Another Day

Often when we think of building, we think of houses, buildings, and the like. But just now as I thought about all of my life, I realized that each day builds upon another. In essence, our very lives, our very being, is an example of the building of time, over some distinct period of time. What puzzles me is that we do not measure time like the scriptures suggest. If that is true, then our measure of time presents a picture of us that is not quite correct. Here is what the scriptures say about the measurement of time.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

So, here is the message today. Let’s look to our Father for the truth about life and where we are heading in life.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let us be Your lights here, and cover for our inadequacies that all men might see Your truth. Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal our hearts and minds. Restore to Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all that has been taken or held back in any way from Your people, and the more besides. Rise up, O King, in Your mercy to Your people, and deliver every one of us. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Scattered Stones

When we are living out our lives, trying to make a difference for ourselves and others, there can be situations we come upon that seem particularly challenging. For many, there have been (and likely will be again) scenarios where we scratch our heads and ask ourselves, “Where do we begin? As I thought about this looking out out my window into a low-light wintry morning, I imagined coming upon an open area, like a beach or a field, where there were stones of various sizes, shapes and colors scattered all around. Was something here before that fell apart? Did someone gather all of these stones for a project they abandoned? Or could this be just a rich environment for building, full of the natural resources needed? As I looked at this image, I realize I had had this vision as I awoke earlier. When I asked our Father what this was, His answer was simple. “Build something,” was the clear message Yahuah (Lord) said to me. And it is His message to us all.

1 Peter 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Peter called us the living stones that are being built into the spiritual house (temple) where the Father wants to manifest His presence. Jude also encourages us to build.

Jude 1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Today, let us build something from the living stones.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let the light of Your commandments bring Your will to the earth, as it is in the heavens. Send us now and throughout the remainder of the day Your overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us our transgressions of the Law (sin), and we forgive those that transgress the Law (sin) against us. We need Your cleansing and healing of our hearts and minds. We have been scattered. Gather us again, and helps us to build ourselves and one another up again. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all that has been taken or held back in any way. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

New Day, New Opportunity

Every day is a new opportunity for each of us in God’s kingdom. It is a chance to build anew that which has been needed. We see this pattern repeatedly in scripture. The pattern is one of repairing what once was or building anew. This is not an attempt to say that such an undertaking is easy. But, when we find ourselves desiring to move forward with our relationship with our Father, we can build on what we have seen in the past from others gone before us. The story of rebuilding the walls in the time of Nehemiah is one of these.

Nehemiah 4:17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.
18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me.
19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.

We have the opportunity today to rebuild what once was, and to also build anew. Let us take that opportuity for our Father to do His work, and become what He has intended.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! You are worthy of all praise. In Your mercy, let us be Your lights in this earth. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Cleanse our hearts and minds. Heal us, inside and outside. Restore unto Your people, my King, one hundred times one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all that has been taken or held back in any way from Your people that all men might know that You alone have done this, that You alone are God. All people, Father, let all people know. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Remodeling

As I watched the snow falling today, I looked around a couple of the rooms of my home. We have been in the remodeling process for some time now. I realized that in some ways, this is much like life. We are engaged in a process of changing what is in us to the “new” man. When we are born again, we are renewed or made new. However, there is a life time process ahead of us of changing things about us. It is the process of walking our that salvation.

Philippians 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

It is a building process, a process of remodeling. We need to avoid the frustration we might feel of not changing fast enough. It is good to not be satisfied with continuing in transgression of the law (sin). However, it is even better if we put off the self condemnation and press on toward the hearing and the doing.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let us shine as Your lights in this earth. Send us today Your overwhelming provision. Forgive our sins. Heal up our broken hearts and minds. Make us whole. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all that has been taken or held back in any way from Your people, and more besides. Let the nations gaze upon Your grace and mercy in magnifying Your people’s possessions and lands. Rise up, my King, and move mightily today on my behalf, and on behalf of my brothers and sisters. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Building Change

Today in prayer I was asking our Father about how to be more like Him. To embark down that road requires a person to be willing to look themselves squarely in the mirror and acknowledge their own faults. That can be tough, or at least it is for me. But as I thought about that issue, it seemed to me that perhaps that is a big part of our existence and purpose. We are to try to change for good, always seeking to make course corrections that get us back to our Father and His ways. We have to facilitate in ourselves the building of change. Mostly it is about choice, or choosing, I believe. In the face of even sin, if we will lift up our voice and proclaim the Father and His ways, He will deliver us from the present evil. This is in part what Yahuah (Lord) meant when He spoke to Joshua.

Joshua 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

We need to listen to what the scriptures tell us about how our Father chooses to work in the earth. Then we will be prosperous and have good success.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let us shine for You before men. Send us today Your overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us our sins. Restore unto Your people our health, for we are weak indeed. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all that has been taken or held back in any way, and the more besides. Make it greater than in the days of the Exodus. Rise up, my King, and show Yourself strong on our behalf. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Clicks And Mortar

In today’s Information Age, we are in a different time from days past. Often people read the scriptures from the glow of an electronic device, daytime or nighttime. Before their was the tactile nature of the paper page, the hard pew seat, and the shaking of a neighbors hand. Now sometimes people opt for watching it all on an electronic display. My point in writing this is for us to remember it is about building ourselves and others up. We formerly did this in buildings, and sometimes in homes. We can still do this using electronic devices in homes, and in buildings, but there are key components that are required. Most important perhaps is the very words that come out of our mouth.

Matthew 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

We see that our Messiah wants us to speak good things. This same message is repeated over and over again in scripture. We need to say the good things of the scriptures as often as we can, out loud, both in speech and song. Where we read them from, paper or electronic bits, is not the point. The point is what comes out of our mouths is what we hear.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let us reflect You and Your works here on this earth. Send us today Your overwhelming abundant provision such that we cannot contain it. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts and minds. Deliver us from the evil that causes us to err. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all that has been taken, held back, or restrained in any way from Your people, and more besides. Rise up, O King, and show Yourself as our Defender and Provider, striking down the wicked but leaving them alive. You have stored up the wealth of the wicked to give to Your people time and again. Do so again this day, O King, that all men might know that You alone are God and King over all the earth. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Plug And Play

Today as I was thinking about the way we build things in our spiritual life, it occurred to me there are similarities to how we build our technology. With technology, we try to make all things compatible with the various operating systems of the day. In that way we can create various configurations to meet a specific purpose. We know the purpose, so we try to build the right configuration in the correct sequence. We call it Plug-and-Play in the technological world, and we can use that approach in our walk with the Father. We have to have an idea of what we are building toward.

Joshua 24:15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

It appears that we are moving toward our households serving Yahuah (Lord). There are many good blessings/results when we do that.

Joshua 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

It appears that the pieces are our Father’s commandments, His way of being. So, we need to know how to put them together.

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Finally, we need to know at least some of the sequence, at least the beginning of the sequence.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

So, there is a method of Plug-and-Play for our walk. Look to what we want to build, speak the scriptures, start with the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Our Father will continue to make the rest come to pass for us.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! We love You. Let us be Your light in a dark world. Send us now Your overwhelmingly abundant provision. Forgive us our sins, just as we forgive those that have done wrong by us. Heal up our hearts and minds. Deliver us from the evil that is here and impending. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold that which has been taken or held back in any way from Your people, and much more besides, greater than in the days of the Exodus. We ask all of these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Building Takes Communication

Recently a friend told me of a situation where he works with someone and is having difficulties. As he relayed the situation to me, one thing seemed clear. There is a problem with their communications. Perhaps a bigger issue is what is happening in the mean time. Whether there is good or bad communication, there is always some form of building going on. It might be the destruction, or partial destruction, of something built together, replaced by walls. When this happens, it is sad. One of the reasons it is sad is the restoring of the old relationships can take even more time.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

Let’s keep communications open and honest. Let’s keep communication going, that we might build that which is good.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let us be Your lights here. Send us Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal our hearts and minds. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold that which has been taken or held back in any way, and more besides.

What Are We Building?

For some time I have been pondering this question. What exactly are we building from our thoughts, words, and actions? Equally important, or possibly more important, what should we be building? The more I consider the first couple chapters of Genesis, and the more I consider the Gospels, they seem to be telling the same story. Growing up I was taught that the God of the “Old Testament” was cruel and that only His Son, Jesus (Yeshuah) was full of mercy and grace. With a careful examination of the scriptures however, that is shown to be untrue. There was always a path to mercy and truth, and even the concept of grace was first introduced in the Old Testament.

Genesis 6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

So it would seem that Yeshuah (Jesus) just came to say and do what the Father had been saying and doing all along, and people rejected it.

John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

There is more, but for now I would encourage everyone that reads this to consider the possible implications of the idea that the beginning of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament are actually the same.

If so, what are we building, and what should we be building?

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let us be those that bring the glad tidings of good news, those that publish peace here on this earth. Send us now, at this moment in time, Your overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us our sins, and help us to forgive those that have sinned against us. Heal up and cleanse our hearts and minds. Deliver us from the evil around us. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all that has been taken or in any way restricted from Your people, and more besides. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Better Together Than Alone

We are stronger as a group than we are as individuals. This is true in all parts of life, especially trying to build something. How many people could quickly build a building alone. Yet, I have seen a group of men put up an entire barn in a single day. Scriptures speak of this as well.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

So let us work together. We can build together better than alone.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King! Praise and bless the name Yahuah! Let us bring Your light to the Earth. Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts and minds. Deliver us from the evil around us. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all that has been taken or held back in any way, and more besides. We ask all these things in the name of our Mesiiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.