Going The Extra Mile

We need to not just do the minimum. WE need to find it within us to do that which delights. Just as in customer service, we need to apply the this delight principle to how we go through life and interact with those around us. Do we smile and greet people as we enter the room? Are people generally happy to see us come into a room or leave the room? How can we make a better impression and impact for the Father? It begins, I would suggest, with ourselves. We need to comfort ourselves.

Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

We need to begin with us, going the extra mile for ourselves.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King! Bless the name Yahuah! Let us be Your lights. Send us now 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 from Your people, and more than that. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Reading Together

It is good when we can gather together as a group of believers and read the scriptures. There is something about hearing them out loud that is such a blessing. The Sabbath is a particularly good time for this. Rest and reflection go hand in hand.

Genesis 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King! Bless the name Yahuah! We will be Your lights to the world, shine through us. Send us now 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. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Preparing For Winter

Scriptures speak of the need for preparation. There is a preparation for winter.

Proverbs 24:27 Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.

Just like there is a preparation for the winter months that we might have food, there is a preparation for the hearts and minds as well.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

There are seasons in our walk with the Father. We need to remember to prepare when we can before the tough times arrive. When we prepare ahead of time, we are far more able to withstand the tough times when they occur.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are King! Bless the name Yahuah! Let Your will reign among us here. Send Your overwhelming abundant provision. Forgive us our sins. Restore unto Your people their hearts and minds. Deliver us from evil. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold the prosperity that has been take or held back in any way, and more than that. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Think Back

We love to think about how our lives are blessed in so many ways. Sometimes it is good to reflect on the days before we were so blessed by our Father. There was a time when He knew us but we did not know Him. As great as it is to have the blessings that we have today from our Father, the greatest of all is the good news of Yahuah. God is on our side. He is so much on our side that He came to Earth as a man and died that we might have a path back to Him forever. That is such a gift, it is difficult to comprehend how He could love us that much. But He does, and I thank Him for that.

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Today, let’s think back and be thankful for such a gift.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let us be filled with the light of Your will that we might shine it forth to others. Send us Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal up our hearts, and deliver us from evil. 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. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Knives Between Our Teeth

When in the fray of battle, as a warrior is trying to be ready to work. it is not uncommon for the hunting knife to be held between the teeth for safe keeping, yet readily available for the battle should we need it to stand our ground. When a member of an old sailing crew would climb the netting, they did the same. In this way the sailor was at the ready to cut the lines and ropes as needed. These are scenes from movies, actually, and I am uncertain if they ever actually happened. But we do see that this readiness for what comes our way is how we are to live our lives, even to the point of being able to tell others.

1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

Let us be prepared at all times.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King! Bless the name Yahuah! Let us be Your light. You alone are our King! Send us now 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 from Your people, and more than that as well. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

What Is The Mortar?

As I was thinking about the concept of edification today, as usual, a brick wall came to mind. But in thinking of that brick wall, I tried to meditate on the vision of it. What showed up for me was – the mortar. True, the bricks are solid, and they are long last, hard as many stones. But without the mortar, a stack of bricks is easily tumbled because they are just that – a stack of individual bricks. Such a stack is somewhat easily tumbled. But add mortar – well now – they become a single solid piece. I thought about this in relation to the walk we have as believers. What is the mortar there?

Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Therefore, let us look to our Father to hold us together, and cry out to Him when we feel there is a strain on the wall.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King! Praise the name Yahuah! Let us be Your light! Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us inwardly, that we might be healed outwardly. Deliver us from evil. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold, and hundreds of hundreds beyond, all that has been taken or held back, such that all men know that You alone have done this. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Arm In Arm

We are here for each other. We are here for our Father. We are here for ourselves. Collectively, we can hold each other up. We are the body of our Messiah.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

If we go arm in arm, we can not only survive, but thrive.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are King! Bless the name Yahuah! Let Your will be with us. Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us and deliver us. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

A Great Father

One thing that all believers can be comforted in is that we have a really great Father! He is always there, always working, even when we forget that He is. He never forgets us. Even when we struggle, He is there to try to help us through the struggle. As I write this I think of the many struggles in my own life and I am comforted to know that no matter how “bad” things might get in life. I will never be alone.

Psalms 121
A Song of degrees.
1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

It is good to remind ourselves of this blessing regularly. God is good, and good to us!

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! We praise the name Yahuah! Reign Your will upon this earth. Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal us Father, from the inside out. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold that which has been taken or held back in any way. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Scriptures Say It Best

There are times when the best thing to say is just a scripture. Today is one of those days for me.

Psalms 95
A Psalm or Song for the sabbath day.
1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High:
2 To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,
3 Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound.
4 For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
5 O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.

It is so good to sing to our Father. Let us sing.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You alone are our King! Bless the name Yahuah! Let Your will permeate this Earth. Send us now Your overwhelming provision. Forgive us our sins. Heal our hearts and minds. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold all that has been taken or by any means held back from Your people such that their sudden prosperity is recorded in history. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.

Marching On

We face today some of those same challenges faced by the nation of Israel many years ago. There was a time during when the people were ruled over in what some would call an oppressive manner. Actually, there were several times this was true, according to scripture.

Nehemiah 9:36 Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it:
37 And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.

Our challenge can be as simple as realizing we have made mistakes, asking for forgiveness, and doing all we can to move toward our Father’s way of life, His commandments and statutes for living.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You. You are our King! Praise the name Yahuah! Lord, let us be Your light in this dark place. Illuminate us that we might illuminate others. Send us Your overwhelming provision now such that it overflows to those around us. Forgive us our sins. Heal our hearts, and create clean ones in us. Deliver us from evil. Restore unto Your people one hundred times one hundred times one hundredfold that which has been taken or held back. We ask all these things in the name of our Messiah Yeshuah (Jesus). Amen.