All posts by John (HFJ Director)

Humility, Kindness / Gentleness, Money / Finances / Wealth, Psalms, Purposeful / Intentional, Self Control

Timeless Lessons from Psalm 39 for a Meaningful Life

Psalm 39 focuses on a few important themes we an apply to our lives today.

Life passes quickly. How we choose to spend it is important. Truly as we reflect, our natural tendency to strive for material wealth and accomplishment does not bring a harvest that is as lasting and important as we hope for.

We must cultivate mindfulness and a sense of urgency in how we live our lives. Focus on what truly matters, such as our relationships with others, acts of kindness, and positively impacting the world. Instead of getting consumed by temporary gains, we can strive to live a life of purpose and meaning, aware that our time here is limited.

Additionally, we should guard our speech. Especially, in the age of social media and digital interactions, the words we use can spread quickly and have a significant impact. Being mindful of our speech and using it to build others up rather than tear them down is a valuable lesson from Psalm 39 that can contribute to a more compassionate and understanding society.

Psalm 39

The Vanity of Life.

For the choir director, for Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

1I said, “I will guard my ways
That I may not sin with my tongue;
I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle
While the wicked are in my presence.”

      2I was mute and silent,
I refrained even from good,
And my sorrow grew worse.

      3My heart was hot within me,
While I was musing the fire burned;
Then I spoke with my tongue:

      4“LORD, make me to know my end
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how transient I am.

      5“Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Surely every man at his best is a mere breath.

Selah.

      6“Surely every man walks about as a phantom;
Surely they make an uproar for nothing;
He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.

      7“And now, Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in You.

      8“Deliver me from all my transgressions;
Make me not the reproach of the foolish.

      9“I have become mute, I do not open my mouth,
Because it is You who have done it.

      10“Remove Your plague from me;
Because of the opposition of Your hand I am perishing.

      11“With reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity;
You consume as a moth what is precious to him;
Surely every man is a mere breath.

Selah.

      12“Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am a stranger with You,
A sojourner like all my fathers.

      13“Turn Your gaze away from me, that I may smile again
Before I depart and am no more.”

Remember the brevity of life and to live with intention, mindfulness, and kindness towards others. By doing so, we can make the most of our time and leave a positive legacy behind.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Love, Marriage

The Enduring Beauty of Admiration in Marriage and in Our Relationship with Christ

Our culture will often downplay the love and attraction of spouses enjoying one another, while playing up the wrongful lusts of those who are not married as if they are somehow more romantic. We are always better off when we embrace YHWH’s ways. For those of us who are married, or engaged and soon to be married, it is good for us to look with admiration and love upon our spouse or future spouse.

Song of Solomon 2

The Bride’s Admiration

            1“I am the rose of Sharon,
The lily of the valleys.”

      2“Like a lily among the thorns,
So is my darling among the maidens.”

      3“Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
So is my beloved among the young men.
In his shade I took great delight and sat down,
And his fruit was sweet to my taste.

      4“He has brought me to his banquet hall,
And his banner over me is love.

      5“Sustain me with raisin cakes,
Refresh me with apples,
Because I am lovesick.

      6“Let his left hand be under my head
And his right hand embrace me.”

      7“I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field,
That you do not arouse or awaken my love
Until she pleases.”

      8“Listen! My beloved!
Behold, he is coming,
Climbing on the mountains,
Leaping on the hills!

      9“My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Behold, he is standing behind our wall,
He is looking through the windows,
He is peering through the lattice.

      10“My beloved responded and said to me,
‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along.

      11‘For behold, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.

      12‘The flowers have already appeared in the land;
The time has arrived for pruning the vines,
And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land.

      13‘The fig tree has ripened its figs,
And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance.
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
And come along!’”

      14“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
In the secret place of the steep pathway,
Let me see your form,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your form is lovely.”

      15“Catch the foxes for us,
The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards,
While our vineyards are in blossom.”

      16“My beloved is mine, and I am his;
He pastures his flock among the lilies.

      17“Until the cool of the day when the shadows flee away,
Turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle
Or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.”

We should take care to avoid believing the narrative that a bride should make sure she remains independent from her groom. That somehow she must not depend on him for provision, but must work in a job as well. It is perfectly good for a bride to embrace her groom and look for him to provide and look upon him with admiration. Similarly, let not the groom be so hungry for money that he insists the bride also work just so they can have more money and instead sacrifice the intended role of wife and mother in the family unit.

Do not stop looking upon one another in the way demonstrated in Song of Solomon 2 just because you have been married awhile, either. Continue to look upon one another in admiration and love.

As a bonus to consider, recall that God compares our relationship as the church to Jesus to that of a bride to her groom.  While this aspect is non-sexual, some of the same principles apply. Be passionate in your pursuit of Christ. Dwell on what is good in Him. Trust Him completely to provide.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Miracles, Miracles, Share the Good News

Lessons from Jesus’ Sending of the Twelve: Applying Their Ministry Today

Whether we seek to learn about Yeshua or to take His message to others, we should pay attention to the early ministry of Yeshua and His disciples and apply what we learn to our lives today.

Yeshua sent out His disciples to preach that men should repent from their wrong ways and turn toward God’s ways and toward God, Himself. They cast out demons and anointed the sick with oil, healing them. It sounds very much like a reflection of Jesus’ ministry as He began. (Matthew 4:17; Matthew 4:23)

Mark 6:7-13

The Twelve Sent Out

      7And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; 8and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— 9but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” 10And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. 11“Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” 12They went out and preached that men should repent. 13And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

It is a good thing when your ministry reflects that of the Master. We should pay close attention to His key message, which was repentance. This is a very important message. It is easy for each of us to conclude we are doing things “well enough” or “better than others”. However, that is not the standard to measure against. We are to measure against Yahweh’s holy standard. There is always more we can do, with His help, to identify and repent from sin in our life. It is not a one time decision. It is a decision and action we repeat every day of our lives. Sometimes we mess up and then we ask forgiveness and try again. For those who preach, the lesson is also that one should perhaps begin with the need for repentance as we preach or teach. People must understand their need for Yeshua… to be forgiven through His sacrifice to pay for our sins and mistakes.

I find it also very powerful that the disciples are sent with very little. They are to bring nothing extra. What a powerful statement! When we hear from Yahweh, we are to put our trust completely in Him to provide for our needs. He can and will do it. This does not necessarily mean to discard what He has already provided us, so seek His guidance prayerfully.  Jesus did not command the disciples to get rid of all their belongings or even to give them to the poor. He simply instructed them in regards to their missionary journeys not to take anything extra with them.

When they do enter a house, the intent is to stay there, perhaps to build relationships or perhaps to avoid the distraction of constantly having to worry about where they would stay the next night or week. They were not to move every night to another place.

If a place did not receive them, they are not to stay and force it, but rather shake the dust from their sandals and move on. We must take heed to this important lesson. Too often we may wish to force someone in particular to hear the message of Christ and repent. We can not force them to accept the message. Furthermore, if we continue to put our focus, time, and energy toward only those who reject Yahweh, then we will be delayed in bringing the gospel to others who are open to hearing and receiving the truth of Yeshua. Time is a limited asset and it is constantly passing. We must use it wisely.

The preaching of repentance was accompanied by casting out demons and healing. There are many examples where Yahweh allowed His followers to perform miracles in His name, in particular as they were spreading revelation from Him such as the good news about Yeshua as Messiah. When we go out to bring the good news of Yeshua, we are to accompany that with showing love and compassion to the people we meet. We are to try to help them and meet their needs, to alleviate their suffering. To those whom He calls, they can even do miracles in His name. Whether or not we can do miracles will be up to the LORD and, in part, our faith. With or without miracles, we can certainly have an impact in showing our love for people.

Both as disciples seeking to learn and follow after Christ, and as those seeking to bring the truth of Christ to others, we can learn a lot by prayerfully reflecting on scripture and the truth God reveals to us through it.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please show me clearly where You would like me to share the gospel and how I should approach any mission for which You send me. Let me not proceed on my own understanding but with strong faith and in obedience to Your direction. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Healer, Miracles

Where There Is Little Faith, There Will Be Few Miracles

Where there is little faith, there will be few miracles.  Yeshua amazed people with His power and wisdom, and many were convinced to follow Him. However, those closest to Him had a very hard time recognizing Him as Lord. Those in His hometown could not separate the person of Yeshua as carpenter’s son from the miracle working teacher… from God with us, Immanuel. This is a common struggle for many. Yeshua calls it out as applicable for prophets generally, not just limited to Him. As a result, the lack of faith limited the number of miracles Jesus performed there.  The home town really missed out!

Mark 6:1-6

Teaching at Nazareth

      1Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. 2When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? 3“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. 4Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” 5And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6And He wondered at their unbelief.
And He was going around the villages teaching.

Two main themes I want to emphasize. First, for those of us who truly change our lives, turn our lives around to focus on seeking after God and putting Him first in our lives… many who have already known us will have a hard time recognizing the significance of the change in our lives. We could study and pray and draw near to the Lord and they may always look back and say… “Isn’t that Joe? He was in my class at school and he used to play tricks on people” or “That is Sally. She was always grumpy and complaining about doing too many chores.” It may be hard for them to recognize us as an authority on scripture and the Christian walk in such a way as to help lead them to change their lives. Interestingly enough, others who did not know us growing up may have a much easier time responding to the “light” of Christ in us. Try not to be discouraged. Continue to focus on “letting your light shine” before others so as to show them the way to Christ.

The second theme is specifically pertaining to miracles. Many skeptics can always look to find reasons to explain away the power of God working through miracles. It is sometimes amazing to see what they come up with. One common example we should all be familiar with… many want to ignore the miracle of creation itself.  They rather believe that everything came from nothing randomly than that a divine Creator made everything in an ordered and structured way. Yet if we showed those same people a clean house, they would immediately know someone had cleaned it and it had not gotten organized randomly on its own. How absolutely silly to deny God’s hand in creation!

Where there is little faith, there are few miracles. For those who look to dismiss miracles from God, they will experience few, if any. Yeshua often is cited in scripture for referencing someone’s faith when He conducted a miracle. In verse 5, it actually translates that He “could do no miracle” because of lack of faith. That is a different statement than He “would do no miracle” to be sure. It is intriguing and could be subject of additional study.

For those who recognize the miracles from God all around them, who put their faith in Him, they will truly rejoice at their Creator’s involvement in the world all around them and they will experience His miracles in greater number.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to strengthen my faith. Help me to believe and to grow in intimacy with You. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

False Prophets / Teachers, Prophecy, Through Prophets

Hearing God’s Voice: Seek Truth Amidst Confusion

Not everyone who claims to have a prophecy or speak for the LORD is actually doing so. It can be confusing and certainly disappointing. We must discern the truth, not trust anyone who brings a word they say is from God. Sometimes the word God sends is not one we want to hear and that makes it harder to hear and accept.

Continue to seek a personal relationship with God and seek to draw near to Him. Study His word. Pray. Spend time quietly listening. Learn to hear His voice.

Certainly don’t become the person who boldly claims to speak for the LORD if you are not sure it is from Him. It may lead others astray.

Jeremiah 28 

Hananiah’s False Prophecy

      1Now in the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet, who was from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying, 2“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3‘Within two years I am going to bring back to this place all the vessels of the LORD’S house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. 4‘I am also going to bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the LORD, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”

      5Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD, 6and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the LORD do so; may the LORD confirm your words which you have prophesied to bring back the vessels of the LORD’S house and all the exiles, from Babylon to this place. 7“Yet hear now this word which I am about to speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people! 8“The prophets who were before me and before you from ancient times prophesied against many lands and against great kingdoms, of war and of calamity and of pestilence. 9“The prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, then that prophet will be known as one whom the LORD has truly sent.”

      10Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke it. 11Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Even so will I break within two full years the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.’” Then the prophet Jeremiah went his way.

      12The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah after Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 13“Go and speak to Hananiah, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, “You have broken the yokes of wood, but you have made instead of them yokes of iron.” 14‘For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “I have put a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they will serve him. And I have also given him the beasts of the field.”’” 15Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah the prophet, “Listen now, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. 16“Therefore thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This year you are going to die, because you have counseled rebellion against the LORD.’”

      17So Hananiah the prophet died in the same year in the seventh month.

Take a few minutes to pray and ask God to show you any areas where you are on the wrong path, having listened to the wrong advice. Ask Him to speak clearly to you so as to avoid any confusion about what you are sharing with others. Don’t share in God’s name too quickly on important matters. Be sure it is Him.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Justice / Judgment, Protector / Deliverer, Submitted / Servant, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Yield to God’s Will Even When It Means Embracing Humility, Submission, and Serving

Sometimes God’s will for us involves humility, submission, and serving. It may involve us yielding control of a situation or major area of our life, like a job or relationship. To resist only creates more difficulty. There are consequences of disobedience to God’s plan. It is important to humbly accept the circumstances as part of God’s divine will.

This is laid out in dramatic fashion in Jeremiah 27. We can still apply this message today.

Jeremiah 27

The Nations to Submit to Nebuchadnezzar

      1In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying— 2thus says the LORD to me—“Make for yourself bonds and yokes and put them on your neck, 3and send word to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the sons of Ammon, to the king of Tyre and to the king of Sidon by the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4“Command them to go to their masters, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, thus you shall say to your masters, 5“I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight. 6“Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him. 7“All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will make him their servant.

      8“It will be, that the nation or the kingdom which will not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine and with pestilence,” declares the LORD, “until I have destroyed it by his hand. 9“But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your soothsayers or your sorcerers who speak to you, saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ 10“For they prophesy a lie to you in order to remove you far from your land; and I will drive you out and you will perish. 11“But the nation which will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let remain on its land,” declares the LORD, “and they will till it and dwell in it.”’”

      12I spoke words like all these to Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and live! 13“Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, famine and pestilence, as the LORD has spoken to that nation which will not serve the king of Babylon? 14“So do not listen to the words of the prophets who speak to you, saying, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they prophesy a lie to you; 15for I have not sent them,” declares the LORD, “but they prophesy falsely in My name, in order that I may drive you out and that you may perish, you and the prophets who prophesy to you.”

      16Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, “Thus says the LORD: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, ‘Behold, the vessels of the LORD’S house will now shortly be brought again from Babylon’; for they are prophesying a lie to you. 17“Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon, and live! Why should this city become a ruin? 18“But if they are prophets, and if the word of the LORD is with them, let them now entreat the LORD of hosts that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon. 19“For thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, concerning the sea, concerning the stands and concerning the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, 20which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried into exile Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. 21“Yes, thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the house of the LORD and in the house of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem, 22‘They will be carried to Babylon and they will be there until the day I visit them,’ declares the LORD. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’”

In what areas of your life are you trying to fight something that is hard that God has chosen you to go through? Is it financial? Job related? relationships? Ask the Spirit to lead and guide you. Be willing to yield and accept a situation you don’t want. Whether it is discipline or God growing you (or both), don’t fight what God is doing. It only makes things harder.

Shalom. Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Faith / Trusting God, Healer, Loving / Kind, Miracles

Trust God Can Overcome Any Obstacle

We all go through difficult situations. Sometimes they may feel hopeless. However, we are reminded that nothing is too challenging for God. Mark 5 records two examples of miraculous healing Yeshua brought about during His earthly ministry. Cast your anxiety on the LORD and bring your problems before Him. Whether He heals you or not, know that He can and trust Him in any outcome.

Mark 5:21-43

Miracles and Healing

      21When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. 22One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet 23and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” 24And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.

      25A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, 26and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— 27after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. 28For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” 29Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” 31And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” 32And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. 33But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

      35While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” 36But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” 37And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. 39And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” 40They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was. 41Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. 43And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.

Both examples of healing showed great faith. That is a common characteristic of Yeshua’s miracles. I would not recommend trying to control God’s miraculous power as the woman with the hemorrhage did.  And even if you wanted to, I am not sure how that would work when Yeshua is not in human form in His earthly ministry.

It is always interesting to note when Yeshua downplays His miracles. He told people the girl was sleeping and gave strict orders no one should hear about the healing. Yeshua was not on a “healing mission”. He was on a “teaching mission”. He healed people out of compassion and as part of demonstrating that He was Messiah and fulfilling prophecy.

Do not judge God by whether or not you receive the outcome you desire. Remember Yeshua when He came before Yahweh in the garden of Gethsemane. He was fully submitted, even as He asked for the cup of suffering to be removed.

Matthew 26:39

     39And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for getting involved in our personal lives. Who are we that You should care about us? But You do! Help me remember that no matter what my problem may be, I can bring it before You and nothing is beyond Your ability to fix or use for Your purposes. Help me to trust You no matter what the outcome, even when You do not choose to do what I am asking. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Guide, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Marriage

YHWH’s Design for Marriage Includes Love and Passion

Song of Solomon is an interesting book in the Bible to be sure. It is focused on a passionate relationship between a bride and her groom. So many people mischaracterize YHWH’s position on sexual relations, claiming He just has a long list of “do nots”. Dismissing or getting angry at YHWH for that is like getting mad at someone who makes hair dryers for putting the label on it that says “keep away from water”. The warnings and boundaries are there for your protection. YHWH invented the gift of sexual relationship between a man and a woman. He gave it to us as part of the marriage relationship. He created us to feel passion and excitement, but it is intended only for marriage of one man and one woman. Yes, it is supposed to be enjoyed in marriage!

As you read Song of Solomon, realize that it was first written in a different time, place and culture. Do not get tripped up over some of the references (e.g. “like the tents of Kedar”), but seek to understand the excitement and passion they felt for one another… the love they felt for one another.

Another level to consider is that God compares our relationship with him to a bride and groom as well. Jesus is the groom and the church is the bride. We should think about how passionate we should be in our pursuit of Christ in how it compares to the example in Song of Solomon. I am referring to the passion and love, not the physical relationship… which in this perspective is not literal.

Song of Solomon 1

The Young Shulammite Bride and Jerusalem’s Daughters

      1The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.

      2“May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine.

      3“Your oils have a pleasing fragrance,
Your name is like purified oil;
Therefore the maidens love you.

      4“Draw me after you and let us run together!
The king has brought me into his chambers.”

“We will rejoice in you and be glad;
We will extol your love more than wine.
Rightly do they love you.”

      5“I am black but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
Like the tents of Kedar,
Like the curtains of Solomon.

      6“Do not stare at me because I am swarthy,
For the sun has burned me.
My mother’s sons were angry with me;
They made me caretaker of the vineyards,
But I have not taken care of my own vineyard.

      7“Tell me, O you whom my soul loves,
Where do you pasture your flock,
Where do you make it lie down at noon?
For why should I be like one who veils herself
Beside the flocks of your companions?”

Solomon, the Lover, Speaks

     8“If you yourself do not know,
Most beautiful among women,
Go forth on the trail of the flock
And pasture your young goats
By the tents of the shepherds.

      9“To me, my darling, you are like
My mare among the chariots of Pharaoh.

      10“Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments,
Your neck with strings of beads.”

      11“We will make for you ornaments of gold
With beads of silver.”

      12“While the king was at his table,
My perfume gave forth its fragrance.

      13“My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh
Which lies all night between my breasts.

      14“My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
In the vineyards of Engedi.”

      15“How beautiful you are, my darling,
How beautiful you are!
Your eyes are like doves.”

      16“How handsome you are, my beloved,
And so pleasant!
Indeed, our couch is luxuriant!

      17“The beams of our houses are cedars,
Our rafters, cypresses.

I feel it worthwhile to mention, that though Solomon was granted great wisdom by YHWH when He was young, He still made a significant mistake in embracing the concept of more than one wife and of concubines that was more common back then. It was a fail on his part and drew Him apart from YHWH as Solomon got older. We have the opportunity to learn from him what is good and reject the mistakes he made.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Can God Use Me?, Consequences of Sin, Grace / Forgiveness, Psalms, Repenting from Sin, Salvation

The Journey of Repentance and Forgiveness in Christ

All of us should remind ourselves regularly that we are sinners. We have and continue to face and fall to sin at some level even after we are on the right path on a lifelong journey with Jesus Christ.  Jesus reminds His disciples in teaching them to pray that they should ask forgiveness and remember to forgive others daily.

Matthew 6:12

  12‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

We should be careful never to conclude that we no longer sin. Our sin problem will only be fully solved when we go to be with the Lord in heaven when we die or when He returns.

In the meanwhile, we must remain vigilant and humble, asking the Holy Spirit to convict us of wrong doing so we can admit we are wrong, repent and change our behavior and attitude, ask God’s forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ, and turn toward doing things His way.

What wonderful news that we can never make too big a mistake to be forgiven! David was a man after God’s own heart… not by his own claim, but by God’s.

Acts 13:21-22

 21“Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22“After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.’

Even David sinned, and sinned big from time to time… adultery, murder, and more. But when David was confronted with his sin he would consistently repent and ask God forgiveness and then change his ways. It was not that he stopped making mistakes, but he was humble enough to admit it and take the right action to fall before God humbly and genuinely seeking forgiveness. We can all learn a lot from David in that regard.

Psalm 38

Prayer of a Suffering Penitent.

A Psalm of David, for a memorial.

1O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath,
And chasten me not in Your burning anger.

      2For Your arrows have sunk deep into me,
And Your hand has pressed down on me.

      3There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation;
There is no health in my bones because of my sin.

      4For my iniquities are gone over my head;
As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me.

      5My wounds grow foul and fester
Because of my folly.

      6I am bent over and greatly bowed down;
I go mourning all day long.

      7For my loins are filled with burning,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.

      8I am benumbed and badly crushed;
I groan because of the agitation of my heart.

      9Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.

      10My heart throbs, my strength fails me;
And the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me.

      11My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen stand afar off.

      12Those who seek my life lay snares for me;
And those who seek to injure me have threatened destruction,
And they devise treachery all day long.

      13But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth.

      14Yes, I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.

      15For I hope in You, O LORD;
You will answer, O Lord my God.

      16For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, would magnify themselves against me.”

      17For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.

      18For I confess my iniquity;
I am full of anxiety because of my sin.

      19But my enemies are vigorous and strong,
And many are those who hate me wrongfully.

      20And those who repay evil for good,
They oppose me, because I follow what is good.

      21Do not forsake me, O LORD;
O my God, do not be far from me!

      22Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!

For all of us who are far from perfect… and yes, that is all of us… we can take great comfort in knowing that God is not surprised by that. God does not expect us to be perfect. He expects us to commit our heart to Him fully. When we make mistakes, small or large, we are not to deny or rationalize them but rather admit our sin and accept the consequences. We ask Him for forgiveness and repent, turning away from sin and toward God’s way of doing things. There is no sin to big for God to forgive through Jesus Christ! This is always good news.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Demons, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Miracles, Miracles, Obeying God, Spiritual Warfare

Responding to Yeshua: Lessons from Demons, Townspeople, and the Transformed

There are quite a few scriptures in the Bible that show us directly how demons and people act when confronted by Yeshua and His miracles. These encounters are worth reflecting on prayerfully.

In Mark 5, we have the opportunity to observe demons, a man who had demons cast out, and some pig farmers and townspeople all react when confronted with the glory of Yeshua and His power. All of their reactions still have relevance for us today as we reflect on our own responses to Yeshua in our lives.

Mark 5:1-20

The Gerasene Demoniac

1They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. 2When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, 3and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; 4because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. 5Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. 6Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; 7and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” 8For He had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” 10And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain. 12The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” 13Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.

14Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. 15They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened. 16Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. 17And they began to implore Him to leave their region. 18As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. 19And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” 20And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

Many people become complacent in their search for Yeshua by simply stopping at “I know Yeshua is real” or “I believe Yeshua is Son of God”.  Take caution if this is your attitude, because so do the demons. The demons actually immediately recognized Yeshua immediately and knew who He was and knew of His power. They asked permission to not be cast away entirely. They were constrained by His power. In fact, the first thing they did was bring the man to bow down before Yeshua. I would say this is a great deal more respectful than many people act when confronted with Yeshua, and these are demons who oppose Him!

Simply acknowledging the reality that Jesus is God is not enough. We must surrender to Him as Lord of our life and seek after Him. We must put our faith in Him, which will be reflected in our change in behavior and attitude toward all we do in life. We start to live as He lived instead of how we have been living as part of the world. Let us not be complacent to simply acknowledge the historical person of Jesus.

Let us now consider the response of the people in the story to the actions of Yeshua. The man who had been demon-possessed was forever changed. He knew what it was that Yeshua had done for him and wanted to follow Him. More importantly, he submitted to Yeshua, choosing to obey what Yeshua called him to do instead of pursuing his own desires… even though they were good desires to follow Yeshua. This man likely had great impact remaining amongst those that knew his history and could see the transformational change in him. Yeshua knew where he wanted this man to be and what he wanted him to do in proclaiming the good news of Messiah.

The reaction of the herdsmen and the people who return with them from the city is clearly disappointing. In truth, their reaction is perhaps worse than that of the demons. They see an undeniable miracle take place and all they can do is react in fear and self interest and ask Yeshua to leave. What a lost opportunity for them. However, take note that Yeshua did not hold a grudge… He actually used the man who was possessed by demons to remain in region and proclaim the word to help these people. Yeshua loves them even though they fear Him.

Prayerfully reflect, “How do you react to the instructions of God? to the prompting of the Holy Spirit?

Do you, like the demons, acknowledge the power of Yeshua, but refuse to submit to Him as a faithful servant? Are you like the townspeople, so uncomfortable with the presence of God that you look past His miracles and focus on your own desires and interests?

Or rather, do you listen carefully and obey His instructions even if it conflicts with your desires, as the man who was demon-possessed demonstrated?

When we obey God instead of our own desires, then truly God can use us for His glory! Others around you should be able to see that you are different, that God has changed you. You are a light and should no longer “blend in” with those around you.

If you find yourself reasoning… “but the man was cured of demon possession… of course he was transformed and excited… how does this apply to my life”… then consider that truly each and every one of us is a sinful being who is due punishment for our sin. The punishment for sin is death. Only through Yeshua’s death on the cross for our sins and  our genuine submission to Him, seeking forgiveness, shall any of us be delivered from death to everlasting life with God. All of us are corrupted by sin and headed for eternal suffering in hell if not for the actions of Yeshua. In effect, Yeshua has rescued all of us in similar fashion to what we read about in Mark 5. Do we respond in like manner to the man who was demon-possessed? We should be laser-focused on Yeshua and seeking to follow Him and obey Him in all aspects of our lives.

Be prepared that many will reject or resist this transformation in you as they reject God, Himself. Stand up for God anyway and proclaim the good news of Messiah! God may use you as a vehicle to save others by leading them to Him.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for sending Messiah to make a way for me to be reconciled to You. Please help me to embrace You through Yeshua, even when You ask me to do something other than what I want to do. Let me not be absorbed in my own desires and self interest. Let Your glory be shown through me to others. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.