Pastor Mary Haley

Intro: God is grieved by the apostasy (desertion) of his human creation, because in disconnecting from God we bring such misery upon ourselves. Why do we persist in being so prideful and self-centered? Why do we demand our own way instead of honoring God’s Word and Way? We were never created to be a selfish human race who would live for worldly pleasure. Rather, we were created to live for the glory of God. We were made in God’s image—male and female in his holy likeness—in wisdom and righteousness for the purpose of fellowship (Gen 1:27).

In our passage today, Jesus reveals the tenderness of the Father’s heart; he has a sincere love for his people despite their selfish inclinations. So it must have been emotionally painful for Christ to tell his people that the glory of God was being removed from Israel (1Sam 4:21). When Jesus—the Living Word—left the temple, the glory went with him.

Although Jesus rebuked these religious leaders, he loved them and his heart broke over their stubborn selfish ways. God is full of compassion, mercy, and goodness; he desires blessings for all his creation. God does not want destruction for anyone—even the wicked. That is why the Lord pleas with humanity to repent; he actually provokes us in order to help us repent. Always keep in mind how very much God loves you and wants fellowship with you.

Matthew 23:37-39 NLT Jesus Grieves over Jerusalem
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. 38 And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate. 39 For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the tenderness of your heart toward your creation; thank you for the tenderness of your heart toward me. Help me to reflect you in wisdom, righteousness, and in my fellowship with you and my neighbors. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: In our world today, sometimes it seems like evil goes unpunished. Even though that may be something we observe and or may even be temporarily true, because of Scripture, we know it is not the eternal truth or the final outcome. The nature of the God of the bible reveals divine retribution—supernatural punishment—based on evil in the heart.

The Apostle Paul reassures us, “Do not be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit” (Gal 6:7-8). So, our revelation about the nature of God shows although he operates in righteousness, justice, and mercy, he does not and never will ignore evil actions. Sometimes, God allows the natural consequences of personal sin to prevail as retribution. The natural world has an order and disaster is inescapable when humanity violates that order; every human action produces a reaction from God whether experienced now or later.

In our passage today, David is dealing with unjust criticism, hatred, and persecution from wicked people. He doesn’t mind taking criticism from righteous and loving people; in fact, he welcomes it. However, the struggle David faces dealing with the perceived victory of wickedness is real. Yet, David knows evil acts begin in the heart. Therefore, David asks God to help him guard his heart against the wrong desires—to fight the temptation of taking matters into his own hands. David is praying and asking God to protect him from himself. This seems like a very wise prayer to me.
Psalm 141 A psalm of David.
1 
O Lord, I am calling to you. Please hurry!
    Listen when I cry to you for help!
2 
Accept my prayer as incense offered to you,
    and my upraised hands as an evening offering.
3 
Take control of what I say, O Lord,
    and guard my lips.
4 
Don’t let me drift toward evil
    or take part in acts of wickedness.
Don’t let me share in the delicacies
    of those who do wrong.
5 
Let the godly strike me!
    It will be a kindness!
If they correct me, it is soothing medicine.
    Don’t let me refuse it.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the privilege of praying and asking for you to protect and guard my heart against every form of wickedness. Help me to accept righteous criticism and trust you to handle the judgment of evil. May the attitude of my heart be acceptable to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Today, in the United States, we celebrate Veteran’s Day; a time to honor our military veterans from all wars—over 19 million men and women have served in our military. Veteran’s Day should carry patriotic significance for every citizen. In his 1983 radio address to the nations, Ronald Regan said it perfectly, “Veterans know better than anyone else the price of freedom, for they’ve suffered the scars of war. We can offer them no better tribute than to protect what they have won for us.”  Our veterans continue to remain loyal to honor this country and protect our freedom despite the suffering they have endured. I support and honor our veterans, seek to appreciate and bless them, and continually pray for them. If you have served this country to secure our freedom, I want to thank you! May God’s grace surround you and may His righteous right hand uphold you (Is 41:10)!

In broad terms, grace is God’s favor and activity toward humanity. As well, grace involves humanity’s responsibility to use Christ’s resources to perform our assigned and gifted service in the world to ensure freedom (Ro 13:1). Jesus was “full a grace and truth” and in Christ we can draw more and more grace from his fullness (John 1:16). We are saved by grace through faith; so our faith appropriates the grace Christ gives for salvation (Eph 2:8-9). Through grace we have the power to live the Christian life and to serve God and our neighbors. Even though we may feel weak in our flesh, grace makes us strong (2 Cor 12:7-10).

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul thanks God for the church in Thessalonica, because of their endurance to remain faithful to God despite persecution and suffering. God’s people are called to defend their faith courageously despite opposition. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Gal 5:1). Like our military’s commitment to serve this country, we are to live exemplary lives in our service to God. Jesus is our Savior who has restored our peace with God and brought us eternal freedom (Is 9:6; John 10:27-28). Let’s hold firmly to what we believe without wavering and live a life worthy of his call (Heb 4:14; 2 Thes 1;11).

2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 NLT
3 Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. 4 We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. 5 And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. 6 In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.

7 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. 10 When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him.

11 So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 12 Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, today I pray a special blessing over our veterans. Thank you for the courage and grace you have placed within them to serve and protect the cause of freedom. May we, as a country, honor their devotion to One Nation Under God! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Is God allowed to get angry? Many people want to think about God as a benevolent Giver who loves all of creation unconditionally. Believers know He is a loving God; He is righteous in His judgment and in all of His ways. Yet, is God allowed to get angry?

Scripture tells us God is slow to get angry, but that He does get angry at sin and injustice (Ps 86:15). When humanity chooses to act wickedly, God get angry and will not allow evil to go unchecked (Ps 7:11). Frankly, Israel’s exodus from Egypt was an object lesson for the Egyptians about God’s anger against wickedness. When Israel was making the journey through the wilderness, suffering was an object lesson for the Israelites about God’s anger toward idolatry and disobedience. So, let’s remember the Truth and know if God gets angry, it is against the acts of sin, injustice, and evil. Therefore, wisdom leads us to understand the necessity of the “fear” or “respect” of the Lord’s authority.

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul reminds humanity we all deserve to experience God’s anger, because of our sin and rebellion against His Supreme authority. Human beings can do nothing to correct innate unrighteousness and sin. Being a “good” person or trying to keep the religious law will not stop God’s anger. Therefore, God sent His Son to pay (atone) for our sins so we could be reconciled to God (Ro 1:16-17). To accept Jesus is to accept His sacrifice for us; to pay for our sins with His life.

Those who live by faith in the redeeming work of the Son and follow Him into righteous living will be spared God’s anger in the future judgment facing the world. One day, wickedness and evil will be dealt with once and for all (Rev 20:7-15). So, if you have never done so, today is the day to ask Jesus to be your Savior. He will help each of us live as obedient children of our heavenly Father and, through the work of the Spirit, develop His holy character in us.

Romans 1:18-25 NLT God’s Anger at Sin
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness [prevent the truth from being known]. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for sharing the Truth in our lesson today about your righteous anger. We need to understand your heart, so we can choose our future wisely. I pray for every person to know their value to you and your great gift of salvation found only in Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

November 9, 2022
Intro: Did you get a chance to see the total lunar eclipse early Tuesday morning? I got up in time to see the last portion of it. Then, as I was driving to join the prayer team a little while later, I saw a beautiful rainbow.  Multiple marvels in the heavenlies in just a matter of hours. The whole of creation is the Lord’s handiwork; his glory. God is committed to care for creation, because it all belongs to him.  

In our passage today, the psalmist sings about the righteous Creator King whose is steadfast and faithful in his love. He praises God and anticipates His coming to rule His people. As believers, we know Jesus fulfilled this anticipation when He came the first time to save all people from their sins. May we never cease to praise Him for salvation, because we know He will return to judge the world and He has promised to take care of His own.

Psalm 98 NLT
1 
Sing a new song to the Lord,    for he has done wonderful deeds.His right hand has won a mighty victory;    his holy arm has shown his saving power!
2 
The Lord has announced his victory    and has revealed his righteousness to every nation!
3 
He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel.    The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
4 
Shout to the Lord, all the earth;    break out in praise and sing for joy!
5 
Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp,    with the harp and melodious song,
6 
with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn.    Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King!
7 
Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise!    Let the earth and all living things join in.
8 
Let the rivers clap their hands in glee!    Let the hills sing out their songs of joy
9 
before the Lord,    for he is coming to judge the earth.He will judge the world with justice,    and the nations with fairness.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for bringing salvation to earth; to your human family. With all creation, we praise your name. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Yesterday, our three-month-old granddaughter, Amana, came to spend the day with Grammy and Papa John while her daddy and momma worked. It was so much fun! John and I laughed and laughed at her immeasurable “cuteness.” We have such love for her; what a gift from God she is and what a great blessing to be able to share divine love with her.

We all need to receive and give the virtuous love of God; sharing the love God brings into human hearts is a huge privilege. Divine love is transforming and healing for the soul; exactly what people need. Jesus was critical of the religious leaders around him, because of their failure to genuinely love people; Jesus knew sacrificial and unconditional love revealed an authentic experience with God.

Let’s face it, without God’s life and love flowing through his people, ministry may offer the world something with very little value. Therefore, we must remain connected to the Vine in an enduring relationship of love and witness to the Truth of God’s love with those around us each day. Jesus said, “When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. (John 15:10).

In our passage today, John reminds Christ’s disciples (past/present/future) of the importance of living in both the Truth and Love. He warns every disciple about veering from the Truth, because heresy about Christ was prevalent then and still is today. Love must be our compass and, “Love means doing what God has commanded…to love one another” (v.6). It is love that binds the children of God, together in harmony. When we choose to stand in both Truth and Love, we reveal ourselves as Father God’s children—these are the basics of Christian life. If we stand only in love, we will find ourselves in heresy. If we stand only in Truth, we will find ourselves in legalism. Paul teaches the followers of Christ something similar: we are to speak the Truth in Love so we can all grow as a Body to the maturity of Christ our Head (Eph 4:15).

2 John 1:4-10 NLT Live in the Truth
4 How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded.
5 I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. 6 Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.
7 I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. 9 Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son.

Prayer: Lord, please give your children who are called by your name a full measure of your love, today. We want to become mature in your love. Holy Spirit, help us to live the Truth, so we can actually witness to the Truth we know from experience. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: God offers every person the freedom to choose whom he or she will serve while in the world. Christ invites people from different backgrounds, personalities, and commitments, to make him Lord and Master by following his commands of love. So, the most important choice we will make each day is whether we will choose to abide in eternal life or worldly living. We cannot serve two masters (Mat 6:24). So, may we choose wisely.

The world has a sinful inclination to take all that belongs under God’s authority and bring it under the control of self-centered human beings; this is Satan’s handiwork and his purpose is to rob, steal, and destroy humanity’s peaceful relationship with God. Satan tempts people to walk away from the sacred; Christ leads people toward God’s holy heart. Satan lies to human beings in order to get them to reject God’s authority; Christ has been made divine wisdom for those who desire to obey God. Human wisdom will always be outmatched by God’s spiritual wisdom, insight and authority. It does not matter how many people converge against God’s authority, he will always have the last Word—which perfectly accomplishes its purpose (Is 55:11).

Jesus’ closest associate at the beginning of his ministry was John the Baptist—who also found himself on the wrong side of the religious leaders when, based on God’s authority, he called for repentance from sin. Humans do not innately want to accept God’s authority. The tangible world seems so much more real than the spiritual Kingdom, but is it? Both John and Jesus disregarded the world’s power, chose to serve the divine Kingdom, and walked in humility before Father God. Trust and honor God’s authority in your life and you will never be sorry. Have a blessed weekend.

Luke 20:1-8 NLT The Authority of Jesus Challenged
1 One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 2 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”

3 “Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. 4 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”

5 They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 6 But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” 7 So they finally replied that they didn’t know.

8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Prayer: Lord, I accept and honor your authoritative and trustworthy Word over my life. Continue to renew my mind and transform me for your glory. Have your way in me and through me in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Most of the time, it is easy to love our family and friends. Even when they are challenging to our sense of peace, we choose to love them and keep them near. When they align with our values and add to our sense of well-being, we truly like spending time with them. As well, we deliberately choose our friends wisely, so they will be a good influence on us and vice versa. Conversely, most of the time we run from an enemy [one who hates], because he or she do not share our same values and being together puts “undo” pressure upon us. But, where is Jesus—the Living Word—in all of this?

Scripture teaches, as God’s children, we are to deeply care for and honor our brothers and sisters in the family of faith (Ro 12:10). However, Jesus also came to teach a new way to look at life: we are to love our enemies and those who persecute us for living the Truth. When we love our enemies, we are overcoming evil through self-sacrificing love for others (Ro 12:14-21). God sees and he deals with things according to his will.

In our passage today, The Jews despised the Romans because they oppressed God’s people. Jesus told them to love their enemies and that was a message they did not want to hear. As a result, many people left Jesus’ teaching. They missed the greater meaning of what Christ was saying; he was not telling his disciples to extend affection for their enemies. Jesus wanted his followers to pray for their enemies and help them see and know the God who is love. Every human being needs the love of God even though none of us deserve it.

As well, Jesus is not promoting injustice in verse 30, and he is not asking his disciples to let criminals take advantage of them. He is simply asking believers to reveal his moral character in the midst of injustice by acting in a way that leads them toward God. Treating others the way we would like to be treated is a fundamental ethic that governs the behavior of believers.

Luke 6:27-31 Love for Enemies
27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. 28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back. 31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

Prayer: Lord, please continue to teach us how to be peacemakers in the midst of conflict and challenges. Help us to be examples by treating others the way we would want to be treated. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: I love that God has promised to pour blessings into the lives of his obedient children. Whatever God wants to pour into my life, I want it because God is so very good. In our devotion yesterday, we noticed the momentary suffering that comes when we humble ourselves to the righteous rule of God; we are compensated for our obedience with blessings. It’s like making a great exchange: experiencing suffering by letting go of something we have held onto in order to receive something better from God. However, if people are unwilling to humble themselves, then God does the humbling which brings greater suffering and even sorrow. It is much better to cooperate with the righteous work of God in our lives.

In our passage today, Jesus speaks to the religious leaders who have become prosperous in earthly riches at the cost of genuine eternal life. The spiritually oppressed and poor were being neglected while the prosperous enjoyed all their finery and proclaimed it was God’s favor. So, Jesus took issue with this behavior and turned the tables by promising blessings for the spiritually poor [humble] and sorrow for the rich and powerful. Mary sang a prophetic song about this corrective character of Jesus even before he was born, “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty” (Luke 1:53).

Please keep in mind there were many false prophets in the Old Testament whose message continued to resonate with people in the New Testament and still does, today. The message predicted by this false gospel was prosperity of riches and victory in earthly war; a message the people wanted to hear. Even though people wanted to believe God would bring prosperity that would fulfill self, it did not result in truth. If we will face our condition apart from God—poverty in spirit—then spiritual blessings will be our reward. If we will face our commission, we will help to take care of one another knowing there is a River that flows into our lives and will continue to flow as we obey.

Luke 6:24-26 NLT Sorrows Foretold
24 
“What sorrow awaits you who are rich,    for you have your only happiness now.
25 
What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now,    for a time of awful hunger awaits you.What sorrow awaits you who laugh now,    for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.
26 
What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds,    for their ancestors also praised false prophets.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the blessings you bring into the lives of your humble children. Continue to teach us your ways and help us learn how to live each day bearing the fruit of your righteous Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: If we are going to profess Christ, we must choose to accept the invitation he offers to live in his righteousness. Otherwise, he does not know us through an intimate spiritual connection—because we have disregarded his commands on how to live righteously in the Spirit (Mat 7:23). Christ is righteous and we are invited to follow his righteous ways of eternal or abundant living—love God wholeheartedly and love others as much as we love ourselves (Mat 22:37-40). When we demand our own way, is God really in charge of our lives?

My friends, if we are going to remain devoted in our commitment to Christ, we will need to daily acknowledge our own sinfulness and repent (give our unrighteousness to Christ), we must pick up our cross of selfish inclination and personal ambition (take authority over anything unrighteous in us), and choose to be living sacrifices (by following Christ) into Father God’s will for righteous living. This is the way we worship him (Ro 12:1-2).

Christ carried the cross that caused suffering to his flesh and we are going to have to follow him by carrying our own (Mat 16:24). Our flesh—those areas within us that are still unrighteous, unrenewed, and opposed to God—suffers when we deny it. We will always try to avoid any kind of suffering, right? Well, our flesh will and must suffer if we are going to pursue Christ’s righteousness for our lives. This is what it means to live in Christ as a people called by his name (2 Chronicles 7:14).

In our passage today, Jesus reminds his disciples (then, now, and forever) that if they will humbly acknowledge their inadequacy to save themselves and accept their own weaknesses, God will be there to provide his power, strength, and resources. God values very different things than this world. Christ calls us to live obediently according to God’s standards and if we will follow him, we will have his power and strength to overcome our sinful flesh. Grace is not a way to get out of dealing with our sinful habits; it covers us while we learn to be Christ’s followers. The grace Jesus provided with his death, cost him everything. To follow Jesus, will cost us, too. We must say “no” to our sinful flesh and “yes” to the Spirit of righteousness.

Luke 6:20-23 NLT The Beatitudes
20 Then Jesus turned to his disciples and said,
“God blesses you who are poor,    for the Kingdom of God is yours.
21 
God blesses you who are hungry now,    for you will be satisfied.God blesses you who weep now,    for in due time you will laugh.

22 What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. 23 When that happens, be happy! Yes, leap for joy! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the abundance of grace you provide to all the children called by your name. I thank you for my portion of grace, today. It will be exactly what I need in order to live for you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.