  Enjoy the teaching for today from the Word of God; you who are blessed of the Lord.

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Daily Reading 10-30-17

James 2:8-13 Living Bible

Mercy is defined as not getting what you deserve; punishment is withheld.  We have all broken God’s Laws in some way; all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  We deserve the punishment for sin; eternal separation from God.  But because of God’s mercy (loving kindness) and grace we are forgiven.  God withholds the punishment we deserve, because Jesus paid the price and died for our sin. He took our place.  Extravagant gratitude is the proper response for such a Gift.

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Daily Reading 10-27-17

John 5:39-47 Living Bible

It is possible to read all of Scripture in order to seek God, but miss the evidence of the Anointed Lord—Messiah—within it’s pages.   In our passage today, the Lord rebukes the religious leaders for hanging their hopes for eternal life on the Laws of Moses; because Moses wrote about Love incarnate (Messiah) and they weren’t living it.  Only the Lord brings eternal life and causes us to honor the Father of Righteousness.  

In order to know the righteousness of God, we must know the correcting and sanctifying work of the Lord.  Jesus Messiah is the One who teaches Truth about what honors Father God.  So, please listen to the Word of the Lord and choose to grow in righteousness—the character of Messiah.  

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Daily Reading 10-26-17

Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17 New Living Translation (NLT)

Any absence of godly leaders does not mean the absence of God or his love.  He alone is our dwelling place; our eternal Home and our Hope.  We must never forget it is by faith, as finite beings, we enjoy the eternal refuge of our Creator and Father.  We will go through times of pain and trouble, but God is still with us.  He is not bound by time for He is the Creator of time.  He does not lack power for He is sovereign and everlasting.  Even if all our circumstances aligned with our will, we would not be satisfied unless we were enjoying fellowship with the Lord.  It is the Lord who makes the difference in human existence.  

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Daily Reading 10-25-17

Matthew 17:24-27 New Living Translation (NLT)

In our passage today, Jesus’s critics are once again criticizing Him to His disciples about taxes. The temple tax was prescribed in Exodus 30:13. This passage is not about paying taxes to the civil government, it is about fulfilling a worship obligation to God.  

The point Jesus makes is that the Christ and His disciples enjoy a relationship with God that frees them from the obligations imposed upon “others.”  Kings and their family did not pay taxes.  Jesus, the King, owed no taxes; however, He chose to comply with the Law’s requirements to avoid offending others.  

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