Justice and Obedience

2 Thessalonians 1:6-8

For it is justice for God to pay back trouble to those who are troubling you, and to give rest along with us to you who are being troubled, when the Lord Yeshua is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in a fiery flame. Then he will punish those who don’t know God, that is, those who don’t listen to the Good News of our Lord Yeshua and obey it.

Two things from this passage, justice is for God to pay back and full justice will not be paid back until Yeshua returns. Second it is not enough to hear the Word of God but we have to obey the Word of God once we heard it. Pretty simple and straight forward hear and do, nothing less. Lord thank You for Your conciseness of Your Word. Praise Your Holy Name, amen.

The Good Word

1 Thessalonians 3:6-8

But now Timothy has come to us from you, bringing good news about your trust and love, and telling us that you remember us well and are always longing to see us, just as we long to see you. Because of this, brothers, in spite of all our trouble and distress, we were comforted over you—because of your trust; so that now we are alive; since you continue to stand fast, united with the Lord.

Sharing our victories in Yeshua with other believers strengthens them for the fights that they are experiencing in that moment. Sha’ul worried about the judizers who followed after him wherever he preached misleading people from the Word to hold to traditions that held no power whatsoever. But when Timothy returned with the good word, he was encourage to continue the struggle where Sha’ul was in Corinth. There is comfort in good reports and knowing our service to ADONAI is fruitful makes the current task easier to complete. Lord let me always encourage those around me and give help whenever I am called upon. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Rash Words

Mattityahu (Matthew) 27:24-26

When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “My hands are clean of this man’s blood; it’s your responsibility.” All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” Then he released to them Bar-Abba; but Yeshua, after having him whipped, he handed over to be executed on a stake.

This is the problem with mob mentality and letting emotion override common sense. I truly believe most of the people in the crowd did not understand the curse they were bringing on themselves when they said, “His blood on us and on our children!” but were being caught up in the emotion driven by Kayafa the cohen hagadol and the Sanhedrin. In blindly following their self-edifying leadership the people pronounced a curse on themselves that is only now starting to be broken and wont totally be gone until their descendants in Yerushalayim say “Baruch ata ADONAI!” Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Lord Sha’ul writes that the tongue is small but a mighty muscle that can control us like a rudder controls a ship. Help to tame mine so I no longer make rash vows wound up in emotion but only speak words that let people grown and come to know You. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

No fear

Mattityahu (Matthew) 24:4-11

Yeshua replied: “Watch out! Don’t let anyone fool you! For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. You will hear the noise of wars nearby and the news of wars far off; see to it that you don’t become frightened. Such things must happen, but the end is yet to come. For peoples will fight each other, nations will fight each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various parts of the world; all this is but the beginning of the ‘birth-pains.’ At that time you will be arrested and handed over to be punished and put to death, and all peoples will hate you because of me. At that time many will be trapped into betraying and hating each other, many false prophets will appear and fool many people; and many people’s love will grow cold because of increased distance from Torah. But whoever holds out till the end will be delivered.

Yeshua said a lot of terrible things are going to happen but there are two things that we as believers must do. First, do not become frightened, unsettled, thrown into confusion, disturbed, because fear paralyzes and removes reason and keeps us from following the will of ADONI. Second by clinging to the Word of God, writing it daily on our hearts and studying it continually for it is the only way to defeat the fear of this world. Lord I cannot do this on my own. Encourage and keep me in Your will, I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Keep Focused

Mattityahu (Matthew) 20:17-23

As Yeshua was going up to Yerushalayim, he took the twelve talmidim aside by themselves and said to them, as they went on their way, “We are now going up to Yerushalayim, where the Son of Man will be handed over to the head cohanim and Torah-teachers. They will sentence him to death and turn him over to the Goyim, who will jeer at him, beat him and execute him on a stake as a criminal. But on the third day, he will be raised.”
Then Zavdai’s sons came to Yeshua with their mother. She bowed down, begging a favor from him. He said to her, “What do you want?” She replied, “Promise that when you become king, these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right and the other on your left.” But Yeshua answered, “You people don’t know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He said to them, “Yes, you will drink my cup. But to sit on my right and on my left is not mine to give, it is for those for whom my Father has prepared it.”

Yeshua tells his talmidim bluntly that he is about to be sacrificed but those “son’s of thunder” get their mom to ask for places of honor when He becomes king. Just like Ya’akov and Yochanan many times I have missed the teachings of ADONAI because I was too immersed in my own understanding and not looking to God’s understanding, blithely going on my own misconception, and missing completely the event at hand. It is only lately I have begun to daily study the word, pray for guidance and look for opportunities of service so that I might hear God’s voice in my life, this is what we as believers are to do continually searching for the path that ADONAI would have us follow so we may share His salvation through the blood of Yeshua to the World. Lord keep me from getting wrapped up in my own misconceptions and keep me on Your straight path. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

How to forgive

Mattityahu (Matthew) 18:15, 21-22
“Now if your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault while you’re with him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother.

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Master, how often shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Yeshua said to him, “No, not up to seven times, I tell you, but seventy times seven!

A lot of us including myself forget this is part of the forgiveness process. Rather than confront the person who wronged me, I have in the past told everyone else of the wrong before I even try to find out the reasoning behind the action and if it was a mistake to begin with. All this does is cause gossip and more hurt feelings. Following Yeshua’s teaching, as I try to do now, I find out why the person did what they did and most times they didn’t realize they offended me and apologize. I also know that people unintentionally do the same bad act over and over again. A friend of mine has corrected me several times for interrupting her, to my favor they have happened less and less by the correction, but I do forget every once in a while, and she has to take me aside and show me my fault again and forgive me. By following the Word we are able to keep the body of believers stronger. Lord let me be open to all Your lessons no matter where they come from. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Character

Mattityahu (Matthew) 16:27

For the Son of Man will come in his Father’s glory, with his angels; and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct.

My father always said that it is what we do when the world is not watching that will determine the conduct and character of a man. The P’rushim and Tz’dukim always made great show of their piety but it was their twisted hearts and what they did in private that kept them from recognizing Isra’el’s Mashiach, Yeshua. I myself have been like the P’rushim, knowing the Word and what it says but doing what would gratify me in the moment without regards to God as long as I thought others where not watching to my own shame. Yet for all the subterfuge I have used I cannot fool ADONAI and without Yeshua I will be repaid in full. Lord forgive me, I wish I had paid closer attention to my father who You gave me to raise me up by Your Word. Forgive me actions when I have strayed from Your Word and keep me in the palm of Your hand because I am not safe left by my own. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Friends help us through

Mattityahu (Matthew) 11:2-6

Meanwhile, Yochanan the Immerser, who had been put in prison, heard what the Messiah had been doing; so he sent a message to him through his talmidim, asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for someone else?” Yeshua answered, “Go and tell Yochanan what you are hearing and seeing— the blind are seeing again, the lame are walking, people with tzara’at are being cleansed, the deaf are hearing, the dead are being raised, the Good News is being told to the poor— and how blessed is anyone not offended by me!”

I am like Yochanan in this passage, so wrapped up in the stress and crisis around me I fail to see the power of ADONAI beyond that. Sha’ul tells us that all things work together for good, not that all things will be good. Some crises we deal with are prunings, casting off the worldliness of our sin so that we might serve God more purely, others are blatant attacks upon our character like crabs trying to pull each other down back into the bucket of sin, both have the ability to wrap us around the axel so that we cannot see beyond our trouble. That is where friends and fellow congregants come in who can go to Yeshua for us and ask and bring back the good report so we, in that moment of stress and confusion, will know there is a savior who gave His blood for our sin and has sent the Ruach to see us through until we stand with Him before ADONAI. Lord thank You for the people You have put in my life who bring the good report when I am troubled and let be that person for others struggling in following You. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Fulfill not Abolish

Mattityahu (Matthew) 8:1-4

After Yeshua had come down from the hill, large crowds followed him. Then a man afflicted with tzara’at came, kneeled down in front of him and said, “Sir, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Yeshua reached out his hand, touched him and said, “I am willing! Be cleansed!” And at once he was cleansed from his tzara’at. Then Yeshua said to him, “See that you tell no one; but as a testimony to the people, go and let the cohen examine you, and offer the sacrifice that Moshe commanded.”

As with almost every healing Mattityahu records Yeshua tell the person to go and keep the Words of Torah and let the cohen examine and give a sacrifice as directed. All this as a testament that Yeshua came to fulfill Torah and not to supersede it. As with what Yeshua told Yochannan when he was immersed “Let it be this way now, because we should do everything righteousness requires.” He never operated outside of Torah, the Words the ADONAI wrote on His very heart, so even Ha’Satan could not fool him. Knowing Torah tells us how to honor ADONAI and treat each other with loving kindness and Yeshua in His mercy embodied all of this so we would have the perfect example to follow. Lord, almost every day I ask that You write on my heart. I know I am still bothered by my selfishness and worldly ways, continue to hold me to the fire so that I may truly serve You. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.

Forgiveness

Mattityahu (Mathew) 6:14-15

For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will not forgive yours.

There are many things that Yeshua commanded us to do but this, this is one of if not the hardest for me to do. Two reasons, I know my sins and sometimes in an effort to punish myself I don’t seek forgiveness because I feel I deserve the pain I am about to receive because my level of guilt and embarrassment. So, I expect others to feel this way too and when they offend me. But when they don’t share this feeling of guilt but rejoice in their actions, then a worldly and stubborn judgement rises in me forgetting it is not my place to judge or bring vengeance but ADONAI’s, and I have been lost down this particular rabbit hole for years. Lord let me accept Your forgiveness as I should with all humility and share Your forgiveness with everyone You put in my life. I ask this in Yeshua’s name, amen.