Pastor Mary Haley

Ephesians 5:1-5
5 So imitate God. Follow Him like adored children, 2 and live in love as the Anointed One loved you—so much that He gave Himself as a fragrant sacrifice, pleasing God.

3 Listen, don’t let any kind of immorality be breathed among you. Any demoralizing behaviors (perverse sexual acts, uncleanliness, greediness, and the like) are inappropriate topics of conversation for those set apart as God’s people. 4 Don’t swear or spurt nonsense. Don’t make harsh jokes or clown around. Make proper use of your words, and offer them thankfully in praise. 5 This is what we know for certain: no one who engages in loose sex, impure actions, and greed—which is just a form of idolatry—has any inheritance in the kingdom of God and His Anointed.

Believers and followers of Jesus are called to imitate Christ with how we love and live. Our passage today teaches about choosing the practical actions that please God. We like the spiritual inner life with God: enjoying him, admiring him, praying to him, and praising him for his mercy and goodness. Yet, even though these things express a righteous priority, we are actually only expressing the inner life of our worship. In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul clarifies what it means to worship God through outward practice: “I urge you to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God, a sacred offering that brings Him pleasure; this is your reasonable, essential worship” (Rom12:10).

Jesus is much more than a role model in how to inwardly love and worship God; he is the Word of God for our daily salvation from sin. We are not saved because of how Christ lived his life. However, once we are saved we should follow his outward example of seeking to please the Father with our whole being. If the Kingdom of God is alive within us, we must sacrifice those things that are not aligned with God’s Word and plan for us as citizens of heaven still living on earth.

Prayer: Lord, help me to live my worship inwardly, as well as outwardly. May you be pleased with how I practice my faith each day. It is my desire to follow you as an adoring daughter. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Galatians 6:7-10 VOICE
7 Make no mistake: God can’t be mocked [made a fool of]. What you give is what you get. What you sow, you harvest [reap]. 8 Those who sow seeds into their flesh [sin] will only harvest destruction from their sinful nature. But those who sow seeds into the Spirit [to please God] shall harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 May we never tire of doing what is good and right before our Lord because in His season [appointed time] we shall bring in a great harvest if we can just persist [don’t quit]. 10 So seize any opportunity the Lord gives you to do good things and be a blessing to everyone, especially those within our faithful family [believers who live by faith].

In our passage for today, the Apostle Paul encourages us to remember sowing into our selfish desires [those things that disobey the Word of God] means we must reap the consequences of that selfish living. Each day we make an investment [sow seeds] into our own future security and well-being. Every seed grows, because grace [undeserved favor from God] rains upon the unrighteous seeds, as well as the righteous seeds (Mat 5:45). That is why we need the Word (good seed) to fall on the fertile ground of a redeemed soul, because then we will produce something we truly want to harvest as opposed to harvesting what God opposes.

God has destined humanity for salvation in Christ [the Word]; he invites us to turn from unrighteous living so we do not face the wrath of God as the consequence of our own choosing. Grace causes whatever is sown to be multiplied. So, plant good seeds into your life by sowing prayer, Bible Study, speaking wisdom, generosity, love, and sharing Truth with others that lead them toward the Lord where they can find wholeness and well-being growing in their lives, too.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for sending grace to rain down upon the earth. Help every child created in your image to understand the power of patiently sowing and reaping. May believers everywhere sow seeds to the Spirit and begin to harvest your righteous life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Romans 15:1-6 (TPT) Love Is the Key to Unity
15 Now, those who are mature [powerful] in their faith can easily be recognized, for they don’t live to please themselves but have learned to patiently embrace others in their immaturity. 2 Our goal must be to empower others to do what is right and good for them, and to bring them into spiritual maturity. 3 For not even the most powerful one of all, the Anointed One [Christ], lived to please himself. His life fulfilled the Scripture that says: ‘All the insults of those who insulted you fall upon me.’

4 Whatever was written beforehand is meant to instruct us in how to live. The Scriptures impart to us encouragement and inspiration so that we can live in hope and endure all things.

5 Now may God, the source of great endurance and comfort, grace you with unity among yourselves, which flows from your relationship with Jesus, the Anointed One [that you may value one another equally in Jesus]. 6 Then, with a unanimous rush of passion, you will with one voice glorify God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This morning’s passage presses me to ask myself, “Is how I am living my life today more about pleasing myself or pleasing my Lord?” Our greatest lesson in life, as the heavenly Father’s children, is to delight ourselves in the LORD, because he will respond by giving us the desires of our hearts; he knows what will bring us joy, so he sends grace to accomplish it (Ps. 37:4). If all believers are living for the delight of the Lord (loving him with our whole being) it will be a place of ongoing and ever expanding unity and victory for the Father’s glory.

Let’s just explore the power of unity for a minute. When believers come together in worship—as we delight ourselves in the Lord—the Spirit of the Lord is exalted, enthroned and empowered. If we come together and instead of delighting in the Lord we choose to serve a bickering, offended, and critical spirit in our flesh, we have not exalted, enthroned, or empowered anyone but ourselves.

This is why the Apostle Paul calls for believers to become spiritually mature, so we can know how to fight Satan at his accusing and destructive game. We must love and delight in the Lord, so we can ALL enjoy the worship gathering [communion] and feast at heaven’s table. Communion is really about love and humility before God, as well as love and service to one another. Therefore, we will have to extend patience and mercy to those who are spiritually immature, but live in an enduring way that empowers others toward delighting in the Lord. Through our enduring love, we will release a unanimous rush of passion and praise! My friends, like Christ, we must live to please the Father, by how we love one another.

Prayer: Father, thank you for today’s lesson about love and unity. Help me and all your children to know and experience the power of unity in Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mark 8:1-10 (TPT) Jesus Multiplies Food Again
1 During those days, another massive crowd gathered to hear Jesus, and again, there was no food and the people were hungry. So Jesus called his disciples to come near him and said to them, 2 “My heart goes out to this crowd, for they’ve already been here with me for three days with nothing to eat. 3 I’m concerned that if I send them home hungry, some may faint along the way, for many have come a long, long way just to be with me.”

4 His disciples replied, “But could anyone possibly get enough food to satisfy a crowd this size out here in this isolated place?”

5 He asked them, “How many loaves of flatbread do you have?”
“Seven,” they replied.

6 Jesus instructed the crowd to sit down on the grass. After he took the seven loaves, he gave thanks to God, broke them, and started handing them to his disciples. They kept distributing the bread until they had served the entire crowd.

7 They also had a few small fish, and after giving thanks for these, Jesus had his disciples serve them to the crowd. 8 Everyone ate until they were satisfied. Then the disciples gathered up the broken pieces and filled seven large baskets with the leftovers. 9 About four thousand people ate what had been multiplied! Then he dismissed the crowd [Jesus ended their fast].

10 Afterward, Jesus got into a boat and sailed to the vicinity of Dalmanutha.

Deja vu is the sense of having previously experienced something that really has been encountered before. The disciples are living in real time and surely they feel a sense of deja vu as Jesus, filled with compassion, once again expresses his concern over a crowd who hasn’t eaten in three days. Jesus does not want to send the crowd home fasting. Wouldn’t you think one of the disciples might have said, “Hey, Jesus, last time this happened you multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish and fed 5,000 men. What can you do now with our seven loaves of flatbread to feed this crowd?” Yet, according to Mark, no one brings up the memory of feeding the 5,000 or expresses outspoken faith in Christ to do a similar miracle this time. Jesus has to ask his disciples what they can contribute to the miracle he wants to do with the gentiles gathered with him. Do you think the disciples doubt Christ’s promise to save the world?

Before we are too hard on the disciples, let’s remember when we encounter problems that seem insurmountable doubt will also be banging on the door of our thought life. Our faith must press beyond every doubt, fear or indifference the enemy tries to send, because we serve a miracle-working God who is on a mission to save and redeem the world from spiritual starvation. Christ reveals the heart of God to invite the whole world to eat at heaven’s Table.

Prayer: Father, thank you for the miracle of salvation operating in this world that is suffering from spiritual starvation. You alone can bring the bread of life to us; continue to provide, sustain, and satisfy your family, so we can witness to the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Ephesians 4:17-24 The Old Way Has to Go
17-19 And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can’t think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.

20-24 But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.

In his letter to the Church at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul reminds God’s family about the necessity of “out with the old and in with the new.” Paul is talking about old ways, behaviors, and ideas that must be left behind now that Christ has made his home in our hearts. In Christ, we are born anew; it is time for new things and new ideas to be released in our lives. These new ideas bring new behaviors. Christ’s love changes how we view everything: deal with our feelings, how we handle our relationships, even how we view our sexuality, etc. As we bow to Christ, the new life grows. It really is a brand new way to live; a clean slate for a God-fashioned life.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for helping me let go of the old, so I can continually reach for the new you have planned for me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 50:16-23 (TPT)
16
And now I speak to the wicked. Listen to what I have to say to you!
What right do you have to presume to speak for me
and claim my covenant promises as yours?
17
For you have hated my instruction and disregarded my words,
throwing them away as worthless!
18
You forget to condemn the thief or adulterer.
You are their friend, running alongside them into darkness.
19–20
The sins of your mouth multiply evil.
You have a lifestyle of lies;
you are devoted to deceit as you speak against others,
even slandering those of your own household!
21
All this you have done and I kept silent,
so you thought that I was just like you, sanctioning evil.
But now I will bring you to my courtroom
and spell out clearly my charges before you.
22
This is your last chance, my final warning. Your time is up!
Turn away from all this evil, or the next time you hear from me
will be when I am coming to pass judgment upon you.
I will snatch you away, and no one will be there
to help you escape my judgment.
23
The life that pleases me is a life lived in the gratitude of grace,
always choosing to walk with me in what is right.
This is the sacrifice I desire from you.
If you do this, more of my salvation will unfold for you.”

Last week, we ended with a passage from the gospel of Matthew as Jesus is teaching his disciples about the hypocrisy of those leading Israel. Jesus offers another assessment of these same leaders later in this gospel, “They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer” (Mat 23:3 MSG). The practice of sin—in any proportion—will taint our thoughts and lead to disobedient actions against God. To be ignorant of what God says about sin is viewed through his eyes of mercy. However, when we know we are living in sin, we accuse ourselves before God (Rom 2:13-15). Obeying the Word is God’s Way.

Many people in this world may say they believe in Christ—God’s Living Word—but unless those people are living in the truth and obedient to the life to which Christ calls his followers, the Lord proclaims them wicked. It is hypocrisy. Grace is not some kind of an apology for our sin; grace is the power of Christ to guide us into holiness so we can live for the glory of God.

In our Old Testament passage today, God is actually addressing those engaged in the ongoing practice of what the Word calls evil or sin. The people are viewing their good standing with God based on outward acts of piety alone. This is not the message of Christ and the proof that we are desperate for a Savior. We need salvation from sin and its death penalty. In the New Testament, Jesus always condemned the leaders for this action, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Mat 15:8). Jesus is the Truth. So, to say one thing and live another is to live in delusion; it is an abuse of God’s mercy and grace. Sin that is fed grows in the soul of every willing host; but, God’s grace has the power to overcome all sin. We must, however, obediently align our whole being with God’s Word—this puts grace and faith into action.

“May your life preach more loudly than your lips.” Toby Mac

Prayer: Lord, thank you for helping me live each day in obedience to your Word. Thank you for your mercy that covers me while I learn to live in the power of your grace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Matthew 16:5-12 The Hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Sadducees
5 Later, as Jesus and his disciples crossed over to the other side of Lake Galilee, the disciples realized they had forgotten to bring any loaves of bread. 6 Jesus spoke up and said, “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

7 Thinking Jesus was scolding them over not bringing bread, they began to discuss it among themselves. 8 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “You have such little faith! Why are you arguing with one another about having no bread? 9 Are you so slow to understand? Have you forgotten the miracle of feeding the five thousand families and how each of you ended up with a basket full of fragments? 10 And how seven loaves of bread fed four thousand families with baskets left over? 11 Don’t you understand? I’m not talking about bread, but I’m warning you to avoid the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”

12 Then finally they realized he wasn’t talking about yeast found in bread, but the error of the teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

Throughout the gospels, Jesus constantly points his disciples toward the abundant love and grace of Father God. He urges them to desire this relationship with God all based on Truth that can bring salvation and the resources of heaven to their lives. In our passage today, Jesus warns the disciples not to get caught up in the teachings of the Pharisees (religious frauds making themselves the standard of God) and Sadducees (wealthy aristocrats with political loyalties), because these false teachers do not know God nor guide people to him. Jesus tells the disciples the “yeast” (sin) of the Pharisees and Sadducees is enough to lead God’s people into error and judgment. These two groups of religious teachers were secretly instilling wrong ideas about the character of God into the minds of those listening; people were agreeing with these false doctrines rather than aligning themselves with the Truth.

There is a cost when we engage in even “a little” sin. We must remember the enemy is crafty when it comes to deceiving people. False beliefs and sin are like the yeast used in bread making, just a little bit can begin to permeate and change how a person views the instruction or commands of God. Satan works secretly to influence people in order to control them. Therefore, Jesus teaches the disciples to make sure they are feeding their souls with the Bread of Life.

Prayer: Father, help me to cling to the Truth of your Word and the affirmation of the Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 51:12 (TPT) David’s Consecration 
Let my passion for life be restored,
    tasting joy in every breakthrough you bring to me.
    Hold me close to you with a willing spirit
    that obeys whatever you say.

King David suffered greatly for his affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah. God allowed David to face the painful consequences of his sin. Like David, sometimes we may have to face the painful consequences of our sin, too. The love of God allows these experiences, so we will run from sin the next time. And, only God can heal our self-inflicting wounds.

Getting our hearts right with God after we sin is essential. So, in his song, David points the way to restoration and healing in three steps. First, David confesses that he knows he has done wrong in the sight of God; in fact, he confesses that his sin is really against God (Ps. 51:4). Second, David asks God for forgiveness; to cleanse him, purify his conscience, and fill him once again with sacred love (Ps. 51:7). Third, David asks for God to restore his joy and help him to be more obedient.

The more devoted we become to God, the more power we have to resist sin. This devotion should be our goal each day. However, when we wander into sin, God’s mercy is available to bring healing. David tells us how to find our way back to rest in God’s amazing grace.

Prayer: Lord, help me to stand obediently in your grace each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mark 6:35-44 (TPT)
35 Late that afternoon, his disciples said, “It’s getting really late and we’re here in this remote place with nothing to eat. 36 You should send the crowds away so they can go into the surrounding villages and buy food.”

37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” “Are you sure?” they replied. “You really want us to go buy them supper? It would cost a small fortune [8 month’s wages] to feed all these thousands of hungry people.”

38 “How many loaves of bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” After they had looked around, they came back and said, “Five—plus a couple of fish.”
39 Then he instructed them to organize the crowd and have them sit down in groups on the grass. 40 So they had them sit down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Then Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, gazed into heaven, and gave thanks to God. He broke the bread and the two fish and distributed them to his disciples to serve the people—and the food was multiplied in front of their eyes! 42 Everyone had plenty to eat and was fully satisfied. 43 Then the twelve disciples picked up what remained, and each of them ended up with a basket full of leftovers! 44 Altogether, five thousand families were fed that day!

In our passage today, Jesus is teaching the disciples a wonderful spiritual lesson about the abundant law of grace for the unworthy “crowd”—which is every human being due to sin. Grace is the gift that gives us access to the Father, saves us through faith, brings victory over sin, fear, and doubt, and is the love of God working in our lives forever. The disciples continue to be amazed in the presence of Christ (the one who will pay the price for grace). Jesus has been teaching the thousands gathered with him the Good News of the gospel of grace—serving them the spiritual Bread of Life. Now, the disciples want to send the people home to eat physical food as if the Word was not enough to meet the needs of the people. It’s lesson time!

Jesus decides to pull back the veil and help the disciples gain understanding; he merges the gift of grace with the physical world in an eye-opening miracle. Jesus brings revelation by commanding the disciples to take responsibility and “give” the people something to eat (v. 37). Christ’s command to feed over five thousand people is perceived by the disciples as impossible. Of course, we all know that, right? However, “What appears humanly impossible is more than possible with God. For God can do what man cannot.” (Luke 18:27).

The law of grace is always about revealing the unfathomable, abundant, and all encompassing love of the Father. So, Jesus asks the disciples to declare what they have available to them (5 loaves of bread and 2 fish—5 represents the number of grace and 2 is about connection or union). Then, Jesus prays and thanks the Father for provision—the food is miraculously multiplied.

We are never going to be worthy of the gift of grace; however, a connection to Christ will give you access to the Father. Pray and seek God’s will, ask for your needs to be met, and keep knocking until a door opens (Mat 7:7). So, let’s pray as Jesus taught, “Give us this day our daily bread!” (Matt 6:11).

Prayer: Lord, true life is found in every word that flows from your mouth. Sustain me with the Bread of heaven, multiply the word in me, Lord, and send me out to proclaim it so others can be fed. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 111:7-10 (TPT)
7 
All God accomplishes is flawless, faithful, and fair,
    and his every word proves trustworthy and true.
8 
They are steadfast forever and ever,
    formed from truth and righteousness.
9 
His forever-love paid a full ransom for his people
    so that now we’re free to come before Yahweh
    to worship his holy and awesome name!
10 
Where can wisdom be found? It is born in the fear of God.
    Everyone who follows his ways
    will never lack his living-understanding.
    And the adoration of God will abide throughout eternity!

In our passage today from the Psalter, this worshiper refreshes our thoughts about the grandeur of our God and Savior; the Author of our faith. The Lord proves over and over again He is faithful in all that He is and does as Creator. The biblical definition for the word ‘prove’ means: 1) to test or try; 2) to establish, demonstrate; or 3) to find by experience.

When we seek God and make ourselves available to live for accomplishing His purpose in the world, He begins to prove His love for us through every experience. Sometimes we may face tests and trials that overwhelm us; but, in the midst of the pressure He proves that with God all things are possible (Mark 10:27). The more dependent we become upon the Lord, the more we reflect the image of Christ who obediently carried out the will of the Father (John 5:30). We must follow His ways to increase our spiritual capacity and prove our trust and faith in Him.

Neal A. Maxwell (religious scholar) once said, “God does not begin by asking our ability, only our availability, and if we prove our dependability, He will increase our capability.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for proving your love for me over and over, again. Continue to increase my capacity to serve you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.