Calvary Chapel Island of Grace

Calvary Chapel Island of Grace Calvary Chapel Island of Grace is not a building, not a person, not a religious institution.

It is a vibrant body of believers through whom God is able to work and be glorified in Long Island, New York.

06/07/2026

June 7th -- Proverbs 7:1-2
"My son, KEEP My Words, and treasure My commands within you. Keep My Commands and live, and My Law as the apple of your eye."

The Lord says that He keeps His people as the apple of His eye. He watches over us, we are special to Him. And we are safe "Under the shadow of Your wings" Psalm 17:8. Through this relationship, what a great blessing is ours: "As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness." Psalm 17:15.
Now we have it, the purpose of the Lord toward us, the Will of God for each of our lives, the work the Holy Spirit wants to accomplish in our hearts and lives. The purpose of the Lord is that we would "be conformed to the image of His Son" Rom.8:29, "you may be partakers of the divine nature" 2Peter 1:4. And so the Lord wants to do this work of making us like Himself, of transforming us from the sinner to the saint. It is the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, that allows me to grow spiritually and become more and more like the Lord, or not.
The Lord has given us a free will, we can respond and surrender to the work of the Spirit. As we do we will more and more "Die to self," living the exchanged life. Some want to add Christ to their lives and plans, asking the Lord to bless what they already want to do. This also happens in the church: brainstorming how to make it more attractive to bring in people and money. The church then becomes something that is not the Lord's will, and bears no resemblance to the Body of Christ described in the book of Acts. Here is what I need, what we all need, what the Body of Christ needs today: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of Good, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God"
Lord help us to live by and keep Your Word today, by the power of Your Spirit and the Grace of God. That people may see Christ in us, and rivers of Living Water will flow from our innermost being.

06/06/2026

June 6th -- Proverbs 6:22"When you roam they will LEAD you(Word of God); When you sleep they will KEEP you; And when you awake, they will SPEAK with you."
The Lord has given us so many promises regarding His Word, and the power and life that it possesses. His Word is alive and living sharper than any two-edged sword. In this single verse, the Lord gives us three powerful aspects of the Word and how it will affect our lives: LEAD, KEEP, SPEAK. The Word brings life & light, as well as reproof and correction. First, we see how the Word of God will lead, guide, and direct us. All of this will only happen as the Holy Spirit moves upon the Word. The Spirit must first make us alive by giving us spiritual life. Then making the Word alive to us so that we then can hear the voice of the Lord. The primary way the Lord speaks to us is through the Word. I believe this is part of our daily prayer life. The Lord speaks to us, prayer is not just us speaking to the Lord. I remember this happening to me when I was a brand new believer. It was so inspiring and life-changing; I treasured my time in the Scripture each day. Second, the Word will sustain us. The Word will keep us in perfect peace, as our mind, through the Word of God is stayed on the Lord. We are meditating on the Word and feeding upon the Word. As Jesus faced the devil, He said, "This is more important than eating natural food and He said this when the enemy was at Him. If Jesus needed this how much more do you and I need to be in the Word? The Lord promises that the Word and obeying and living by the Word, will be a solid foundation in our lives. The storms of life will come, but we will be immovable and the Word will give us a peace that surpasses understanding. Some people say they will have peace once they understand what is happening in life. But there will be things we will not understand, and the Lord promises He will give us a peace that will lift us above those things. He will give us a supernatural peace in the storm! Third, the great promise is that the Word of God will speak to me. For me personally, this has been about understanding the Lord's Nature, seeing what He is really like and knowing how much I need to change, be transformed and become like Him. The Lord is an Anchor to my soul, and so is His Word, as Jesus said, "Heaven and earth would pass away but His Word would remain". Certain Scriptures have been life-changing for me: Psalm 72:12-14, Isaiah 58:7. It is amazing to me how these few short verses have altered the course of my life and ministry. Little did I know the power and impact when the Lord speaks to us through His Word, as He bears in our lives "fruit that remains"!

06/05/2026

June 5th -- Proverbs 5:22
"His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin."

The nature of sin is that it might entrap us, with the goal of destroying us. The Lord spoke to Cain and said, "Sin lies at your door and it desires you, but you should rule over it." Gen.4:7. This speaks not only of sin but also of the power behind sin and satan's agenda. It is the enemy uses sin and the lies he presents with it to deceive and destroy the person.
As Jesus said to Peter, "satan has desired to sift you," and this is true for each of us. His goal is our demise, as Jesus said in John 10:10, the devil comes to "steal, kill and destroy." Jesus also said that He came to bring us Life, and that Life more abundantly—life to the full. But Jesus came to destroy the works of darkness and the power of the enemy.
The Lord has given us a free will, the power of choice, therefore, if we are entrapped it is our own fault due to the lies we believed and the bad choices we made. Now the Lord has the power to take our mistakes as we turn them over to Him, and use "all things" together for good. Only the Lord can do this, and it is His heart to do such a work. The Lord can take our mistakes and failures, and use the to teach us and equip us to then help others, so they might not be trapped and destroyed. Out of our failures the Lord can bring victory to us out of our failures, and we can then bring victory to others. The work of the Lord is marvelous, there is no losing when we turn to and depend upon Him. The Holy Spirit will give us guidance and direction leading us and keeping us in the Way of Life! Jesus us that Way!

06/04/2026

June 4th -- Proverbs 4:1-2"Hear, my children, the instruction of a FATHER, And give attention to know understanding; For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law."
Here we see the Lord's heart, His priority, and the need for a father in the home. Increasingly, our culture has more fatherless homes, and that is entirely negative. Young men growing up without a father are more likely to fail to graduate from high school, be incarcerated, and affiliate with gangs. The father is critical to the stability of the home and the family. Their absence negatively affects and ruins young lives. This isnot how the Lord intended it, mothers were never supposed to raise the family alone, the father was to be there, providing and protecting. Thus, our verse shows that the father is to be an instructor or a teacher. He is supposed to be a powerful spiritual influence, teaching the children about the Lord and demonstrating the truth of God's Word by their example. Often in homes where Dad is present, he surrenders that role to Mom, or to the church failing to accept his God-given role and responsibility. A child will know and understand the things of the Lord by watching a godly father live his life depending upon the Lord rather than depending upon himself. Depending upon the Lord will demonstrate true humility and establish a testimony for the child as they see prayers answered and the Lord working on their behalf. As the father teaches the Word and tells true stories from Scripture, a solid foundation will be established in their young hearts, empowered by the Holy Spirit as the Lord enables Dad. All of this will bring God's Word to them—His Word, which is alive—and they will have "good doctrine" and be balanced in the pure Word of God!

06/03/2026

June 3RD -- Proverbs 3:3-4"Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man."
In these two verses, we see the truth of God pervading His Word. First and most important is the sovereignty of God, the Lord is King and Ruler, a compassionate Father, and the Lover of our souls. Nothing can stop His Will from being done and His Kingdom from coming. It was His Will for His Only Begotten Son to come and accomplish what we could never do by going to the Cross. The Lord paid the price for our sins, bringing us back to God by defeating the devil and all his darkness. Through this, Jesus came to bring us spiritual life and restore us to the Lord. As we could NEVER do this ourselves, it is impossible for us! Only the Lord, only God could do this great work! This is the Lord's truth; Jesus was and is its embodiment. Since this is TRUE, how can so many people who claim to love Jesus (who was Jewish) end up hating Jews and blaming them for the Cross, saying they killed Jesus. Nothing could be more dark, evil, wrong, and demonic! It was the sovereignty of the Lord, it was His Plan and His Will that purchased Salvation & Redemption for us! This is true spiritual life; it is why Jesus came, and all that He accomplished. It is so sad that religious people have added to and taken away from God's Word; this is a very bad and dangerous move, the Lord warns us against this folly. Mercy and Truth originate from the Heart of the Lord, and Jesus came and showed us exactly what the Lord is like, for He was God in the flesh. As we receive this Life from the Lord it should become who we are in Christ. The same Mercy & Truth that brought us into His Kingdom will become who we are: people of mercy & truth. Only the Lord can perform this work of transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit. And He wants it for all people everywhere. This is where our free will comes to light, for the Lord will never violate it, dragging us in against our will and choices. The power of the New Covenant allows the Lord to write His Word in our minds and hearts. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ to us, and show us our great need—that we are "poor in spirit." However, we must surrender, we must say yes to the Lord and choose to embrace the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life! Even in the life of a straying believer, the Lord will pursue us. He will knock at the heart of the wayward believer, but we must open the door, allow Jesus in, and choose communion and supper with Him (Rev.3:20)!

06/02/2026

June 2nd -- Proverbs 2:20
"So you may walk in the way of goodness, And keep to the paths of righteousness. For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it;"

More than one reference in this chapter presents the Truth, that we can lose it. That we may "leave the paths of uprightness", and return to walking in darkness. This Truth is taught throughout Scripture even though some say it's impossible for this to ever happen. There are those who label themselves with the name of a man who came up with this teaching, and I would ask why? Are all men flawed, sinners in need of a Savior? Why identify with their name? Why not identify yourself with the Name of the Lord?
But the promise here is that I may walk in the Lord's Way, continue in that Way, and have victory in that Way while becoming more and more like the Lord. Jesus said that He is the WAY, the path, the course, the manner of Life I am to choose and walk in! You see clearly from the Lord's Word, from Scripture I have a choice: I can choose to go His Way, the Way of Truth and Life or not. I remember years ago when I decided to bow before the Lord, to surrender to His Way and His Will, that I fell in love with the Word. That I fed upon it more than anything else I gave my self to! As His Word says the Holy Spirit began to teach me, and write His Word in my mind and heart (Heb.8:10-12). Through His power, the power of the New Covenant, the Lord transformed my life with His great love & grace! I was not following the writings of men, I was following the Writing of the Lord, His inspired Word, and how powerful & life-giving that became to me.
I found life and power in the Word of God, not the writing of men. As in our verse when it says: "walk...keep...dwell...remain", I believe what the Lord says! I can choose to seek the Lord as something precious, receiving His Word. As I choose to walk in the Light, the Lord will preserve and keep me until the day He takes me Home. I can be safe and secure in Him, He will keep and protect me. And I will choose Jesus, to "Abide" in Him, to Wait upon the Lord, to open the Door when Jesus is knocking. And Jesus will do for me what I would never do for myself!!!

06/01/2026

June 1st -- Proverbs 1:5"A wise man will hear and increase in learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel."
What makes a person wise? We saw yesterday in our devotional that it is simply the Lord. So the truly wise person will never take credit for it or think it is all about them, only the blind person will think such things. For wisdom comes from the Lord; it is His very nature, Who He is and all He possesses. The Lord promises His children that when they are in a storm, being tried and tested, they need wisdom, and if they come to Him they will receive it. "If any lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." James 1:5 So the foundational principle for my entire life of being a follower of Jesus is that I need to HEAR from the Lord. I need to daily sit at the feet of Jesus and receive His Word(Luke 10:38-42). Jesus said it is the "one thing" we must do to maintain proper perspective, not to worry, feel anxious, or be troubled by life and the things we face. And we will face things, we are never exempt because we are believers. The false teachers lie trying to create some sort of life of ease and prosperity that Jesus NEVER promised. Jesus actually said, "In this world you will have trouble." When we receive the truth of God's Word trials and testings are the Lord's methods of spiritual growth and development. Everyone in Scripture who was mightily used by the Lord was tested through very hard and difficult trials. And the Lord was in them all, and with them throughout all. None were destroyed by the trials, instead, they were made better and stronger, growing in their faith and dependence upon the Lord! As I take this in I realize the Truth of God's Word: "For My thoughts are NOT your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts." Is.55:8-9 I need to HEAR from the Lord, I cannot simply trust my thoughts and ideas. I need to receive wisdom and guidance from the Lord, and He has promised that to me. As a disciple in the School of the Holy Spirit, I need to grow and learn more from the Lord daily. For this is the place of transformation where I take on the "Divine Nature," the Lord has promised!!!

05/31/2026

May 31st -- Proverbs 31:30-31"Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates."
Today, our culture places a strong emphasis on the body. On achieving and maintaining beauty through treatments and surgery to keep you looking young. You see, the Lord tells us all about a people who will worship themselves rather than the God who created them. It first starts with an angel named lucifer who wanted the worship due to the Lord alone (Isaiah 14 & Ezekiel 28). His great darkness led to his fall which he then sought to inflict upon the human race, as he did in Genesis 3. This desire to become god, to be worshipped and lifted up brought the fall and sin into the human race. Later, lucifer would try the same tactics on Jesus (Luke 4) and fail. Jesus defeated him with the Word of God and exposed his lies. Showing you and I we can win also! The Lord has certainly shown us the way to win and provided the facts. Romans 1:25 describes exactly what has happen in our day. Though written two thousand years ago, it could not be more accurate or specific. Denying the existence of God, whom everyone knows exists, will result in—and is currently resulting in—societal decay. As people then choose to worship themselves rather than their Creator. The Lord then describes in exact and specific detail all the darkness currently consuming our culture. So, in contrast to this there is hope! Hope that there will be women who choose godliness. Women who know the Lord as their Creator, and who will love and follow Him all the days of their lives. The result of what the Lord will do in and through them will be amazing and glorious. The hearts of these women will be set on Eternity, they will not be deceived by living only for the here and now. They will obey Jesus, laying up their treasures in Heaven and what a blessing they will be to people. Their lives will be consumed by loving the Lord and then loving people. Self-love will not possess them, for the Lord has their hearts. And as Jesus lived His life here on earth, they will give themselves away, living for OTHERS! And so the "fruit of their hands" will be the Fruit of the Holy Spirit, and as Jesus said that Fruit will REMAIN! Their lives and testimonies will reflect Jesus; they will be His Workmanship, HIS POEM! How we need them today.

05/30/2026

May 30th -- Proverbs 30:4
"Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, If you know?

What an amazing declaration that the Lord, the Father has a Son so many years before Jesus was born into this world. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16. Scripture clearly teaches that the Lord is a Trinity: He is One, and He is Three. Scripture also teaches that He creates Adam and Eve in His image and likeness, therefore, they were a trinity as well: spirit, soul, and body. And so in the Garden they walked with the Lord, and communion with Him was a natural to them as breathing air. This was the Lord's original intent, it is what we were created for, a love relationship with our Maker and Creator, the One who loves us with an everlasting love.
We can look at all this and wonder why? The Lord created us with free will, because love would be meaningless without the power of choice. I could not have a meaningful relationship with a robot, if I could something is seriously wrong. And so the choice: the one tree the Lord told them to stay away from. Knowing His Great Love, trusting and obeying Him was all that we needed.
But they were seduced, as people are today, believing lies from the father of lies, and choosing not to respond to the Lord's love or simply trust in Him. They chose rebellion believing it would be a short cut to power, life, and satisfaction; it was all a lie. For the road to sin always leads to darkness and death. All the while the Son calls out, promising the Way of Life. The Way that only He could make. The Way that cost Him everything, that He might rescue and save us. Because He alone could pay the price for our sin and rebellion and He alone could descend & ascend. Do you know His Name? He know yours, and He loves you with an everlasting Love, filled with Mercy & Grace.

05/29/2026

May 29th -- Proverbs 29:7
"The righteous considers the cause of the poor; But the wicked does not understand such knowledge."

I remember living as an atheist, I was dominated by my sinful nature, it was natural to me to live this way, there was no thought or consideration involved in my lifestyle. I was living for me, the things I desired and the stuff I wanted, believing it would bring me satisfaction(but it never did). That did not stop or slow me down. It was all about me, as Scripture says, self-love will dominate in the "last days," and it sure dominated me!
Then came that fateful night when I surrendered to the Lord. It was a cold evening in March 1977. As I looked at that night sky I felt overwhelmingly forgiven, as if the weight of my sin was lifted. I had decided to follow Jesus, and was now free "by faith alone"! Then something spiritual happened that I was totally unaware of. It wasn't the result of anything I was trying to do, actually the total opposite occurred. I began to see the people around me in a way that I was CONSIDERING them. I saw the Spanish kitchen help that lived in a shack behind the restaurant. I got Jose Cubano, a busboy to be my translator, and they responded to spiritual things, I was pumped up! The restaurant was closed on Monday, so I cooked for everyone and spent time in that shack. I got Scripture signs printed up for them. They covered an entire wall in the shack with them, Hebrews 13:8. To be honest, sharing Jesus had started to become natural to me. I shared it with two cooks, a busboy, the coat girl, who connected me with her dad. He took me to a Bible Study that did not happen, but as we were leaving I met Hugh Jack and went home with him that night. The Lord was powerfully at work. But I did not know it. It all just seemed natural to me. The Light had come on, I had found my way to Father's House and I was now putting on His sandals and taking His Mercy & Grace to OTHERS!
Initially, "Considers the cause of the poor" referred only to those who were spiritually poor. Those in need of a Savior and the freedom only Jesus can bring. That was first, and then helping people the Lord led me to who needed subsequent physical help would follow. I would learn much later that Jesus' priority is always spiritual first (Isaiah 58:6), followed by natural help (Is.58:7). Why did Jesus come: Isaiah 61:1-2a!!!

Address

1680 Railroad Avenue
Holbrook, NY
11741

Opening Hours

Wednesday 7pm - 8:30pm
Sunday 10:30am - 12pm

Telephone

(631) 580-3055

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