Peaceful Searching

As believers we can spend a considerable portion of our life in search of something. If it is a search for a closer relationship with our Father, that is a good thing. It is this search that helps us to better stay on the path He has set before us. if we keep looking into the perfect law of liberty and comparing it to our own lives, we can see where we are in relation to where God wants us to be. When we keep the Sabbath and spend time with God, we can use this time to do this very thing.

Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

God set this day apart from other days. This is a day dedicated to God and our relationship with Him. When we rest, we are to rest in Him on this day. It is this process once a week that helps us stay the course with our God.

Prayer
Father, I praise and exalt You as the Most High God. It is Your kingdom we long for each day. On the Sabbath, we can remember that the day will come when You will rule physically on the earth. Send Your kingdom Father. Give us our needs today, Lord. Send Your abundant provision. We need Your forgiveness and mercy for our failures. Please send Your healing and deliverance. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Stumbling

Last night when I got home from work it was my intent to fast for a few days. The events of the day and early evening overwhelmed me, and the next thing I know I was upset and decided to skip fasting. This is a good example of what can happen when we purpose in our hearts to serve God in a certain way. Fasting or not fasting is not the point really. The point is the determination to do something and then backing away from it. The good news is God still loves us when we make mistakes like this as well. There is a point to our service, and that is the message I believe God is trying to give us.

Isaiah 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.
4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.
9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:
11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

When we focus on the wrong things it is easy to get off track. Our ministry is to God and His people, no to some ordinances for ordinances sake.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. Send Your kingdom to this earth in a mighty way Lord. Let the angels go forth in the earth and minister to Your people. Send us Your provision to us in a way that will cause us to be a sign for good in the earth. Heal and deliver us. Show Yourself to be our Mighty God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Knowing Our Way

God makes it possible for us to know our way. He finds us when we are in need, lifts us up, and carries us through life’s journey. If we struggle along the way, we can know that He will guide and teach us His ways. From this we can find a path to true peace where we are at one with God. What that means exactly I am not sure, but I know Jesus spoke of this in an attempt to get us to understand who He is and who we are meant to be.

John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

God is going about bringing us all together for that great day when He returns to rule and reign in the earth. This Sabbath day, as we reflect on what God is saying to us, we can know that He alone will bring us to the perfect ending.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. We ask that You send us today abundant provision. Let Your kingdom become the kingdom here on earth. Dislodge the pettiness of men. Send us Your healing and deliverance. Let all men know that You alone are God. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Long For The Rest

Today as I think about the Sabbath, I think about that time when our Messiah will rule and reign physically again on this earth. I know that there is a period of time when people will still rebel, but during that time I believe there will be a rest that we do not experience now. Paul speaks of the Sabbath and this rest.

Hebrews 4:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

The word “rest” here in verse 8 is the word “sabaton” in Greek. It is the same word translated everywhere else as “the Sabbath” and refers to the weekly Sabbath of Saturday. Paul is telling us that the Sabbath today, which we are to keep, is a foreshadowing of the Sabbath to come. If we will trust in God, we can enter into His rest, both on the Sabbaths like today, and that future rest when the Messiah returns.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King. Help us to rest. Send today our Provision in abundance. Thank You for teaching us Your ways. Please send Your kingdom. Please come back Jesus. Reign again on earth. Heal us and deliver us. We love You. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

A Day For Reading, A Day For Rest

On a Sabbath day like today, it is good to rest and contemplate God. As I look out the window into my garden, it causes me to think of this world that God has created. For example, I have suspected that first gophers and then rabbits were eating the lettuce from my garden. It upset me because I kept seeing this very large rabbit come up near the house and hop over the low barrier straight into the garden to eat. Last night as I was watering I discovered that there was an entire family living in the one section where there are some weeds! It made me laugh because God had given these creatures a home in my garden. In these moments I think of how God provides for all his creatures through the weaving together of life in His creation. He does that for us, weaving together our thoughts and emotions, when we read scripture, I think.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Here James is encouraging us to look at the scriptures to see what manner of people we are. When we do this, looking at how God has commanded that we live, we see where we fall short. This is the school teacher that brings us to the Messiah. Only through Him can we make up the difference. We are to strive to do all we can, and seek forgiveness and assistance from Jesus. In this way we can be the spotless bride.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are worthy of our praise. Please move on our behalf and give us Your provision for today. We long for Your kingdom in the earth. Help us to do the right things and to follow Your ways. Send us to those that need to hear about You, the need Your healing and Your deliverance. Send us to heal them. Please use us as Your ambassadors. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Hear While You Are Here

As we rest on this Sabbath day I am reminded that God has always been talking to us. He loves us because we are His children. He wants us to know Him and learn of His ways. This has been a constant message to His people.

Deuteronomy 6:1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
2 That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
10 And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,
11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;
12 Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Let us rest and listen, wherever we are at this moment.

Prayer
We exalt You. We want to hear Your voice and do Your will. We love You. Send us Your kingdom. Forgive us our errors. Please give us Your healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Suddenly Blessed

When talking with believers I often find two groups to be very apparent. Not that there are not more, but these tow show up frequently. There is the group that has every thing in life planned – family, finances, dinner – everything, including when it is okay for God to show up. Then there is another large group that struggles to get by day to day. Some of them are really bad off, but many are just struggling. In fact these people see life as something they wake up to wrestle until they fall asleep at night, wondering how long will it last. Interestingly enough I have been in both groups. But there is something that I have learned over the last couple years. We do not have to live in any of these spaces.

Let me try to explain how this can be different. Try to put everything out of your mind. Now imagine that there is a God who actually smiles. Why is He smiling. Because He is Your Father. He just wants to spend times with you as one of His kids because, unlike earthly fathers, He is a perfect Father. He wants to help you, hold you, lift you up when you are cast down, and surprise you with good things when you least expect it. How should we respond? If we believe this is who our God is, then we can respond by taking time everyday to pray and get close to Him. We can think as the day goes by, “What are You doing with this, Dad?” When we take time to do this, we see Him for who He is, the loving Father that takes care of everything.

Luke 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Our Father loves us more than we can imagine. If we just will spend time with Him, we will be suddenly blessed and we will have opportunity to suddenly bless others.

Prayer
Father, we exalt you. We need Your kingdom. We thank You for those moments when You reach out and suddenly bless us. Please forgive us when we doubt You and when we falter. Please raise us up. Help us to be people that can suddenly bless others and not have to focus so much on our needing to be blessed. We don’t want to be always consumed by what we need. We want to have the abundance to bless others as You direct us. Please send us Your healing, Your deliverance, and Your overwhelming overflowing provision today. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Learning To Live

Life is in part about learning, especially about God. We are His people. We are are to follow in His ways. But how do we know these ways? One path is through study of scripture. This studying of scripture includes the Sabbath as a day of learning, praise, worship and fellowship. We are not meant to be alone.

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

And how do we do this? Scriptures give us some direction here as well.

Ephesians 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Let us keep the Sabbath, learning to live.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You, our King. Teach us Your ways and how to follow them. Send us Your kingdom here on earth. Forgive us when we stray from Your ways. Send us today Your healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Life Is Worth Living

We have a very small fish pond in our yard. I would not have guessed growing up that I would ever be in a position to have such a thing. As I was looking at it this morning, I noticed it was getting filled with algae. As I looked more closely, I could see that the filter was almost completely clogged. Being the Sabbath, I was faced with the challenge of having to go to buy a new filter on a day when we should not engage in commerce. It became clear to me that I really needed to do it. In thinking about scripture, I realized that this is actually an example of what Jesus meant.

Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:
10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. His point was life is a choice. The Sabbath was made to support life and man. We were not made to support it. So when it comes to a choice for life, like the life of the fish, we must choose life.

Life is worth the living!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You alone are worthy. Bring us the kingdom on this Sabbath day. Forgive us when we get it messed up. Send us Your deliverance, healing, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Quietness

The rest of the week is filled with many noises and distractions. The Sabbath is a day when we try to keep things more quiet. By that I mean we make a deliberate attempt not to get caught up in any “busy-ness”. I find myself trying to look at the things I see around me on the rest of the days of the week with a thought about God. What is He doing in this? I wonder why He made this this way? These may seem like fairly simple thoughts, but for me that is the point. They get me to look at the world around me as it relates to God. It helps me to get on and stay on track.

Ephesians 6:7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are majestic. Bring Your kingdom to earth and into our lives. Forgive us our misdoings. Send us your healing today. Send us Your provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.