Side by Side Hand in Hand

Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:28-31

We hear this a lot. Maybe we even SAY it a lot.

“IF You are real, God.”

”IF You love me, God.”

”IF it is YOUR will, God.”

And… like Peter… “IF IT IS YOU”…

Who else did Peter think it might be walking on the water?

I think, like all of us, Peter was just a little concerned it might have been his imagination. What if this Jesus Thing is all in my head? What if I made it up as my own crutch to get through life? Lots of people think I’m (and have called me) crazy!

What if…

I REALLY NEED to know the truth! “Lord, if it is You,_______________________.  I dare you, fill in the blank with the fleece you will use to PROVE your faith is well placed… cause we don’t want to waste our time and belief on “false” promises.

Please note, I said, “prove your faith is well placed”, as if your faith is not in question, but only in who or what it is placed in.

As with all things mankind (Adam & Eve natured people), everything hinges on ME! We want to think that we believe, therefore it is true. And so, our faith is deemed the tool of judgement. The (proof or condemnation) of truth and righteousness. We want to wear well, the mantle of “God Maker” we’ve been gifted with when we become His disciples.

Though Peter would vehemently deny he had his doubts (three times before the cock crowed) about Jesus, most of us would give him (Peter) shade due to the critical nature of knowing and serving and sometimes dying for the core of your life – your heart. There’s all kind of excuses for our careful testing of all things holy.

Peter was an excellent fleece thrower… IF – COMMAND me to COME TO YOU on the water.

Peter was an excellent believer… Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

But Peter, like us, walked on the water UNTIL his faith got scared by his belief… seeing the wind, he became frightened.

Peter’s Faux Faith (his beliefs backed by his stamp of thoroughly tested proof ) wasn’t going to save him… and beginning to sink, he cried out.

FINALLY! Foolishness met FAITH, face to face!

“Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

This is faith! Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  Hebrews 11:1

Faith is not answering the question, “Is it You (God) or Is it Me?”

It is ALL God… EVERY TIME!!

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 seek Him.  Hebrews 11:6

Let us get over our bad selves… We stand on God’s shoulders NOT carry God on ours! Let’s quit thinking we are the “heroes” for being His lawyers on earth. Check out the book of Hebrews… “By faith ________________________” These are some of the REAL heroes of FAITH… they acted because they believed God, because He IS God. And each one who acted in FAITH found intimacy with God, NOT religion.

With all our technology, professors of theology, independent thinking, global churches on every wireless wire, one would think we KNOW more than our ancestors and therefor would have greater intimacy than all those mentioned in Hebrews. In fact, we even have THEIR stories, written by God, in His Word, contained in His heart! One would think, we would be running – we would be breathless pounding on His heavenly gates – we would be CRYING OUT like Peter, for we have become aware we are beginning to sink.

“Lord, save me!”

There seems to be one question that keeps us from entering into intimacy and leaves us only with “religion”.

Is it You (God) or Is it Me?

Let me respectfully answer that for you…

It is ALWAYS God – NEVER you!

“ For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds , And I will write them on their hearts . And I will be their God , And they shall be My people . “ And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen, And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord ,’ For all will know Me , From the least to the greatest of them . “ For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And I will remember their sins no more.  Hebrews 8:10-12

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

John 3:3  Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

My husband and I looked around our house and realized, though we had room for everything we had, we had TOO MUCH STUFF! At this time of our life, we want to be free to go play. But with a house big enough to fill with stuff and the stuff that has it’s own needs, there is always chores to do…and… Mother always said, “No fun UNTIL your chores are done!” At 68 and 70 we’re not going to start disobeying our mother!

So, for these last several months, he and I have pondered the best way to eliminate chore time and gain way more playtime.

I chose downsizing and in my opinion the best way to do that is FORCED PURGING. My preferred solution, why of course, a smaller house! Starting over seemed to me the spoonful of sugar to help the purging medicine (worst tasting stuff ever!) go down (and stay down).

My husband, because he has the gift of patience and perseverance, chose decluttering. I didn’t disagree with the principle, I just couldn’t agree on what is or isn’t clutter!

So, until we can agree, we begin. Each of us will downsize and/or declutter our own stuff until the only thing left is stuff that we both have a shared value in (i.e. opinion of and attachment to). We have to start somewhere because as our mothers also taught us, “Nothing gets done if you don’t start!”

As I was preparing the first blog of 2020 (can you believe it??), the Holy Spirit reminded me that this same process MUST happen when God moves into the house called Mary.

The order is somewhat different and there is no question Who chooses what goes, what stays, and maybe even a few things that just need tweaking.

Don and I have always tried to make the place (house) we were living in our home. No matter where, what, or how big or small, we made our space handle the love for each other and our family, even when it wasn’t always the prettiest house on the block.

When I came to Jesus, I thought “faith” was the same thing. You do the best you can with what you have. I came just as I am, and fully believed I would always be just as I am. My vision was that God would move in and be content to share my space.

I was blind! And I would remain blind until I was born again… unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus Mary *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  John 3:5-6 There is no “my” space in the kingdom of God, only God’s!  Starting over isn’t just an option in God’s home, it is the mandatory first step!

We make a huge mistake when we believe and lead others to believe that WE “let” God into our lives, but WE still “own” the decorating rights to OUR space. We set ourselves and others up for a wrestling match we aren’t aware WILL HAPPEN and the agony of defeat when we must wave the white flag of surrender.  The good news… the upside of defeat is WE LIVE, unlike what will happen eventually to the flesh we care so much about.

We should take very serious, our role in being “born-again”. For ourselves and others, we should seek (or become) the OBGYNs to our soon to be newborn siblings, the doctors disciples of Jesus. Those, governed and led by the Holy Spirit who will, those who are gifted in the nutritional value of the Word of God Those who know from experience the warnings and danger of neglecting to intimately know the Truth, the Way and the Life (or Yeshua as He was named at His birth). And those who may be given the opportunity to witness and assist in your birth – that event, when you downsize all of you, and welcome all of Jesus.

For while we were still helpless, (as helpless as a newborn babe) at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.  Romans 5:6,8-11

For some, there is no need for God (if He exists) to require starting over. Like I was, they are blind to the reality of the sin at the core of our flesh. We can’t imagine that it (sin), is so evil that it makes the whole, ineligible to be in the presence of perfect holiness (God).

Sin cannot be downsized to a “little” misdemeanor, nor can it be decluttered so you only see the good stuff. Sin isn’t just for your worst enemy, it is you, me, everyone and anyone who turns away from Perfect Holiness – God.

as it is written, “ There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God ; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good , There is not even one .”  Romans 3:10-12 We are born with it in our flesh! Destined for the trash heap of hell if we aren’t saved from it (the wages of sin is death).

But God… so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  John 3:16-17 

By faith… which is both belief in and confession of God as your all in all… no other strange gods before Him.

By faith… Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  1 John 4:1

By faith… Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.  1 John 5:1  Born again!

In the Kingdom of God it is the ONLY WAY to go. Once accomplished you will have God Himself to train you up and prepare you for eternity with Him and all the saints. For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.  Philippians 2:13 

If you are born again, I have just one more thing to say to you. “WELCOME HOME!” (Don’t worry, we won’t ask you to help with our downsizing/decluttering, and starting over is off the table!)

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

[Hanukkah, (Hebrew: “Dedication”) also spelled Ḥanukka, Chanukah, or Chanukkah, also called Feast of Dedication, Festival of Lights, or Feast of the Maccabees, Jewish festival that begins on Kislev 25 (in December, according to the Gregorian calendar) and is celebrated for eight days. (From Britannica.com)] This year, the Festival of Lights begins on December 22.

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8:12

But… but… but… this is Christmas!

As I’m wearing myself out preparing Christmas (which to be truthful has very little to do with celebrating Jesus), the Holy Spirit decided I should first LIGHT MY LAMP!

Oh dear… I have less than a little knowledge of Hanukkah!

But, not to fear… He (the Holy Spirit) had no problem providing the holy oil to miraculously light the temple menorah, for not 1… not 2…not 3… but for the necessary 8 days the Maccabees needed for the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. I am absolutely/positively sure He can and will provide for the lighting of MY LAMP for the continual rededication of MY LIFE for His home in MY HEART.

Neither, the birth of Jesus nor Hanukkah, is mandated in Scripture as an annual required celebration. However, as I was told today by the Holy Spirit, ”It helps your heart” – My home – to Observe & Remember all that God has done/is doing/will be doing, and to understand that He expects you to represent Him as a member of His family!

WHOA!!

Hanukkah is a matter of a historical event. In a three year struggle against the those who would defeat and destroy the Jews and all that is and was Jewish, in 165 BCE, the enemy was defeated and the desecrated temple was restored. Hanukkah is about the cleansing and rededication, a feast that could not have been accomplished without the miraculous intervention of God.

Christmas is about the virgin birth of our Savior. More than any other victory in all of the Scripture, this is the GREATEST beginning of the GREATEST event planned and accomplished by our GREATEST God! There are disagreements in the “real time” birth of Christ (highly likely, it would not be in the winter with all the pretty snow and treacherous travel!), however, does it really matter IF we are celebrating God, as we Observe and Remember WHAT HE HAS DONE in order for each of us to represent Him?!!?

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “ Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”  Luke 2:13-14

Are we singing in the chorus? Let It Shine!

Hanukkah is 8 days of lighting (with the servant candle) the menorah of our hearts. Yes, it is in memory of the miracle of having enough oil (the RiGHTeous OIL) when all they had at the time was less than enough fulfill the necessary days of rededication.

Is it any less miraculous that 1. We ARE the temple…

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  1 Corinthians 6:19 

Is it any less miraculous that 2. We HAVE the lamp…

Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.  Psalm 119:105 

Is is any less miraculous that 3. With the enemy we have, our earthly temple remains cleansed. If rededication needs to take place it is strictly on our part, not on God’s…

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.“ John 14:1-3

Both Hanukkah and Christmas are equally a wondrous opportunity for each of us to Observe & Remember what God has/is/will always do for us, His children, so that we may Let our light shine before men in such a way that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father who is in heaven.

Whether we celebrate the one or the other… or both… let us sing with the multitude of the heavenly host…

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

Let It Shine, people!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

 

Psalm 139:15-16 My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.

For most of us, we see our days only after the living of them, in hindsight. For a few of the more evolved in the sanctification of their days, they see their days as they are living them. For a rare few, there is the gift of future, prophetic sight (which I don’t wish for as I think it would scare the living daylight out of me!)

Though I do wish to be more PRESENT in the days of my life. I am in the “After All is Said and Done” view of my personal “Everyday Stuff”. In other words I wait for the recap, analysis, and my promise to do better next time. The problem with this form of living is that LIFE DOESN’T STOP and wait for a better lifestyle.

Life doesn’t stop!! And guess what… we are not in control of who, when, where, what, why, and how.

Until our last breath (Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.  Genesis 2:7) we are along for the ride, in the vehicle God skillfully wrought… JUST FOR YOU!… and HIM!

We spend a great deal of our time trying to figure out the meaning/purpose of our lives.

I’m learning that, God loved His vision of each one of us that He could do nothing less than satisfy His love by breathing His breath into each of us… so that (meaning/purpose) He could love us to infinity and beyond!

But what if, you don’t believe in God!? I for one am glad that your belief doesn’t create nor eliminate God. Therefore His meaning/purpose for you does not change. In fact, your birth, life, death and everything in between, is PROOF that God is, was and forever will be, whether you wish to believe it or not. What you believe about God only makes for the quality of your relationship with the “other” passenger in your vehicle.

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.  Psalm 139:7-12 

Because God honors love as the greatest of all gifts (But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. Corinthians 13:13), He also wanted it to be freely given without condition so He gave man the greatest gift of all… His own image. 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:26-27

You can ignore the image your vehicle of life bears, but if you truly want to know your ultimate mission and purpose and all the details thus included, wouldn’t it be wise to get it from the Owner who created your vehicle and wrote in your book, all your very days, when as yet there was not one of them? He’s seen it all!!!!

We traveled to our brother’s memorial service last week. He was 77 years old. From all the pictures and details and friend’s remembrances, he lived a FULL life! He did not know the word stranger. He enjoyed good friends, good food, good wine, and good fun. The last few years, his life vehicle experienced some major traumatic issues that would challenge most of us to keep our foot on the gas rather than pull over and give up driving forever.  Al didn’t, he kept right on moving even if it wasn’t full speed ahead. He was definitely one of those that answered, “Present”, when the day called his name.

I don’t know his personal relationship with our Creator, I do believe he met Him that evening on a ship in international waters, heading to Aruba, when the final day that was ordained for Al, came to be. I also believe Al knew his Creator and I believe he was welcomed home, fulfilling God’s purpose for his life – an eternity of loving Al to infinity and beyond.

Before this week I would not have labeled any of this as “Everyday Stuff”. I would have anxiously been trying to understand all the SERIOUS details and analyzing the meaning of each and every one.  And I would have missed the Presence in each and every moment of this last week… the answer to the mission and purpose of each and every life – my own included.

Of all the times and places and events of Al’s life, the greatest of these has been God’s love for Al.

“Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.” Isaiah 49:16

If God does this for us, and we are created in His image, isn’t it only right that we love Him right back?!!

O Lord, You have searched me and known me . You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it. Psalm 139:1-6 

If this is “Everyday Stuff… Life, Death and Everything in Between” to God, then let it become “Everyday Stuff… Life, Death and Everything in Between” to us!

Let us search and know God, let us know when He sits and when He stands, let us understand His thoughts from afar, let us scrutinize His path and His Sabbath rest, let us be intimately acquainted with all His ways. Let us enclose God behind and before and lay our hands upon Him.

Yes, it is too high, we cannot attain it… yet. But we can begin and grow in the life we share our vehicle with – the One who blows the breath of life in us.

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

We are a people who have a double sided mind.

When it comes to ‘getting’, “NEVER ENOUGH!” is our mantra.

When it comes to ‘giving’, the word NEVER is rarely partnered with ENOUGH. “MORE THAN ENOUGH!” is the usual judgement call.

Does that make you uncomfortable? Does it make you realize your HUMAN nature is always hiding. It’s always making vegan clothes to cover it’s nakedness.

Take Thanksgiving for example… one day a year – set aside to be publicly grateful for all those people, places, and things, we are suppose to be grateful for. Most people would say that one day is MORE THAN ENOUGH for this activity as everyone SHOULD know your feelings for them without having to announce it “all the time”!

Excuse the victim shaming but I just don’t have time for you today! I have healthy, happy, wise things to do… When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.  Genesis 3:6

It sure is tasty and does indeed feel wonderful… for a minute! Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. Genesis 3:7

Oops!

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “ Where are you?” He said, “ I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
Genesis 3:8-10

We still hide! Ready or not here I come!

I think it looks a little different in today’s world (a little more “figgy clothes”) but it is the same game of hide and seek.  We are still seeking NEVER ENOUGH and covering our nakedness – we had it all and then we found out there was “another way”. The way of removing God from our daily lives or at least limiting His control over us… the COUP of ALL COUPS… replace God. Of course we believe it is I who is, was, and always will be god. Unfortunately for us, Satan is determined it is him!

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12 

We blame God (the serpent You created, deceived me… the woman You gave me) for taking away our happiness and fear that He will never give it back. When, in fact, it is the war of evil versus God’s Creation.  Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone (it’s you!) to devour.  1 Peter 5:8 

God, the God of Israel, the same God who created all of creation, the God who sent His only Son, the God who became flesh and dwelt among us… THE ONE TRUE GOD… has only one side. He and His Kingdom is ALWAYS ENOUGH. Whereas we worship our moments of happy, healthy and wise, God desires for us to return to His Eternity – His Kingdom of Love. And not only that, He is preparing each and every one of us to return, for He does not wish that any would perish. 

And this is God’s preparation… Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Because… it is so much more than never enough… it is ABUNDANT LIFE.

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”  1 Corinthians 2:9

What do we have to do to “get it”?

• We have to hear the sound of God walking in the garden and stop   hiding.
• We have to open our eyes to the difference between good and evil (spoiler alert: it’s love… UNCONDITIONAL LOVE!)
• We have to acknowledge our game of hiding from God and seeking our own fig leafs.
• We have to put our double sided selves of NEVER ENOUGH and MORE THAN ENOUGH on the altar and desire to become a child of our ALWAYS ENOUGH God!

May we never withhold even a small piece of ourselves…

This Thanksgiving… and Christmas too… and all year through… let us rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; because… it is God who is at work in us, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

God’s enough is… ENOUGH! ALWAYS!!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

Forgetting the dance I’ve learned in life and Reaching to dance with Jesus like never before…  forgetting and reaching, forgetting and reaching.

If I don’t FORGET, I simply pick up where I left off with the song in my head, and wonder why my dance life doesn’t really change.

We all try to change our ways but it is no different than changing the route on your GPS, it’s the SAME destination, just different roads. Our destination remains the same no matter the route we CHOOSE to go.

We believe God does the same thing. When He “catches us” in sin, He simply calls us out and sends us on His detour. But God doesn’t just detour us around sin. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.  Psalm 103:12 He removes the road entirely! There is no destination called Fixing your Sin Problem if Jesus paid your debt and destroyed the bill. (“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. John 3:16-17)

We too must REMOVE our bumpy roads and detours around our sin(s) and take the only road to God’s destination.

We must realize that “sin” is NOT on God’s radar. He’s NOT focused on sin at all since Jesus said, “It is finished!” He’s not setting a virtual sin trap on our way to Him in order make us pay a fine or sit in jail until we do.

What is He focused on? What are we to “reach for”? What goal – destination should we program into our hearts and minds in order to follow God’s Positioning System, which is His Word (Who became flesh and dwelt among us).

God’s GPS is The prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus… the  upward call of God found fully in Christ Jesus!  (these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.  John 17:13)

Do you hear what I hear? The beat of the music  – forgetting, reaching – dancing the Two Step! FORGET your moves, REACH for and let JESUS LEAD!

Talk about dancing with THE STAR!  Do you hear the music Jesus hears?

An upward call…  lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  John 17:1-3 

The prize for dancing…

The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. John 17:22-24

We worry so much about judging the dancing of ourselves and others, that sometimes we fail (haven’t laid hold of it yet) to head toward God’s goal for us… dancing with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… eternally.

Having taken care of the problem that kept them from dancing with us (sin), They are ready (right here, right now) to take us in their arms and dance to the music of the heavenly choir.

Shall we dance?

Forgetting what a terrible dancer we used to be, let us reach forward to step into the arms of our Eternal Dance Partner. Let us press forward in learning to dance His dance… the Dance of Love!

The perfect Two Step!

We love, because He first loved us.(1 John 4:19) 

Forget what lies behind and reach for your Dance Partner… ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-40 

Let’s dance!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Genesis 22:1-2 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “ Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”

Last Wednesday, I audaciously alerted y’all to my daughter, Nicole Bat Donald’s, Bat Mitzvah. It was just plain amazing! (You can watch it for yourself on Facebook – Beth El Shalom, Houston, TX – on Saturday 11/16/19… you can also see it on the community’s website – bethelshalom.org – on or after Saturday 11/16/19) From an unbiased Mama, she did AWESOME! The whole service was impressive, as it usually is, but for those of us who are not trained in synagogue ways, it sometimes takes someone, baby stepping us through, for us to get the “AH HAH!” moments most synagogue insiders take for granted.

I was tempted to plagiarize her entire sermon this morning (would it really be plagiarism if she gave me permission?), but I decided to just take the AH HAH! moment I personally had on Saturday and use only those parts where she does a better job than me (which of course is most of it!).

Nicole’s portion was from Genesis 18:1 through 22:19. Four chapters that center around Abraham’s journey. A journey that started with his calling in Chapter 12:1-3 Now the Lord said to Abram, “ Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

I have always separated myself and those who grew up under the New Testament, from the Old Testament and the Jewish lives recorded there, thinking that “those people” were so much different back in the OLD days. Thinking that God was different then too.

What have I to do with Jews? And what have Jews to do with me?

Only the SAME God!

God said to Moses, “ I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘ I AM has sent me to you.’” God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘ The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. Exodus 3:14-15

Having Nicole called out (like Abraham) from the cocoon of our modern Christian church and planted in Judaism – Messianic Judaism to be exact, we have both been called by God to the land which He shows us. The Land of Moriah, translated, The Lord is my teacher! And called to the same mountain upon which Abraham takes the test given by God… the mountain Abraham names, “Adonai Yireh,—as it is said today, “On the mountain, Adonai will provide.” Genesis 22:14 TLV

The place, as Nicole pointed out, that usually follows our response of “Here I am!”, meaning “I am all in Lord, take me where you want me to go.” Even if it is a place that demands my complete faith and trust in the One leading us there.

Maybe this is exactly why I separated myself from The Old Testament… maybe this is exactly why so many of us do and the churches encourage the same. We’d like to think that Jesus did ALL OF THE hard work! That we would no longer be tested like Abraham and the majority of our descendants were. There would be no testing for us… no altars to sacrifice our beloveds on!

And then we find out it’s not that easy peasy!

Abraham’s call, instructions, journey, destination, test, and provision is the same as ours. We are not different – we are joined!

Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. Ephesians 2:12-16

Even more thrilling… God has not changed either! Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-19 

Nicole pointed out, our answers to God’s call in our lives, answers of “I am here” and “Here I am”,  are similar if not the same as Abraham’s. Just as our forefathers did, sometimes we simply acknowledge where God has us (I am here) and sometimes we run to Him for His GPS map to the Land of Moriah – the place of The Lord is my Teacher. HERE I AM!!!!!!!! And just as with our forefathers, ALL of our moments/events are planned and used by God to get us to the mountain called, The Lord Will Provide.

While there are no longer blood sacrifices for salvation, there is one sacrifice that Jesus WILL NOT do for us.

The sacrifice of ourselves.

The giving of ourselves to God on the altar of our own desires for self gratification. As hard as taking Isaac to the altar, preparing him as a burnt sacrifice, knowing he is your only son who had been promised by covenant, the calling on each of our lives requires the same faith as Abraham on the journey to the land of Moriah… Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself a lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” The two of them walked on together. Genesis 22:8 TLV

God did indeed provide His Lamb…

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.  

We have to place ourselves with Him on the altar!

He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Revelation 3:20-21

My AH HAH moment… the events in the life of Abraham are more than the history written in the Old Testament. The Torah, the first five books of our Scriptures, are more than just the details of God creating the nation of Israel.

All of it is the Story of God, all of it is His directions and leading to the land of Moriah.

The place where, The Lord is my Teacher.  The place where we are trained up in the way we should go as children of the Most High God. The place where we give ourselves completely to God. The place where we journey to with all those who came before  us.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

The Land of Moriah!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Now it was after these things that God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham.” “ Hineni,” He said. (Genesis 22:1 Tree of Life Version)

On Saturday November 9th, 2019, my hero – my daughter makes her Bat Mitzvah. I’m no expert on B’nei Mitzvah, just an unbiased Mama of how awesome and wonderful it is, the time in a child’s life when they confirm themselves as daughter (Bat) or son (Bar) of the Command(ment).

They take responsibility for their faith and they proclaim (show) their willingness (and passion) to be accountable, to the God of Israel. They declare before their community of believers, their family and their friends, their intention to know and be known by the Commander in Chief of all creation. This appointed time is one of many times in their life, when they will hear God personally call their name (like He did with Abraham) and they too will answer, “Here I Am!”

Because I am preparing the celebration to honor Adonai for His work in Nicole Bat Donald’s life (Mazel Tov, Nicole!), I ask your blessing, your prayers, and your understanding for this, oh so short, Website Wednesday Blog.

If you’d like to witness the phenomenal event, tune in to Beth El Shalom (bethelshalom.org) the week after… November 16, 2019. And while you are there, check out this amazing messianic community that desires to reach the world for Yeshua the Messiah.

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

May you answer when He whispers your name… Just say, “Here I Am!”

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

 

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;  and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.”
John 10:27-30

What would Jesus say?????

Well He said it!!!!!

We don’t have to guess, or imagine, or study, or worry, or wonder.

We just have to hear Him speak… TO US!

We don’t need to ask our friends or family or priest or teacher, or even all the saints in heaven… we just need to go straight to the Word, Who became flesh and dwells among us (John 1:14) and HEAR HIM!

My sheep: Is the Lord your shepherd? Have you ever come to His pasture and laid by His quiet waters? Has He restored your soul? Does He guide you (do you follow) in His paths of righteousness – simply because of Who He Is? (Psalm 23)

My voice: Be still and KNOW He is God!

I know them: He KNOWS you!

They follow Me: By faith!

I give eternal life to them: It is a gift, that no boasting permitted! (For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9 )

No one will snatch them out of My hand: never perish… no one will snatch them… no one is able to snatch them… 

Never! No One! No How!

Say it with me… N-E-V-E-R… It don’t matter how many times, little lamb, you go against the rules and end up in a school you should not be in!

Say it with me… N-O O-N-E… Not even your most favorite ba-ba-black sheep, little fan person, can steal your eternal life from The Shepherd!

Say it with me… N-O H-O-W… They certainly will try – even those who claim they love you, will not be able to remove you from God’s hand! “Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.” Isaiah 49:16 in permanent ink!!!!!

Never! No One! No How!

But Mary, “How can you be SO SURE?????”

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.Romans 8:1 But, but, but… there are voices in my head that never stop condemning me… I try to reason with them, I try to be my own defense lawyer… I QUOTE Scripture all the time!

I do indeed relate…

There was (and sometimes still is) a time in my life that I too had a the devil’s rock and roll band blaring in my head. And if it wasn’t a live concert, I played the dvd for myself. I knew all the words by heart and I sang like a rock star (and back up chorus & instrumentalist) – a regular karaoke performance – because the songs had an unforgettable tune and I believed they told the truth about ME. I was indeed DESPICABLE!

Romans 8:33-35 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 

Bring a charge? Satan didn’t have to… I beat him to it!

Romans 8:37-39 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Well, SHUT MY MOUTH! Please!

And Jesus did!

He said… Mary, it isn’t about you!

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. Psalm 91:1-4

It is about God! IT IS God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:13

Shut up and let Jesus do the talking!

Is He your Defender… your Savior… your Lord… your Redeemer?

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 seek Him.  Hebrews 11:6 

Is He your Rewarder? “ Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. “With a long life I will satisfy him And let him see My salvation.”  Psalm 91:14-16  

Do you love God?

Then KNOW the voices in your head are wrong if this isn’t the TRUTH they are thinking, speaking, or singing!

Scripture tells us to destroy speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:5 and so we should! But it doesn’t start there! It starts with peeking out from under the pinions of God!

I couldn’t (still can’t) defeat the voices in my head (the loudest one sometimes is mine), so Jesus gave me the first step of His abundant life steps.

It is really pretty simple… when evil is knocking… let Jesus answer the door! When evil is playing “Condemnation Music”… let Jesus clear your head space and turn on His music! Resist the devil and HE WILL FLEE! Unless of course he just loves the sweet, sweet sound of Jesus’ victory anthem… and wants to hear it played again, Sam!

I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

Never! No One! No How!

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:5

Judge, jury, jailer… executioner! When it comes to thoughts, it has to be you. Yes, others want to, can, and will influence your thoughts IF ALLOWED. Absolutely, there are those in our world who wish to CONTROL our minds because, it is with the mind that the gift given by God at creation (Let us make man in our image), Free Will – the freedom to choose who/what your life will be about, will be accomplished. The freedom to choose whom/what you will love and serve.

From God – to the soul – to the heart – to the brain, the God given gift of Free Will comes with the breath of life. Once given, the receiver is set apart from every other creature and distinguished as a human being.

The gift is housed in our soul (that place which makes up all of who and what we are), and set’s it’s flag (or throne) in heart of the individual, as the bearer of the authority to choose what this individual loves and therefore serves.

The entity on the throne commands the brain to do what it does to MAKE IT HAPPEN! The Control Center for making things happen, is our brain.

Whereas animals respond by instinct, mankind responds by thinking and planning, which fires the appropriate synapses and nerves, which drives the body to respond accordingly, causing actions that will produce the results, the desires our “will”. These desires are the goals/mission/wishes of commander sitting on the throne and stored in the heart of the human.

It is with the mind that freedom is put into practice. It is with the mind that the body has the ability to pursue life, liberty of choices, and happiness. Not every mind of every person is equal in it’s ability to pursue. Damage from illness, accidental and/or premeditated brain injury, inappropriate drug use, mind-altering programs, or birth defects, can cause many of us to be unable to think for ourselves, and thus unable to give our bodies the instruction it needs to generate the results wished for.

Some people are unable to pursue freedom of choice because EVIL has come with the weapons of war that wish to destroy the person’s opportunity to choose for themselves. Under the guise of good intent, there are those who would steal/market the benefits of willingly giving your power of authority to them, or those in our world who desire to violently take away all freedom so as to be the ONE who has the power. (Notice I said, “destroy – steal – take away, I am not talking about those who wish to help or heal or protect temporarily, a mind under the stress and duress.) I am talking about the enemy’s desire to steal, kill and destroy the one thing that makes us unique and above all other creatures (including Satan). To kill the gift of our authority to choose whom or what we will serve and love, will make us nothing more and possibly less than animals.

Because it is God given and put into the core of our being, the gift cannot be destroyed. No matter the reason for a limited ability to put our choices into practice, the authority to do so remains in every human being! Even when we, as humans, fail to choose or to choose righteously, God, the giver of this freedom to choose, has never taken away His gift, the gift that makes us in His image! In my opinion, this one gift – free will – is the proof that God IS and that He IS GOOD.

There is no other way or means (not a Big Bang, not evolution, not a selfish god) for humans to have within them the opportunity and ability to choose, and the structure to make the choice happen.

There is no other creator or higher power who would give a gift such as this and not rescind it when it is abused or used for evil… come on, admit it… how many times would you allow your project to defy you before destroying it completely?

Choose you this day whom you will serve… where your treasure is there your heart will be also…

There is of course, just one thing you may want to always be aware of.

There is consequence for every choice put into action (for every action there is a reaction!?). Choose wisely!

Because you house such a powerful gift that can and will be used for good or evil, you will also be accountable for the mind that triggers such actions. “The devil (or any other accomplice) made me do it”, will not release you from the guilt of actions triggered by your mind.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23 

The only hope for me, you, or our world, is to reprogram our minds… to abdicate our throne of life to the Will of God… to house within our soul, Immanuel (God with us)… to be born again in the image of God.

This is your choice. You are your own judge, jury, jailer and executioner… what will you choose to do with your speculations and every lofty thing?

**All Scripture quoted comes from the “Bible Gateway” app and is the NASB version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.