Always Remember to Rejoice

Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10

The prophet Nehemiah wrote this to a repentant yet grieving Israel after they had learned just how far they had fallen from the Law of Moses.

So even today, we can be crushed by past sins, mistakes and simply missing the mark of prefect obedience and honoring God. That's what word "sin" really means. Like an archer who takes aim but misses the target.  A Christian is someone who knows they are covered by the once for all time shedding of Yahushua's precious blood.  He in fact is our Shabbat and makes every day sacred to his Father and our God. Back in Nehemiah's day, the temple system was set up to deal with the sins of God's covenant people. Animal sacrifice, abstaining from certain foods lest you become impure, and other rituals were part of daily like. This system, only foreshadowed the BETTER covenant which would come through Christ.

Sometimes we get too locked into technicalities. Some may say, "Well, that was the prophet talking to those particular people at THAT time." You totally miss the point that Yah is the same yesterday, today and forever! Guess what? God's mercies are still fresh and new every morning but now all of these blessings come through Christ, our only mediator.

"For there is only one God and likewise only one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," 1 Timothy 2:5

So this is God's new and better covenant and new and better way of dealing with us and sin. That being the case, why would the joy of the Lord not be our strength today? That would defeat the whole purpose of a better covenant, wouldn't it?

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. Hebrews 8:2

So always remember to rejoice in the Lord, no matter what things may look like in the natural. This an amazing source of strength if we would only believe and tap into it. 

New Every Morning...

They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:23

It comforts me to know that each morning, God's mercies are new and fresh. So it really perplexes me why many Christians are still self-flagellating over sins and mistakes they made years ago.

Here's the thing. Christ's blood and sacrifice was made once and for all time.  All time includes the time we are living now and any future sins we may commit. Due to our fallen nature, no matter how good we try to be, each day we all sin in our words, our minds or actions. We try but Satan trips us up on one point or another even if we ourselves don't realize it.  In fact the Bible says that those who claim to be without sin deceive themselves.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8

Notice it also says the truth is not in us.  So right there we're liars too! That is not Yah's plan for our lives to be lived under condemnation. Remember Yahushua came to remove us from the effect of the Law which would be simply termed, "The wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23.  We were under that judgment but Christ's love and sacrifice has changed that for repentant believers:

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:1

Walking after, means following a path. Our flesh wants to wear the sackcloth and ashes while beating ourselves for our sins. This is man's way of making himself righteous before God. If we are going to do all of that, what value is Christ's sacrifice for our sins? Are we really trusting in Jesus' finished work on the cross in that through HIM we are now the righteousness of God?

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

So today may have been rough. You lost your temper. Maybe you were where you should not have been doing something you should not do. Don't be discouraged because that is just what ha-Satan wants you to be. He is the accuser of the brethren for that same reason. Ask for forgiveness and for Christ to strengthen you for the next time. Also remember, tomorrow is a new day and God's mercies are new as well. 

We Hold These Truths...

When I think of Independence Day, I can't help but remember all those brave men in my family who served our country in part because they believed these words from the Declaration of Independence:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

So what is the meaning of unalienable as pertains to rights given to all people by God?  Here is a definition:

"Unalienable: incapable of being alienated, that is, sold and transferred." Black's Law Dictionary, Sixth Edition, page 1523:
You can not surrender, sell or transfer unalienable rights, they are a gift from the Creator to the individual and can not under any circumstances be surrendered or taken. All individuals have unalienable rights.

We take a lot for granted but in many countries slavery, oppression, lack of freedom of religion and free speech rule the day.  Human life is seen as having little or no value and even in THIS country, the rights of the unborn are not fully considered under this protective banner.  Did you know that in the U.S. abortion due to the sex of the child is LEGAL whereas even in China such a practice is restricted?

The point is that GOD ALMIGHTY has given all people such rights and even in the Bible, slavery was highly regulated with people being allowed to go free after a period of 7 years or at the Jubilee Year, whichever came first.  If a slave was injured or otherwise mistreated, they could go free immediately with compensation.
We really can't criticize slavery's presence in the Bible when we condone abortion in modern times.  The Bible in fact sees an unborn child as just that, a valued human life.  Here is the penalty under Mosaic Law for harming or killing an unborn baby:

"If men fight and hurt a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely, and yet no harm follows, he shall be surely fined as much as the woman's husband demands and the judges allow. 

But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life,"  Exodus 21:22-23
 
See what it says?  Life for Life.  So the Bible extends the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness even to the unborn and lays a heavy penalty to those who accidentally cause harm.  Remember the men are fighting with each other, not the woman.  Yah sees that life as precious as shown in this Psalm:

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb." Psalm 139:13

We need to remember that our unalienable rights can not be given or taken away by man or governments, no matter what laws they may pass or uphold.  I can think of nothing so cruel as to deliberately hurt and kill an innocent child who had nothing to do with his or her own conception.  Please pray for our country to live up to its creed this Independence Day. All people, including the unborn have inherent value as each is created in the image of God our Father.

God is SO Generous!

A large bushel of oysters, Yah's bounty from the sea!

Generous, benevolent, magnanimous, beneficent and truly AWESOME is Yahuwah Yireh, our provider!  The scriptures say it correctly when it speaks of our Heavenly Father's giving nature and care of His creation:

You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing. Psalm 145:16

Sometimes we forget that our needs will NEVER be greater than Yah's capacity to provide for them.  When we look to other people or things to provide for us, we often don't see that there is but ONE GOD who gives to all.  In other words, rather than looking to another person or institution as our hope, we need to trust God who is Sovereign over all.

When Yahuwah sent manna to supply the needs of the children of Israel in the desert, He didn't say, "You can only gather so much per person."  Now while our Heavenly Father does not condone greed, He allows us to choose how much and when to partake of His bounty.

"This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.'" Exodus 16:16

An "omer" was about equivalent to 1/2 to 3/4 of a gallon in US measure.  Still the Bible recounts that some gathered much and some gathered little, all according to his or her eating.  We also have to remember that the manna could not be kept over from the previous day.  It would spoil and become wormy except when it was gathered prior to Shabbat or the Sabbath their day of rest.

So didn't God just let them gather enough for the whole week at once?  Well the lesson here is the same for us today.  When we are able to physically "see" our abundance, the focus can tend to shift from the one who provided it to the material things themselves.  We put more of our confidence in these gathered resources rather than the One who provided them in the first place. Paul said:

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 1 Timothy 6:17

So next time you are worried about what tomorrow will bring financially just remember that Yah is a RICH and generous provider.  We can put our full confidence in HIM, not material things which are so temporary. 


Prayer: Oh Yah, Maker of all things, thank you for what You have already done starting with the generosity of this day's provisions. I know that if I but first seek the Kingdom, as Yahushua taught, all other things will be added to me.  I have all things in Messiah and bless You for all that You have done, are doing and will do for me.  Amen   

Good News!

If Christmas doesn't do anything else, it should at the very basic level remind us of the Good News.  Not just the Biblical account of Yahushua's birth or geneo (beginning), but of the Good News that he himself preached.  In the synagogue He read the following scroll of the prophet Isaiah and finished saying this prophecy is now fulfilled in your hearing:

“The Spirit of THE LORD YAHUWAH is upon me, and because of this He has anointed me to preach The Good News to the poor; He has sent me to heal broken hearts and to proclaim liberty to captives, vision to the blind, and to restore the crushed with forgiveness,”  Luke 4:18

No human authority, government or earthy power could stop this fulfillment and it was executed with precision and completeness during Yahushua's three year ministry.  See the Jews in the first century were looking for a powerful king who would immediately free them from oppressive Roman rule.  The only problem is in their quest for political liberation, they failed to recognize their present spiritual slavery to sin and evil.  This was the Messiah's primary mission, to preach the Good News of salvation to both the materially and more importantly spiritually bankrupt of the House of Israel.

So while the Good News or Gospel is certainly about the Lord Messiah, it also is his message to his spiritual brothers and then to us.  As the apostle Paul summed it up:

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” Romans 1:16  

Now that is the power of God.  The message of salvation delivered through the one whom it would ultimately be advanced.  First the Jews were told and then it was spread to the Gentiles.  

But glory, honor, and peace, to every man that works good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:  Romans 2:10

We just can't hold that sort of good news in!  We've got to tell it because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to become right with God through the saving power of Christ's finished work and blood.  When he said, "It is accomplished", he had done all that the Father had asked of him.  Like our Master, we can be faithful too and proclaim the good and acceptable year of the LORD while there is still time.  It won't go on forever.  So yes, rejoice this Christmas as it calls to mind the loving act of our Heavenly Father and His obedient son.  It still holds out the gift of salvation and the promise of everlasting life to those who believe.

Be Our Strength

O Yahuwah, favour us, for thee we have waited, Be their arm, in the mornings, Yea, our salvation in time of adversity. Isaiah 33:2

I read this in my YouVersion Bible Reading this morning and was so moved by the poetry of this verse that I had to share it with you.  I read "Be their arm in the mornings", I though of the word "army" and to arm oneself.  The main sense is that Yah was being called upon to be the strength of a nation in adverse times.  Isaiah the prophet wrote these words and you can hear him praying both for his people and the success of those fighting men of Israel.

This is such a blessing to know that our God is indeed a strong tower where the righteous run in and are saved:

A tower of strength is the name of Yahuwah, Into it the righteous runneth, and is set on high.  Proverbs 18:10

Imagine a place to run to, really a name and the authority it bears that allows the righteous to run in and be set up high and away from those seeking our harm.  Yahushua is our righteousness due to what he accomplished for us on the cross.  So through Messiah our sins are obliterated and we are now the righteousness of God:

“For HE HATH MADE HIM TO BE SIN FOR US, WHO KNEW NO SIN; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2nd Corinthians 5:21)

I've had the sublime joy of running to Yah as my tower of refuge many times when I was hard pressed and in trouble.  I made a request like Moshe and had a vision where I asked to be placed in the cleft of a high rock.  I could then see Yah pass by but with his hand covering me.  This was so I could see His glory pass by but also it was a place of immense peace and safety.

"I have put My words in your mouth and have covered you with the shadow of My hand, to establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, 'You are My people."  Isaiah 51:16

So I have been able to stand against adversities and troubling storms of life by placing my full trust and confidence in the everlasting arms of Yahuwah my Salvation.  You can too as He is only a prayer away.

PRAYER: Oh Yah, how great and mighty is the power of your set apart name!  I also know that there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.  That is Your Son Yahuwah and your name is truly in him.  Thank you Father for Your divine strength and power through Christ when mine so often fails.

Amen. 

Thankful No Matter What

I can remember working with a wonderful scientist, Dr. Lester Weintraub, who always said, "Could have been worse!" when describing something unpleasant that just happened to him.

Really, he had the right attitude of gratitude when I think back.

"Let the peace of the Messiah also rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one body, and be thankful". Colossians 3:15

First you see the peace ruling in one's heart as we are part of the ONE Body of Christ.  Yahushua taught about obtaining that peace by not being overly concerned with what we will drink or eat or put on.  This excessive worry is given to those whose hearts are ruled by  anxiety and therefore LACK such peace.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  Matthew 6:25

He places things in the proper order of importance.  You are alive right now which shows Yah's divine providence.  Many people in the world did not live to see this new day.   Young, old, rich and poor did not wake up this morning.  So if God cares to allow you another day of life, will He not also provide the sustenance needed to maintain it?  Likewise our bodies are fearfully made, miracles of creation.  So what are clothes as compared to the beauty and complexity of the human form?

We really need to consider these things because this will lead to greater trust and faith in Yah's ability to take care of us.  So...

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  Philippians 4:6

Prayer:  Yahuwah Yireh, my Provider!  Thank you for sending your Son so that I may have my sins forgiven and the hope of everlasting life.  No matter what my circumstances, let me be thankful and rest in Your given peace.  In Yahushua's name, Amen.