Matters of Faith
A practical application of the Word of God for everyday issues.
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Rev. J. Loren Russell
Ephesians 4:25-32 ( NKJV)
“25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
It is not the actions of people that tell us who they are, it’s their reaction that reveals their true character. What comes out of someone when they are squeezed reveals what’s on the inside.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church directs his readers to put away lying, which means they had, at some point, been liars. He says they can be angry, but not to sin, which means they had been angry and chose to sin. He tells them not to allow the devil to infiltrate their hearts, which means at some point in their past, they routinely “danced with the devil”.
Paul says that they should steal no longer, which means they had stolen before. He says they must work that which is good so that they have something in their storehouse to give to those in need. Even the words they speak should be edifying, which means they had previously spoken corrupt words that unsettled the lives of others. These weren’t just behavioral corrections—they were matters of the heart.
Notice that all the things Paul directed them to do were things that had to come out of them when life’s pressures were upon them. That’s why transformation cannot be cosmetic. It must be internal. You can modify behavior for a moment, but only the Holy Spirit can change nature for a lifetime.
Jesus said it plainly: “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man” (Matthew 15:11). In other words, the real issue isn’t what happens to you…, it’s what comes out of you, and nothing can come out of you that wasn’t already in you.
So, the question becomes: What is living in your heart? Whatever is in you will come out of you. The evidence of spiritual maturity is not how you act when everything is right, but how you respond when everything is wrong. That’s why real change, true, lasting, God-honoring transformation, is always an inside job.
Be Blessed!
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Rev. J. Loren Russell
SCRIPTURE: (Mark 16:1-6 ( NKJV)
“Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
It was early Sunday morning, the end of the Sabbath and first day of the week, when Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome decided to follow the custom of the Jews and go to the graveyard. They made their way to the tomb carrying spices in their hands, but sorrow in their hearts. They came to anoint a body… not expecting a miracle. As they walked, a question weighed on their minds: “Who will roll away the stone?” The stone was massive, immovable by human strength. It represented finality, death, and the end. But when they arrived, the stone had already been rolled away.
They entered the tomb expecting to find a lifeless prophet, but instead, they encountered a divine messenger. A young man clothed in white, sitting where death had once claimed victory. Recognizing their fear, he spoke: “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified… He is risen! He is not here.” Luke 24:5 records that encounter a little differently; he says they were asked, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?”
It is a question that still echoes today: Why do we look for peace in places that cannot sustain us? Why do we search for fulfillment in things that have no life in them? Why do we expect God to move in places He has already left behind?
The women came to the tomb in mourning—but they did not leave the same way. They were given a message and a mission: “Go, tell His disciples… and Peter.”
That detail matters. Peter, who had denied Jesus, was still being called. His failure did not disqualify him from being included in the resurrection story. Grace made sure of that. And by that same grace, we are not that different from Peter. We are included in the resurrection narrative also.
Yet even with good news, fear took hold. Mark tells us they were afraid. Fear has a way of silencing us, even when we have encountered something life-changing. It can cause us to hesitate when we should speak, to hold back when we should move forward.
Still, the story does not end there. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, and she went and told the disciples. Though they struggled to believe at first, something began to shift. By the end of the chapter, those who once doubted were boldly proclaiming the message everywhere, and the Lord was working with them.
What made the difference? The resurrection!
That Sunday morning was not typical because it marked the turning point of history. Death no longer had the final word. The grave no longer held ultimate power. Hope, which seemed buried, had risen.
And that same truth speaks to us now. Whatever “stone” stands in your way—God is able to move it. Whatever situation feels lifeless—God is able to bring life to it. Whatever grief you carry—God can transform it into purpose.
The women came expecting to anoint a body, but instead they encountered a living Savior. Their sorrow was interrupted by hope. Their routine was disrupted by resurrection power. This was not just another Sunday morning.
It was Resurrection Day.
And because of that, no day has to remain ordinary again.
Be Blessed!
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By Reverend J. Loren Russell
John 12:12–13 (NKJV)
“The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!’”The people gathered to witness His entrance into Jerusalem because word had spread about who He was and the miracles He had performed. Their curiosity had been stirred and their expectations heightened. Many came not only to see Jesus—but to see Lazarus, the one He had raised from the dead.
But here lies the problem: they did not truly understand Him. Not even His disciples—those closest to Him—fully grasped His purpose. They misread the moment. They believed this triumphant entry was about political liberation—freedom from Roman rule, relief from present suffering, a shift in earthly power. But it was far greater than that.
What looked like a coronation was actually a countdown. This entry did not signal the rise of a throne—it signaled the approach of a cross. The most important event in human history was now set in motion. And so, they responded the only way they knew how—with celebration.
They cut down palm branches. They laid them in the road. They spread their garments before Him. But notice where they placed their praise: They laid those palms not at His hands—but at the feet of the animal He rode. Their worship was real in expression… but limited in understanding. They honored the moment— but missed the mission.
Because what began with lifted branches would soon turn into lifted hands—not in worship, but in violence. That is the problem with the palms. The same crowd that spread palm branches beneath Him as He rode into the city…would, in less than five days, raise the palms of their hands against Him.
The same hands that prepared a path of honor for the donkey… would become instruments of humiliation against the Savior (Matthew 26:67; John 18:22). From palms on the ground… to palms in the air…to the palms of their hands striking the very One they once celebrated.
They placed palms beneath Him in public—but lifted palms against Him in private. They celebrated Him when it was easy—but turned on Him when it became inconvenient. They gave Him a pathway—but refused Him their hearts. And that is the tension this text exposes: it is possible to honor Jesus with what is in your hands…while resisting Him with what is in your heart.
That crowd is not just a historical moment—it is a mirror. It reflects the contradiction that can live within all of us. We know how to perform celebration. We know how to say the right words. We know how to show up in the right moments.
But the question remains: when the moment shifts…when the pressure rises…when following Him costs something… will the same hands that once honored Him… become the hands that oppose Him?
My prayer is this: That we would not lay palms at His path…yet raise our palms against His will. That our worship would not stop at what we place before Him—but extend to what we surrender within us. That our “Hosanna” would not be a moment of emotion—but a life of devotion. Because Palm Sunday it is not about palms on the ground, but hearts that are surrendered and hands that are lifted in praise.
Be Blessed!
Matters of Faith 