Heart Like His

Tradition or Torah

2007-01-02T12:54:00.000-08:00

The other day I was speaking with a loved one about the Sabbath. She asked me if I set aside Sunday also, the way I do the Sabbath, and I responded "no." I explained that though I do attend worship services on Sunday with my congregation, I believe in a literal 7th day Sabbath as the Lord's holy (i.e. set apart) day. She said, "well that's between you and the LORD." Not wanting to be argumentative, I sat silently and pondered her statement.

Whereas she told me that the day I observe Sabbath is between me and the LORD, I believe that the day set aside to observe Sabbath is between GOD and His people. ADONAI said that Sabbath is to be a lasting ordinance between Him and His people, a reminder of creation and redemption. The reason Sabbath is and always will be the 7th day has to do with Genesis and creation, not with Israel. Genesis tells us "And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done in creation" (Gen 2:2-3). From this we see that God established the seventh day as holy long before He established the nation of Israel; however, Israel later became the beacon of light through which His Word and His ways would be revealed to the nations.

If Sabbath is a lasting ordinance between God and His people, the question that remains is: who are GOD's people? I don't believe in replacement theology that says the Church replaces Israel as GOD's people. Rather, in accordance with Paul's writings in Romans, I believe that we are "grafted in" and that we are being added to the flock (Ez 37:15). This means that we are part of Israel as GOD's adopted children. The theme of adoption is laced throughout the writings of the apostles in reference to the Gentiles. What does it mean to be adopted? It means that the promises and the inheritance of the natural born children belong to us as well. That is why Yeshua serves as Messiah (ie Savior) not just of the Jewish people, but of the whole world. We, the adopted children, would not know our need for a Savior, but for GOD's revelation through Israel. Thus, Yeshua did not come to establish two flocks of sheep. He stated Himself that He is the Good Sheperd and that He is going to bring other sheep to the already established flock that they may be one flock under one sheperd.

So why are so many within the church resistant to Sabbath and the other Festivals ordained (and in fact commanded) by our GOD? I believe the answer is tradition! Tradition is at the heart of our resistance. Tradition is not all bad, but we must carefully guard ourselves against becoming dogmatic about tradition (that which is not written in Scripture) lest we fall into the pit that the Pharisees of Yeshua's day fell into. They preferred their traditions over GOD's Torah and ended up stumbling over the cornerstone. GOD forbid we do the same today in the name of tradition.

In the Beginning

2006-12-24T19:07:00.000-08:00

John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Just as the Holy Spirit is God's breath, so too is Yeshua God's voice and body. He is not a separate entity that would make Him a "lesser god". He is El Shaddai, the Almighty. For this reason, the prophet Isaiah speaking of the Messiah child saying: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." How can Messiah be called Wonderful Counselor when the Spirit of God is called Counselor? How can Messiah be called Mighty God, and Everlasting Father when these are titles of God the Father. The reason that these titles can be attributed to Yeshua HaMashiach is because He is the Word of God (even God's voice). Thus when the Tanakh says that only ADONAI, YHWH, is God and that only He will save, it does not lie. Nor do the Apostolic Writings lie when they say the "Word was God."

Why, then, did the Almighty God, need to become a human to redeem mankind? Why is it important that God became a man?

Torah says that due to Adam's sin, a sin nature entered mankind. That nature is tainted and cannot please God because even our best efforts and works are as filthy rags before the Father. Even if we kept Torah perfectly, we still could not attain true righteousness because there is a flaw in our being, not in our doing. Psalms 14:1-3 says that "the LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one."

So, why did God have to become human? The reason goes back to the covenant God made with Abraham. Abraham's descendants (both of Jews and Gentiles) broke Torah [God's righteous covenant]. They didn't keep Torah perfectly, in fact, they could not. They broke the covenant. Fortunately, when God made the covenant with Abraham and Abraham sacrificed the animals and split them into two rows, only God passed through the pieces (see Gen 15). When God alone passed through the pieces, He took full responsibility for the consequences should the covenant be broken. He, in essence said, "if this covenant is broken, I will pay the consequences." And, so He [the Almighty God] became human to pay for the consequences of the broken covenant.

May it be to the praise of His glorious grace!

Difficult Times

2006-12-08T21:18:00.000-08:00

"Seek the sacred within the ordinary. Seek the remarkable within the commonplace."--Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

This has been a difficult few months. I can't even begin to describe what is going through my mind or what is troubling me. It is too noisy to sort through my thoughts and hear clearly. Though I have a deep joy within me, I feel pain.

I read the quote above the other day, and this is what I am looking for. There is so much ordinary going on around me, there is too much ordinary going on inside me, so I'm looking for the message in it all. What is the Father trying to tell me through all that has happened and is happening in my life right now? I don't want to miss the remarkable message because I am too focused on the commonplace.

Father, open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from your Torah.

Face to Face

2006-10-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

My husband set up a web phone for us before he deployed and up until a couple of days ago we couldn't use it because his internet connection was too slow. The other day, my computer was ringing, so I answered it and it was my dear husband on the other end. I got to speak with him face-to-face in a sense since I was able to see the video image of him while we talked. I found it so much easier to talk to him and focus my attention on him while we talked over the video phone.

That got me thinking about a passage of Scripture, 1 Cor 13:12:

"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."

I thought about how exciting it will be to speak to my Abba, Father face-to-face. When I pray and talk to Him, I sometimes get distracted and have trouble focusing my attention, but when I truly see Him, it won't be difficult to give him my undivided attention. What a glorious day that will be!

Profound Lesson from an 11-Month Old

2006-10-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

The other day we had dinner at a friend's house. After dinner, her two pre-school sons began fighting over the same toy. As the situation progressed, the mother went over to break up the fight that left two young boys crying. Then, came a profound lesson from an 11-month old. My son, who was across the room, saw the elder brother laying on the floor crying. He crawled over to the elder brother, climbed on top of him and began to give him serberts and laugh. At this gesture, the elder brother started laughing, then the younger brother and the mom took to laughing as well. We all ended up laughing in the end, and the toy and the fight were soon forgotten.

It was amazing. The volatile situation was diffused immediately by the tender, playful love of an 11-month old. Isn't that how we should be? Proverbs says that a kind answer turns away wrath. If we would learn to respond to others with a childlike innocence and give them the benefit of the doubt, regardless of what they have done, wouldn't that begin to look like "loving our neighbor as ourselves"?

The Most Holy Day

2006-10-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

The Festival of Yom Kippur began last night and ended this evening. It is the most solemn and holy day of the year. It is also known as the Day of Atonement, the sole day that the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies and offer a sacrifice of atonement for himself, and the nation of Israel. It was also the festival when the Israelites would take a scapegoat and confess all the sins of the people upon it and lead it out of the camp, into the wilderness, and then throw it off a cliff.

I was so excited about Yom Kippur until I found out that it was also a day to "afflict yourselves" (Lev 23). “Afflict” or “Self-denial” means fasting. Fasting is such a difficult discipline for me to learn and this fast proved as difficult for me as any I’ve done in the past. I frequently found my stomach yearning for food, and my spirit fighting back saying "no, this is not too difficult". Taking the time to fast, meditate, pray and converse with my mom helped me realize the great significance of this feast day.

I now understand that Yom Kippur not only represents what has already occurred for us as believers in the Messiah Yeshua through His atoning sacrifice on the cross, but it has the following future implications as well. First, it is a national day of atonement for the remnant of the "nation" of Israel as Paul discusses in Romans 10-11. Second, for those who are already believers in the Messiah Yeshua, it represents the marriage supper of the Lamb (refer to Revelation 19).

Now, we wait expectantly for Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles which represents the Millenial Kingdom, when Yeshua will tabernacle and dwell among us. It starts on Friday evening this week. God’s appointments are so exciting, He always shows up on time!

I Could Have Been a Basketcase

2006-09-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about the week I had last week and how rough it started out. By the time I got to Thursday night Bible Study, I wasn't even sure that I wanted to go. I was tired and emotionally drained from the stress of the week. After I left Bible study, however, I was completely revived. It was like God gave me a spiritual makeover in that hour and a half.

As I thought further about that turning point in my week, I realized something very profound: I could have been a basketcase! I don't know how people who don't know the awesome Creator of the Universe make it from day to day. When struggles come my way, I may stumble for a moment, but shortly thereafter, my gentle Abba, Father picks me up, dusts off my knees, kisses me on the forehead and says: "It doesn't look so bad." And then I smile and go back to my play called life. If I didn't have HaShem, my Father, to run to when the giant was attacking, I don't know how I would keep my sanity. In fact, there would be no purpose, no reason to get out of bed and try again.

Since I do have a reason to get out of bed and try again in the morning, I start each day with this simple timeless prayer from the Jewish Siddur:

I gratefully thank You, O living and eternal King, for You have restored my soul within me with compassion, abundant is Your faithfulness. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of ADONAI, good understanding to all their practicioners, His praise endures forever. Blessed is the name of His glorious kingdom for all eternity. Amen!

Invalid Feelings

2006-09-25T19:45:00.000-07:00

As a psychology major, I was always taught that all feelings are valid and legitimate. I am reading a book right now called "Doesn't Anyone Blush Anymore?" and I was surprised to learn that it is "immoral to feel certain feelings."

It was a striking, yet liberating experience to learn that there are certain feelings that we can exist without. It turns out that the primary one we can live and function without is anger. The author of the book, Manis Friedman, says this:

Anger is not an emotion. Anger is a mood in which you're not disposed to any emotion. You don't care about what you say and how you behave; you can't remember whom you love and whom you fear. When you're angry, you can't feel emotion.

He goes on to say that:

the ancient sages wrote, "He who gets angry is as if he worshiped idols." During those moments our tempers are out of control, there is no room in our hearts or minds for God; for those moments, we have rejected Him, and that's idolatry.

Wow! That is a far cry from anything I learned in psychology, but I realize the truth in his words and perhaps this is one of my great lessons un-learned. The world always tell us something contrary to God's Truth. The world tells us, it's okay to do whatever you want, think whatever you want, look at whatever you want, feel whatever you want. As long as it's right for you, it's okay. If it makes you feel good, do it. These are lies!

The truth is that what is happening to us is coming to us from God regardless of whether we perceive it as good or bad. We need to remember to stop, ask ourselves why we are in the situation, and what God wants us to learn from it.

I will conclude with a quote from the book because it sums up the truth very nicely:

When we are feeling angry, we are wholly absorbed by it. No one and nothing else exists. . . There is never a reason or justification for being so wrapped up in your own sense of self-importance that you exclude your family, your neighbors, your people, or your Creator from your mind, heart, and life.

One of Those Days

2006-09-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those days when you felt like the weight of the world was on your shoulders? The pain is so great that you feel it might do you in? But for the Holy Spirit dwelling within me to give me encouragement, strength, and resolve, I'm sure I wouldn't last.

Today started out as one of those normal days. By about 0945, though, things became a whirlwind when I found out that one of my close co-workers, Tom, had died of a massive heart attack the night prior. I had just talked to Tom the day before. He had just come back from a trip after helping to bury his best friend's wife who had died of cancer. He wasn't feeling very well when he came back from the trip and thought that he might be coming down with a cold. He had told me that he had considered going to the ER over the weekend because he was having some chest pain, but it subsided and he felt better, so he decided not to go. The mention of chest pain made me pause, but for whatever reason, it didn't click in my mind that he should still consider going to see the doctor. To hear this morning that he had died was heartbreaking. Tom, to the best of my knowledge, did not know Christ, though we had talked about Christ on a few occassions during the two years that I knew him.

This evening, I got to talk to my dear husband. Since my son was still up when he called, I put my husband on the speaker phone so Asher could hear his voice. That turned out to be a big mistake. After hanging up with my husband, I listened to my son cry non-stop for over 30 minutes. It didn't matter if I held him, or set him down, or tried to put him to bed. I believe that though he isn't old enough to understand why his father is gone, he is old enough to know that he is gone and he feels the void. It hurt my heart to be unable to console him and explain to him that daddy would be coming home soon.

It was just one of those days. But, I'm thankful that ADONAI's mercies are new every morning. So, now I lay me down to sleep.

Circumcision of the Heart

2006-09-17T06:22:00.000-07:00

I've been pondering all week this phrase "circumcision of the heart" because I've been reading in Deuteronomy 30. Verses 1-6 are a promise to Israel that after they have repented from violating Torah and worshiping other gods, that the True God, will "bring back their captivity", return the land to them, and circumcise their hearts. Verse 6 stands out especially to me.

The LORD, your God, will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, to love the LORD, your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

Sounds new covenant to me! Here are some of the interesting notes I found on circumcision of the heart in rabbinic commentary:

Once you repent, God will help you by "circumcising your heart" meaning that He will help you overcome the hurdles that the Evil Inclination always places in the way. Unlike the physical foreskin, which must be removed by people, God will remove the spiritual impediment to total repentance (Ibn Ezra).

Additionally:

This Divine assistance follows the principle that "if one comes to purify himself, he is assisted by God" and the profound change implied by this verse will occur with the coming of Messiah . . . The "foreskin" is the spiritual barrier that prevents goodness from dominating the Jew's heart. After the final redemption, however, man's natural inclination will be only to do good. The "circumcision" of this verse is the removal from humanity of the natural desire to sin (Ramban).

If we now turn the pages of the Holy Scriptures to Romans 2:28-29, we see Paul using this passage of Scripture to expound on what it really means to be a "Jew".

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

This is not to say that Jews or Israel are forsaken by God and replaced by the Spirit-filled church. Remember the promises in Deut 30:1-6 were for the nation of Israel and anyone who would attach themselves to the nation of Israel. What Paul seems to be arguing is the same subject he is dealing with through much of his letters which is this: does a non-Jew have to be circumcised (ie convert) in order to be saved?

Throughout many of his letters Paul addresses this question because the prevailing Jewish theology is that in order to be saved, one must be Jewish. It is not, as many suppose, that keeping Torah (or the law) is considered a means to salvation. A quick review of rabbinic commentary shows that Jewish people, by and large, do not believe Torah saves them. In fact, the commentaries say that opposite. They believe that salvation is God's gracious gift to the Jew. The role of Torah, then, seems to be the outward expression of obedience to God, following a repentant heart. Torah is the expression of acceptance of God's covenant. It is an opportunity to be obedient to God and set apart as holy. Set apart as holy = sanctified.

So, if "circumcision of the heart" is a promise to Israel and those who are grafted into Israel via the new covenant, then the outward expression of our acceptance of the covenant relationship with God is as James says: "doing good works". These good works manifest themselves in Torah. Why do I believe that? Well, James says in 1:22-25:

But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

What "Word" is James talking about? During the first century after Jesus death, there was no New Testament. Although letters from the apostles were circulating around the churches, there was no coherent canonized New Testament Scriptures. In fact, the only Scriptures being used were the "Old Testament". They were used to reprove, teach, and train in all righteousness. That is why, the "Old Testament" is so frequently quoted in all of the apostles writings. So, the "Word" that James is talking about, must be the "Old Testament" or Tanakh as it is referred to in Judaism. Tanakh is an acronym that stands for the 3 divisions of what we commonly refer to as the Old Testament. It stands for: Ta = Torah or 5 books of Moses, Na = Neviim or Prophets, and Kh= Ketuvim or Writings. It turns out that James, brother of Jesus, a Jew, and head of the Jerusalem Council was a believer who observed Torah. In fact, all of the apostles of Christ did. And Paul said: imitate me as I imitate the Messiah.

I will conclude with a point of clarification: I am not advocating observance of Torah as a means to salvation. I believe, in accordance and harmony with Scripture, that Jesus is the only Way, Truth, and Life. No one comes to stand in the presence of the Father, except through Him. But, He (Jesus) also said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15).

All believers in Christ agree that we should be doing certain things that reflect that the Spirit of Christ lives in us. We are not in fact free to sin because sin is bondage. Instead, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. So if we should be doing good works and bearing fruit for the kingdom, what good works should we be doing? The conclusion that I've come to is Torah.

Our Babylon

2006-09-14T22:06:00.000-07:00

Tonight I started a new Beth Moore study that the women of our church are doing entitled: "Daniel: Lives of Integrity, Words of Prophecy". The study tonight started with Daniel 1 and we discussed how the enemy wants to return us to places God called us to leave. It's interesting because I never noticed how Abraham was called out of Ur of the Chaldeans (ie Babylon) to go to the Promised Land (Canaan), then when the Israelites disobeyed God's Torah and worshipped idols, they were taken into captivity and exile by none other than "Babylon".

She went on to talk about our captivity in Babylon today (primarily referring to Western culture). She emphasized the Babylonian mentality which you will find in the prophet Isaiah 47:8 "I am, and there is none besides me." Kind of sounds like God talking, right? But it was Isaiah quoting Babylon! That's scary. In today's culture it's all about me, looking out for number one, living the dream, having it my way. Sounds a lot like Babylon, huh?

The bottom line is this: if we are not being deliberate to resist the indoctrination of our Babylon, we are being indoctrinated by it. That is exactly why Paul warned us, "come out and be separate, touch no unclean thing and I will receive you." As the body of Messiah, we have to be the counterculture. We cannot be a beacon of light or a city on a hill if we blend with the darkness. We have to live sanctified lives, which means we are set apart for holiness.

I think that is the beauty of Torah. That's why God gave the people of Israel His Torah. He said that people would look at the nation of Israel and say, "what kind of God is this?" They would marvel at God because he cared enough about a people to set them apart from the culture. He also gave them Torah to protect them from idolatry and following after the gods of other nations that were not God. The people of Israel looked different, they ate differently, they sounded different . . . they were different! God permeated every area of their lives. He wasn't just a part, He was the center, the core.

We, who are in Messiah, are grafted into Israel (as Paul says in Romans). We are adopted as sons and daughters into the covenant. We should look different, sound different, eat differently, watch different things on TV or not watch at all . . . we should BE different.

Father, cause us to walk in holiness before You. Cause us to want to be like Your Son and show us how. Penetrate our hearts with the things that are important to You. Help us to ask the question: What would cheat me of You, ADONAI? Let us throw off everything that hinders.

The Paradox: Death brings Life

2006-09-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

This is a day of reflection for me. My brother's divorce was finalized today. Though we've known it was coming for almost a year now, the judge ruled today and it is official. The circumstances surrounding the divorce are rather complicated and painful, but still my brother and the family couldn't help but feeling that a death had occurred in our family.

As we reflect on death, the common human tendency is to ask why, or become bitter, or to be overtaken by sorrow. These are all normal reactions to death. As I felt those normal tinges of grief come over me, I couldn't help but also think of the paradox: death brings life.

I remember learning long ago that every time a person dies, a baby is born. As I thought about that, it brought me back to thoughts of my Savior. Our Messiah had to die because "without the blood, there is no forgiveness of sin." That is why the Israelites were commanded not to eat blood. They were told to drain the blood, because "life" is in the blood. It's interesting because the Jerusalem council emphasized to the Gentiles that they, too, should refrain from eating blood.

Our Messiah, the Passover Lamb, sacrificed. He died, and it is because of His death that we have life. Now, we too must die to self, so that we might have true life in Him.

If you know my brother's testimony, you will understand why it is fitting (as Rosh Hashanah rapidly approaches us at the end of this month) that he would receive a new beginning. Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) is the other name for Yom Teruah (the Feast of Trumpets). It is such an exciting holiday because the feast of trumpets in Messianic terms represents the second coming of our Savior! Remember, "with the blast of the trumpet", He will come! Even still, come, Lord Jesus, come! If the Master's first coming is any indication of how things will play out, perhaps He will come on a Rosh Hashanah. It will be such a glorious time when all things are made new. "Behold I am creating a new heaven and a new earth."

I can't help but smiling in the midst of this tragedy, this death, as I ponder what wonderful life God has in store for my brother. Baruch HaShem (Blessed be the Name)!

Time to Look Up

2006-09-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

I've recently come across a gem which I think you will probably be hearing about more in my future blogs. I was cleaning off the bookshelves and I came across this tiny little book called "The Empty Chair: Finding Hope and Joy--Timeless Wisdom from a Hasidic Master, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov". I have no idea where the book came from, but I know God put it in plain view for me that day. I started reading the first chapter entitled "Living in Tune" and my mind started flooding with inspiration. So, I'll start with chapter one, page 14:

For Rebbe Nachman, living in tune meant awareness--being aware of the transient nature of this world and the eternity of the next.

From his window facing the marketplace Rebbe Nachman spotted one of his followers rushing by.

"Have you looked up at the sky this morning?" the Rebbe asked.

"No, Rebbe, I haven't had the time."

"Believe me, in fifty years everything you see here today will be gone. There will be another fair--with other horses, other wagons, different people. I won't be here then and neither will you. So what's so important that you don't have time to look at the sky?!"

After reading this, I began asking myself the same question. What is so important that I don't have time to look up? What is so important today that I don't have 10 minutes to read the Holy Scriptures, to study Torah, to spend time in the Holy of Holies? What is so important that I don't have time to bow before the Holy One, Blessed be He, in prayer and meditation?

Isn't it interesting that prior to Yeshua's death the High Priest was the only one who had access to the Holy of Holies (and that only once a year), and he never missed the appointment, yet we believers have continual access day in and day out and we consistently neglect to enter into His awesome Presence and bow the knee? I was telling my mom the other day about how we take the things we get for free for granted, no matter how priceless the item may be. It's the things we spend a lot of money on that we appreciate.

I am reminded to take a moment to look up, to consider the sky, to consider the Maker, to marvel at His Creation and the free gift of eternal life--that priceless and precious gift, that is so easy to take for granted.

David and Goliath

2006-09-08T22:25:00.000-07:00

I'm reading 1 Samuel right now and I came across the all too familiar story of David and Goliath. What a beautiful message this story has. David, the man after God's own heart!

So David, the youngest brother of eight, the little ruddy and handsome sheperd boy, goes to the camp of the Israelites to take bread to his brothers and get news to take back to his father. The Israelites are encamped on one side of the valley and the Philistines are on the other side. David comes into the camp and hears Goliath calling out threats to the people of Israel and issuing a challenge for a one-on-one fight. You just have to love David's spirit. He says:

"Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" 1 Sam 17:26.

Can you imagine little David saying such a thing? His oldest brother Eliab gets very angry at David for showing up and he says: "I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle." So we see a little sibling rivalry going on at the scene of the battle, but I found something very interesting in what his brother said. Eliab said "the evil of your heart" while God said "a man after My own heart". Isn't it just like human nature to pick out the one thing God loves the most about us and tear it down? Have you ever felt insecure about a gift God had given you when you should have been rejoicing in the gift?

Anyway, David is not detered by his brother. He volunteers to fight the Philistine and it is interesting to note what he takes into battle:

vs 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his sheperd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.

David approached Goliath by the power of the Spirit and he miraculously defeated the giant with just a sling and stone. He defeated the giant as a sheperd would and he never quaked at the powerplay of Goliath because he knew Almighty God. I think this story is such a beautiful Messiah story. David was a good sheperd, and he willingly laid down his life for his sheep. It is fitting that he would later "sheperd his people Israel."

The Enemy's Last Stand

2006-09-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

1 Pet 4:19 "Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good."

Entrusting ourselves to a faithful Creator, Our Abba, Father, can be very difficult during times of suffering. Many will tell you when you are suffering, that you are either: 1. sinning or 2. being tested. The fact of the matter is that we don't always know why suffering takes place, but what we can know is what Rabbi Seinfeld puts so eloquently:

The one thing I can be sure of is that their suffering has an ultimate purpose. Moreover, each of us is beholden to respond to the events in our lives by turning to the Almighty. How so? Well if it is true that God did create the universe and that God is inifinite, then by definition, there is no event that can happen that is outside of God’s purview. Therefore when something happens to me, if I am spiritually tuned-in, my reaction should be to turn to God. If it feels good, I should say “Thank you”. If it feels bad, I should say “Please help me.” It seems to me that how well we learn these two reactions is the definition of “passing the test” of life.

Well said Rabbi! Additionally, when we suffer, we must humble ourselves before our brothers and sisters in the Messiah and let them know of our suffering, so they can "weep with those who weep" and pray for those who are persecuted.

Interestingly enough, when believers get together and pray, things get interesting in the life of the person suffering. Initially, things seem to get worse. Persecution hits hard. I've seen this recently in a family member of mine who is going through difficult suffering. But keep reading in 1 Pet 5 and the end comes to light:

1 Pet 5:8-11
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith. . . And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To Him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Why do things seem to get worse for the suffering brother when the body prays? I believe it is the enemy's last stand. It is a last ditch effort to frustrate the suffering believer and those praying to quit. He tries to get us to remove our focus from the Holy One and bring it onto the worldly circumstances. When that happens, when we lose focus, we essentially quit praying.

If there is one thing I've learned from my experience as a fighter pilot it is this: Know your enemy! We should not focus on the enemy, but in order to defeat the enemy, we must be aware of his tactics and have better training, better equipment, and better countertactics. Perhaps the reason that the body is so weak at times and seems so defeated is because we have not spent enough time studying the Word and putting it into action. Paul said that he beat his body, he made it his slave. Paul knew the Word of God! He was intimately familiar with Torah, the Prophets and the Writings as seen by how often he quotes them and how he lived his life. He said he was a Pharisee of Pharisees, more zealous than all of his brothers. He told Timothy to discipline himself to be godly. That sounds a lot like training to me!

Brothers and sisters, let us not be discouraged, let us not shrink back at the enemy's last stand. It is a facade. It is a final attempt to show force, but it is futile if we continue to keep our eyes on the Father and entrust ourselves to the faithful Creator. If you are going through suffering right now or unjust persecution, be encouraged by 1 Pet 4:16:

Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

May ADONAI bless you dear one.

Stiff Neck = Stiffnecked

2006-09-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

I have been longing to write about this all week, but time and tiredness has prevented me from blogging. So, what is the meaning of this title: stiff neck = stiffnecked? Well, I was having a conversation with my mom this week about how physical manifestations can represent what's going on in us spiritually. The conversation came up because my younger brother was playing a sporting game this week and managed to hurt his foot pretty badly. He didn't break it, but he ended up in a foot brace for the month. In the midst of that accident, he was trying to discern what God was telling him through the physical. That got me thinking about all of the times God speaks to me through physical pain to redirect my walk. That is not to say that every physical manifestion should be received as a spiritual message, but I think there is a deep truth here to draw out.

I will give a few examples. Often when I am talking too much, or when I find my way into gossip, or saying something I shouldn't be saying, I will end up literally biting my tongue or my lip. If I am just getting started and I bite my lip, it is usually the kind of bite where it gets my attention, but it doesn't cause me great injury. However, if I continue and ignore the warning, it is often followed by the more brutal kind of lip biting that draws blood and hurts for a couple of days. Ouch!

Another example is stubbing my toe. I may be walking along just fine and then I stub my toe or trip over something that I didn't even notice. Sometimes it hurts so badly that I fall to the ground holding my foot and crying out until the initial shock subsides. So, at times like these, I have to take a step back and ask the LORD: How is my walk? Am I stumbling in some area?

One final example has to do with a time when I was suffering from a stiff neck. As a fighter pilot, pulling Gs puts a great strain on the neck muscles and when the neck muscles have had enough, every now and then they stiffen up. I woke up one morning and I could hardly move my neck. This particular time, my younger brother was visiting me and I was complaining to him about my stiff neck. He gave me this look and said: "oow!" I knew exactly what he was thinking: Is there something in your walk that you are being stiff-necked (or stubborn) about? In fact there was! I received the reproof and went on to address the area of stubborness in my life toward something God was telling me to do. As soon as I made the decision to walk in obedience to God in the area I was resisting, my stiff neck was gone. Pretty interesting, huh?

These are everyday incidents that most of us take for granted, but is it possible that God communicates with us in these seemingly insignificant occurrences, if only we would listen? The answer from my personal experience is yes. Yeshua said that "seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, otherwise they would turn from their sin and be saved."

How often do you miss God speaking to you because you dismiss it as a common?

Who is My Neighbor?

2006-09-03T13:52:00.000-07:00

This morning's sermon was from 1 Pet 5:5-7 and our Pastor talked about submission. It was a wonderful sermon and one of the things he talked about was that the key to mutual submission is a humble, Christ-like spirit. We also read Phil 2:3-8 which talks about what it means to truly be humble. It is not self-deprecating, but rather thinking about others as being better than yourself. I have a few thoughts about humility.

First, I propose that living out Phil 2: 3-8 is at the heart of having Torah written on our hearts. After all Lev 19:18 says that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves (Contrary to popular belief, Christ didn't make that commandment up in the new testament for the first time. The Father had it in His word from the beginning.) Anyway, when the Pharisees talked with Yeshua about this very commandment, they asked: "Who, then, is my neighbor?" Then Christ went on to tell the story of the Good Samaritan. The thing about Samaritans is that they were considered lesser by Israelites. They were "unclean", not the kind of people that you broke bread with or had fellowship with. So, when Christ tells a story about how the Samaritan takes care of the Israelite who was hurt, we begin to understand that our neighbor is not necessarily the person we like to serve. It is not necessarily our best friends, or the people who look like us, make the same money as us, the people who act like us . . . No. Our neighbors are the people we don't want to serve, the outcasts, the poor, those who can't necessarily pay us back for our good. To put these groups of people before ourselves, and to consider their needs as more important than our own . . . that is true humility. I am thus very convicted about loving my neighbor because when I take a true assessment of myself. When I look in the mirror (who is Christ) and I see my poor reflection, I realize, just like Pastor Rob Williams talked about a few weeks ago, that I am basically not okay. I don't love like this, nor do I think the majority of us who are in Christ, love like this. That is why the body of Christ seems so sick at times. Father, help us to become more like you and the image of Your Son.

My second thought on humility has to do with a book I've been reading that my younger brother gave me called "Doesn't Anyone Blush Anymore?" by Manis Friedman. It is about respecting other people's boundaries. He says that people have a mortal and immortal soul. The mortal soul is our fleshly nature, that needs food, needs recognition, needs encouragement, etc. The immortal soul is the one that recognizes that the fleshly needs can be held in check or denied at times to put someone else first. He says:

The needs of my mortal soul are there so I can understand what another person is feeling, and take care of that person's needs; to take care of my own would be hedonistic. Now that I have felt the need for respect, for appreciation, and for security, I know how to respect, appreciate, and make someone else feel secure.

When we deny the needs of our mortal soul, yet gratify those same needs in someone else, we imitate God. Then we are free to proceed along the lines of spiritual growth. Then we think, feel, and act in a holy manner, in a way that is like God. Just as God is merciful to us, we learn to be merciful to others. Just as God forgives us, we learn to forgive others, and so on.

He says that as we grow from spiritual childhood to adulthood, we begin to realize that God has allowed us to experience what it is like to need appreciation, so we will understand and seek to fufill that need in someone else. Wow! That is humility.

My final thought is this. The pastor said that humility to God is a willing, voluntary act of submission to God's process and to do it with joy. That is really convicting to me as I think about my work in the military. At times I have wanted to be at home full time to take care of my son. While this is a noble calling on a woman's life, it is not what God has given me to do right now. At times I found myself drudging through my work and just getting by. That is not an act of submission toward God. Heb 13:15 says: "Through Him (Jesus) then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge His name." So, if we are to walk in humility and submission before God, at times it will require the "sacrifice of praise", praising God even when we don't feel like it. Father, I consider myself now reproved. May Your Spirit cause these words to permeate my soul and change me into the likeness of Your Son.

Got Faith?

2006-08-31T22:06:00.000-07:00

My brother's blog got me thinking about faith and obedience. The interesting thing about faith is that it is perpetuated by obedience. Let me give an example. Yeshua told Peter to step out of the boat and walk to him on the water (Matt 14:22-33). When Peter stepped out of the boat, it was an act of obedience. The act of obedience strengthened his faith and the faith of his brothers with him. What did Peter cry out when he took his eyes off of Yeshua and started to sink? "Lord, save."

Hosanna, save, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! This phrase is what the people cried as Yeshua rode on the donkey colt through Jerusalem the week before His death. I recently learned that the saying which comes from Ps 118:25 was believed by the Jewish people to have messianic undertones and was normally associated with the Sukkot festival, not Passover. But the people cried out "Hosanna, save" at Passover, because they were expressing their belief in Yeshua as the Messiah. So also, in the story of Peter walking on the water, we see that he believed and knew that Yeshua could save him. When Yeshua reached out and took hold of Peter, He said, "O you of little faith", but 2 verses later, when they were safe in the boat and the winds were calmed, all those in boat said "Truly you are the Son of God." The incident increased the faith of all those involved.

It is the same for us. If we want more faith, if we want to overcome our unbelief, we must obey. When we obey, we get more faith, which leads to more obedience, which leads to more faith. This is not a vicious cycle, it is a righteous cycle! It is the cycle I want to be on. Join me.

The Difference a Day Can Make

2006-08-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

Today I read 1 Sam 13. Your prior reading of verse 5-15 will facilitate this post. The story of King Saul is both fascinating and tragic. Saul started out as a insecure Israelite man, in fact if you look back a couple of chapters at 1 Sam 10:22, when his kingship was announced, he hid among the baggage. Now, we look ahead to chapter 13 where Saul becomes prideful and presumptuous to the point that he offers unauthorized sacrifices before Adonai. When Samuel arrives on the scene, he rebukes Saul by saying:

"But now your kingdom shall not continue. ADONAI has sought out a man after His own heart, and ADONAI has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what ADONAI commanded you."

Wow! As I ponder the rebuke, I am humbled to think about the difference a day makes. Saul waited seven days for Samuel to arrive to offer sacrifices and then he offered the sacrifices himself. Why did he offer the sacrifices himself? Impatience! How often do we find ourselves becoming impatient with our circumstances? How often do we find ourselves wondering when the answer is going to come from Adonai? When is He going to make it right? Doesn't He see that the Philistines have rallied and are ready to overtake me? Doesn't He know that my army is scattering and my faith is growing weak? I have to act now . . .

And in that moment of weakness, the kingdom is ripped from our hands and given to "the man after God's own heart" (vs 14). We, as disciples of the Master must be careful to keep what Adonai commands. By the grace given to us in our Lord and Savior Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), we have the ability (and are in fact commanded) to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect. That is a tall order; however, if the Master commanded it, then we should be striving to achieve just that. We must put our impatience, our wants and desires, our own selfishness aside and wait the extra day for ADONAI to act. He will act at just the right time. I guarantee you that if you take matters into your own hand, the right time for ADONAI to act will be right after you have walked in sin. At that moment, you will see Samuel walk up ready to offer the sacrifice, and you will be crushed by your unbelief.

At the end of verse 14, Samuel tells Saul that his kingdom will not last because he didn't keep what ADONAI commanded. Let this not be true of us.

Taking Life for Granted

2006-08-26T15:38:00.000-07:00

Today was a difficult day for me. My husband left for a 365 day TDY to Iraq and I feel kind of empty. It was weird because we've known this was coming for months now, but it happened so fast and it was so emotional that I was left feeling like I needed more time to prepare.

Now that he is gone though, I feel like I can finally hack the clock and start counting down to his return instead of anxiously awaiting his departure. It's kind of hard for us because we haven't been separated like this for a long time. I've gotten really used to us being together all the time in our assignment in Phoenix. The other thing that makes it more difficult is our son. We have a 10-month old now who doesn't even understand that daddy is gone or why. That is heartbreaking. The good part is that he will not remember that his daddy was gone for so long when he gets older.

I am reminded today of how frequently we take life and the people we love in this life for granted. I am reminded today to thank Adonai for the wonderful blessings of this life: my adoring and tender husband, my beautiful sweet son, my loving and sacrificing parents, my dear brothers and sisters, and on and on. Adonai bless us while we are apart one from another.