Across the Generations

Mishlei (Proverbs) 17:6

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
while the glory of children is their ancestors.

As a grandfather of 12 I have always rejoiced in this verse and others like it. The joy I get being with my grandchildren and all their unique and loving personalities just is another way of showing me how much God loves me in this time and place. What I tend to forget though is my obligation to bring glory to them just as the second half of the verse says. That this generational love is a two-way street, and it is my testimony and witness of my walk with ADONAI that will show them in a small way what the love of God is for them forever. In Hebrew it is L’dor va‘Dor (לדור ודור) from generation to generation as we show the love of Ha’Shem to each other we will receive blessings as ADONAI promised “displaying grace to the thousandth generation of those who love me and obey my mitzvot.” (Exodus 20:6) Lord strengthen me to be a better child and parent showing Your love and affection to all You have given me to live in my tent. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Accept the Gift

Romans 11:28-32

With respect to the Good News they are hated for your sake. But with respect to being chosen they are loved for the Patriarchs’ sake, for God’s free gifts and his calling are irrevocable. Just as you yourselves were disobedient to God before but have received mercy now because of Isra’el’s disobedience; so also Isra’el has been disobedient now, so that by your showing them the same mercy that God has shown you, they too may now receive God’s mercy. For God has shut up all mankind together in disobedience, in order that he might show mercy to all.

What greater commission do we need than simply God, in His mercy, has given us the free gift of salvation and reconciliation to Him forever and He will never take it back, if only we trust in Him. When we receive this gift because of our trust we are to share it with everyone around us for all of us have fallen short of receiving it without God’s mercy. Lord let me continue to stand in the gap and pray for the reconciliation of Isra’el to You and in that all mankind returning to Your embrace. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Knowledge without Wisdom is useless

Romans 9:30-32

So, what are we to say? This: that Gentiles, even though they were not striving for righteousness, have obtained righteousness; but it is a righteousness grounded in trusting! However, Isra’el, even though they kept pursuing a Torah that offers righteousness, did not reach what the Torah offers. Why? Because they did not pursue righteousness as being grounded in trusting but as if it were grounded in doing legalistic works. They stumbled over the stone that makes people stumble.

This is the difference between knowledge and wisdom. The nation of Isra’el had the knowledge of ADONAI through the Torah but never the wisdom to trust in promise that Torah spoke of, only to blindly keep traditions that they failed to see foretold the coming of the Mashiach, Yeshua. It is no different for anyone today who believes that sitting for a couple of hours a week is enough of a ritual to keep them from hell. We must have the wisdom to write Torah on our hearts and let it govern how we respond to each other and to God and to do that we must trust in His promise through the sacrifice of Yeshua for it is that trusting that will let us purse true wisdom that brings righteousness. Lord I cannot do this on my own, help me to cling to your every word so like Sh’mu’el I do not let one jot of tittle fall to the ground but hold all You have spoken up in righteousness. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Can’t Cheat on God

Mishlei (Proverbs) 6:32

He who commits adultery lacks sense;
he who does it destroys himself.

The common sense of this in the earthly realm does not need an explanation. It goes back to that commandment about not coveting your neighbor’s anything. Yet spiritually it is even more profound. We are here to worship God and serve Him. Failing to do that, to chase after our own selfish nature for our own personal gratification is committing adultery against our Creator. You may have the momentary satisfaction but eternally following your selfish desires you have destroyed yourself for Adonai tells us Himself that He is a jealous God, and just. Rewarding everyone according to His character, as a good and loyal servant or a wicked and lazy servant. Dear Lord convict me and draw me back to You on those times that I look away from Your leadership in my life. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Fear God

Mishlei (Proverbs) 1:23-33

“Repent when I reprove—
I will pour out my spirit to you,
I will make my words known to you.
Because you refused when I called,
and no one paid attention when I put out my hand,
but instead you neglected my counsel
and would not accept my reproof;
I, in turn, will laugh at your distress,
and mock when terror comes over you—
yes, when terror overtakes you like a storm
and your disaster approaches like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble assail you.
Then they will call me, but I won’t answer;
they will seek me earnestly, but they won’t find me.
Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of ADONAI,
they refused my counsel
and despised my reproof.
So they will bear the consequences of their own way
and be overfilled with their own schemes.
For the aimless wandering of the thoughtless will kill them,
and the smug overconfidence of fools will destroy them;
but those who pay attention to me will live securely,
untroubled by fear of misfortune.”

This is America and truly the world right now. Too many of our brothers and sisters have ignored the fear of ADONAI and in their own selfish ignorance have brought the anger of God upon themselves. Even as wildfires erupt, droughts continue, terrorists’ actions happen, and racial divides expand people selfishly cry out “God where are you” but have no repentance in their hearts so He ignores their cries. Still for those of us who trust fully in His Word and the sacrifice that Yeshua made, we will endure and be light to those around us. Lord let me be a Goshen in the chaos I see around me so that all may find rest and comfort in You. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Be the blessing

M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 11:11-13

So ADONAI said to Shlomo, “Since this is what has been in your mind, and you haven’t kept my covenant and my regulations which I ordered you to obey, I will tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. However, for David your father’s sake I won’t do it while you are alive, but I will tear it away from your son. Even then, I won’t tear away all the kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Yerushalayim, which I have chosen.”

David was a man after God’s own heart and as ADONAI tells Shlomo in his sin it is his father’s righteousness that will preserve him in this dark time. As believers we may not lead someone to trust in God but in their knowing of us and our actions for them, they may be preserved until such time that they can understand God’s love and accept Yeshua’s sacrifice in trust, for ADONAI has promised that He would give grace to the thousandth generation of those that keep His mitzvahs and trust in Him. Lord let my trust in You be a blessing to all that You have given me in my life. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Keep nothing from God

Divrei-HaYamim Bet (2 Chronicles) 8:11

Shlomo brought up Pharaoh’s daughter from the City of David to the house he had built for her; because he said, “No wife of mine is going to live in the house of David king of Isra’el, since the [buildings] where the ark of ADONAI has been are holy.”

Shlomo knew at the beginning of his marriage that his wife, pharaoh’s daughter, would not respect ADONAI, so he built a place for her away from all that he held holy. Isn’t that the way it is with us, we hold some secret sin away from everyone else just for our own selfish desire. God doesn’t want us to visit Him on certain days, He wants a continual relationship where nothing is hidden away from Him and we are engaged in every moment together through the Ruach to let everyone know of His love. Lord You continue to put me through the crucible, help me to get rid of all the dross in my life so I may fully connected to You. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Trust Trust Trust

Romans 4:16-17

The reason the promise is based on trusting is so that it may come as God’s free gift, a promise that can be relied on by all the seed, not only those who live within the framework of the Torah, but also those with the kind of trust Avraham had – Avraham avinu for all of us. This accords with the Tanakh, where it says, “I have appointed you to be a father to many nations. “Avraham is our father in God’s sight because he trusted God as the one who gives life to the dead and calls nonexistent things into existence.

The same trust that Avraham exhibited is the trust we must share in. It is this trust that reaches out to the supernatural sacrifice of Yeshua and brings life back to the dead nature of our selfishness removing that sin forever. It is this trust that is the only salvation for all mankind Jew and Gentile alike. Lord strengthen me for I do not know if I can be as faithful as Avraham. Encourage me and engage me so my trust is strong, and no one will doubt who I serve in this world. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Simply Trust

Romans 3:29-31

Or is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, he is indeed the God of the Gentiles; because, as you will admit, God is one. Therefore, he will consider righteous the circumcised on the ground of trusting and the uncircumcised through that same trusting. Does it follow that we abolish Torah by this trusting? Heaven forbid! On the contrary, we confirm Torah.

It really is as simple as Sha’ul stated we either trust in ADONAI or we don’t. That trust confirms the Word given to Moshe and we will be rewarded in time for that trust. Lord let my trust always grow in You. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Building trust into actions

Romans 2:17-24

But if you call yourself a Jew and rest on Torah and boast about God and know his will and give your approval to what is right, because you have been instructed from the Torah; and if you have persuaded yourself that you are a guide to the blind, a light in the darkness, an instructor for the spiritually unaware and a teacher of children, since in the Torah you have the embodiment of knowledge and truth; then, you who teach others, don’t you teach yourself? Preaching, “Thou shalt not steal, “do you steal? Saying, “Thou shalt not commit adultery, “do you commit adultery? Detesting idols, do you commit idolatrous acts? You who take such pride in Torah, do you, by disobeying the Torah, dishonor God? — as it says in the Tanakh, “For it is because of you that God’s name is blasphemed by the Goyim.”

How can we as believers say ADONAI has written Torah on our hearts if our actions do not show it to be true. Knowledge of the Word is important, it is the foundation for our trust in God but if we just cling to the foundation and never build the walls and the roof of the temple to ADONAI in our hearts, we are no better than the lazy servant who hid the talent and did nothing not even earning his master the small interest from the bank. And if this is our example that we show the world why would anyone want to join us in trusting God? Lord do not let my failures keep anyone from You but let them be lessons and ox goads for me to better serve You. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.