Category Archives: Purposeful / Intentional

All Powerful / King of All, Comforter, Controlling Thoughts, Encouragement, Faith / Trusting God, Faithful, Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Learning To Pray Effectively, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Righteous, Strong in Our Weakness

Follow Yeshua’s Example of Prayer and Submission

Yeshua sets the example for intense prayer. We have a hard time living up to His example. No matter what we face, however, let us follow His example and come before the Father in prayer. Let us submit to the Father’s will and trust in the Father’s wisdom, even if we have an opinion or preference which is different. We may even pray for the Spirit’s help that we would not fall into temptation.

Luke 22:39-46

The Garden of Gethsemane

     39And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” 43Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. 45When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Let us model ourselves and our relationship with the Father after the example of Christ, whether we face big situations or every day small ones.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Humility, Purposeful / Intentional

Who Is Greatest?

YHWH does not define greatness the way that we do. We do well to understand how He measures rather than continue measuring according to the ways of the world. Let this guide how we seek to be great.

Luke 22:24-30

Who Is Greatest

     24And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. 25And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’ 26“But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. 27“For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

      28“You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; 29and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you 30that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Do you seek greatness? How do you measure it? Start by helping someone who can’t help you back. Give YHWH the credit.

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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.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Righteous, Seeking God, Study the Word, Teachable, Traditions / Holidays

If Anyone Loves Me, He Will Keep My Word

Continually reflecting on the life of Yeshua continues to highlight what righteousness looks like. Sometimes I find it worthwhile to really dwell on certain parts of scripture that might just be quickly overlooked. Yeshua was well aware that the religious leaders were plotting to kill Him. He knew Judas would betray Him. Yet He came to Jerusalem in obedience to the Father’s plans. He did not mourn for Himself or the pain He would soon endure. He did not complain that the Father allowed Satan to “enter into Judas” to accomplish this plan. He did not hide or decide to just “live it up” in the last days, but stayed connected to the Father’s purpose for Him until the end.

It should be obvious how important Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread are to Yeshua and to the Father. These were highlighted, not skipped, during the last days of Yeshua’s earthly ministry. We could easily ask ourselves, “why do so many disregard these holy days now, when Yeshua held them in high esteem and purposed to celebrate them?” The answer is not that YHWH changed His mind on these holy days or that Yeshua ever changed the command to celebrate these holy days. The death of Yeshua did not suddenly change the earlier commands of YHWH for His people in regards to the holy days. In fact, He came back after He died and reinforced that what He taught should be shared with the world. He did not indicate that YHWH’s instructions were now obsolete.

Matthew 28:18-20 (emphasis in bold mine)

18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Indeed, God did not change His commands, but rather man, under the guise of Christianity, chose to move away from YHWH’s commands and traditions in an effort to separate and be set apart from the Jewish people. This was not YHWH’s intent.

Luke 22:1-16

Preparing the Passover

     1Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching. 2The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they might put Him to death; for they were afraid of the people.

      3And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve. 4And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. 5They were glad and agreed to give him money. 6So he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the crowd.

      7Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.” 9They said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?” 10And He said to them, “When you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters. 11“And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 12“And he will show you a large, furnished upper room; prepare it there.” 13And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.

     14When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. 15And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

Let us pray the Spirit guides us and opens our eyes to the truth of scripture. Do not rely on what is commonly accepted or taught in churches as truth, but test everything against the truth of scripture. It takes time and devotion to the Lord to do this properly. It is a demonstration of love to YHWH and Yeshua to invest your time in searching and understanding scripture more fully. Learn and obey His instruction, regardless of what is popular amongst those claiming to be Christian. There are many who do not know Him that call upon His name.

Let us follow the example of Yeshua. Regardless of what challenges and hardships may come, let us learn and obey the commands and instructions of the Father and do so joyfully.

John 14:21-24

21“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” 22Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

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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 Knowing, Blessed, Faithful, Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Timing Not Ours, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Obeying God, Provider, Purposeful / Intentional

Will You Trust YHWH And Joyfully Accept What He Chooses For You?

As we read Exodus and Deuteronomy, we see a focus on the people of Israel, who are the chosen people of YHWH. It is easy to think the entire focus of our Creator is only on them, but that is not true. In Deuteronomy 2, we see this emphasized. As YHWH was leading His people to the land He would give them, He told them multiple times He would not give them other land they had to pass through first. He had given that to others and deliberately. This is so easy to overlook, but I believe YHWH wants us to remember this principle in our daily lives as well.

From His perspective… Yes I am your God. Yes I have plans for you. If you will follow me, I will guide you. However, I have plans for others that go beyond you. I will not always explain them to you. You have to trust me as I direct you to what I want to give you. Do not just chase after the first opportunity that comes before you. Do not pursue or covet the things I have given for others, but focus on what I want to give you. I know best and I love you.

Deuteronomy 2

Wanderings in the Wilderness

      1“Then we turned and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke to me, and circled Mount Seir for many days. 2“And the LORD spoke to me, saying, 3‘You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north, 4and command the people, saying, “You will pass through the territory of your brothers the sons of Esau who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful; 5do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, even as little as a footstep because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. 6“You shall buy food from them with money so that you may eat, and you shall also purchase water from them with money so that you may drink. 7“For the LORD your God has blessed you in all that you have done; He has known your wanderings through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have not lacked a thing.”’

      8“So we passed beyond our brothers the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road, away from Elath and from Ezion-geber. And we turned and passed through by the way of the wilderness of Moab. 9“Then the LORD said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 10(The Emim lived there formerly, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. 11Like the Anakim, they are also regarded as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12The Horites formerly lived in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the LORD gave to them.) 13‘Now arise and cross over the brook Zered yourselves.’ So we crossed over the brook Zered. 14“Now the time that it took for us to come from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war perished from within the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. 15“Moreover the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from within the camp until they all perished.

      16“So it came about when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, 17that the LORD spoke to me, saying, 18‘Today you shall cross over Ar, the border of Moab. 19‘When you come opposite the sons of Ammon, do not harass them nor provoke them, for I will not give you any of the land of the sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot as a possession.’ 20(It is also regarded as the land of the Rephaim, for Rephaim formerly lived in it, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummin, 21a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim, but the LORD destroyed them before them. And they dispossessed them and settled in their place, 22just as He did for the sons of Esau, who live in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them; they dispossessed them and settled in their place even to this day. 23And the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and lived in their place.) 24‘Arise, set out, and pass through the valley of Arnon. Look! I have given Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land into your hand; begin to take possession and contend with him in battle. 25‘This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under the heavens, who, when they hear the report of you, will tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

      26“So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying, 27‘Let me pass through your land, I will travel only on the highway; I will not turn aside to the right or to the left. 28‘You will sell me food for money so that I may eat, and give me water for money so that I may drink, only let me pass through on foot, 29just as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I cross over the Jordan into the land which the LORD our God is giving to us.’ 30“But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land; for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to deliver him into your hand, as he is today. 31“The LORD said to me, ‘See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to occupy, that you may possess his land.’

      32“Then Sihon with all his people came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz. 33“The LORD our God delivered him over to us, and we defeated him with his sons and all his people. 34“So we captured all his cities at that time and utterly destroyed the men, women and children of every city. We left no survivor. 35“We took only the animals as our booty and the spoil of the cities which we had captured. 36“From Aroer which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon and from the city which is in the valley, even to Gilead, there was no city that was too high for us; the LORD our God delivered all over to us. 37“Only you did not go near to the land of the sons of Ammon, all along the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, and wherever the LORD our God had commanded us.

Will you trust YHWH and follow Him? Will you accept joyfully what He has chosen for you? Or will you chase and covet what He has chosen for others?

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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.

Am I on the path?, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional

Reflect Back On Decisions Made And Your Journey With YHWH

It is good to periodically reflect back on our lives and the decisions we made. Do so with honesty and pray the Spirit gives you insight. Acknowledge what went well. Admit to the mistakes you made. Think about how it fits with your obedience in following the instructions of YHWH. As Moses reflected back on the journey of the people out of Egypt, we can clearly see that the toughest times came when they disobeyed the Lord. The greatest victories come when they went forth in obedience and faith.

For me I see the same trend. However, one must be careful in how you judge success and failure. Judge based on the Lord’s values and instructions, not on the ways of men. Some of the best decisions I have made have been in obedience to the Lord, but perhaps led to less money but a win in my relationship with YHWH and my family. I count that as a win. Many would look only at the money and judge wrongly as a struggle or loss.

Deuteronomy 1

Israel’s History after the Exodus

     1These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel across the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel and Laban and Hazeroth and Dizahab. 2It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea. 3In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that the LORD had commanded him to give to them, 4after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei. 5Across the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to expound this law, saying,

      6“The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7‘Turn and set your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negev and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. 8‘See, I have placed the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.’

      9“I spoke to you at that time, saying, ‘I am not able to bear the burden of you alone. 10‘The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven in number. 11‘May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand-fold more than you are and bless you, just as He has promised you! 12‘How can I alone bear the load and burden of you and your strife? 13‘Choose wise and discerning and experienced men from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ 14“You answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have said to do is good.’ 15“So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and appointed them heads over you, leaders of thousands and of hundreds, of fifties and of tens, and officers for your tribes.

      16“Then I charged your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen, and judge righteously between a man and his fellow countryman, or the alien who is with him. 17‘You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ 18“I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.

      19“Then we set out from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, just as the LORD our God had commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea. 20“I said to you, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites which the LORD our God is about to give us. 21‘See, the LORD your God has placed the land before you; go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’

      22“Then all of you approached me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up and the cities which we shall enter.’ 23“The thing pleased me and I took twelve of your men, one man for each tribe. 24“They turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the valley of Eshcol and spied it out. 25“Then they took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought us back a report and said, ‘It is a good land which the LORD our God is about to give us.’

      26“Yet you were not willing to go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; 27and you grumbled in your tents and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us. 28‘Where can we go up? Our brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are bigger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified to heaven. And besides, we saw the sons of the Anakim there.”’ 29“Then I said to you, ‘Do not be shocked, nor fear them. 30‘The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.’ 32“But for all this, you did not trust the LORD your God, 33who goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go.

      34“Then the LORD heard the sound of your words, and He was angry and took an oath, saying, 35‘Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers, 36except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and to his sons I will give the land on which he has set foot, because he has followed the LORD fully.’ 37“The LORD was angry with me also on your account, saying, ‘Not even you shall enter there. 38‘Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there; encourage him, for he will cause Israel to inherit it. 39‘Moreover, your little ones who you said would become a prey, and your sons, who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, shall enter there, and I will give it to them and they shall possess it. 40‘But as for you, turn around and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.’

      41“Then you said to me, ‘We have sinned against the LORD; we will indeed go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.’ And every man of you girded on his weapons of war, and regarded it as easy to go up into the hill country. 42“And the LORD said to me, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; otherwise you will be defeated before your enemies.”’ 43“So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. Instead you rebelled against the command of the LORD, and acted presumptuously and went up into the hill country. 44“The Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do, and crushed you from Seir to Hormah. 45“Then you returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD did not listen to your voice nor give ear to you. 46“So you remained in Kadesh many days, the days that you spent there.

Take time to reflect on your journey with the Lord. Where have you been? Where are you going? Who is leading… you or YHWH?

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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, Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Purposeful / Intentional, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin

Who Makes The Rules?

Imagine for a moment you are competing in a sport you enjoy. For sake of example, I will choose track and field, in this case, pole vault. The object of the sport is to run and vault over a pole, which continues to be increased in height each round. Whomever jumps over the pole at the highest height wins.

There are a set of rules. They are established by the creator of the game. One must follow the rules or be disqualified. For example, in our pole vault event, a competitor can not simply say that they are going to lower the bar to make it easier or that the rules should be different and not require them to jump over the bar. Thus they can simply walk under it and still win the event. Most of us immediately recognize this would be ridiculous. But how many people take this exact approach with God when it comes to His instructions in the Bible?

Our society does this all the time. It redefines morality with regards to abortion, homosexuality, adultery, lusting, coveting, gluttony, drunkenness, accepting and glorifying false gods and so much more. Then it tries to hold people accountable to the new and incorrect standards and often use them to attack Christians who are still using God’s correct standard. It is not enough that they choose another set of rules (eg. to walk under instead of jump over the bar in pole vault), but they must force everyone else to accept these new and wrong rules as well. They will viciously attack those who jump over the bar, in particular if they are successful at it.

We have, as a nation, removed the Bible from schools and from our government and our public areas at great peril and moral decay to our society. There are groups which constantly fight to reject God and “separate church and state”. For the record, “separation of church and state” is a myth… it is not in our founding government documents. The founders insisted the government should not dictate which form of Christianity someone participates in (e.g. Baptist, Catholic, etc. ) They founded our government and nation knowing that it would be most enduring and prosperous on the basis of a “nation under God”… the Christian God.

Psalm 81:8-16

      8“Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, if you would listen to Me!

      9“Let there be no strange god among you;
Nor shall you worship any foreign god.

      10“I, the LORD, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

      11“But My people did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not obey Me.

      12“So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk in their own devices.

      13“Oh that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!

      14“I would quickly subdue their enemies
And turn My hand against their adversaries.

      15“Those who hate the LORD would pretend obedience to Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.

      16“But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,
And with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Those that change the rules so they can live by a different standard than the one God created (as in our pole vault example above)  do not change God’s standard, they simply ignore it and feel better about themselves because they focus on their own standard. They will not win, in fact they are disqualified from the event. They will not stand in victory when the event is over, no matter what delusion they created and accepted.

The Lord wants to bless those who live in obedience to Him. But those who reject Him and His instructions… He will give “them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices”.

YHWH offers us a choice. It is simple. He does not ask our opinion of morality and what is right and wrong. We either have a choice to follow and submit to Him or to reject Him. We have a choice of a blessing or a curse.

Romans 1:18-32

      18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

      24Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

      26For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

      28And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28

     26“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today; 28and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known.

I encourage you to click the link above and go read the full text in Deuteronomy 11. There is much more emphasis than what is captured in the summary in verses 26-28.

We must make a choice. Our choice is not to decide how to change God’s standard and still be close to God. Our choice is simply to choose God and His moral standard or reject Him and make up our own. If we reject Him and live by our own standard, we fool ourselves only for a little while in this world and then we ultimately spend eternity in hell as a result. If we choose Him, we change our ways to His ways and live differently. Joy and peace and hope await us in this life, though the struggles do not go away. Eternity in the presence of God await us when we die.

Choose wisely.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Grace / Forgiveness, Heaven and Hell, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Obeying God, Parables, Purposeful / Intentional, Repenting from Sin, Worldliness

This Offer Expires When You Do

YHWH graciously and with lovingkindness allows us our entire lifetime to repent and turn to Him… to make Him lord over our lives… to ask forgiveness. But the offer of forgiveness does expire… it expires when we do. Once we die and move on to either heaven or hell, it is too late. There is no amount of prayer or regret that can influence where we spend our eternity after we die. We were given the chance and chose to go our own way.

Luke 16:19-31

The Rich Man and Lazarus

      19“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. 20“And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. 22“Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23“In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24“And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ 25“But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ 27“And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— 28for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30“But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31“But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Consider verse 31, YHWH has indeed raised Yeshua from the dead and documented it well. Yet many refuse to believe even with someone raised from the dead.

Reflect on your life and the lives of those you know and love now, while you have time. If there are some you want to reach, if you need to repent and seek forgiveness… do so without delay. None of our tomorrow’s are promised to us, no matter how young and healthy we may be. Eternity is at stake.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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A Lesson We Can Learn From The Worldy

Luke 16 documents a teaching from Yeshua which on the surface may be confusing to some… appearing as if Yeshua Praising The Unrighteousness Of A Servant To His Master. This is certainly not the case. It becomes obvious when studied in the broader context of scripture, however let’s look at the specific passage in Luke. However, there is a lesson for us as believers to pay attention to in this passage of scripture. Let’s be careful not to miss it.

Luke 16:1-9

The Unrighteous Steward

     1Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. 2“And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4‘I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’ 5“And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6“And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7“Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8“And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. 9“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.

 The master praised the unrighteous steward only in his cleverness, not in his dishonest actions. Often the worldly, hungry for selfish gain, demonstrate great cleverness in their selfish pursuits.  They have a passion and are driven to accomplish their goals no matter what the barrier or setback. Followers of Christ, on the other hand, may often be susceptible to complacency and fail to pursue their relationship with Him as passionately and with as much drive as the unrighteous pursue their goals.

Further, we all have temporary access to resources in this life. We have different amounts we steward, but none of it is ours. It all belongs to our master, the Lord. Will we use it wisely and store up treasure in heaven for when we no longer have the opportunity to use it? or will we squander the opportunity just wasting it on ourselves and have nothing to show for it at the end of our lives? There is no one but God in whom we can invest that can help us in eternity.

Let us focus on the right object to pursue, the Father through Yeshua, but then also pursue Him with passion, drive, cleverness, even desperation greater than the unrighteous pursue their selfish gain. Settle not into complacency and “comfort zone”, but ambitiously pursue God and our relationship with Him. In this way we will live a fulfilling life pleasing to Him and store up treasure in heaven.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Choose YHWH Instead of The World

When YHWH brought the people of Israel to the promised land, He did not instruct them to make friends with the wicked people there and accept them and all their sin in hopes that everyone would just get along together. YHWH was punishing these evil people and taking the land from them, while also delivering it to His chosen people.

Numbers 33:50-56

Law of Possessing the Land

     50Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho, saying, 51“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you cross over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their figured stones, and destroy all their molten images and demolish all their high places; 53and you shall take possession of the land and live in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it. 54‘You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the larger you shall give more inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give less inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to anyone, that shall be his. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers. 55‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live. 56‘And as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you.’”

YHWH instructed Moses to drive out the inhabitants and destroy all their worship places and idols for their pagan gods. He gave also a clear warning that if this was not done, there would be consequences…  including ultimately His taking the land away from Israel because they would be corrupted by blending with pagan beliefs and practices instead of following His ways.

While we are not faced with a situation where YHWH has instructed us to go take a specific land and drive out pagans, we can certainly take heed from the warning He provides in this situation.

If we choose to accept and blend with, or even normalize pagan and ungodly practices within our society, then we as His people will be corrupted and become more and more separated from Him. Ultimately, He will remove His hand of blessing and punish us as a nation, even using pagans to do so. This is what happened to Israel. Why do we not take heed it may happen to us as well if we, as a nation, reject our Father and Creator. He gave us the United States of America as a unique and powerful nation founded on freedom and founded firmly in the Christian faith.

We can already see the moral decay in our society. In particular, we can see the grossly out of control federal government taking away more and more freedom from the people and the states. Many people choose to rely on the government rather than YHWH. We see adultery and fornication abounding and normalized. The murder of the unborn is not just accepted but celebrated and funded by the government on a grand scale. Education systems and news media have been corrupted and are propaganda tools for rejecting God and all He tells us to do.

Pray for revival. Do not accept the world’s ways.  Pray for your church family around the world and for the Father to raise up community, state, and national leaders who will lead us boldly toward YHWH rather than away from Him. Then ask Him to show you what your role will be and help you to accomplish it.

If you want revival, pray for it and then act as if you are part of bringing it forward by how you live your life. Revival only comes when we actively challenge the accepted pagan practices. It comes with conflict from those who do not want to change. It requires courage and faith.

We can not create revival by our own efforts without YHWH. The battle is not one of flesh but spiritual and it is YHWH who must move in the hearts of those who do not yet know Him to bring about change.

Ephesians 6:12-13

12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

John 6:44

44“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Review Your Journey With The Lord

Numbers 33 is perhaps an easy passage of scripture to quickly pass over on the thought that it is simply a recap of what we have already read. It does provide some historical evidence to the story to help demonstrate the reality that the Bible is not a “made up book” or a book of stories like Aesop’s Fables, but an actual historical account of YHWH’s relationship with His people. If simply making up a book of stories, who would bother to include detailed historical accounts such as this one?

More than that, I am struck by the feeling that YHWH is encouraging us to periodically look back at the journey we have traveled when we follow Him. Moses was reviewing a journey that was both physical / geographical and also spiritual as the people journeyed from slavery to freedom… from bondage to Egyptians to freedom to serve our Father and Creator.

For me, I can reflect on the journey the Lord has led me on over the past 20 years in particular. There were battles (not literal warfare), there were times of victory and defeat, there was a growing relationship between myself and my Father. There were changes in how I lived my life and what my priorities were. There were changes in how I spent my time and my money. There were changes in how my family lives our daily lives and how we celebrate holy days now according to YHWH’s instruction rather than traditions of men. There are changes in how we help and support others in the body of Christ more joyfully.

While we still have further to go with the Lord, it is good to reflect on how far we have come with Him and His patience and lovingkindness to lead us along the way as we learn and change with His help.

Numbers 33:1-49

Review of the Journey from Egypt to Jordan

     1These are the journeys of the sons of Israel, by which they came out from the land of Egypt by their armies, under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2Moses recorded their starting places according to their journeys by the command of the LORD, and these are their journeys according to their starting places. 3They journeyed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the next day after the Passover the sons of Israel started out boldly in the sight of all the Egyptians, 4while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn whom the LORD had struck down among them. The LORD had also executed judgments on their gods.

      5Then the sons of Israel journeyed from Rameses and camped in Succoth. 6They journeyed from Succoth and camped in Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. 7They journeyed from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which faces Baal-zephon, and they camped before Migdol. 8They journeyed from before Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness; and they went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah. 9They journeyed from Marah and came to Elim; and in Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there. 10They journeyed from Elim and camped by the Red Sea. 11They journeyed from the Red Sea and camped in the wilderness of Sin. 12They journeyed from the wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophkah. 13They journeyed from Dophkah and camped at Alush. 14They journeyed from Alush and camped at Rephidim; now it was there that the people had no water to drink. 15They journeyed from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai. 16They journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah.

      17They journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth. 18They journeyed from Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah. 19They journeyed from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon-perez. 20They journeyed from Rimmon-perez and camped at Libnah. 21They journeyed from Libnah and camped at Rissah. 22They journeyed from Rissah and camped in Kehelathah. 23They journeyed from Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher. 24They journeyed from Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah. 25They journeyed from Haradah and camped at Makheloth. 26They journeyed from Makheloth and camped at Tahath. 27They journeyed from Tahath and camped at Terah. 28They journeyed from Terah and camped at Mithkah. 29They journeyed from Mithkah and camped at Hashmonah. 30They journeyed from Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth. 31They journeyed from Moseroth and camped at Bene-jaakan. 32They journeyed from Bene-jaakan and camped at Hor-haggidgad. 33They journeyed from Hor-haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah. 34They journeyed from Jotbathah and camped at Abronah. 35They journeyed from Abronah and camped at Ezion-geber. 36They journeyed from Ezion-geber and camped in the wilderness of Zin, that is, Kadesh. 37They journeyed from Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, at the edge of the land of Edom.

      38Then Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of the LORD, and died there in the fortieth year after the sons of Israel had come from the land of Egypt, on the first day in the fifth month. 39Aaron was one hundred twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

      40Now the Canaanite, the king of Arad who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the sons of Israel.

      41Then they journeyed from Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah. 42They journeyed from Zalmonah and camped at Punon. 43They journeyed from Punon and camped at Oboth. 44They journeyed from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, at the border of Moab. 45They journeyed from Iyim and camped at Dibon-gad. 46They journeyed from Dibon-gad and camped at Almon-diblathaim. 47They journeyed from Almon-diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo. 48They journeyed from the mountains of Abarim and camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan opposite Jericho. 49They camped by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth as far as Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.

Take time to reflect on the your journey with YHWH. You may even want to write it down in a journal. Don’t rush it. Set aside time to prayerfully and reflectively go through it. Share it with someone you trust. Give thanks to Him for leading you and waiting on your progress. Ask Him what changes you need to continue to make and ask Him for His grace to help you make those changes. Continue the journey to grow closer to the Lord.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross