Pastor Mary Haley

According to Scripture, to genuinely love Jesus is to keep His commandments—loving God wholeheartedly and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves (John 14:21; Matthew 22:36–40). Everything written in the Law and by the prophets reinforces this requirement of God and His love. We are stewards of God’s love, and it is important that we represent Him correctly.

In the Gospel of Luke, while Jesus is teaching about love, a religious leader stands up and asks how to inherit eternal life. Jesus Christ answers the man’s question with another question, asking what he understands from the Law. The man cites the commandment to love God and love one’s neighbor (Luke 10:27). Jesus responds, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live” (Luke 10:28).

But that answer is not enough for the man. Wanting further clarification, he asks, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). Jesus then tells the well-known story of the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

If we know the lesson of the Good Samaritan, we understand that it required mercy, grace, and love to care for the wounded Jewish stranger. The Jews despised the Samaritans, yet in Jesus’ story the Samaritan was the only one who truly fulfilled the Law by showing compassion.

If we are going to steward God’s love, we must move beyond the feelings and desires of our flesh. In fact, we need supernatural power to accomplish what Jesus expects, because nothing in our natural nature wants to love others the way Jesus loves us. But God has promised to make His power available when we make His love a priority.

In our passage today, we are reminded that we can do whatever God calls us to do. If God authors it in us, He will also fulfill it through us.

Philippians 4:13 (Amplified Bible): “I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.”

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the lesson today about Your commandments and the example Jesus gives in the Good Samaritan. Help us to extend the mercy, grace, and love You require. Empower us by Your Spirit to love others the way You have loved us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Grace is a pure blessing! Every time we say a prayer, we are asking for God’s blessing—heavenly resources—to be released. As human beings, we have limited resources and abilities, but the resources of heaven have been made available in Christ to provide spiritual riches that transform life in this earthly realm.

Followers of Christ—the Living Word of God—are containers of the Spirit who provides the power to release that blessing. If you desire to live by faith in Christ and are willing to walk by the Spirit of Truth and Love, you have the potential to bring the transforming power of God’s blessing into the world.

God told His people in the Old Testament that He set before them each day blessing and cursing (Deuteronomy 11:26). In the New Testament, Jesus essentially taught the same principle to His disciples when they wondered how 5,000 people could be fed with five loaves and two fish. The disciples could not see the potential in a small boy’s lunch, so they asked Jesus to send the people away (Matthew 14:15). But Jesus knew the potential of heaven that He carried—and what they would soon carry. So He told His disciples, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them” (Matthew 14:16).

As we make our journey to Jerusalem and the cross of Jesus our Christ, we must not minimize small potential, because in God’s hands nothing is impossible (Matthew 19:26). The disciples were astonished as the “blessing of God” multiplied when Jesus prayed.
Take that thought a step further. Can you imagine how this blessing must have affected the small boy with the lunch? He had no idea of the potential in his small sack until he placed it into the hands of Jesus.

May God help us look at life from His perspective today, because only He knows the plans He has for the blessings He desires to pour out—plans that are miraculous because they originate in heaven. In His hands, little becomes much.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Prayer: Father, help us gain Your perspective about how we partner with You in releasing Your abundant blessings each day. You have provided the Savior, the Spirit, and the grace for the work of salvation and transformation. Help us see, Lord. Open our eyes to the potential before us each day and help us release the faith necessary to accomplish Your plans. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

This past week, I have spent a lot of time in my kitchen baking for our Spring Market. Yesterday morning, I was up early baking the last of our goodies to sell. I was alone doing what I love—baking and singing praises to the Lord.

CeCe Winans was singing the song Goodness of God, and all of a sudden I was filled with such gratitude and joy that it moved me to tears. There I was in my new kitchen, looking around at our restored home, and I cried my prayer of praise: “God, you have been so good to me!”

My friends, weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Gratitude is the right response when we have been touched by the love of God. Think about the ten lepers who encountered Jesus (Luke 17:11–19). All ten received a healing miracle from the Lord, but only one came back to express gratitude.

Faith and gratitude must go with us on our transformation journey to Jerusalem and the cross this Lenten season. Take time today to give thanks—even if it is a sacrifice of praise—because eventually God restores what the enemy stole. And when He restores, He often leaves us better than we have ever been before.

Psalm 107:1 (NLT) “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being so good to us. We are blessed by your faithfulness, mercy, and goodness. Receive our praise as a small offering of our gratitude today. Thank you for drying our tears and filling us with joy unspeakable and full of glory. We are so blessed, so we bow to give thanks to your name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Demands have always been a part of human culture, but lately they seem to be increasing in both number and intensity. People demand—claim as a right—more money and financial security, food, lower prices, fair trade, respect, recognition and validation, freedom, safe travel, good health, peace, resources without effort, and a variety of material possessions that promise greater comfort. These demands are often presented forcefully, as though the world owes us something. There is a big difference between the human demands and God’s Gift.

Yet when we turn to Scripture, we discover that the word demand can also describe an authoritative command—one that is not optional. However, in the Bible these demands come not from human beings, but from God. God calls for righteousness, moral accountability, mercy, and wholehearted devotion.

At first, these divine requirements might seem overwhelming. God’s holiness reveals just how far humanity has fallen short. But here is the profound difference between God’s demands and human demands: God provides the means to fulfill what He requires.

Human beings often demand things from others without offering help or provision. God does the opposite. Knowing that the penalty for sin is death and that we cannot rescue ourselves, He made a way for us to live. Through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, God fulfilled the requirement we could never meet on our own. Salvation cannot be earned, purchased, or deserved—it is given freely through God’s grace when we believe.

The good news of the gospel is that eternal life is available through Christ. The sobering reality, however, is that some will refuse the gift because receiving it requires humility before a holy God. Scripture reminds us that every person has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. That means every human being needs salvation—whether they recognize it or not.

The invitation still stands today. God does not merely demand righteousness; He offers it through Jesus Christ.

As the apostle Paul reminds us in Epistle to the Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Today, instead of focusing on what the world demands from us—or what we demand from the world—let us turn our hearts toward the gracious gift God offers. In Christ, the demand of justice and the mercy of God meet together, opening the door to life everlasting.

Prayer: Father, we live in a world full of demands and expectations, yet we confess that we have fallen short of your perfect righteousness. Thank you for loving us enough to provide a way of salvation through Jesus Christ. Help us to humble ourselves before you and receive the gift of grace that we could never earn. Shape our hearts so that we seek your righteousness, walk in your mercy, and live in grateful devotion to you. May our lives reflect the transforming power of your love and the hope we have in Christ.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lately, I have had difficulty accessing certain documents and calendar entries on my laptop at home and church. Since a recent update, it has been a challenge even with my cell phone, because everything is suddenly different. The way to access certain things is presently very specific…there are not multiple ways to the information. I have to learn a new way to navigate…and friends…I don’t like this narrow challenge! lol! But sometimes the way to victory is “narrow.”

In our passage today as we reflect further upon Christ’s journey to Jerusalem and the cross before him, Jesus declares himself the only way to eternal life with God. Jesus and the disciples are in Caesarea Philippi; a place of wickedness and debauchery—based on sensual pleasures and pagan worship—considered the gateway to hell and the underworld.

Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” (Mat 16:13). The disciples throw out a few ideas they had heard in the crowd (Mat 16:14). And then, Jesus asks a followup question that get more specific, “But, who do you say I am?” (Mat 16:15). Simon Peter then proclaims, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” (Mat 16:16).

In several of the Gospels, Jesus talks about his death—his return to the Father. Through John, Jesus reminds us he is going away, but that he will return for his believers. Jesus says, “You know the way to where I am going.” The disciple Thomas is quick to say, “NO, we don’t know, Lord!” It is then, Jesus explains the narrow way.

John 14:6 NLT Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

Jesus is not just one of the ways…he is the exclusive Way, Truth, and Life with God! Many people struggle with the Christian faith, because they want more options, but there are no more ways to victory. Faith in Christ is really quite simple. We must humble ourselves and submit to the salvation God offers in His Son—Jesus the Messiah. Frankly, it is narrow…but, Truth is always narrow isn’t it?

Prayer: We thank You for loving us enough to provide a way to eternal life through Your Son, Jesus Christ. In a world filled with many voices and countless paths, help us to remember that Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Give us humble hearts that are willing to trust You even when the path feels narrow or difficult. Strengthen our faith so that we boldly confess, as Peter did, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Teach us to walk faithfully in the way of Christ each day—trusting His truth, following His leading, and sharing His love with others who are searching for hope. Lord, when we are tempted to look for easier paths or more comfortable options, remind us that the narrow way with Christ always leads to life. We surrender our hearts again to You today and thank You for the gift of salvation through Jesus our Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

It is amazing what God’s love can accomplish in the human soul—the mind, will, and emotions. We often begin life selfish and, like strong-willed children, we demand our own way. But over time, the love of Jesus begins to work in the hidden places of our hearts, and we begin to desire different things and see life through the eyes of God’s mercy.

We exchange our selfish attitudes for the attitude of Christ’s love, which renews our minds. We exchange our stubborn wills, allowing love to take dominion as we yield to the obedience of Christ. Lastly, we live by faith in the love of Christ and all He can do in and through us. When we do, we are governed and filled by the supernatural shalom—the peace and well-being of heaven.

As we continue our journey to Jerusalem and the cross of Christ, we must remember that when we connect to Christ—when we believe and receive His blood sacrifice for us—we experience an exchange of identity. Over two thousand years ago, believers were crucified with Christ.

Jesus took our sinful flesh upon Himself so that through Him we can now live in the Spirit and power of His nature and character. We are given a brand-new beginning for our lives and a new way to live each day—by faith in Christ. The salvation God offers provides a great and holy exchange, friends.

We cannot accomplish in our old sinful flesh what God requires. Instead, the Spirit of Christ fills us and empowers us to live in a way that pleases God. Gratitude should fill our hearts and minds, because we have never received a greater gift than Jesus.

Galatians 2:20 NLT 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Prayer: Lord, as believers, we know we cannot continue to live in our old flesh, because we would be denying the very salvation we asked to receive. So, help us yield to the attitude, will, and emotional desires of our Savior, because we desperately need the spiritual exchange you have promised. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

During this season of Lenten reflection, I am seeking deep spiritual growth in God’s love. I always pray for growth, but something within me senses that I must gain a greater understanding of His pure love for the days ahead. I believe there are deep places within God’s love that Christ has made available to us, and I desire the drive and inner strength to experience them fully.

God knows my tomorrows—and, by the way, He knows your tomorrows too. Whether or not we fully grasp it as truth, we were created as spiritual beings in God’s image. Yet sin robbed us of our ability to faithfully bear His name. Jesus came to love sinners back into the family of God and rescue us from our own self-destructive tendencies.

Believers—those who are born from above—bear the name of Jesus and are sealed by the Spirit. Satan does not want you to understand that you are one-of-a-kind, deeply loved by God. No matter how far off the righteous path you may have wandered in life, God’s love still calls you back. He desires that you know the depths of His love—deep, abiding, and pure.

As we continue our journey toward Jerusalem and the cross of Christ during this Lenten season, we pause to reflect on the spiritual growth that divine Love offers us. Learning to wisely discern the lessons God gives us can be challenging because the world wants us to believe that simply having an “idea” about God is enough to experience divine blessing. But an idea cannot save a life from eternal judgment—we all need the God-Man, Jesus, the world’s Christ [Creator/Savior/Lord].

In today’s New Testament passage, the apostle Paul reminds God’s people that we must press in to know and experience “how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is” (v. 18). God is making us complete in His love, and we need spiritual strength to grasp it.
Do you know how much God loves you? His love is patient and long-suffering toward you. His love is higher than anything offered at an earthly level. His love is so deep that it completes the transformation process within us—forming the likeness of Christ in our lives (v. 19).

So do not run from the challenges of life. In Christ, we have been empowered with unlimited spiritual resources and understanding. Pray and ask the Spirit to help you run toward every challenge with God’s strength. And friends, let us choose to love long, high, and deep like Jesus—because the power of God has been made available for every experience we face.

Ephesians 3:14–19 (NLT) Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth 14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father [of our Christ]. 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth [from whom every family in heaven/earth takes its name]. 16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the growth You promise to bring to those who courageously press into the deep waters of life with You. Just as You separated the land from the sea in the beginning, we ask that You separate our hearts from selfishness. Root us deeply in Your love and strengthen us by Your Spirit so that we may know the vastness of Christ’s love. We offer our hearts to You today for the glory of Your name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Christianity is built upon God’s sacrificial love and the spiritual bond He provides to hold us, as His children, closely knit together in His love. Believers are called to love others—especially fellow believers—the way God loves us. We share life together and support one another as God’s family because we have made a commitment to Love—God Himself.

Today, as we continue our journey to Jerusalem and the cross of Christ, we reflect upon the teaching of the apostle John and the love that comes from God. Divine love must translate into an intentional and deep love for fellow believers. As believers gather and spend time together, trust grows deeper roots and we begin to connect on a spiritual level that the world cannot offer or manufacture. In fact, the world often hates this kind of love because it is genuine and comes from God.

Satan is the imposter and great deceiver when it comes to God’s love. He twists God’s Word and spins a very different perspective for unsuspecting humanity. Satan proclaims to the world a sinful, selfish, and self-centered love that promises pleasure without sacrifice. Friends, anything worth having requires a form of sacrifice. However, God both demonstrates and provides sacrificial love—agape—a love that chooses to lay down self in order to exalt Christ.

As God’s children, we are becoming like Christ; and as we do, we begin to see Him as He truly is—pure and holy Love. Sin stands in direct opposition to the holiness of God. Therefore, if believers know God’s Word yet choose to practice what God calls sin, they do not truly know Jesus, His sacrificial love, or the spiritual bond created by God.

Because the god of this world is so clever at perverting the pure love of God and mingling it with deception and selfish entitlement, John provides a spiritual test for us. He teaches that hating anyone for any reason reveals the absence of God’s life within the heart.

Therefore, a person who refuses to practice righteous living is not reborn with God’s love. Neither is the one who refuses to love his or her spiritual brother or sister within the bond of God’s love (1 John 3:10). Both righteousness and love call us to surrender our own will. This is the test that reminds us who truly belongs to God.

1 John 3:16 (NLT) “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.”

Prayer: Father, we thank you for the incredible love you have shown us through your Son, Jesus Christ. Your love is pure, holy, and sacrificial. Through the cross, you revealed what true love looks like—love that gives, love that serves, and love that lays down its life for others. Lord, please teach us to love the way you love. Remove from our hearts anything that is selfish, prideful, or unkind. Where there is bitterness, bring forgiveness. Where there is division, bring unity. Fill us with your Spirit so that your love may flow through us to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Help us to walk in righteousness and truth, reflecting the life of Christ within us. Guard us from the deception of the enemy who twists the meaning of love and tempts us toward selfish desires. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Over my lifetime, I have been blessed with many wonderful family members and friends who have been there when I needed them most. These people have known my heart and have chosen to believe the best about me even when others did not. I am also aware that this has not been the experience for everyone reading this devotion. Some know the pain of standing alone. Yet there is a powerful message in both our Old Testament passage and in Christ’s living example about the power of standing alone.

In the book of Joshua, the Israelites had finally entered the Promised Land, but they still needed encouragement to leave behind their old patterns of idolatry. God does not want just a portion of our lives—He desires all of it. He calls us to exclusive devotion to Him. Each day we must choose whom we will serve. We cannot serve both God and the world. We must reject the idols around us and commit our lives fully to the will of God.

Joshua 24:15 (NLT) “But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.”

Our pure and loving Savior, Jesus, experienced a moment when even those closest to Him fell away. Surrounded by friends for much of His ministry, He found Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane facing the cross. In deep anguish He told His disciples, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38).

Soon an angry crowd approached. In that moment, the disciples who had promised they would never abandon Him fled into the darkness. What did Jesus do?

Even in the midst of overwhelming sorrow, He turned to prayer. He cried out to the Father: “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Matthew 26:39).

Jesus chose obedience. He chose the Father’s will rather than His own comfort.
We also make choices every day. If we are wise, we will follow the example of Joshua and Jesus. We will choose this day to serve the Lord, trusting that His will—no matter how difficult in the moment—always leads to what is ultimately best for our lives.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us with a faithful love that never abandons us. Forgive us for the times we allow the distractions and idols of this world to compete for our hearts. Help us to choose you each day with renewed devotion. Give us the courage to follow your will even when the path is difficult. Like Joshua, may we declare with confidence that we and our households will serve the Lord. And like Jesus, may we surrender our desires to yours, trusting that your plan is always good. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Since John and I have moved back into our home following Hurricane Helene and the long process of house restoration, I have been walking our dog, Gracie, through the neighborhood. As we walk, I notice the condition of the homes around us. Some houses have been bulldozed and reduced to empty lots. Others sit in the slow and careful process of restoration. And still others appear abandoned—quiet, empty, and showing no signs of life. Those empty houses stir something in my heart.

As we make the Lenten journey with Jesus toward Jerusalem and the cross, I cannot help but think about His experience of abandonment. As He hung on the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). Jesus understood what it meant to be forsaken. He felt it when many who once followed Him walked away. He felt it when His closest friends fell asleep in the garden of Gethsemane. He felt it when His disciples scattered in fear. And He felt it most deeply as He hung on the cross, bearing the weight of the world’s sin.

Perhaps you know that feeling. Maybe you have felt forsaken by family or friends. Maybe someone you trusted walked away when you needed them most. That kind of abandonment can lead to deep suffering and loneliness.

If so, take heart—Jesus understands. He knows the ache of being left behind. He knows the pain of human rejection. Yet even in that suffering, He never stopped making the journey the Father had called Him to make. He kept moving forward in obedience and love. When the burden grew heavy, He reached upward for strength—and the Father was always there.

Because of this, Jesus is not distant from our pain. He is acquainted with our suffering and present in our loneliness. When people around us fail us…When those we hoped would stay leave…When we feel forgotten or unseen…Jesus remains faithful.

Psalm 27:10 NLT The psalmist reminds us of this promise: “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.”

What a comforting truth. Even in the deepest moments of abandonment, we are never truly alone. The Lord draws near. He holds us close. He walks with us through the broken places and begins the work of restoration.

Just like the homes in our neighborhood that are slowly being rebuilt, God restores hearts that feel abandoned.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you know what it means to be forsaken and rejected. Thank you for understanding the pain we sometimes carry in our hearts. When we feel abandoned by others, remind us that you are near. Hold us close when we feel alone, and give us the strength to keep walking the path you have set before us. Restore the broken places in our hearts and fill us with the assurance of your abiding presence. In Jesus’ name. Amen.