Good Morning Friday...
Father thank You for this NEW day, as You walk with us today keep us focused on Your TRUTHS. Please continue to fill our HEARTS & MINDS with Your PEACE, so there's no room for fear or doubt. In Yeshua’s, Jesus Christ’s, Name we pray. Amen.
Counting of The Omer (Counting The 50 Days or 7 Sabbaths Biblically Until Pentecost/Shavuot (Feast of Weeks): Day 33 Thank you to Brother Will for being the conduit through which Our Father used to inspire this message. I praise God Almighty for My Brothers and Sisters! - An Acronym: B.R.O. - Believe, Repent, Obey. From The Beginning, The Holy Pattern It is a common trap of the enemy that, as our faith grows, he tries to build our pride in what a "good person" we have become. We must Beware! We all know the verse in Peter about the devil walking around "like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour" and we must always be on "the watch." Just as Our Father can take the bad and use it for His Good, also the devil will try to use this good thing, our faith and good deeds, for his nefarious purposes. One of the enemy's favorite sins is pride and he wants nothing more than to tempt us into pride in ourselves, or judgement of others who seemingly "aren't as good as we are." It is a prudent thing for us to remember the words of Our Father written through Paul in Romans 3:20 and 3:23: “Therefore by the deeds of the law (good works) no flesh will be justified in His sight,...” Romans 3:20 NKJV “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23 NKJV As we can see in Our Father’s Word, it doesn't matter how "good" we are, Our Father still sees us the same. In fact, let's take a look at what Our Savior says: “So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.” Luke 18:19 NKJV There you have it... "No one is good"... but God Alone. So what is it that we do? How do we continue to operate in God's Goodness if we aren't good? I believe God's Word answers the questions above. From the beginning, Our Father has given us a message about the pattern we must follow. Remember, Abraham was considered "righteous by faith" and we must have faith in order to operate in God's Goodness. Let's take a look at this pattern Our Father has laid out for us in His Word. Our Father used a close Brother of mine to share this pattern with me and that seed grew. Here is the acronym and the pattern that we must follow as given in The Word. The acronym is BRO (how fitting, right?) 1.) B - Believe - Believe in God Our Father to do Good and Believe in Our King and Savior Yeshua Jesus Christ. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 NKJV 2.) R - Repent - Let go of the pride, lust, wanting, and other things that are not good for you and turn back to God. He Will Do The Work Inside Of You if He sees you turning back to Him. It has always been Him doing the good things in us from the first time we came to Him, so all we need do is "turn back" and let Him Continue His Good Work In us. “and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Matthew 3:2 NKJV “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14 NKJV 3.) O - Obey - Listen to what God is saying to you in His Word, His Commandments, and His Stories on falling and redemption. Put your faith into action. Be kind and generous to others. Most importantly "Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself." “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love The LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40 NKJV Believe, Repent, Obey. From the beginning, The Holy Pattern. In the end our goodness or righteousness doesn't come from us being good, but by God Our Father, and His Son Yeshua, being good enough for all of us. God allowed us a way through Yeshua, Jesus Christ, to be forgiven. This forgiveness, this cleansing, this rejuvenated state of being brought to us through Our Savior and by God Our Father, is the beginning of the process to one day complete “The Good Work Our Father Began in us.” “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:3-8 NKJV Dear God, Abba Yah, Our Father In Heaven, forgive us for the wrong we have done. Help us to stay in Your Grace and not become prideful and judgmental of others in whom we can't see Your Work being done. We know that if it was up to us ourselves... we would be doomed. Thank You Father Almighty for sending Yeshua Your Son for us. Because of Jesus you see us as righteous, You Forgive Us, You Give Us Communion With You, and You help us to walk in that which is right, Your Way. Thank You Father for Yeshua Jesus! We Praise You, We Worship You, We Bless You, and We Love You! It is in Your Son, The King and Savior's Name, Yeshua Jesus Christ we pray. Amen!
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Good Morning Thursday...
Father Thank You for this NEW DAY. Help us to be Your LIGHTs in this dark world. Help us to show the kindness, compassion, mercy, and LOVE that You Have Shown Us Through Your Son YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST. We ask this in His Name, The Name Above All Names, Yeshua, Jesus Christ Our Savior. Amen! - Connecting The Jots - God’s Beloved Is Revealed! Part 20 This devotion is dedicated to The One And Only Yeshua, Jesus Christ, The King. Bless Our Father For His Infinite Wisdom Which Is Manifest In Our Savior. He Is The One Who Connects All The Jots...Period. I heard a saying one day that just amazed me. It was so simple, profound, and "on the mark" that it was absolutely seared into my mind from the time I heard it. It goes something like this: The New Testament Is In The Old Testament Concealed; The Old Testament Is In The New Testament Revealed. What a profound, "spot on" statement made with an amazing, short, succinct sentence! Today, let’s put this “pearl of wisdom” to the test and see how Our Father and Savior...Connect The Jots. Parallel Verses From The Old Concealed and The New Revealed (Mark): 73.) “Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” “What did Moses command you?” he replied. They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied.” Mark 10:2-5 NIV “If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house,” Deuteronomy 24:1 NIV 74.) “But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”” Mark 10:6-9 NKJV “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27 NKJV “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24 NKJV 75.) “So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ ” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth.”” Mark 10:18-20 LEB “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days can be long on the land that Yahweh your God is giving you. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:12-14 LEB 76.) “And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Mark 11:9 ESV “Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!” Psalm 118:25-27 ESV Our Father Is AMAZING. Bless Him, Praise Him, and Let Him Connect The Jots For You! “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Matthew 13:45-51 Good Morning Wednesday...
Father thank You for this NEW DAY. We THANK YOU for continuing YOUR GOOD WORKS yesterday, today, and forevermore. May we continually thank You for Your Salvation YESHUA, JESUS and for being OUR GOD!!! In Yeshua, Jesus Christ Name. Amen! Today... let’s have a little JOY. - An Exercise In Connecting With Our Father: Joy #8 Step 1 - Prayer (Begin With Focus And Openness Towards God) Prayer: Dear Father God, please connect with us here as we seek in Your Word. Help us to show our Faith. Help us to find Your Peace and JOY. Be with us. Thank You. In Yeshua, Jesus's Name we pray. Amen Step 2 - Read Read the Scripture slowly. Be aware of any interesting words, phrases, or sentences. Read over The Scripture a second Time. Read: “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” Romans 12:10-13 “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:11-12 “The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.” Isaiah 9:2-3 “And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”” Matthew 28:7-10 Step 3 - Reflect Reflect on what stands out to you as you read. What is God trying to tell you? Step 4 - Respond Respond to The Word you just read. Talk to Your Father about how you feel. Tell Him what is on your mind. Tell him what is on your heart. As you go through your day today keep your eyes open to what you read, what you uncovered, or what you spoke to God about. You may find Him showing up in places you didn't expect. God Bless Everyone. May The God Of All Good Things Give each and everyone of you PEACE and JOY. Good Morning Tuesday...
Father, thank You for this new day, Your Day. Do a new work in us today Father. You’re brilliant and good, and You love me; so do whatever You’d like. And, whatever it is, I’m in. I’ll trust You more than I trust myself. In Yeshua, Jesus Christ, Name. Amen. A big thank you to Brother Larry Good for today's devotion. Brother Larry is the man who encouraged me to begin sending devotions to others each morning. He has been faithfully sending out devotions each and every morning for many years. God Bless you Brother and all you do. May The Mighty Hand of Our Father be upon you always. - Not A Long Shot: First Pray Often times, we wait until we have tried everything else to deal with a problem or difficult situation before we pray about it. Unfortunately, it is the last resort for many people even after they have given up hope of a successful outcome. God wants us to interact with Him all the time, like He Is a part of our lives every moment. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, "Never stop praying." When we have that mindset, we start our problem solving with prayer; Asking God, Who has the power to make anything right, and solve any problem we might have, first. James 5:16 writes, "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." Prayer is not a long shot, "it can't hurt," last resort. It is a powerful demonstration of our faith in and relationship with God. We need to believe that it will produce results, and it will. Father, thank You for giving us the ability to come to You with our cares and concerns. Help us to keep You in our thoughts throughout our day and bring our needs to You, believing that You will give us what we ask or something better. In Yeshua, Jesus Christ’s Mighty Name we pray. Amen. Good Morning Monday...
Father, Your Commandments are a Lamp to our feet. Help us to live aware, to choose wisely, to stay close to You, and anchored in Your Truth! Thank You for Your Great Love and Mercy. Thank You that You wait for us and You strengthen us. We come to You today, choosing to walk in Your Presence and Light. In Yeshua’s, Jesus Christ’s, Name we pray. Amen. - Our Messiah’s Awakened Brother: James Can you imagine the insight a Brother of Yeshua, Jesus Christ, would have? Growing up near God Himself, Do you think that would be helpful in Life? Think about all the years of Jesus we never hear about. His Brother would have been able to witness all those years. We know by the first time we hear about Our Savior in The Bible He is “wowing” the elders at the Temple, and He was only 12! Let's take a look: “Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:46-49, 52 NKJV We all know that Yeshua, Our King, has a special way of showing His Greatness. How amazing would it have been to see The Young Messiah teaching even the most learned of the people of Israel? Now, we can only imagine that James was able to witness quite a few of these mind blowing moments as they grew up together. While it seems James didn't always follow His Brother Jesus, it also is apparent that he eventually figured out The Truth. When I ponder on these times when Our Savior was growing up, I have to believe maybe we get a picture in the story of Joseph of how Jesus's Brothers may have taken Him at first. Let's take a look: “But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.” Genesis 37:4, 8 NKJV Now, God's Word doesn't tell us that this happened with Jesus, but we do know that Joseph is a picture of The Messiah. We do know that Jesus had special favor with Our Father. We do know that He was amazing even as a 12 year old boy. I would have to think, human nature being what it is, that Jesus's siblings would have seen all these things and been a little jealous, to say the least. We never hear about James in The Gospel. Where was he? We don't know, and that might be something we don't find out until Our Savior Returns and tells us Himself. What we do know though is this; James became a mighty servant of Our Father and that Our Father used James to write some of the most helpful parts of The Bible. While James only wrote 5 chapters, they are packed with Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding. Today as we look at some of the writings of James, take a moment and think about how differently he must have felt after learning The Truth about his Brother. All the years he spent with Our Savior perhaps often not comprehending, and then waking up after The King Was Resurrected. As we see, it was a Powerful and Life-Changing thing that was at work in James. James went on to be not only a leader in Jerusalem and the first century Church, but also was able to give a unique perspective having watched Jesus growing up. Just think of all the things that came back to him from his childhood. The lessons he heard, but did not hear. The miracles he saw, but did not see. Then, "in the twinkling of an eye" he woke up, and all those lessons, parables, words of wisdom, and loving corrections must have came flooding back to him. I can only imagine that this experience was akin to the moment Saul the persecutor turned into Paul The Disciple. When we are dealing with our families on the subject of God's Word, sometimes these conversations are more difficult than we would like. The Word let's us know that Our Father Has Perfect Timing, and many of us have experienced this in our lives. As we move forward on our journey may we realize that although sometimes dealing with those closest to us can be frustrating, God Is At Work. God's Timing is not our timing. Also, at just the right moment, Our Father Will Wake them up. His Timing... Is Perfect. May we all behold The Word as written in The Book of James and know that God is doing something special with our loved ones who see us following His Way. While we may not hear The Gospel or see The Gospel in their lives, sometimes God Is Doing Something Wonderful that we just may not see... yet. Just as we don't read any stories about James in The Gospel, but do eventually see him become a great servant of Our Father, God may be working on our loved ones in The Same Way. May each and everyone of you have a most blessed and Great Yeshua-Filled Week. Behold Israel, here is but a small piece of the Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding from The Book Of James, as written in Our Father's Word: “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20 NKJV “You believe that there is One God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” James 2:19 NKJV “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” James 2:20-26 NKJV “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of The Lord, and He will lift you up.” James 4:6-10 NKJV “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of The Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and The Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from The Truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” James 5:13-20 Good Morning Sunday...
FATHER thank You for this NEW DAY. We ask that you cover us with YOUR MIGHTY HAND. Let us understand YOUR MIGHTY WILL so that we may see YOUR INFINITE GLORY. We ask this in YOUR PERFECT SON YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST's NAME. Amen. - Shocking Kindness: Yeshua’s Way... The Way “The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.” Proverbs 19:22 KJV “What is desired in a man is kindness, And a poor man is better than a liar.” Proverbs 19:22 NKJV There are no shortage of disagreements on The Word of God and what Our Father is really trying to tell us. The first part of today’s opening verse is no different. There are two schools of thought for this verse: 1.) Some believe this verse is directed at “the man” who is truly desiring to bring kindness to others, no matter who they may be And 2.) Some believe this verse is referring to a “rich man” who wants to use his material wealth to bring blessings to others While it should be the testimony of EVERY Christian, in whom The Love of God dwells, to help others with money, especially when they are blessed with more than enough... I lean towards the first interpretation. Why? Well, let’s ask the question: Who is it desiring this kindness in man? While I believe it is the desire of every person to interact with those who are kind, I believe it is Our Father In Heaven whom this desire comes from. Think about our perfect example Yeshua, Jesus Christ, and the “Shocking Kindness” he showed to those in whom society didn’t think worthy of kindness. Was Our Father pleased with His Son Yeshua? You can bet your trousers He was! In fact, as Yeshua tells us, He only did “What He sees The Father Do (John 5:19).” Yet, with more kindness than anyone who has ever walked the face of this earth, Yeshua never gave money as His Blessing, instead He Cured, Opened Eyes, Awoke The Deceased, and Spread Love With Unmeasurable Kindness. While this is what I personally believe, there is application for the second interpretation. Let’s take a look at the second interpretation via the story of Zaccheus: “Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.” So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.” Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:1-10 NKJV Here, in the story of Zaccheaus, we see kindness immediately manifest itself when he came to Our Savior. It clearly states that Zaccheus was rich, and immediately upon coming to Yeshua, he states that anyone he has wronged, he would pay back fourfold (Luke 19:8). Can you imagine how “Shocking” this “Kindness” was to those whom Zaccheus had cheated as a tax collector? Can you imagine someone from the IRS showing up at your door to pay you four times what the government has overcharged you during your lifetime? I think we can all agree... this would be shocking. Though Zaccheus was a “small man,” Our Father and Savior grew his heart to “large man” status, and filled that heart with “Shocking Kindness.” Whose interpretation of Proverbs 19:22 is correct isn’t really the point of today’s devotion. What is the point is this: 1.) Our Father, and Our Lord and Savior Yeshua, Jesus Christ, is highly pleased with kindness to others 2.) Whether rich, poor, middle class, or anywhere in between God Almighty changes our hearts to show the kind of “Shocking Kindness” that Zaccheaus showed to those in whom he had wronged. And just as He spoke of Jesus, when we show this sort of kindness, Our Father in heaven speaks of us as those “in whom He is well pleased.” May we as believers go out of our way to show this world the sort of kindness that is shockingly refreshing. May we be those in whom the world sees Jesus Christ and is amazed by our “Shocking Kindness.” Food For Thought: When was the last time we made the extra effort to right a wrong that we did to someone Prayer: Father God, Almighty Creator of all things, and The One In Whom All Kindness Flows From, help us as Your children to show this world the “Shocking Kindness” that you showed us in Your Son Yeshua, Jesus Christ. Please help us, change our hearts to be filled with Your Goodness, and let us go the extra mile with others. In Your Son and Our Mighty Kings’s Name, Yeshua, Jesus The Christ, we pray. Amen. Extra Fuel For The Soul AKA The Word of El Elyon (The Most High God): “Better a poor person walking in integrity than one who is perverse in his speech and is a fool. Also, a life without knowledge is not good, and he who moves quickly with his feet misses the mark. As for the folly of humankind, its way leads to ruin, and against Yahweh his heart will rage. Wealth adds many friends, but the poor will be left by his friends. A witness of falsehood will not go unpunished, and he who breathes lies will not escape. Many will seek favor before the generous, and everyone is the friend of a man of gifts.” Proverbs 19:1-6 LEB “Many plans are in the heart of a man, but the purpose of Yahweh will be established.” Proverbs 19:21 LEB “Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” John 5:19 NKJV “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17 NKJV “He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.” Psalms 107:20 NKJV “But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.” Matthew 12:15 NKJV “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.” II Peter 1:5-7 NKJV “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, KINDNESS, goodness, faithfulness,” Galatians 5:22 NKJV “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;” Colossians 3:12 NKJV “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 WEB Good Morning Sabbath...
Father thank You for this new day. Your Day. We ask for Your Peaceful Rest. May we abide in You and refill our lamps with oil. As we look at The Words of Your Son, please give us wisdom. We ask this so we may show Your Glory. In Yeshua, Jesus Christ's Name. Amen. -Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, Jesus Christ, The Prince of Peace: He Gives Us Shalom. Shalom is a Hebrew Word that can be used as a greeting or to say goodbye. Shalom can be defined as : completeness, wholeness, or Divine Peace. I really like Divine Peace as the definition. Why Divine Peace you ask? Probably because this is the Peace that Jesus spoke to us. I can hear Yeshua now in His famous words in John 14:27: "Shalom (Divine Peace) I leave with you, My Shalom I give you." We know Yeshua had to possess Divine Peace to deal with not only us, but also to go through what he did for us. We click on the news today and we are accosted with stories of war, unrest, weapons of mass destruction, political turmoil, riots, and every other miserable thing this world wants to push on us. It seems that there is no Shalom, especially in the area of the Middle East, where we see constant unrest. The irony of that is, this is where Our Savior actually spoke about giving "His Peace." While Jesus did tell us these things were coming, wars, rumors of wars, ect, (Matt 24) it seems crazy that this is where the word "Shalom" is spoken more than anywhere in the world, Israel. If we take a look in John 12 we find Yeshua speaking with His Disciples. He tells them He is leaving, but that He Will Send Help. Jesus let us know, He Will Not Leave Us Alone. Who will He Send To Help? The Holy Spirit of course. Isn't it just awesome how Jesus "keeps it real," shows us the True Reality of this world, but doesn't leave us without hope. Our Savior warns His Disciples, and us, of all the coming unrest we will face when He leaves, but He also explains to us that The Holy Spirit will be given as a Helper, Comforter, and Teacher of Truth. When a person is approaching their time to leave this world they usually make a will. A document that puts things in place for the loved ones that will still be here on this earth. The will usually explains what the person leaves, to whom it will be given, and states their "will" about what they want carried out after death. We can clearly see Our Savior setting Himself apart from the world and showing Himself Holy In His Will. The King doesn't will to His Disciples, or us, "things" such as jewels, houses, or money, but instead He Gives Us the one thing the world can't... He gives us Shalom. In order to have any kind of quality of life in this world we need peace. Money, possessions, expensive vacations, cars, more friends, and the such cannot bring us this peace, as I am sure we have all found out. In fact, most of these "things" only bring more headaches. That is why Jesus Gives Us His Shalom, His Divine Peace. It is His To Give and He Gives It Freely and Abundantly. The "Divine" in that Divine Peace is Him. Only He Can Give It and that's why He Holds The Title... Prince of Peace🔥. He Give Us This Divine Peace because He knows we have to live in a chaotic and fallen world on our way to be with Him again. Yeshua, Christ Our King, in His Infinite Wisdom and Good, gave us what we need most in this world. He didn't give "things", but rather He Gives His Disciples and Us the One Thing He Knows We Need The Most... His Divine Peace. The same Peace that He showed, lived with, and operated in while He Walked The Face of This Earth. The world is desperately searching for peace, but the world will not find it unless it turns to Him. As believers, by way of His Will, we have been given rights to this peace..."the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7.)" May we all claim this Divine Peace, this Shalom, today, and help spread it to others in this world, especially those desperately seeking it. Jesus had an infinite amount of good things he could have left us, but to His Disciples, to us, and to anyone willing to Follow Him, He didn't give jewels, possessions, or anything we have to worry about, He Gives Us the opposite, something far better... His Shalom... His Peace! Prayer: Yeshua, Jesus Christ Our King, Thank You for Your Wisdom. Thank You for Your Goodness. Thank You For Giving Us The One Thing You Knew We Would Need More Than Anything In This World, Your Shalom. We Thank You For Your Divine Peace and we ask You to help us show it to others in this fallen world. Thank You For Your Peace, Your Way, Your Life, and Your Truth. Bless Your Holy Name. Please help us to cleanse ourselves, take possession of our inheritance that You Have Willed us, and Shine Your Light Throughout The Entire World. In Your Most Holy Name We Pray. Amen. Good Morning Friday...
Our Father who art in heaven, please take Your Day and use us, Your Humble Servants, for Your Good and Perfect Will. Father give us the Grace and Peace Only found in You and in Your Son Jesus Christ, Our King and Messiah. We ask this in Yeshua, Jesus Christ's Name. Amen. - At The Well: Want To Meet With God?! Yeshua’s, Jesus Christ's, Ministry Was Very Intentional. He Once Stated: “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” John 5:30 We see that Yeshua, Jesus, Was Doing The Will of His Father. He tells us. Pretty simple; So when we see verses like John 4:4 we can know... this had something to do with the "Will of The Father." “But He needed to go through Samaria.” John 4:4 There was a particular woman that Jesus was going to meet. Do you think this woman could have imagined that she was on God's Mind that day? From before she had even woke that morning... Our Savior Was Thinking About her. Nonetheless, this woman could have never imagined the Divine Appointment she would have with The Savior of The World. Is it really any different for us? We are on His Mind. Our Father and Our Savior Desire To Meet With Us Everyday! Isn't this awesome! The Creator of All Things... El Elyon (The Most High God)... wants to meet... us! Fundamentally we have to meet with Him. We are unimaginably important to Him, so don't think it will not happen. The only question is...will we answer His Call? It probably won't be where you thought it would be, say... in a building that is called a church or when you are doing your most enjoyable hobby. Like the woman at the well, Jesus will meet us going about our normal routine, and most likely... it will be a private meeting, just like hers. We can Encounter God Each and Every Day Of Our Lives though. Wherever we are and whatever we are doing, if we only but let Him in and be open, we can meet with God. When we encounter God it can give us unlimited oil and fire. He can give us Holy Fire that propels us to continue living our lives wholeheartedly for Him. An encounter with God ignites us to live as our best selves. We become great Through Him Who Strengthens Us. When we encounter God Almighty it gives us affirmation by reminding us who we are. Specifically, who we are In Him. I know personally that an encounter with God was my pathway to freedom. Freedom from everything that was holding me back and freedom from the things that were holding me down. He Knows Us! He Sees Us! There is not a moment when you are not on His Mind. God Almighty, Yahweh Yeshua Ha'Mashiach, Jesus Christ Our King... Will Never Forget You. When we come to Our Father, Our Father Will Not Reject Us. This Is Truth. The enemy and the world will give you everything they have trying to stop you from having a Divine Appointment, but today, we can confidently go before Him. We only need be transparent, surrendered, and humble. If we do this... we can meet with Our Father, The King, God Almighty Himself Everyday! We can all use some Living Water, right? So... Wanna Meet With God?! Prayer: Father give us the right-thinking and the awareness to meet with You. Help us to see that You Think About Us All The Time. Father Help Those Who Especially Need You Right Now: The sick, the hurting, the depressed, and desperate. Abba help us to meet with You, go out as Your Servants, and pray, help, and encourage the aforementioned. We Love You. We Praise You. And We Thank You For Being Our Amazing Father, God Almighty. In Yeshua, Jesus Christ's Name We Pray. Amen Fuel for the soul: “Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”” John 4:1-10 “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16 “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.” I Peter 2:9-10 Good Morning Thursday...
Father thank You for this NEW day! Help us to see YOU. Help us be WITH You. Help us to walk in Your LIGHT. Help us to experience the Love of Your Son YESHUA, JESUS CHRIST. Bless You Abba. In Yeshua, Jesus Christ Name, AMEN! A big thank you to berean.org and our late Brother, John W. Ritenbaugh, for today’s devotion. This one will make you think! "Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined The Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true." Acts 17:11 - A Berean Breakdown: Solving The Riddle of Ecclesiastes 7 “I have seen everything in my days of vanity: There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness, And there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness. Do not be overly righteous, Nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourself? Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time? It is good that you grasp this, And also not remove your hand from the other; For he who fears God will escape them all. Wisdom strengthens the wise More than ten rulers of the city. For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin. Also do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you. For many times, also, your own heart has known That even you have cursed others.” Ecclesiastes 7:15-22 Ecclesiastes 7:16-22 can help to solve the riddle of verse 15. To begin with, “Do not be overly righteousness” does not warn against aiming for excellence in obedience to God. Rather, it is a further caution not to find fault with God for allowing situations like those in verse 15 to exist, for such circumstances hold vital teaching for those directly involved. Thus, this passage is first an appeal for humility, a caution against arrogant self-righteousness that guides a person to assert that he “knows it all,” that he fully grasps what is going on, and that his judgment is correct. The wisdom Solomon teaches here is that the goodness of the righteous must be accompanied by humility. Without the presence of humility, a person's goodness and righteousness run the risk of producing intellectual and moral pride. This can be learned from the bad experiences of others whose examples are given in Scripture. The Pharisees became involved in such moral pride hundreds of years later. Jesus charged them with hypocrisy. In their self-righteousness, they were calling God into account because they believed His law was not enough. The Pharisees added their self-righteousness to God's written law by means of the spoken or oral law, a set of rules framed by the minds of men through the centuries. What a lack of humility! Their trashing of the written law was not wisdom, as Mark 7:6-9 shows. Blinded by their proud self-righteousness, they could not see that, in their blind attempts to make up for what they perceived as God's deficiencies and the people's failures, they were adding despair to people's lives. Their judgment severely lacked a proper sense of proportion about what God requires. An interesting sidelight is that the Bible shows that most Pharisees appear to have been well off. According to Jesus' judgment, they were far from righteous, so they actually fit the description of prosperous evil people given in Ecclesiastes 7:15. But what the Pharisees were involved in is not the real lesson for a converted person, as the Pharisees were unconverted. Psalm 73:1-17 vividly describes the emotional and spiritual involvement of a person caught in a paradoxical situation. This psalm depicts a righteous man for a time severely misjudging the reality of his situation until God reveals the truth. Any of us could be guilty of the same. The wicked appear to prosper only if we, in our judgment, consider only what appears on the surface. What God reveals to the psalmist is that these people may appear to gain the whole world, but in reality, they are losing something of far greater value. The psalmist grasps this through prayer and meditation, and his emotional and spiritual state return to an even keel through God's revelation. At one point, through a bad attitude toward God fueled by his envy of the worldly, the psalmist appears to have been rapidly sliding into despair and perhaps “right out of the church.” This presents a grave danger in such a paradoxical situation. Assuming the psalmist was a converted man, what would have happened to him if he had not done the right thing and appealed to God, or if he appealed, but God did not respond as quickly as he expected? What if the trial had gone on and on without relief? From the psalmist's own testimony, as he went into the sanctuary, he was at the point that his feet had almost slipped. However, an answer on recognizing the issue appears within the psalm. Despite his envious attitude, the psalmist did not stop praying to God for understanding and relief. God has the answers. When involved in such a scenario, we have in reality only three alternatives: One, we can continue as is, faithfully enduring with much prayer and steadfast submission to God's will. Two, we can give up in despair and leave the church. Three, we can strive all the harder to impress God by becoming super-righteous to attract His attention and receive blessings for our righteousness, relieving the stress. Solomon is addressing the third alternative in these eight verses. Good Morning Wednesday...
Father thank You for this NEW and WONDERFUL day. Thank You for revealing Your MYSTERIES to Your Son, Your Prophets, and us, Your Children. We thank You for ALLOWING us to enhance our WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING as we study Your Word AND GREAT REVELATION. Speak to us TODAY Father. Bless You and Your Holy Name. In Yeshua, Jesus Christ’s Name we pray. Amen! - A Servant’s Wisdom & The Source Part 10 Wisdom: “Study The Bible to be wise; Believe it to be safe; Practice it to be Holy.” - Unknown The Source AKA The Word This Wisdom Came From: “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me.” Psalms 119:97-98 NKJV “Yahweh will protect you from all evil; he will protect your life. Yahweh will protect your going out and your coming in from now until forever.” Psalms 121:7-8 LEB “Keep all My decrees by putting them into practice, for I Am The LORD (YHVH , Yahweh) Who makes you holy.” Leviticus 20:8 NLT ““Look, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as The LORD (YHVH, Yahweh) my God has commanded me, so that you may do them in the land which you are entering to possess. So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as The LORD (YHVH, Yahweh) our God [is to us] whenever we call on Him? Or what great nation has statutes and judgments so righteous (upright, just) as this whole law which I am placing before you today?” Deuteronomy 4:5-8 AMP Prayer: Dear Father God, Thank You for Your Word. Thank you for the wisdom, the protection, and the sanctification that You have poured out to us, Your Children, through Your Word. There is none like Your Word O’ Father, none so faithful, Loving, kind, merciful, and Holy. Help us to have a hunger for Your Word, so we may grow wise. Help us to believe Your Word for our protection and safety. Finally Father, help us to put Your Word into practice, so that You may make us a Holy People. Let us never stop working towards Your Goal. Help us to understand all the ways You want us to prosper as we journey through this temporary life and move towards Your Eternal Life. Without You and Your Word, we have nothing. With You and Your Word, we have everything. Show us Your Ways Father... Show us Your Love. May We Bless You with Our Mouths, May we Glorify You with our thoughts, May we Love You with our actions, and May We Always Rely On Your Constant Faithfulness In Your Word, for We Know You Are True. Thank You Father... for everything. In Our King Yeshua’s Name, Jesus Christ, we pray these things to You Father. Amen! “For The Word of The Lord (YHVH, Yahweh) is right; and all His Work is done in faithfulness.” Psalm 33:4 AMPC “Listen to counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, That you may be wise in the time to come.” Proverbs 19:20 AMP “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:14-17 NIV |
SERVANT OF YESHUA 7
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