We all need a refresher course now and then to keep us on track when it comes to living the Christian life. My pastor gave such a refresher this past Sunday and I thought I’d share it today along with my take on it. So Pastor Bob, thanks very much!
Now, most everyone knows these things, but sometimes we get rusty and need some fresh oil applied. So get out your drip cloth and expect to be oiled up.
1. Read the Word for yourself!
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
· We sometimes need our ritual habits cut away by the sharp edges of the sword. The soul’s “I want, I think, I feel” weights down the Holy Spirit so that we are not free to live as He wants us to live.
· We need to understand the difference between the hard joint and the soft marrow. Our joints are flexible and meant to move either by back and forth, side to side or rotating. The marrow keeps the bones alive by sending oxygen to all parts of our body and fights disease and germs. God must be allowed to get to our marrow. Sometimes He has to do surgery to get there... If we are to be alive, we need to read His Word. If we are to be healthy, we are to read His Word.
· We need our thoughts and desires exposed by the light of His Word. Perhaps it’s the purposes for which we decide to do something that needs to be examined. His Word is alive and powerful to reveal the status of our inner being. We will know Him better by reading His Word for ourselves.
2. Prayer is the gate we open and He comes through!
Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the one to whom we are accountable.
· Nothing is hidden from God. God is omniscient! He knows everything. We might think since He already knows everything, then why should we pray. But “He” knows everything and “we” do not. We can’t embarrass or shock God. He loves us and He already knows what we have done before we pray. He knows every fear that we have and all the trials we have faced and every temptations known. He knows all of it even before we realize it!
· Prayer will reveal our motives even more clearly to ourselves when we articulate them in prayer. We might find ourselves repenting for our lustful desires and pride. 1 John 2:15-17 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
· We must give an account. He wants us to be honest with Him.
3. Confess to an accountability partner.
James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
· We need accountability in our motives, marriage, ministry and our mind. We don’t need to confess our sins to the world. The world doesn’t need to know our faults and weaknesses. When we discover our sins, faults and weaknesses during our own reading of the Word or prayer time, then we need to make confession to a trusted fellow believer, so that they may pray with us as scriptures reveals.
· Making confession to someone else won’t do anything but allow them to love and pray for us. It is not their forgiveness we need. When we have sinned and repent we tell God who has the power to forgive us.
o Confession allows our accountability partner the chance to come into agreement with us in prayer. It helps to heal the broken spirit and gets us back on track again.
o Confession allows our accountability partner the chance to hear how easily some sin has captured us and may help them to refrain from making the same mistake.
· Pray for forgiveness of our faithlessness in our motives, marriage, ministry and our minds.
4. View everything in life that "all things" work together for good.
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
God allows things to come into our lives so that we can go to Him. We are not to go by our means of rescue (example to borrow money) and we are not to go to others to provide the need before we have gone to God. God wants us to come to Him. (This is not to say that we should never borrow, but it is God who will direct if that is the path we are to follow. The point is that we are to go to Him and find out from Him what He desires of us! Your walk with Him is your testimony. We never know who may be watching us live out the Word. Do we have a faith in the Lord that is showing on the outside? Or do we have only Sunday morning faith? )
Strength Building Scriptures that point to God first!
Philippians 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. God will take care of me.
Malachi 3:10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! God will take care of me.
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. God will take care of me.
Acts 20:35 And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ God will take care of me.
Proverbs 22:7 Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender. God will take care of me.
5. Learn to enjoy our relationship with God.
Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
[Two words need to be examined closely: “delight” and “desires”. This verse is often misinterpreted by Christians and taken to mean that God will give me whatever we want (i.e. earthly blessings) if I delight in Him. But the Hebrew word translated “delight” (עָנַג, pronounced aw-nag) literally means to be delicate or feminine (Strong’s, עָנַג.) It carries the idea of being pliable or sensitive. In this particular context, it means to be dependent upon God and to derive one’s pleasure from Him. Does this describe us? Would we rather spend time communing with God (in worship, the Word, prayer, even in our vocation) or with other people, engaged in other activities? The verb translated “delight” is an imperative in the Hebrew, meaning this is a command. Does this put a new twist on the meaning for us? Delighting in the Lord is not a helpful suggestion, but a command from the pen of the inspired Psalmist. We are to strive to delight completely in God.
The term translated “desires” (מִשְׁאָלָה, pronounced mish-aw-law) refers to petitions or requests (TWOT, מִשְׁאָלָה.) In Hebrew thought, the heart was primarily the seat of the inner man. It was the source of the will. In other words, the Psalmist tells us that God will honor our delighting in Him by graciously giving us what we are asking of Him from the very depths of our being. If we are delighting ourselves in God… then what are the desires of our heart? If we are relying upon God and deriving our primary pleasure in Him, then He is the desire of our heart. The promise here is not that God will give us the things of this world if we delight in Him. The promise is that God will give us Himself, if and when we delight ourselves in Him. The greatest blessing which we can ever receive is to know God intimately. Jesus said that eternal life is ultimately all about knowing God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. John 17:3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.
The greatest blessing imaginable is for God to make His face to shine upon us. Numbers 6:22-27 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing: 24 ‘May the Lord bless you and protect you. 25 May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. 26 May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.’ 27 Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.” This highlighted text including the Hebrew tranlations is from MBC Globe ~ Pastor's Blog: http://mbcpastoringlobe.wordpress.com/2008/05/22/delight-yourself-in-the-lord-%E2%80%93-psalm-374/ ]
If you love Him and are faithful and honest… if you love the people of God then God looks on you and says, “What is it that you want?”
o Our attitude must turn. We must no longer think in terms of ‘I have to read my Bible. I have to pray. I have to go to church, etc.’
o We must think in terms of ‘I get to read my Bible. I get to pray. I get to go to church, etc.”
This is when true intimacy with God occurs and this is how we are to care for our souls. So find your Bible and dust it off, invest some effort into making a place to study and pray in your home. Think of an accountability partner and perhaps more than one for the various areas of your life (motives, marriage, ministry and mind). Always remember that you are a child of God and He is in control. There is nothing that happens that He isn't aware of. You may be going through something to teach you a lesson or so that someone watching will turn to Him through the testimony of your walk! Last, but not least, be perfectly happy and joyous in your relationship with the Lord. Your life will just get better and better as your love grows deeper and stronger for Him who loves you!
Our Father, forgive us for forgetting you and help us to apply the truth of your Word to our lives daily. May we reflect your honor, power and glory every day!
In Jesus' name. Amen.
Scriptures above are taken from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.
1599
Showing posts with label Hebrew language. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hebrew language. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Misconceptions and Unity!
It’s true that anyone can and should read scripture everyday. But imagine that all around the world various people are reading the same portion of God’s Word during the same week. Then continue to imagine that the following week they are all reading another text and so on and so on, week after week.
Well, that is just what has happened throughout the ages in regard to reading Torah and it still happens today!
Think of this… Many of us were taught that Torah means simply “The Law” and we came to know the first five books of Moses as “The Law”. That interpretation is not really true. It’s only partially true! Although the Torah contains law, Torah means teaching. There is more than law in those sacred pages! Now that doesn’t sound like such a big deal, but when you start looking at the misconceptions we hold… well, do you get the picture? Think about it… how much of the Truth do we really know? I can already hear you say… Jesus is the Truth. Yes, but how well do you really know Jesus? Be careful what you answer…
Most of my knowledge about the Bible (Old and New Testaments) was gained by listening to preaching. I relied on preachers and teachers to feed me and I learned things that I would not have known otherwise. But, now as I open scriptures, dictionaries, concordances, etc. and study on my own, I find many inaccuracies in my knowledge based on what others had learned and taught me, especially down to basic vocabulary. My knowledge is faulty and I need to study for myself, one word at a time in some instances.
Here’s a word for us: aliya or aliyah.
The Torah Portion (or scripture we read from the books of Moses) is sometimes called an aliyah. There are several meanings for aliyah in Judaism. Aliyah means “called up”. It’s a great honor for a worshiper to be “called up” to read the holy passage from the Torah on Sabbath morning at the synagogue. The passage assigned is subdivided into seven sections so at least seven different people are “called up” to read. This seems like the most likely meaning of aliyah with regard to Torah Portions.
But here are some other meanings for aliyah worthy of notation. Aliyah can mean “going up” as in a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It can mean the Jewish law of immigration, whereby Jews are allowed to return (or go up) to Israel, settle there and gain citizenship. This was legislation enacted in 1950 in response to Jewish immigrants returning from all over the world. This type of aliyah is ongoing and sometimes occurs in waves of great numbers.
Aliyah can also mean the miraculous “going up” into heaven of Enoch (Genesis 5:23-24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11). I have to ask this with a smile on my face, are you ready for your aliyah?
So our “calling up” is supposed to happen everyday as we enter scripture reading. In Hebrew, the scripture portion, Ki Tisa is one that many Jews around the world read collectively this past week.
In general, Ki Tisa is Exodus 30:11-34:35. This reading talks about taking a census of the Israelites. Explicit instructions are given regarding the washbasin of the Tabernacle, the anointing oils for the priests and kings, the incense offering, and the Sabbath. We read about the story of the Golden Calf and God’s anger. We read of Moses pleading for Divine forgiveness for the sin of the Jewish nation, the breaking of the 10 Commandments, and the giving of the second tablets.
The words “Ki Tisa” means “When you take”
God commanded Moses to take a census of the Jewish population. He was to collect an atonement offering of half a silver shekel from each. The collected silver was melted down and made into sockets for the beams of the Tabernacle.You’ll have to read the scripture for yourself, for there are many nuggets of understanding here. Some things I looked into were…
· God command Moses to take a census. Now, why on earth would God need Moses to take a census? Doesn’t God know who everyone is already?
· God commanded Moses to collect an atonement offering? Why would HE do that? What is atonement anyway?
· God commanded Moses to melt down the silver and have sockets made for the beams of the Tabernacle. Why go to all that trouble?
Here are my thoughts… take or leave them. However, whatever you do… be sure to read scripture and learn from it yourself. The world as you know it, will change right in front of you when you begin to understand God’s Word for yourself.
First, I see that the people were not yet a nation for God. They were each for themselves and not in unity. Although they all could live together in a community of sorts, there wasn’t anything that united them. So God was preparing a way to draw them to be “His people”.
The atonement offering was not for God, but to remind the people that they had been set free. They were ransomed. God wanted to reconcile His people to Himself but they had to give up something in order for this to happen. Their atonement offering was not meant to be a one time do this and forget it service. This offering was to be remembered because of what was done with it. The offering was another way to remember God. Sad but true, God always wants us to remember Him but we are always forgetting Him. So He gives us ways to remember Him if we pay attention.
Taking of the silver shekel was like taking out a part of what everyone thought of themselves. Aren’t we still like this? When you work and get paid, isn’t the money you receive sometimes how you also value yourself? But, God places a different value upon us than that. We are not the value of our money.
The atonement offering had to be silver and it had to be the exact amount from everyone. God is no respecter of persons, (Romans 2:11) so no one could say I am more worthy than someone else because of giving a greater amount in the offering.
It had to be silver, but why? God’s words are sometimes referenced as silver (Psalm 12:6). Christ, was bought with silver, and paid the price of redemption with his blood. (Matthew 27:3-8) In other words, silver represents holiness.
The silver had to be melted together and made into something brand new. Only when silver was heated to liquid form could it blend with the other silver. It became unified. We must be blended together. Sometimes it is with the affliction that God allows heat to burn away our impurities. The silver was made into something new, so we must be made into something new.
Brand new silver sockets were made to hold the poles of the tabernacle together. Each socket had its purpose and each socket depended upon all the others to maintain the structure and for continual support. The tabernacle was mobile, but once it was in place, it stood as a testimony to the world that God would meet with His people. Each silver socket had to be in place for God to meet them.
Today, the church is in place, it should stand as a testimony that God meets with His people, but does it? The church, in general, is a meeting place for Christians and "wannabe" Christians. Does God actually meet His people in church? Since Christ came to save us, I believe the church (I"m actually talking about Christian individuals and not the building) is to move out into the world and carry the testimony forward. We, are to be a mobile force and the Holy Spirit will go with each one of us! But we must continue to meet together in unity in God's house and seek Him as one body. In our daily walk, we must act as lone ambassadors, but in our worship we are to act as one in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:20) We were changed into something new in the Kingdom of God when we received Christ as our Redeemer. I became a part of a whole unit and need to act in unity with other believers. Yet, I am also alone, but complete in Him who saved me. What a beautiful mystery!
We need to remember then that we cannot support God's work unless we also maintain. We have to maintain by remembering what has gone before us. If we fail to maintain, then our part in God’s kingdom will collapse and if it collapses then we will not be able to support the work of God. It is a chain reaction....
Let us maintain by reading scripture, praying, worshipping and waiting on God and this will keep our structure strong.
But let us support by witnessing, doing service for others in Jesus name, and giving tithes and offerings.
We are the church. Let’s act like it!
Book of the Month Club
In our congregaton, we now have a book of the month club! This month you simply are encouraged to read the Gospel of John as many times as you like. St. John is a wonderful book to read in order to get a grasp of the life and ministry of Jesus. Chapter one of John is much like chapter one of Genesis. It speaks of the beginning and creation and Chirst in the midst of it all! I hope you'll consider reading the book of John. Go deep and deeper!
Prayer
Well, that is just what has happened throughout the ages in regard to reading Torah and it still happens today!
Think of this… Many of us were taught that Torah means simply “The Law” and we came to know the first five books of Moses as “The Law”. That interpretation is not really true. It’s only partially true! Although the Torah contains law, Torah means teaching. There is more than law in those sacred pages! Now that doesn’t sound like such a big deal, but when you start looking at the misconceptions we hold… well, do you get the picture? Think about it… how much of the Truth do we really know? I can already hear you say… Jesus is the Truth. Yes, but how well do you really know Jesus? Be careful what you answer…
Most of my knowledge about the Bible (Old and New Testaments) was gained by listening to preaching. I relied on preachers and teachers to feed me and I learned things that I would not have known otherwise. But, now as I open scriptures, dictionaries, concordances, etc. and study on my own, I find many inaccuracies in my knowledge based on what others had learned and taught me, especially down to basic vocabulary. My knowledge is faulty and I need to study for myself, one word at a time in some instances.
Here’s a word for us: aliya or aliyah.
The Torah Portion (or scripture we read from the books of Moses) is sometimes called an aliyah. There are several meanings for aliyah in Judaism. Aliyah means “called up”. It’s a great honor for a worshiper to be “called up” to read the holy passage from the Torah on Sabbath morning at the synagogue. The passage assigned is subdivided into seven sections so at least seven different people are “called up” to read. This seems like the most likely meaning of aliyah with regard to Torah Portions.
But here are some other meanings for aliyah worthy of notation. Aliyah can mean “going up” as in a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It can mean the Jewish law of immigration, whereby Jews are allowed to return (or go up) to Israel, settle there and gain citizenship. This was legislation enacted in 1950 in response to Jewish immigrants returning from all over the world. This type of aliyah is ongoing and sometimes occurs in waves of great numbers.
Aliyah can also mean the miraculous “going up” into heaven of Enoch (Genesis 5:23-24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11). I have to ask this with a smile on my face, are you ready for your aliyah?
So our “calling up” is supposed to happen everyday as we enter scripture reading. In Hebrew, the scripture portion, Ki Tisa is one that many Jews around the world read collectively this past week.
In general, Ki Tisa is Exodus 30:11-34:35. This reading talks about taking a census of the Israelites. Explicit instructions are given regarding the washbasin of the Tabernacle, the anointing oils for the priests and kings, the incense offering, and the Sabbath. We read about the story of the Golden Calf and God’s anger. We read of Moses pleading for Divine forgiveness for the sin of the Jewish nation, the breaking of the 10 Commandments, and the giving of the second tablets.
The words “Ki Tisa” means “When you take”
God commanded Moses to take a census of the Jewish population. He was to collect an atonement offering of half a silver shekel from each. The collected silver was melted down and made into sockets for the beams of the Tabernacle.You’ll have to read the scripture for yourself, for there are many nuggets of understanding here. Some things I looked into were…
· God command Moses to take a census. Now, why on earth would God need Moses to take a census? Doesn’t God know who everyone is already?
· God commanded Moses to collect an atonement offering? Why would HE do that? What is atonement anyway?
· God commanded Moses to melt down the silver and have sockets made for the beams of the Tabernacle. Why go to all that trouble?
Here are my thoughts… take or leave them. However, whatever you do… be sure to read scripture and learn from it yourself. The world as you know it, will change right in front of you when you begin to understand God’s Word for yourself.
First, I see that the people were not yet a nation for God. They were each for themselves and not in unity. Although they all could live together in a community of sorts, there wasn’t anything that united them. So God was preparing a way to draw them to be “His people”.
The atonement offering was not for God, but to remind the people that they had been set free. They were ransomed. God wanted to reconcile His people to Himself but they had to give up something in order for this to happen. Their atonement offering was not meant to be a one time do this and forget it service. This offering was to be remembered because of what was done with it. The offering was another way to remember God. Sad but true, God always wants us to remember Him but we are always forgetting Him. So He gives us ways to remember Him if we pay attention.
Taking of the silver shekel was like taking out a part of what everyone thought of themselves. Aren’t we still like this? When you work and get paid, isn’t the money you receive sometimes how you also value yourself? But, God places a different value upon us than that. We are not the value of our money.
The atonement offering had to be silver and it had to be the exact amount from everyone. God is no respecter of persons, (Romans 2:11) so no one could say I am more worthy than someone else because of giving a greater amount in the offering.
It had to be silver, but why? God’s words are sometimes referenced as silver (Psalm 12:6). Christ, was bought with silver, and paid the price of redemption with his blood. (Matthew 27:3-8) In other words, silver represents holiness.
The silver had to be melted together and made into something brand new. Only when silver was heated to liquid form could it blend with the other silver. It became unified. We must be blended together. Sometimes it is with the affliction that God allows heat to burn away our impurities. The silver was made into something new, so we must be made into something new.
Brand new silver sockets were made to hold the poles of the tabernacle together. Each socket had its purpose and each socket depended upon all the others to maintain the structure and for continual support. The tabernacle was mobile, but once it was in place, it stood as a testimony to the world that God would meet with His people. Each silver socket had to be in place for God to meet them.
Today, the church is in place, it should stand as a testimony that God meets with His people, but does it? The church, in general, is a meeting place for Christians and "wannabe" Christians. Does God actually meet His people in church? Since Christ came to save us, I believe the church (I"m actually talking about Christian individuals and not the building) is to move out into the world and carry the testimony forward. We, are to be a mobile force and the Holy Spirit will go with each one of us! But we must continue to meet together in unity in God's house and seek Him as one body. In our daily walk, we must act as lone ambassadors, but in our worship we are to act as one in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:20) We were changed into something new in the Kingdom of God when we received Christ as our Redeemer. I became a part of a whole unit and need to act in unity with other believers. Yet, I am also alone, but complete in Him who saved me. What a beautiful mystery!
We need to remember then that we cannot support God's work unless we also maintain. We have to maintain by remembering what has gone before us. If we fail to maintain, then our part in God’s kingdom will collapse and if it collapses then we will not be able to support the work of God. It is a chain reaction....
Let us maintain by reading scripture, praying, worshipping and waiting on God and this will keep our structure strong.
But let us support by witnessing, doing service for others in Jesus name, and giving tithes and offerings.
We are the church. Let’s act like it!
Book of the Month Club
In our congregaton, we now have a book of the month club! This month you simply are encouraged to read the Gospel of John as many times as you like. St. John is a wonderful book to read in order to get a grasp of the life and ministry of Jesus. Chapter one of John is much like chapter one of Genesis. It speaks of the beginning and creation and Chirst in the midst of it all! I hope you'll consider reading the book of John. Go deep and deeper!
Prayer
- Please be in prayer concerning a teacher at our school who had a skiing accident over the weekend. She has a broken back and fractured skull and needs our prayers. Father God, you are the only source of health and healing. May full physical healing be granted to Mary in Jesus' name. May your spirit of calm and peace surround your children as we come to you in prayer. Thank you for what you are about to do. In Jesus' name. Amen
- Please also be in prayer concerning my sister-in-law's hip replacement surgery. She came through fine and now needs recovery. We thank you, O Lord, for the good news of a successful surgery and now come to you and ask for a successful recovery. Thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen
Saturday, January 9, 2010
My Life is a Puzzle
Picture an unfinished jigsaw puzzle here. I had one to share but I’m not sure how to add it to the post. Sorry! Guess that’s another part of the puzzle! LOL
Puzzle piece; where does this fit? It’s been an interesting morning. Bob and I got up and went to the post office to pick up the last of my Christmas presents, a study kit from Jerusalem. You may think I’m crazy and you’re probably right, but for at least two years I’ve (secretly at first) wished that I knew the Hebrew language so that I could read original scripture without any watering down or changes. I have never been interested in the Greek. After all, the Hebrew language came first chronologically and historically.
Puzzle piece; this one is already in place. I often found myself on the most popular Hebrew site, http://www.aish.com/ There I was able to learn cultural information as well as study because there is a wealth of knowledge on the pages. Puzzle piece: this one fits into the one above. Many times, I’d click on segments of blessings and songs in Hebrew and listen to this mystical (to me) language. It was nice because I also had the pleasure of reading the translation, but sometimes I just soaked in the sound and it was all good!
However, as good as that was—it wasn’t enough—I longed to know more. So, Bob signed me up to learn Classical Hebrew. It’s an online course that meets weekly for 9 months. Puzzle piece: lesson one. This past Monday was my first lesson. There are 8 students meeting online from the states of Utah, Michigan, Louisiana, Virginia (that would be me) and New York, as well students from Jamaica and Canada. We are all beginners, of course.
Puzzle piece; you have this one and I’m not sure where you’ll put it. Anyway, with that said, I ask that you pray with me that I am able to learn and keep up with the studies associated with this class. Thanks!
The core of this devotion is from Oz Hillman and later down the page from Rabbi Freeman. I take the liberty of believing that everyone who is reading this truly knows the LORD JESUS as their personal SAVIOR. So when I study and share it is with that viewpoint in mind. There are some scritures to the side of this blog post, if you doubt your relationship with JESUS. May GOD bless you in your journey.
Read on…
The questions asked were, “Do your sails no longer have wind to move you? Is your engine broken? Does it feel like GOD has propelled you into the open sea only to stop midway with no options?”
Oz tells us perhaps HE is saying it is time to die in order that HE might live through you.
He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven (Ps 107:29-30).
WHAT IF—you began an exciting sailing adventure. You've been trained to navigate and sail on the ocean and be ready should trouble arise. You are confident you can handle the challenge. Then, midway in the journey your resources have dried up. It almost seems GOD has intentionally destroyed all the skills you have to deal with the weather and the obstacles and your sails are now damaged. Even your engine has broken down. And to make matters even worse, your oars were lost overboard. You are stuck in the middle of the ocean and there is no wind to propel your boat. You are, as they say, "up the creek without a paddle." All of this leads you to the end of yourself and you say, "Lord, I don't know why you brought me out here only to die." The silence is deafening.
Finally, the LORD speaks, "Yes, you are right. I did bring you out here. I did destroy your sails. I did break your engine. And yes, I do want you dead. Not in a physical sense, mind you, but in a spiritual sense. In order that you may LIVE."
You say, “WHAT?”
GOD says,
"You see my child, you are nothing without ME. You cannot do anything without my grace and power in your life." John 15: 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
The sailor (that is you) quietly yields. Suddenly, a gentle wave lifts the front of the boat. An easterly wind blows through the broken sail moving the boat in the right direction. You realize GOD is moving your boat! Your role now is to steer it.
Are you exhausted? Are you dragging in your spirit? What are you trying to do on your own? Is that really what GOD wants you to do? Are you sure?
Give the LORD total control today and you will see your life change in dramatic ways. Yes, there may still be times that you are tossed about but the difference is that GOD is in control and we can rest in HIS promises:
Then you will go on your way in safety, and y our foot will not stumble; when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster. Proverbs 3:23-25
Yet I am always with YOU. YOU hold me by my right hand. YOU guide me with YOUR counsel, and afterward YOU will take me into glory. Psalm 73:23-24
And that’s not all (I sound like an infomercial, LOL)… I was also reading from Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. He gives insight concerning the Torah, especially the first five books of Moses. Read on…
This Torah given to us is not of the world, neither is it something extraneous to it.
It is the hidden essence, the primal thought from which all the cosmos and each thing within it extends. It is not about the world, it is the world—but it’s the world as its Creator sees it and knows it to be. (This is not, perhaps, the world we see with its filth, and violence and sin piled on the surface. It is the original world GOD created with nothing added and only HIS goodness and grace for our senses to behold.)
The sages say that the Torah is the blueprint GOD used to design His creation. Even more, they say, GOD and His Torah are one, for His thoughts are not outside of Him. Now we must realize that they are not saying that Torah came first. Torah is the WORD of GOD. Torah is GOD!
So now, when our mind grasps a thought of Torah (of WORD), with utter clarity, we grasp that inner essence of the wisdom of GOD.
When our mind and spirit engages, we are completely absorbed in the process of thought, comprehension and application to our lives.
Our very self is being absorbed in infinite wisdom, in HIS essence! Wow! What a thought!
But wait… it is not that we have grasped it (GOD's essence and HIS wisdom). It is that it has grasped us!
In truth, we become part of that essence and that essence is GOD. In that thought and in that truth, we are one with GOD! Hallelujah! I can now see how Oz Hillman and Rabbi Freeman’s messages can work together for my learning and benefit...
When I am a child, everything is about me. “Feed me, clean me, sing to me, and take care of me! These are my demands and everyone knows when I am not happy. Boo Hoo!"
With Oz's message, it appears that we take on tasks in this life without giving GOD a thought. We don’t look for HIS guidance or blessing. It’s all about us! It’s all about me! Then we get into some tight spot, but still many times we become so proud that we believe that we can do it without GOD (or I believe I can do it all myself). Some of us even think that we are so tiny and insignificant in GOD’s eyes that HE doesn’t want to bother with us (or poor pitiful me, I’m nothing). That is a lie from satan! Don't buy into the lie!
Get real, people! GOD gave everything up as a sacrifice for us! HE gave HIMSELF in the form of JESUS that we might have life and have it more abundantly! Why would we think that we are not important to HIM?! (Or why would I think that I’m not important to HIM?!)
After we get over our selves and repent of pride (or after I get over myself and repent of pride), we can truly trust GOD (or I can truly trust GOD). Then we can begin to understand what the Rabbi is trying to say to us…
The WORD is GOD and when I learn the WORD, truly learn the WORD, then GOD can truly dwell within me and within you! Hallelujah!
Don’t we remember this?
Genesis 1:1 in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.3 And God said… (The WORD)
John 1:1 in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Only when we study and seek HIM will we find HIM.
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Seek out the WORD and we will find it and the meaning of it for us.)
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Wow! What power GOD gives us! But we usually can only glimpse a small portion of it now and then. Would to GOD that we could be in a spiritual position that we could see it at all times! Let that be part of our prayer… that we see HIM in HIS power and glory at all times!
My prayer:
Love and Prayers, Monica
Puzzle piece; where does this fit? It’s been an interesting morning. Bob and I got up and went to the post office to pick up the last of my Christmas presents, a study kit from Jerusalem. You may think I’m crazy and you’re probably right, but for at least two years I’ve (secretly at first) wished that I knew the Hebrew language so that I could read original scripture without any watering down or changes. I have never been interested in the Greek. After all, the Hebrew language came first chronologically and historically.
Puzzle piece; this one is already in place. I often found myself on the most popular Hebrew site, http://www.aish.com/ There I was able to learn cultural information as well as study because there is a wealth of knowledge on the pages. Puzzle piece: this one fits into the one above. Many times, I’d click on segments of blessings and songs in Hebrew and listen to this mystical (to me) language. It was nice because I also had the pleasure of reading the translation, but sometimes I just soaked in the sound and it was all good!
However, as good as that was—it wasn’t enough—I longed to know more. So, Bob signed me up to learn Classical Hebrew. It’s an online course that meets weekly for 9 months. Puzzle piece: lesson one. This past Monday was my first lesson. There are 8 students meeting online from the states of Utah, Michigan, Louisiana, Virginia (that would be me) and New York, as well students from Jamaica and Canada. We are all beginners, of course.
Puzzle piece; you have this one and I’m not sure where you’ll put it. Anyway, with that said, I ask that you pray with me that I am able to learn and keep up with the studies associated with this class. Thanks!
The core of this devotion is from Oz Hillman and later down the page from Rabbi Freeman. I take the liberty of believing that everyone who is reading this truly knows the LORD JESUS as their personal SAVIOR. So when I study and share it is with that viewpoint in mind. There are some scritures to the side of this blog post, if you doubt your relationship with JESUS. May GOD bless you in your journey.
Read on…
The questions asked were, “Do your sails no longer have wind to move you? Is your engine broken? Does it feel like GOD has propelled you into the open sea only to stop midway with no options?”
Oz tells us perhaps HE is saying it is time to die in order that HE might live through you.
He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven (Ps 107:29-30).
WHAT IF—you began an exciting sailing adventure. You've been trained to navigate and sail on the ocean and be ready should trouble arise. You are confident you can handle the challenge. Then, midway in the journey your resources have dried up. It almost seems GOD has intentionally destroyed all the skills you have to deal with the weather and the obstacles and your sails are now damaged. Even your engine has broken down. And to make matters even worse, your oars were lost overboard. You are stuck in the middle of the ocean and there is no wind to propel your boat. You are, as they say, "up the creek without a paddle." All of this leads you to the end of yourself and you say, "Lord, I don't know why you brought me out here only to die." The silence is deafening.
Finally, the LORD speaks, "Yes, you are right. I did bring you out here. I did destroy your sails. I did break your engine. And yes, I do want you dead. Not in a physical sense, mind you, but in a spiritual sense. In order that you may LIVE."
You say, “WHAT?”
GOD says,
"You see my child, you are nothing without ME. You cannot do anything without my grace and power in your life." John 15: 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
The sailor (that is you) quietly yields. Suddenly, a gentle wave lifts the front of the boat. An easterly wind blows through the broken sail moving the boat in the right direction. You realize GOD is moving your boat! Your role now is to steer it.
Are you exhausted? Are you dragging in your spirit? What are you trying to do on your own? Is that really what GOD wants you to do? Are you sure?
Give the LORD total control today and you will see your life change in dramatic ways. Yes, there may still be times that you are tossed about but the difference is that GOD is in control and we can rest in HIS promises:
Then you will go on your way in safety, and y our foot will not stumble; when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster. Proverbs 3:23-25
Yet I am always with YOU. YOU hold me by my right hand. YOU guide me with YOUR counsel, and afterward YOU will take me into glory. Psalm 73:23-24
And that’s not all (I sound like an infomercial, LOL)… I was also reading from Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. He gives insight concerning the Torah, especially the first five books of Moses. Read on…
This Torah given to us is not of the world, neither is it something extraneous to it.
It is the hidden essence, the primal thought from which all the cosmos and each thing within it extends. It is not about the world, it is the world—but it’s the world as its Creator sees it and knows it to be. (This is not, perhaps, the world we see with its filth, and violence and sin piled on the surface. It is the original world GOD created with nothing added and only HIS goodness and grace for our senses to behold.)
The sages say that the Torah is the blueprint GOD used to design His creation. Even more, they say, GOD and His Torah are one, for His thoughts are not outside of Him. Now we must realize that they are not saying that Torah came first. Torah is the WORD of GOD. Torah is GOD!
So now, when our mind grasps a thought of Torah (of WORD), with utter clarity, we grasp that inner essence of the wisdom of GOD.
When our mind and spirit engages, we are completely absorbed in the process of thought, comprehension and application to our lives.
Our very self is being absorbed in infinite wisdom, in HIS essence! Wow! What a thought!
But wait… it is not that we have grasped it (GOD's essence and HIS wisdom). It is that it has grasped us!
In truth, we become part of that essence and that essence is GOD. In that thought and in that truth, we are one with GOD! Hallelujah! I can now see how Oz Hillman and Rabbi Freeman’s messages can work together for my learning and benefit...
When I am a child, everything is about me. “Feed me, clean me, sing to me, and take care of me! These are my demands and everyone knows when I am not happy. Boo Hoo!"
With Oz's message, it appears that we take on tasks in this life without giving GOD a thought. We don’t look for HIS guidance or blessing. It’s all about us! It’s all about me! Then we get into some tight spot, but still many times we become so proud that we believe that we can do it without GOD (or I believe I can do it all myself). Some of us even think that we are so tiny and insignificant in GOD’s eyes that HE doesn’t want to bother with us (or poor pitiful me, I’m nothing). That is a lie from satan! Don't buy into the lie!
Get real, people! GOD gave everything up as a sacrifice for us! HE gave HIMSELF in the form of JESUS that we might have life and have it more abundantly! Why would we think that we are not important to HIM?! (Or why would I think that I’m not important to HIM?!)
After we get over our selves and repent of pride (or after I get over myself and repent of pride), we can truly trust GOD (or I can truly trust GOD). Then we can begin to understand what the Rabbi is trying to say to us…
The WORD is GOD and when I learn the WORD, truly learn the WORD, then GOD can truly dwell within me and within you! Hallelujah!
Don’t we remember this?
Genesis 1:1 in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.3 And God said… (The WORD)
John 1:1 in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Only when we study and seek HIM will we find HIM.
Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Seek out the WORD and we will find it and the meaning of it for us.)
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Wow! What power GOD gives us! But we usually can only glimpse a small portion of it now and then. Would to GOD that we could be in a spiritual position that we could see it at all times! Let that be part of our prayer… that we see HIM in HIS power and glory at all times!
My prayer:
Heavenly Father, May it be YOUR will, that all those we earnestly pray for come to know you and YOUR power and glory in their lives and in the lives of others around them. May it be YOUR will that we may all be a testimony of YOUR majesty.
ETERNAL ONE, Our GOD and the GOD of our ancestors, May it be YOUR will to lead us toward peace, direct our footsteps and guide us so that we reach YOUR desired destination for our lives.
May YOU see the love that we have for one another and help us to love even greater than we do now. May we show greater love each day so that the world will know us as YOUR children and YOU may be glorified through it all.
May YOUR heavenly angels guard and protect us on our journey in this life from the enemy as YOU have directed them...
May YOU rescue us from the hand of every foe, ambush, bandits and wild animals along the way whether in the natural or the spiritual worlds. May YOU rescue us from all manner of punishments that assemble to come to earth in the natural world and in the spiritual world.
We pray to YOU, honor YOU and worship only YOU.
We pray to YOU, honor YOU and worship only YOU.
May the coming evil pass over YOUR children just as the death angel passed over the doors in Egypt saving YOUR households from grief and loss.
May YOU send continual blessing in all our every handiwork and may we remember to honor YOU for it.
May YOU grant us peace, kindness and mercy that the eyes of all who see us will know that YOU are our FATHER and that walk in this world to honor YOU.
May YOU grant us peace, kindness and mercy that the eyes of all who see us will know that YOU are our FATHER and that walk in this world to honor YOU.
May YOU hear the sound of our supplication and worship because YOU are the GOD who hears prayer and YOU are our GOD who accepts our worship.
May YOU help us to become unified in the body of CHRIST so that we may magnify YOU above everyone and everything for YOU are worthy to be praised! Hallelujah!
Blessed are YOU, FATHER, ETERNAL ONE, who sees our tears and hears the groaning of our spirit and knows just what to do about it.
In JESUS’ name, Amen
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Be careful how you pray, friends. You may be praying at cross purposes and that shows confusion and disunity amoung us. Let us pray in wisdom. We know because of the words in the LORD's prayer, "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" that we can pray that there be no sickness, disease, hurt, etc. because these things are not in heaven and we can pray for individuals that "thy will be done." Pray GOD's will in each situation, not our will.
Pray with your co-workers, not for them. Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Prayer and fasting... maybe, just maybe our prayer is not enough... Luke 2:36 And there was one Anna... 37 and she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
and Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
staff/faculty-- contemplating major knee surgery
staff/faculty-- concern of paper work regarding career
staff/faculty--continued prayer for those and/or family members we have had on the sick list
staff/faculty--another batteling cancer that exhaustion deminish and that treatment is successful
staff/faculty--continued prayer for several on our staff with family members who are still looking for work and those who have setteled but are not happy in their current positions
continued prayer for our government servants and our place as active citizens
continued prayer for all who are without the security of our LORD JESUS, that they come to know HIM and serve HIM unashamed
continued prayer for one another that we be strengthened by the HOLY SPIRIT to do GOD's will everyday...
continued prayer for those who teach us, preach the word, watch for us and will some day give an account to our HEAVENLY FATHER. Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
Love and Prayers, Monica
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