Don't Forget About Me

Out of sight, out of mind? Unfortunately today with so many varying distractions vying for our attention, this can become quite the case. That is why I like to unplug and just get outside in God's creation. These daily visual ques prompt feelings of gratitude, respect and worship in the believer. If a person does not yet have such faith, it should at least cause that person to ask, "What is the purpose of life and why am I here?"

Likewise in times of trouble, we can begin to focus on the problem rather than our Deliverer. We run ourselves ragged, going in circles trying to figure out what WE are going to do. Isn't it so much better to trust our Heavenly Father and His Son to provide all that we need at just the right time? I am a witness of God's perfect timing in my life. Even when I could not see how things would work out, I knew they would work out. Setting my heart on my Redeemer and not my circumstance is so liberating! Yah wants to restore us but we have to look to Him wholeheartedly:

"For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord..." Jeremiah 30:17

This requires patience and an attitude of faith because all of this works out towards our edification. Just as a lump of coal becomes a diamond under immense pressure, so our spiritual character is developed. Just think if we never got into trouble, how could we know and appreciate God's delivering hand in our lives? The goal is not to forget about God by going our own way, especially in times of trouble.

"For my people have forgotten me, they have burned incense to false gods ; and they have been made to stumble in their ways, in the ancient paths, to walk in bypaths, in a way not cast up;" Jeremiah 18:15

Notice this verse says they have been made to stumble in their ways for having forgotten Yahweh. Yes, if we forget our Heavenly Father, we will stumble on our own. That is because our reasoning is not as His is. Even though Yeshua was a son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered, (Hebrews 5:8). Our Heavenly Father waits to offer help and refuge to those humble enough to admit their need. God wants us to come to Him with any and every matter. In fact He makes this very clear:

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." James 1:5

So ASK God and do not forget Him in your future plans and times of trouble. No matter what the situation, HE has the answer and wants to give His children the best of advice.

Give Me the Roses

This being Mother's Day weekend, I will tell you, as a Mom, what we really want on "our day". First of all we want to be remembered. A call, email or even a text message will suffice. Just being thought about on Mother's Day isn't enough. We need to see those thoughts take some form of action so a card or communication from another route is very important to us.

The second thing I like for Mother's Day is not to have to cook! I do most of the cooking on a daily basis. I really don't want to have to plan a Mother's Day meal that day too. I mean what is the point of that? Yeah! I get to knock myself out even more on what is supposed to be a day off. When someone else brings home something already deliciously prepared, it is SO appreciated.

The third thing is loving kindness throughout the year. People often think they can cancel out a year of neglect and ignoring their mother by spending a lot on elaborate gifts, most of which are never delivered in person. I know a lot of us Moms can be difficult and demanding. Still the Bible says honor your father and mother so that your days upon the earth may be long. No one knows Mothers better than God! Perhaps this is why He also said:

Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old. Proverbs 23:22

We sometimes get a little more difficult as we get older. Getting old is not for whimps which is why I wish nothing to do with it! Really, we should try to keep healthy as much as we can so that we will not be an unnecessary burden on our children. All the same Ecclesiastes says:

I returned to see under the sun that the swift do not have the race, nor the mighty ones the battle, nor do the wise also have the food, nor do the understanding ones also have the riches, nor do even those having knowledge have the favor; because time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all. Eccl. 9:11

The best laid plans may go awry due to accidents, natural or man made disasters and other events beyond our control. Give us Moms the roses while we are alive. Love and honor us while we are here to appreciate it. Of all the gifts, these are the most precious to a mother's heart.

What's My Focus?

These days it is so easy to focus on the negative, daunting things of this world. Sometime we think that the more time and attention we give such things, the better it will all turn out! Fact is, all the worrying, pondering and plotting in the world can not change the behavior of someone else. Still that is what makes life interesting. We all have free will and the freedom to either obey or disobey our Heavenly Father. This also means that there is a potential to hurt and be hurt by others.

God Almighty, Yahweh of Armies is not a puppeteer! People ask, "Where was God on 9-11?" Really the question should be where were the terrorists' morals on 9-11? Man's inhumanity to mankind has long been documented. The Bible gives the reason why although many people don't wish to believe it:

The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. Genesis 8:21

In Noah's time, many people were being hurt, abused and killed by the Men of Fame or Renown called Nephilim. These were mutant freaks of the ungodly union of fallen angels and women. These evil men forced God to intervene at that time. However as we see in the last sentence, God would never again destroy all life, (except those preserved in the ark of course), to punish evil. Another point is that not everyone at the time was an evil giant! There were human bystanders who never really responded to Noah's preaching enough to get in the ark.

We know now that the ark is symbolic of Yeshua, Ha Messiah. He is the vehicle of Yah's Salvation. In fact that is what his name, Yeshua means! This is how Yeshua is now the captain of our salvation. When we get on board with him, we obey HIM as commander and chief. A parallel is drawn between the fence sitting people then and those doing the same today:

Luke 17:26-27 (NIV) "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all."

This tells us that at Christ's second return, people will be going about their business as usual, focusing and fully involved only on the daily concerns of this world. Doing so will not change one's outcome at the time of Yeshua's arrival to rule. Answering his call now will.

Earth Day Everyday

I like to think of April as earth month because it is a time when we can really see our world in renewal mode. Day by day the sun stays in the sky a little longer as the temperatures warm gently.

I think of the amount of extravagance our Creator put into every type of life form. Some are microscopic and can not even be seen with the naked eye! What's up with that? My belief is that our Heavenly Father wants us to discover His many wonders. That takes effort but everything we see came from Him and ultimately belongs to Him. That includes us!

"A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein," Psalm 24:1

When we understand that the first man and woman were given stewardship of the earth, we see that it was held in trust for our care, use and enjoyment. Everything we see was made for a reason even if for the time, we are unable to see what purpose it may serve. We also need to acknowledge that just because we can not see that purpose at the time, it does not mean that a plant, bacteria or species, etc. lacks importance. Yah made and owns everything we see and even what don't.

"For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills." Psalm 50:10

God put these complex eco-systems in place for the animal's and plant's survival, even our own. So think. Just because you can't understand something now doesn't mean it lacks importance or value. The place a plant, bird or fish may have in its habitat may be inestimable. As much as possible, we should show respect and reverence for all of Yah's creation, seen or unseen. That will be our joyous task in His coming Kingdom. To care for this earth and the fullness thereof.

PRAYER: Bless You Almighty Yah, King of the Universe for all Your Creation and wisdom! Show me the best way to protect and respect the earth now and in the future. Amen

Friends of God

One of my favorite Praise & Worship songs is "I Am a Friend of God". The chorus goes, "I am a friend of God, He calls me friend!" Some people think that this is true simply because God is Love which is indeed His main attribute. However there is a reason why we can now be called friends of God as this was not the case for most people in times past. In fact the first person to be called "God's friend" was the patriarch Abraham from the land of Ur which is present day Iraq. Abraham is called a "friend of God" three times (2 Chronicles 20: 7, says, "O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?" & Isa. 41: 8).

Abraham's friendship with God came as a result of his faith in God's promises to bless all nations through his seed. This intimate friendship did not come through Abraham's obedience to the law or even the covenant of circumcision as his righteousness before God was reckoned long before this.

"How was it reckoned? When he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision but in uncircumcision." Romans 4:10

It was Abraham's faith in the coming Messiah, who would be one of his descendants, that justified him before his Maker. In fact Romans 4:17 says that Yahweh appointed Abraham the father of many nations because he believed in a God "Who causeth the dead to live and calleth the things that are not as things that are." The things that were not included the promised seed of Abraham. Yeshua was not yet born nor was he in "Heaven with God" as part of some unbiblical "trinity". Abraham's faith in God's promise to rule the world by one of his seed or fleshly descendants was the cornerstone of that belief. God's creation of the Messiah in Mary's womb means that like Adam, Yeshua is the Son of God. Read Yeshua's geneology in Luke chapter 3 verse 38. It clearly says, son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God. The Messiah has always been anticipated to be 100% human. If he were not, then he could not fulfill what God promised to Abraham about one of his descendants ruling and blessing all the nations. If Yeshua were some immortal being, he also could not die because that is the definition of immortality... one who is not subject to death.

So if we believe that the Messiah's death, finished work, faithfulness and obedience were enough, we will have faith like Abraham that Yeshua will rule God's Kingdom. By this same declaration of faith, we too are friends of Yah!

"Having therefore been declared righteous by faith, let us have peace towards Yahweh through our Master Yeshua the Messiah." Romans 5:1

And Be Thankful

How many times to we ask, no beg God to give us something or help us? Now match that with just how many times we remember to thank Him when it comes to pass. There is so much we take for granted but it should not be that way.

So many times we are worried about a trip or task. We ask our Heavenly Father for help and strength. At the end of the day when all is done and we are safely at home, do we think of Him and what He has done? I would like to propose a change in our daily routine. Before you close your eyes to sleep, recount all of the loving things God has done. Nothing is too big or too small to thank Him for. We can especially thank Him for peace and resting in His loving care as members of the Body of Christ:

"¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Col. 3:15

I am convinced that this thankfulness brings peace and only the peace of Christ is true and tangible. We can become like Martha, concerned with many things when only one thing is needed. That is to sit at the feet of Yeshua and learn from him.

"But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;" Luke 10:41

We can also get off track worrying about temporal things. Facing certain death at the hands of his enemies, Yeshua asked his Father for HIS will to be done and not his own. The Father was pleased with Yeshua's prayer and because of his laying down his life for us, we now have access to that same perfect peace. Through Yeshua, we also have been assured that same perfect resurrection! Jesus is our Passover Lamb, once and for all time. When we let the peace of the Messiah rule in our hearts we will see that we have so much to be thankful for. Our lives will reflect the true peace within.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank you for everything that You have done for me today. I especially thank you the peace in my heart from Christ. In Yeshua's name I bless You!

Take Heart

There is a Proverb of great wisdom that I think applies today:

"When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan." Proverbs 29:2

Solomon's son, Rehoboam found this out the hard way when he taxed and made the yoke on his people Israel even heavier than this spendthrift father. How did the people react to his lack of compassion? Here is an except from Wikipedia:

"The people, led by Jeroboam feared that Rehoboam would continue to tax them heavily - as had his father Solomon. Jeroboam and the people promised their loyalty in return for lesser burdens. The older men counseled Rehoboam at least to speak to the people in a civil manner (it is not clear whether they counseled him to accept the demands), but the king sought advice from the people he had grown up with; they advised him to show no weakness to the people, and to tax them even more, which Rehoboam did. He proclaimed to the people,

"Whereas my father laid upon you a heavy yoke, so shall I add tenfold thereto. Whereas my father chastised (tortured) you with whips, so shall I chastise you with scorpions. For my littlest finger is thicker than my father's loins; and your backs, which bent like reeds at my father's touch, shall break like straws at my own touch."

Jeroboam and the people angrily rebelled; the ten northern tribes broke away and formed a separate kingdom, Israel, which was also known as Samaria, or Ephraim^. The realm Rehoboam was left with was called Judah, after the Tribe of Judah that formed the largest part of the population."

So Rehoboam was left with half of the Kingdom he once held. We all know that lying, bribes and special favors were also prominent in the government of that time. The widows and orphans were routinely cheated and abused. The Glory of Israel, Yah Almighty sent his prophets to tell them to mend their ways or face exile. They did not listen and so were scattered to the four corners of the globe. Only when King Yeshua returns will righteous government be fully realized over the earth.

Deut. 24:17 warned...."Do not deprive foreigners and orphans of their rights; and do not take a widows garment as security for a loan."

PRAYER: Almighty God, You care for all people but especially the weak and the oppressed. You oh Yah are the champion of all such ones who call on Your name! Give our nation righteous authorities who will govern according to Your will. In Yeshua's faith, Amen.