Raul Montano
Tuesday, May 03, 2022
Life is Precious
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Marriage - The Husband Part 2 - Honor Your Wife
Husbands are commanded to honor their wives but too often the husbands feel like their wives are honored simply for having him as a husband... uh, no!
Let's first seek to understand what the Apostle Peter was saying, by understanding what the word "honor" means and how it is used in this context.
To honor your wife is to consider the value your wife possesses. In other words, her worth. We can make the mistake of thinking that the value our wives possess is the worth we give her, from our perspective. This can be skewed, biased and inaccurate, because more than likely we are considering all of her shortcomings and base her value on her performance, according to what we expect, rather than something that goes beyond our perspective.
The value our wives possess has nothing to do with performance, but rather the value she has in the eyes of the Lord. This is a value that does not diminish nor is it dependent on performance because it is the value that a child has in the eyes of a father. Psalm 8:4 - "what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"
Secondly, honor refers to a value that is given to ONLY one person. This worth and value is given and known only in your wife and not shared with anyone else. To regard her as anything less or to share or even shift her value to someone else is to be unfaithful to her as a husband.
Too often husbands make the mistake of sharing this value with someone else, when their wives are the only ones that should possess this value in their eyes.
So, to honor our wives is to see the value in them that they have before the Lord, which is unchanging. We are to handle our wives like a person who is precious to God and precious to us - of GREAT VALUE. We are to make sure our wives have the proper place in our lives that belong only to them and never share that or transfer it at any time and for any reason to someone else... they have exclusive rights as our wives.
Remember, Proverbs 31:10-11 - "An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain."
Friday, June 09, 2017
Marriage - The Husband Part 1 - Dwell with Her in an Understanding Way
Friday, June 02, 2017
Never Abandoned
There are good examples and there are poor examples. But God is not the reflection of earthly parenting, but is the perfect Father who cares for His children perfectly.
He gives warnings to serve us as safeguards and sign posts of danger, but at the same time He assures us of His blessings when we love Him through our obedience to Him (John 14:15).
One thing we can be sure of, He never leaves nor forakes those who are His (Hebrews 13:5). He disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6), But He will never turn His back and reject.
God is the perfect Father who will never abandon us. May His love draw us closer to Him and may we choose to live a life that reflects that love in obedience to His Word.
Friday, August 05, 2016
Learning to Walk
No kid learning how to walk and having fallen a hundred times gets up and says, "Maybe this just isn't for me."
Nope! And neither should anyone learning how to walk with Jesus.
John 6:45 – "It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."
Jesus was quoting from Isaiah 54:13 – "All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children."
As adults we take walking for granted, but there was a time when it was the most difficult thing to do.
If you're just learning how to walk with Jesus, I encourage you to NEVER give up! Keep Reading the Bible, Keep Praying, Keep Going to Church… just KEEP LEARNING.
One day you will look back and realize you've been walking upright for a while with the Lord and you're at peace.
Learn to Walk with Jesus and then Keep Walking.
And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." – Matthew 4:19
Friday, September 04, 2015
Rejoice and Take Joy!
I believe we all do at some point or another. No one is exempt from feeling depressed; even when things seem to be going good and you're surrounded with people, you may feel alone and somewhat empty. It's at that time when we need to look to the Lord and fix our eyes on Him.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 - "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the LORD, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer's; He makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments."
You often read verse 19, but hardly the verses before it... It puts things into proper perspective and helps you understand in what circumstances you can walk surely upon the dangerous cliffs of disappointment, of lack, of a desert-like season in life and of feeling alone.
Be encouraged, you're not alone. God is with you and He is your strength and He makes your steps sure...have confidence that He will not let you fall.
These verses are a song unto the LORD... praising Him.
Feeling down? Look up to the Lord, He will lift your head up. Feeling alone? Look around, the Lord is with you. Feeling out of sorts? Look within, the Spirit of God is holding you together.
Sing unto the Lord and trust in Him. Praise and Worship Him for He is worthy.
May He be your joy and your strength in all times and in all places.
God Bless you - Pastor Raul
Tuesday, September 01, 2015
Idolatry - The Worship of a Whore
Idolatry is defined by God as NOT ONLY the worship of an image that represents a god, but the turning away from trusting the only true God and turning to trusting in anything or anyone other than Him.
It can NOT only be money, power, intellect, position, favor, possessions etc., but it can also be the arrogance of having and maintaining, in comparison to others, more money, power, intellect, position, favor, possessions etc. There is an arrogance that emanates a stench from such a person that reaches the very nostrils of God.
God hates idolatry and pride is the thought of superiority, which is another form of idolatry, as one puts himself in that place that only God should occupy.
James 4:6 - "But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'"
Israel thought it knew better than God, and trusted in riches, external favor and relationships with others, even worshipping foreign gods. But God deemed them a whore for this. It's a clearly defined position a nation chose and we can easily fall into if we are not choosing daily and even by the moment who is that Person we trust and walk with.
Know that this is who God is and He pursues and loves you perfectly - Hosea 11:4 - "I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them."
There is nothing and no one else that will satisfy a person - only the true God.
Hosea 14:9 - "Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them."