COEXIST

We have all seen the bumper sticker or logo that features all the religions of the world, and spells out the word, coexist. This sounds like a wonderful, utopian idea. If only all the religions of the world could emphasize their similarities, and stop focusing on their differences, perhaps we could have peace and security right here on earth. I believe the Holy Bible does give a picture of this happening, but the outcome is not what people will expect. Many people see the year 2012 as the beginning of a New Age, a time when the world, perhaps through calamity at first, will come to its senses and learn to get along. The world is at a precipice, the stage is set, and a perfect storm seems to be brewing. If the shaky peace in the middle east breaks down, and goes nuclear, and the house of cards that is the world financial system collapses, along with other major natural disasters, the world may be clamoring to finally put its differences behind it, and try to coexist. A charismatic leader who emphasizes peace and coexistence, is ready to emerge. The Beatles wrote, Love is all you need, and many people would agree. What might bring us all together? A doctrine of Love, and of working together to finally produce peace and happiness, right here on earth?

Is man truly capable of such a world? A world of peace and coexistence? And what would this New Age, one world religion look like? Will it be harsh and authoritarian, certainly not at first. I believe it will be as gentile as a dove, and appear to be full of goodness and truth.

2 Corinthians 11:13-1513 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

How can we possibly avoid such deception? It will not be easy.

Mathew 24: 24-25 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.25 Behold, I have told you before.

Here we have the Lord Jesus describing these false Christs and false prophets showing great signs and wonders, and Paul describes them as appearing as ministers of righteousness. Jesus also added if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Paul tells us their end will be according to their work. I believe this is a major key in recognizing them. They will be preaching a false gospel of salvation, for the planet now, and for individuals throughout eternity, of works. This is why a Christian who holds to the truth that salvation comes only as a gift, through faith in the finished work of our Lord Jesus on the cross, will be persecuted. We will be pictured as part of the Old Age, that brought about such pain and suffering on the earth. An age when religious differences brought about war and suffering. The world will be at peace under this new religion, but it will not be a genuine peace nor a lasting utopia.

1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

The world will be at apparent peace and safety, and how could anyone not want to be on board, with such miraculous results? Again those that are unable to see the light, Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light, must be dealt with.

John 16:1-3 1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

Revelations 6:9-11 9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Before they would go so far as to put a backward Christian to death, this benevolent religious and political world power will give all a chance to show it allegiance to its wonderful rule of peace and prosperity.

Revelations 13: 11- 18 11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Verse 13-14 States again that this religious power will deceive them that dwell on the Earth through the miracles it performs. Verse 15 says all that would not worship the beast, true Christians, should be killed. And finally the mark of the beast, would have to do with the number 666.

Exodus 31: 15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.

We are in the sabbath day, Jesus has provided a rest for his people, those who believe he has provided salvation through his finished work on the cross. The world will be working out their own salvation, 666, work, work ,work.

Hebrews 4:10-11 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

God stated way back in Exodus that whosoever doeth any work on his sabbath , shall surely be put to death. This will be the challenge we face. This death is the second death, the death that those that fail to receive the greatest gift ever given will experience. We may have to endure for a moment, the first death at the hands of the beast. But fear not little children.

Luke 21:16-19 16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

LEON MAIOLO

BIBLE INSIGHTS

http://savedbyfaithinchrist.wordpress.com/

FUTILITY, VANITY OR BOTH?

Romans 1:21c

...but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.


The King James Version translates the first part of our passage today, "Became vain in their imaginations..." So what is it, vanity or futility? I would venture Paul meant both. Futility means it's a waste of time -- pointless; while vanity deals with the reason -- our own egotism, self importance, and arrogance.

The father of a friend of mine was a self-described agnostic. I once asked him what it meant exactly. He answered, "I haven't made up my mind about God -- I have no opinion." But that didn't stop him from engaging me in endless debates regarding the latest scientific discoveries which he considered further proof of his belief in evolution versus creation. You see he was a very open-minded individual on just about every subject except two -- the existence of the Lord God Almighty and the authority of the Bible.

I don't want to sound too harsh, but I have always felt our passage today described my friend's father perfectly, "his thinking became futile and his foolish heart was darkened." Or as the King James Version would say, "He became vain in his imagination." He worshipped science and intellect -- the imagination (KJV) or thinking (NIV) of man rather than the Creator. His self-professed wisdom became foolishness in God's sight. 1 Corinthians 3:18-19, "Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a 'fool' so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight."


My friend's father died last year, so the debates we once enjoyed (yes, I found them stimulating and challenging) have ended. I guess he knows the truth now. Does my friend's father sound like anyone you know? Don't give up. I know it is hard and sometimes we are unsuccessful. However, we are fighting for lives. We would not be surprised to see a fireman enter a burning building to save a life -- why should we not be willing to engage in conversations with friends and loved ones which can have eternal consequences?

THE POCKET TESTAMENT LEAGUE

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WHY STAND IN THE MIDDLE

Romans 1:19-20

...since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualitiesÑhis eternal power and divine natureÑhave been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.


One evening, Napoleon was walking around with a group of his admirals who were discussing the existence of God. Napoleon stopped, waved his hand commanding silence, and pointed to the heavens, "Sirs, if you are going to get rid of God you must get rid of those." Napoleon was right.
Psalms 19:1, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalms 8:3, "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place..." Paul and the Psalmist are saying the same thing, "...since the creation of the world God's invisible qualitiesÑhis eternal power and divine natureÑhave been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made." In other words, if you want to see God -- then open your eyes and look around!
Robert Jastrow, an acknowledged agnostic, astrophysicist, and former director of NASA's Goodard Institute for Space Studies, etc. once said in an interview regarding his views related to the big bang theory, "There's a lingering uneasiness in my mind, however, as to whether we have unearthed the true meaning of all this. We step back and look at the whole thing, you feel impelled to ask, 'What is the purpose of it all?' Here's this extraordinary phenomenon of life and intelligence unfolding out of these beginnings, and it's a very progressive picture and moves from point to point in those upward, if you will, and onward, and you wonder if that really doesn't call for the existence of some entity that's watching over the situation, and nurturing it. And as I said earlier, I'm standing in the middle."
As a scientist he observed the hand of God revealed through the study of creation and the cosmos, yet he continued to "stand in the middle" -- between the evolutionists and the creationists.


Paul writes, "what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them". So what's the problem? The ego of our own intellect. Have you been confused by the latest revelations of science? Do you try to explain the Bible within the confines of science? God is bigger than any theory a scientist can conceive. Dr. Robert Jastrow died on February 8, 2008 -- he no longer remains undecided on this issue. What about you? Have you decided? Are you standing in the middle?

POCKET TESTMENT LEAGUE

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BUILT IN OBSOLESCENCE

If you have a business or marketing College degree you might have learned about “Product Obsolescence”. Wikipedia defines it this way, “Sometimes marketers deliberately introduce obsolescence into their product strategy, with the objective of generating long-term sales volume by reducing the time between repeat purchases. One example might be producing an appliance which is deliberately designed to wear out within five years of its purchase, pushing consumers to replace it within five years.” As an everyday shopper you may have learned about product obsolescence by buying an appliance or electronic device to find out that it didn’t work after two years. Sometimes you hear products being referred to as having a shelf life of two years for example. In other words the manufacturers are not planning to have that item around in two years, either because they know it will die by then or they will replace it with something else. Product obsolescence is great for the business world, it keeps them in business. They can design new things and put them in the stores knowing that you will have to come back and buy again shortly, because the product you already bought for them will be broken, incompatible, or out of date within a time period they planned for it to be of no use to anyone.

Did you know that many Christians create their own “Prayer Obsolescence”? We communicate with God in such a way through our prayers that we make our prayers of not much good. They may not get very far. Sure He will hear our prayer, but it may be a prayer that isn’t much good. Now you are asking yourself, “How can a prayer not be very good?” Well, there are several flaws built in to many of our prayers. We make many of our prayer requests self-centered. We almost take God out of the equation. For example, when we are sick we say something like, “Please help me to be well.” There is nothing wrong with what we are asking, but we have built in a form of obsolescence. We put ourselves at the center of the request, instead of God. In other words, we should have asked God a request that would have put him in the center. We should say something like, “God heal me.” This prayer request is acknowledging that God is the one who heals. He doesn’t need to help us heal ourselves. Another example would be, “God help me to not get in any car accidents today.” A better way to ask that would put God in the center would be, “God protect me from car accidents today.” It is a fine line, but the main objective in our prayers would be to put God as the one in control and the one capable of accomplishing the request. We are not the ones who can accomplish the task. God is. This is what will glorify God. Recognizing that He is the one that is powerful and capable, not ourselves. We are not asking God to help us do something, instead we are asking God to do it.

Another way that we build in obsolescence in to our prayers is through our lack of faith and fears. Most of the time we don’t even know that we have taken that stance in our prayer requests. We say things like, “God, please heal Sally, if it be your will.” True, nothing will come to pass if it is not His Will, but most of the time we are really saying that as an escape clause. It is almost as if we are not really sure that God can heal Sally or that He will do it in a timely manner as to make it seem He had answered our specific prayer request. We want a way out. We don’t want to make God look bad or our prayers to look ineffective. So we build in the “if it is Your Will” statement in to our requests. That way if the prayer isn’t answered immediately or if it is answered with a “No” then we we feel better. Our prayers should really be built with complete faith in the all-powerful God who created everything and loved us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us, so we could be with Him forever. If God would do all that for us, and created everything there is, then why would we doubt what He is capable of. As Christians we need to start praying like we really believe what we believe. We need to pray prayers that focus on God’s many wonderful characteristics, power and abilities. We need to pray with faith, “God heal Sally”. Then we need to have faith and wait. Then we need to be able accept God’s answer. Whether it be, “Yes, Johnny, I am going to heal Sally.” or “No, Johnny, I am not going to heal Sally at this time.” We need to remember that loves us so much that He is only going to give us the best answers to our prayers. We are no where near as intelligent or wise or all-knowing as God. He knows without a doubt what is best and will provide the best for His children. We can’t even do that for our own kids, but we have a Heavenly Father who can do that for us. How wonderful!

Have the faith and believe in the power of God. Don’t doubt. Remember Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Just make confident prayer requests with God at the center and you will remove product obsolescence from your prayers. To help change your prayer habits that you have established and to see if you are building obsolescence in to your prayers, take time to go to God in prayer and write down everything you are saying to Him. Then go back and take a look at what you wrote down. How many I’s or me’s are in your requests? Were you always asking God to help you accomplish something or were you actually allowing God to accomplish the task? Did you have complete faith and confidence in what you were asking or were you building in escape routes for you and God? Really be serious about this activity. Your eyes will be opened. Now go back and take some of those requests and re-word them with confidence, faith and God-centeredness. Then next you will be amazed. Remember to pay attention and see how God begins to answer your prayers after that. Even beyond seeing a difference in how your prayers might be answered, you will begin to see your faith grow even more. You will come to new understandings of God and your faith will become even stronger.

First Southern Baptist Church of Coalinga

http://firstsouthernbaptistofcoalinga.wordpress.com/

THE LESSON OF ELIJAH

The Lesson of Elijah

God is A Personal Spirit!

“Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for Him to act.” (Psalm 37:7)

Do you ever ask, “Why don’t I experience God dramatically as the early believers did? Why do I not see anyone experiencing God that way?” A man from Old Testament times, a prophet named Elijah, struggled with this.

Elijah lived in a day, much like today, when many people doubted or scoffed at God. He longed to see God move with tremendous power and silence the critics. Sometimes God did that. But there was a time when Elijah’s very life was in danger, and God seemed silent. An evil and godless queen named Jezebel sent her armies to kill Elijah. Was this his reward for being loyal and faithful to God? His depression and despair cut so deeply that Elijah finally asked God to simply let him die. If God wasn’t going to speak or act what was the point of even living?

God taught Elijah an unforgettable lesson. He sent the prophet to a mountain and commanded him to stand and watch as the Lord passed. Wasn’t that what Elijah wanted, after all? His heart must have raced as he anticipated looking upon the glory of God with his own two eyes. But instead, God came in a gentle whisper.

Elijah understood the message. God can hurl windstorms whenever He chooses. He can make the earth tremble or set it aflame. But He usually does not choose to move among us in sensational ways, but rather in the sound of a gentle whisper.

Your View of God Really Matters …

Why do you think God allowed Elijah to get so depressed he wanted to die? How did God restore Elijah’s hope? Do you ever get depressed? Next time, listen for the gentle whisper.

Because God is A Personal Spirit, I will seek intimate fellowship with Him.

http://bummyla.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/the-lesson-of-elijah/

ESTABLISHIG THE RIGHT PRIORITIES

Romans 1:16c

…first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.


The Jews were God’s chosen people (Deuteronomy 7:6), “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” If we had been present when the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), we would have observed a room full of Jews — no Gentiles.
On Paul’s first missionary journey with Barnabas in Acts 13:44, he took the Gospel first to the Jews: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.”
However, the Lord’s specific instruction to Paul given through Ananais in Acts 9:15 was in reverse order — the Gentiles first, next their kings, and then the Jews. “The Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.’” Paul would keep trying to minister to the Jews first, and continued to be frustrated as a result. I believe this is how we sometimes get upset in our own ministries — we don’t understand or aren’t obedient to the Lord’s plan. We serve the Lord our way first — not His way.


The Lord’s plan was for the Jews to hear the Gospel first, then the Gentiles. It just wasn’t the Lord’s plan for Paul. Have you been feeling a little frustrated.



THE POCKET LEAGUE TESTMENT.ORG

THE ABILITY TO QUESTION

By Sara Esther Crispe

There are no words evil enough, no images graphic enough, no imagination sick enough, to possibly depict what our grandmothers and grandfathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, infants and unborn children, endured at the claws of their murderers.

Six million Jews were murdered for one reason and one reason only. Because they were Jews. To our enemies, it didn't matter if the Jew cared that he or she was Jewish. It didn't matter if the person was the most assimilated or the most religious. A Jew was a Jew was a Jew.

Our enemies were able to rip off beards, torch skin, brand arms, pull teeth, and gas bodies. But they were not able to penetrate minds, hearts, souls and spirits. The Jewish neshamah was never diminished and only strengthened.

Remarkably, perhaps miraculously, there were Jews who clung to the Torah--the moral and legal code that has instructed our lives since Sinai--throughout their ordeal. In the ghettos, in the concentration camps, in the midst of the death marches, they continued to refer to the Torah for guidance, posing questions to their rabbis and spiritual leaders. From practical to moral to philosophical, the questions demonstrate the faith these martyrs had in their Creator, and the length they went to fulfill His will.

Most of the questions and responses were never recorded, and of what was, virtually all was lost in the rubble and the ashes. Fortunately, a few precious volumes survived, testament to what our people endured.

[One such work is Rabbi Ephraim Oshry's Responsa from the Holocaust. Click here to read excerpts from this amazing document.]

These Jews cared to know what they should do or not do, according to the Torah. When the world made no sense, they still sought to ensure that their actions, their words and their thoughts were pure and holy. When the world ignored G-d and His commandments, they determined that they would not.

Reading these questions and answers, one is struck by the sensitivity, the caring and the thoughtfulness of the responses. But perhaps even more remarkable than the answers themselves is the very fact that the questions were ever asked, and the way in which these precious souls seem to see nothing "heroic" in the fact that they're asking them, regarding themselves simply as Jews living as Jews.

A woman in the ghetto who had just given birth wanted to know if she could circumcise her newborn baby boy before the eighth day, since she feared he would not live even a week. This loving mother wanted to ensure that at least he die a circumcised Jew.

People asked whether or not they should recite blessings over food when the food was not kosher, or if they could recite the morning prayers before the sun came up since it was the only time they wouldn't be noticed.

A very sick man who was told that he was too weak to fast Yom Kippur, and thus forbidden to do so according to Torah law, begged to know if he could nonetheless refrain from eating. Though he had been completely non-observant his entire life, he wanted to die knowing he had fasted for his final Yom Kippur.

A father needed to know if he was permitted to save his only son, slated for certain death, through bribery, when he knew that if his child was saved, another innocent child would be taken in his place.

A mother asked if she could painlessly kill her own baby, since the next day they were coming to take all the children, and would either throw her three-month-old daughter off a rooftop or directly into the fire.

There were Jews who asked for the most proper wording, and then carefully practiced reciting and memorizing the blessing which is recited as one is being murdered al kiddush hashem, sanctifying G-d's name.

These questions were not answered on the basis of personal opinion or feeling. These Jews wanted to know what Torah law had to say on these matters, and it was the rabbis' duty to find the answers. This was not the first time these questions had been asked or answered. We are a people who have known much suffering and persecution. And we are a people who have always wanted to do what was right, what was holy, regardless of our circumstances.

With each year that passes, we must remember the horror, and how our people died. But more importantly, we must remember how they lived. And in doing so, we honor the dignity, the power and the faith that these Jews had.

Our enemies tried to make us untermenschen--sub-humans. They tried to annihilate us, to rid the world forever of the Jews. But they didn't know who they were dealing with. They didn't know what it means to be a Jew. For the Jew is not one who merely strives to be human. The Jew is one who strives to be G-dly. And that can never, never, be destroyed.

By Sara Esther Crispe More articles... |

Sara Esther Crispe, a writer, inspirational speaker and mother of four, is the editor of TheJewishWoman.org and writes the popular weekly blog, Musing for Meaning. To book Sara Esther for a speaking engagement, please click here.


http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/274924/jewish/The-Ability-to-Question.htm

FABLES YOU DON'T WANT TO FORGET

One of the beautiful things that I like to teach my students as a Biblical Hebrew teacher are the fables we find in the Old Testament. When there is a use of fables in the Hebrew Biblethe author wants to reveal the words of G-d in two ways: the revealed and the hidden. Today we are going to speak about two fables that relate to kings or people that thought they are kings.
The first fable that we are about to see is about a bramble, who became king of trees after three trees refused to be the king of trees, as written in Judges 9:8-15-









"Once the trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us!’ But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my fatness with which God and men are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’ Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come, reign over us!’ But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to wave over the trees?’ Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come, reign over us!’ But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my new wine, which cheers God and men, and go to wave over the trees?’ Finally all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come, reign over us!’ The bramble said to the trees, ‘If in truth you are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’"




Jotham was the only son of Gideon, who survived the massacre of Avimelech. When he saw that the people of Shechem didn’t pay attention to the fact that the worst tree decided to be the king of trees, he tried to warn them that this tree, the bramble, would be their king if the trees would find refuge in his shade. In other words, if they wanted to live with thorns- they should choose the bramble to be their king. Another thing which is so beautiful once you learn the Hebrew Language are the names of the heroes.




The name Avimelech means in Hebrew: my father is a king. That means that only Gideon could be the king of Israel. The surprising thing is that Avimeclech appointed himself to be a king without the permission of all the people, while his father was asked to be the king by the people. Even the name Jotham can show us that The Lord is complete, maybe to show us that Avimelech is not, and G-d is the only true king.




The next fable is found in 2 Kings 14. If from the first fable we have learned that there is only one king , and it is G-d, in this chapter the reality is different. We are in the days of two kings for the Israelites. One sits in Jerusalem and the other in Samaria. Let us see the lesson from the next fable as written:






"In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah became king…he killed of Edom in the Valley of Salt 10,000 and took Sela by war, and named it yoktheel to this day.Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “ Come, let us face each other.” Jehoash king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “ The thorn bush which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar which was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon, and trampled the thorn bush. You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has become proud. Enjoy your glory and stay at home; for why should you provoke trouble so that you, even you, would fall, and Judah with you?”But Amaziah would not listen. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-Shemesh, which belongs to Judah. Judah was defeated by Israel, and they fled each to his tent."(2 Kings 14:1,7-12)




This fable speaks about the thorn bush which succeeded to get hurt in one leg, these are the Edomites. Now after he won one war he was sure that he can compete with a mighty cedar tree- this is the King of Israel, by taking his daughter to be his wife. The lesson of this fable is that you need to know your place in this world. If you are just a thorn bush , don’t try to fight against cedar trees. You should go to war, literally or metaphorically, only if there's a chance to win, even if it's the slightest one. The outcome of this request of the thorn bush to marry the daughter of the cedar was that his people lost the war against the Northern Kingdom.




Thank you for joining me today. Have a blessed week,

Yours truly, Eli

PRIDE OR HUMILITY

Romans 1:16a

I am not ashamed of the gospel...


A few years ago at a Men's Retreat I spoke about worship -- our personal worship to and of the Lord. I began on my knees and explained, "This is where I do my best work. Not trying to do stuff for the Lord, but beginning in humble submission to His will, then letting Him lead." You see getting on my knees is the best way I have to express His lordship and leadership of my life -- and I am not ashamed to let everyone know (by doing so) that I worship Jesus.
We next sang a song and I raised my hands in praise. I encouraged the men to join me as I quoted Nehemiah 8:6, "Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, 'Amen! Amen!' Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground." Then I asked them, "Are you ashamed of the Gospel -- ashamed of Jesus? Are you too prideful to submit to Him?" Several of the men took hold of my witness that day and have made lifting of their hands and bowing before the Lord a part of their regular worship -- and have told me it has made a huge difference in their lives.
It all started for me many years ago when Sherry and I visited a small church and the pastor asked me personally, "Are you ashamed of the Gospel?" "Of course not," I answered somewhat offended. He asked, "Then why is it so hard for you to raise your hands in worship?" "Pride," I thought, "is the opposite of submission and humility -- its the reason I won't lift my hands." I resolved to change.





How would you respond to one of your baseball heroes who has just hit a home run? Would you join in giving him a standing ovation? What about your favorite musician following a performance? Most of us don't seem to have much of a problem honoring men -- so why is it so difficult to honor God? Take a long hard look at your personal worship. Does it reflect humility or pride? Are you ashamed of the Gospel? What needs to change?
[Author's note: I am not suggesting a greater or lesser closeness to Christ is demonstrated in how we choose to worship Him. Only God knows the condition of our hearts. For me, because of my own pride issues, I sometimes need to express my submission and humility physically -- most of the time I do this privately. Today's devotion is my personal witness and is not meant to criticize or judge another's relationship with the Lord. In the assembly (church), I am also very careful that my own choice of worship is not offensive to others.]

POCKET TESTAMENT LEAGUE

PTL.ORG

PRIDE OR HUMILITY

Romans 1:16a

I am not ashamed of the gospel...


A few years ago at a Men's Retreat I spoke about worship -- our personal worship to and of the Lord. I began on my knees and explained, "This is where I do my best work. Not trying to do stuff for the Lord, but beginning in humble submission to His will, then letting Him lead." You see getting on my knees is the best way I have to express His lordship and leadership of my life -- and I am not ashamed to let everyone know (by doing so) that I worship Jesus.
We next sang a song and I raised my hands in praise. I encouraged the men to join me as I quoted Nehemiah 8:6, "Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, 'Amen! Amen!' Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground." Then I asked them, "Are you ashamed of the Gospel -- ashamed of Jesus? Are you too prideful to submit to Him?" Several of the men took hold of my witness that day and have made lifting of their hands and bowing before the Lord a part of their regular worship -- and have told me it has made a huge difference in their lives.
It all started for me many years ago when Sherry and I visited a small church and the pastor asked me personally, "Are you ashamed of the Gospel?" "Of course not," I answered somewhat offended. He asked, "Then why is it so hard for you to raise your hands in worship?" "Pride," I thought, "is the opposite of submission and humility -- its the reason I won't lift my hands." I resolved to change.





How would you respond to one of your baseball heroes who has just hit a home run? Would you join in giving him a standing ovation? What about your favorite musician following a performance? Most of us don't seem to have much of a problem honoring men -- so why is it so difficult to honor God? Take a long hard look at your personal worship. Does it reflect humility or pride? Are you ashamed of the Gospel? What needs to change?
[Author's note: I am not suggesting a greater or lesser closeness to Christ is demonstrated in how we choose to worship Him. Only God knows the condition of our hearts. For me, because of my own pride issues, I sometimes need to express my submission and humility physically -- most of the time I do this privately. Today's devotion is my personal witness and is not meant to criticize or judge another's relationship with the Lord. In the assembly (church), I am also very careful that my own choice of worship is not offensive to others.]

POCKET TESTAMENT LEAGUE

PTL.ORG

OUR LIFE CHANGING TRIIP TO JERUSALEM

My husband and I have traveled a lot. We climbed onto the ruins of the Acropolis in Greece, got soaked under Niagara Falls, meditated in a tent in the Patagonian mountains, and chased pigeons in the Piazza S. Marco.

Of course, we never considered going to Israel. Coming as Russian Jewish immigrants 20 years ago to warm and sunny California, we did our best to leave the past behind us and embrace the sweet, luxurious lifestyle we had come to. Israel was not Beverly Hillish enough, not Hollywoodishly stylish enough for our newly Californian sensibilities.

But family was calling. My elderly grandparents had settled in Jerusalem after leaving Russia, and we were long overdue for a visit. So, with some reluctance, we packed our bags and boarded a flight to Tel Aviv.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the bus from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, lullabied by the rhythmic rocking and the soft purring of the motor, I doze off.

“We are here,” my husband tells me gently, and I open my eyes. Through the window, the Jerusalem stone is winking at me brightly.

Suddenly fully awake, I am overcome by an intense, unknown emotion and begin to cry. Not because I am sad how unclean and old the streets look, or how sorry I feel for the men and women dressed in black in the blazing heat, but because in every one of them I see myself.

Walking through the streets, my eyes dazzled by the sun breaking into millions of diamond shards on white stone, inhaling the delicious smells of ripe fruit and vegetables on the corner stands, I am possessed by the feeling of finally arriving home, to my land, to my people. And for the first time, there is no line of separation between them, so religious, and me, so not religious. There is only us, soulmates in G‑d’s creation.

Later, in the hotel unpacking, I gaze at the panoramic view of the Old City. Yes, we will walk and explore, learn its history and grasp with our minds what is already present in our souls. But right now all I want is to inhale my land’s vibration, to feel the pain and the sorrow of my people. I want to process it through me, to transform our struggle and suffering into joy and love of our Creator.

But I am scared, intimidated even to approach the grounds of the holy city, to appear before His glory so wrapped up in the layers of my egocentric pursuits, harmful habits and negative behaviors. I am old enough to know that before transcending darkness and evil in my land, I have to transform the darkness and evil in myself. But I want to, I am willing to. I just need Him to show me the way, and at this moment, like never before, I am willing to listen, to obey . . .

Our first stop is the Western Wall. Originally I had been indifferent to the idea of visiting the Wall—what was there to see except a bunch of people praying? But, of course, I couldn’t skip it. After all, here I was in Jerusalem.

Now, however, I am eager to see this holy place and to join my people in prayer. I approach the wall, slowly, cautiously, patiently, waiting for my turn to touch . . . and I finally do.

An electric charge penetrates my body, shaking me to my bones. A silent scream erupts from the deepest caverns of my being; tears run down my checks, washing away my ego’s built walls of pretense. The designer mascara and foundation slips off my face, leaving me bare, vulnerable, stripped to my core.

A prayer, so intense, so sincere, comes directly from my soul. “Give me the strength to choose Your light, to guide my family and my children in the right path. There is nothing I crave more than Your Divine Presence. Make Your voice louder than the seductive whispers of my mind, and give me strength to keep choosing You, to fall into Your safety net of trust.”

And so I go on weeping, pleading, until there are no more tears, until my overwhelmed ego gives in, and there are no more excuses or distractions. I am a Jewish woman. I am a connective link through which His light pours onto all His creation. And it is my responsibility to stay connected and faithfully devoted . . .

I finally let go of the Wall, take a few steps back and sit down. My mind awakens, and I begin to translate my spiritual high into concrete, mundane thoughts: “All this means, my dear Katherine, that you are to give up your cool new trendy gel nails, and immerse yourself in the holy waters of the mikvah. Not because something is wrong and you are suddenly remembering G‑d in desperation, but because you are commanded to do so.

“You are to light the Friday night candles. Not because you happen to be home that night and the candles are conveniently nearby, but because you are commanded to. And you are to educate your children, not at a local public school with a free pickup bus, but in an expensive private Jewish school 30 miles away. And you are to trust in Him, your ultimate financial provider, to sustain you no matter how high the gas and tuition are.

“Oh, and one more thing, sweet pea, stop using food to resolve every emotional turbulence. Even rich, creamy, soothing and sweet Israeli milk chocolate is no match for His comfort and salvation. Talk to Him, escape into Him, surrender your fears to Him.”

An older woman is praying next to me, and my eyes fall onto the open page in her prayerbook. “Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary” (Psalms 96:6).

Five days later, we walk into the airport in Tel Aviv. It’s 4:45 AM, and I immediately start for the coffee shop. Out of the corner of my eye I notice a portrait of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and around it a group of smiling rabbis in the familiar Chabad uniforms, offering to put tefillin on passersby. “Wait!” my husband says, obeying a sudden impulse, as he later tells me. And changing direction, he heads toward the rabbis.

Just days ago, before Jerusalem, I would have been angry at the delay, but now my heart leaps with pride to see that we are partners in this new journey.

A couple of hours later the plane races along the runway and takes off, leaving my beloved land below the clouds. I feel a deep ache—I don’t want to leave. Wiping my tears, I curl up and cover myself with a blanket. “No need to grieve,” a soft voice speaks from my heart. “Jerusalem is forever inside you, no matter where you are. You will bring its pure, truthful light to every place you go.”

I exhale a deep breath of release, and recall the line I read on one of the souvenir posters in the Old City: Jerusalem, hills enfold it, and the L‑rd enfolds His people, now and forever. Psalms 125:2

And so, until we meet again . . .


by Katherine Agranovich More articles... |


Dr. Katherine (Rivka) Agranovich was born in Belarus, FSU, and now lives in Orange County, California, with her husband and five children. She is a Doctor of Natural Health and the founder of a holistic health clinic. Katherine is passionate about studying Judaism, and enjoys writing. She is currently working on a book about health.

http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/1921306/jewish/Our-Life-Changing-Trip-to-Jerusalem.htm

ONE FAITHFUL ACT TO THE NEXT

Romans 1:17

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."


Righteousness comes from living by faith. The King James Version reads, "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith..." In other words, righteousness (right living) is obtained by us as we live from one faithful act to the next. Therefore, faith is the beginning and ending point of right living.
When I was younger, I used to be a slave to cigarettes. It does not make me proud to tell you this because I consider self-control to be one of the finer fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24). As time went on, I came to feel like the verse from Proverbs 25:28, "Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control." Despite the fact I knew some extraordinary Christian men who smoked like chimneys (pipes, cigars, and cigarettes), smoking was not for me. I needed to separate myself from it. So now we get to the really hard part of Christian living -- it's not usually identifying which behaviors we need to end (we all know what those are), it's the stopping that's the problem. Or is it? You see I had no problem quitting smoking -- I had quit hundreds of times before, it was the starting I had a problem with!
I remember driving home on the freeway one day listening to praise music, and I thought, "Okay God, you want me to stop, but this cigarette has a lot of power over me, so I'll not have one right now, but if five minutes from now I still want one I'm going to smoke." Then I prayed with my eyes open (I was driving), "God please take the desire for cigarettes away from me and heal my body." Five minutes went to ten and then my body called screamed for nicotine. I prayed again, "I'll go five minutes Lord, but that's all I've got. Please take the desire from me." Ten minutes went to fifteen, then thirty, then an hour, then a day, week, month and years. I only had self-control for five minutes at a time, because that's all I could muster -- the Lord did the rest.
In our passage today, I think that is what Paul meant when he said, "Faith to faith." Our responsibility is to have faith to take our desire for right living to the Lord for His help; to do our part. Then when we struggle, have enough faith to take it to the Lord again and again if necessary. It's not a "12 Step Program" for recovery, rather it's a one step program which might need to be faithfully repeated 12 times -- one faithful act leading to the next.


Right living is obtained by living from one faithful act to the next. What faithful act do you need to repeat to gain righteousness?

THE POCKET TESTMENT LEAGUE

FREEDOM....ITS A LOT LIKE LOVE

There are two kinds of freedom: the first argues that freedom belongs solely to individuals, that the individual is free to act, and to posses, and to pursue happiness for him or herself without limits from any one or any thing outside of the self. The second kind recognizes that there are limits to freedom in the context of the fact that we live and act in the world with others. In this second sense, one freely chooses to act and speak within those limits, recognizing that when one’s desired free actions or words infringe on, deny, or do damage to the freedom of another, one must not pursue them. One must say no to one’s self. Which of these two is most free?

The Christian faith teaches that we must “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” That is the message of the Incarnation of the Son of God. Jesus models how we should treat one another and asks us to imitate Him. Freedom, for a Christian, means always acting in ways that promote the good of the other. We are to deny ourselves, pick up our crosses and follow Jesus who says to us: “This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. A man can have no greater love than to lay one’s life down for his friends…What I command you is to love one another.” John 15:12-13, 17

This message flies in the face of those who would claim freedom only for themselves without regard to others. The world is noisy with the clamorous demands of this false sense of freedom. In book 6 of The City of God Augustine writes: “Stupidity glories in never yielding to the force of truth.” To live outside of the true sense of freedom is to live in a world wild with absurdity. All that falls short of Jesus’ commandment to love one another is absurd.

Those who live in that first kind of freedom take themselves all too seriously and will accept no limits, no critique. They know not how to laugh. Those who live the latter sense of freedom recognize the absurdity of limitless liberty and laugh at their own errors and forgive themselves and others. The first sense of freedom is rooted in pride; the second is rooted in humility. Choose, then, to be truly free; love one another.


Dan Doyle is a retired professor of English and Humanities. He taught 13 years at the high school level and 22 years at the university level. He spends his time now babysitting his granddaughter. He is a poet and a blogger as well. Dan holds an AA degree in English Literature, a BA in Comparative Literature, and an MA in Theology. To read more of Dan’s work, click here.

http://jesus-loves-you.org/?cat=34

MISSING THE BOAT

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

Romans 10:14


Missing the Boat: A Poignant Parable

http://youtu.be/sqgGGMubhf0

All it takes is just a few words to save a soul today

http://youtu.be/sqgGGMubhf0

THE SOURCE OF SAINTLY LOVE

Romans 1:7a

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints...


The words "to be" were not contained in the original manuscript. Therefore this passage should read "called saints", not "called to be saints". You might say, "Wait a minute, I'm no saint." A saint is not one who, as the dictionary defines: "after death is formally designated as having led a life of exceptional holiness." Rather the Biblical definition is anyone who accepts Jesus Christ as his or her personal savior. It is not your behavior that makes you a saint; it is your faith and trust in Jesus.
Our passage today starts with the words: "To all in Rome who are loved by God". What a wonderful beginning point -- to be loved by God. 1 John 4:19 tells us, "We love because he first loved us." Christian musician Cheri Keaggy wrote about her album released in 2007: "I wanted to call the album, 'Because He First Loved Us', because it's solid. It's the whole reason I sing. I believe I John 4:19 is a verse that resonates with the Church. We know the world is watching to see if this religion thing is real. How do we treat each other? Does our faith repel the lost or does it attract them to Jesus? Do we love unselfishly even when it's not convenient or easy? Christ did. And He empowers us to do the same."
For me that's what "being a saint" means: Loving even when it's difficult or inconvenient -- not because I'm a great person, but because He loved me first and empowers me to do the same. Well said Cheri.


We are called saints but is our behavior saintly? Is God's love for us fully expressed in our lives? It is easy to love our family and friends, but what about that irritating co-worker who sits across from you, who is always on the phone with personal matters while you're hard at work? And how about the guy who stole the parking spot you were waiting for at the grocery store -- then laughed at you? How easy are those people to love? If you are anything like me -- they are hard to love. But God calls us to love them anyway because He loved us first. He loved me despite all of my faults; I guess I could try a little harder to love others. What about you?

http://www.ptl.org/code/index.php

COUNING OUR BLESSINGS

By Judy Gruen


Last night as my husband, Jeff, and I had dinner together, I felt a deep sense of gratitude. After nearly twenty-five years of marriage, eating dinner together is hardly a novel phenomenon. I have calculated, in fact, that we have eaten nearly 9,000 dinners together, and I have likely cooked more than 8,000 of them!
We are now quasi–empty nesters who still work long hours at our respective jobs. Physically and psychologically, our evening meals provide nourishment for both body and soul. We talk about our kids, our work, the news. We talk about books we are reading, and share new insights from classes we have attended. And of course there is the mundane stuff of life, such as who will take the car for the oil change, and when we will ever get around to dumping the ancient, faded family room couch and give that neglected space a facelift. If the day has been particularly maddening or frazzling, we’ll play surefire calming classics for ambiance; other evenings we’ll play Celtic instrumentals, Spanish guitar, and folk/rock from “our time.”

What made last night’s dinner particularly meaningful was that it was the first night in nearly two weeks when Jeff could sit up for dinner at all without excruciating pain. Twelve days earlier, he had begun feeling unwell. Two days after that, he experienced brutal head and neck pain whenever he tried to sit up or stand. Although it was Shabbat morning, I called the paramedics, and within minutes we were riding in an ambulance to the emergency room. Over the next eleven hours, a caring and capable doctor and a cadre of hardworking nurses tried to ease Jeff’s pain, while test after test was employed to determine the cause.

Jeff has been blessed with excellent health and stamina—blessings that we tried not to take for granted. His robust energy seemed like more than a blessing; it seemed a vital necessity given the demands of running a small business, where twelve-hour work days for him are much too common. In twenty-two years of running his business, he’s rarely missed a day of work due to illness. And when he has, it was usually because I adamantly insisted that he stay home to rest

Fortunately, our enduring partnership has not dulled our affection for, or interest in, one another. In contrast to the old adage that familiarity breeds contempt, familiarity for us has bred content, and much more. Today we cherish a deeper emotional connection than we could have dreamed possible when we first married.

The suddenness and severity of his pain was terrifying, but we tried not to “catastrophize,” and fought the tendency to imagine dreadful diagnoses. Fortunately, every test at the hospital revealed a man in good health. Finally, the doctor surmised that the pain was caused by a nasty virus. After lots of high-tech tests, he recommended a low-tech solution of complete bed rest and lots of liquids. We were relieved to finally come home, but were exhausted and still worried. Was this really a virus? If so, how long would the symptoms last? What if the doctor was wrong?

A few days later a neurologist diagnosed the problem as a small tear at the base of Jeff’s brain, a rare and unlikely event given that he had not had any recent head trauma. This tear caused spinal fluid to leak when Jeff was in any upright position. The doctor was optimistic that several days of complete rest and drinking copious amounts of liquid would heal the tear. And if it didn’t, there were non-surgical corrections available.

Jeff had no choice but to submit to a regimen of complete bed rest. But while you can take the man out of the office, you can’t always take the office out of the man, and my husband continued to work via BlackBerry and iPad while lying down. “Just because I’ve sprung a leak doesn’t mean I can’t work,” he joked, revealing that his sense of humor was still intact while mine was missing in action. I typed the longer e‑mails, because—trust me—it’s really hard to type while holding an iPad aloft.

During his convalescence, the morning blessings assumed a new poignancy and meaning for both of us: “Blessed are You, L‑rd our G‑d, King of the Universe, who releases the bound . . . Who straightens the bent . . . Who gives strength to the weary.” For the first time in his life, Jeff recited these blessings unable to stand. As he slowly regained strength and equilibrium, and was able to sit up for a few minutes longer each day, we were in awe of how the Almighty designed the human body with such exquisite balance, miraculous complexity and a remarkable capacity to heal.

This episode reminded us of what we knew intellectually but had not experienced personally: no matter how many hundreds or even thousands of times we have thanked G‑d for the miracles we take for granted, such as waking up and being able to see, to stand and to relieve ourselves without blinding pain, it’s only when these gifts are taken away that we can fully appreciate the masterpiece of a healthy human body.

Despite the fright and pain of this episode, we realize how blessed we are that it was of short duration, and according the doctor, unlikely to recur. “It’s another reminder that the small things are the big things,” my husband said to me that evening, enjoying the novel sensation of sitting up pain-free. Enduring the health scare of his life has made him determined to finally implement the kind of changes he has long wanted to make at work, so that he can run his business more than his business runs him.

As he told a friend who came to visit, “This experience has reminded me in no uncertain terms of what’s really important in my life: the unconditional love from my wife and children, a supportive community and a loyal team of employees. I like to think that the goodness I’ve tried to put out there over the years has come home when I needed it most.”

This is why our quiet little dinners, which we had already looked forward to each night with happy anticipation, are times to cherish even more, both of us grateful to know we’ve got each other.

http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/1894652/jewish/Counting-Our-Blessings.htm

AND THEN (ROSE AND LINDA'S BLOG)

And then the angels

rolled away the stone

Why we ask?




Jesus did not need the stone removed

No Jesus did not need the stone removed

the stone was removed so people would know




HE IS ALIVE

HE IS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE

HALLELUJAH




Removed so we could see

For us for you for me

HE IS ALIVE

THANK GOD ALMIGHTY

YOU ARE ALIVE




Will you ponder with me a moment

Just think on this one thing

Open your heart to receive

this message I have to give




Why did those angels roll away

the stone

From the tomb of our

SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST




The very Word of God tells us

and we know it as the truth

Matthew 28...

two Mary's went to the tomb

Behold a great earthquake

Behold a great earthquake

Yes behold a great earthquake

As the angel rolled away the stone




His countenance was like lightening

and his clothing white as snow

The guards shook for fear

and became like men so dead




I am sure the angel spoke boldly

For he knew the truth

DO NOT BE AFRAID

for I know

you seek Jesus who was crucified




HE IS NOT HERE

FOR HE IS RISEN AS HE SAID

COME SEE THE PLACE

WHERE THE LORD LAY




Why we ponder did the angel

roll away the stone

think on it dear friends

JESUS DID NOT NEED THE STONE

ROLLED AWAY

AS HE WAS NOT WITHIN.




recj/LJG

JERUSALEM IN ISAIAH 62 AND REVELATION 21

The beautiful thing in being an online Biblical Hebrew teacher is the opportunity to meet from the comfort of your house, different people from all around the world and share with them your thoughts about the Hebrew Bible. In the last European Webinar that took place on Thursday, 6/7/12 I was for some moments the student and not just the instructor.

The issue on the table was the changes in Jerusalem in Isaiah 62 and we read, as we always do, the verses of this chapter, and the discussion about their meanings in Hebrew and in English. Two important verses are 4 and 5 as written:

"It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken," Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate"; But you will be called, “My delight is in her," And your land, “Married"; for the LORD delights in you, and to Him your land will be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you; And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you."(Isaiah 62:4-5)

The name of Jerusalem and the name of the Promised Land will change from a negative meaning to a positive one. If the city and the land after the destruction of the First Temple-as the desert or the wilderness, now in the days before building the Second Temple they will be as a new wife for The Lord, a new bride for the groom or a wife that decided to e change after the first marriage being a disaster.

What I have learned in the Webinar in those moments on Thursday is that the metaphor of bride and groom that we have learned about in the last two webinars in Hosea 2 and Isaiah 62 appears also in the New Testament in the book of Revelation as we all can see in this passage:

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them" (Revelation 21:1-3)

The new heaven in the New Testament speaks about s spiritual change in the land of Israel and of Jerusalem. The idea is that the Old city of Jerusalem wasn't good enough in the eyes of The Lord. This city as it was called by the words of Ezekiel 22 the city of blood, needed a change as mentioned in the passage above from Isaiah 62. The change in Revelation 21 is more dramatic due to the creation of a new city and a new land of Israel from the heaven to the earth. Also here the bride is the same and the groom is the same as it is in Isaiah 62. The city has no new name as it is in Isaiah 62, but has a new Temple, a spiritual one, and not Physical as it was in Isaiah 62, as written:

"On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent. You, who remind the LORD, take no rest for yourselves; and give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem praise in the earth. The LORD has sworn by His right hand and by His strong arm," I will never again give your grain as food for your enemies; nor will foreigners drink your new wine for which you have labored.”(Isaiah 62:6-8)

The establishment of a new place in Jerusalem as the Second Temple with economic change and also new security to the city were the steps that helped the people, who just came back from Babylon, to make the change complete. Sometimes in order to make the change in your life it's not enough to change your name and that's it. You must make changes that will open the door in a way that will create a new reality whether it's a new covenant or a New Testament in your life.

According to the end of Revelation 21 the people that will enter in the gates of Jerusalem will be these as written:

"And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life."(Revelation 21:23-27)

I wish for all of you to visit Jerusalem one day or in the Promised Land. This is one of the places that a change that happens here can have an influence in this entire world.

Have a blessed week, Eli

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LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND

The following is the third installment in a series by Dan Doyle about Hope, Faith, and Love (1 Corinthians 13:13). Read Part One or Part Two now.

Love is the central virtue of Christianity, indeed, of humanity. One does not have to be a believer to know that this is true. Love is the driving force of life. It is the affirming, optimistic attitude of “yes” that defines the meaning an purpose of life. Love is shown in two very distinct and powerful ways.

First, for Christians all of creation, every inanimate object, every insect and animal, every plant and tree, and every human being was created in love. The great seas, the mighty mountains, the rivers in their channels and the deepest canyons, were all the objects of a loving mind. But most of all the human being, created in the image and likeness of God is the direct object of that love that rises from the infinite heart of God. It is always directed outward toward the object of its affection. It never takes, it only gives. It affirms and creates, never destroys. It supports, defends, cares for and sacrifices for the other. It is never selfish, never limited. It demands no cost, is always freely given. It is never selfish, is always communal. It desires the best for the other, never demanding a quid pro quo.

The love of God is unconditional and eternal. Even though mankind, from the beginning to the present moment, turned away from God, his love was not diminished for us. Indeed, paradoxically, it grew even greater. Even while we were in the midst of our sins he came among us, to show us how far God’s love extends by bearing our whole sinful burden on his back, sacrificing everything, including his very life, for us. He walked our path. He is present to us when we feel we can go no further. He showed us how we can turn again toward that freely given gift of love that is our natural inheritance.



During his life among us, Jesus showed us what that love looks like, what it does, and then he commanded us to do the same for one another. “My commandment to you is to love one another; there is no greater love than to lay one’s life down for your friends.”

Because all of us are mistake makers, we are all at one time or another, guilty of injuring one another in word or in deed. We wound, or destroy the love that we have for one another breaking the very bonds we most desire and need. We part from one another and great empty spaces grow between us. In our smallness we rage against the injustices that others bring to bear upon us, often not recognizing the injustices that we ourselves perpetrate on others.

Here is the other face of love, then. There is only one thing that can heal the rifts that grow between us when we sin against each other, it is the supreme and selfless act of love we know as forgiveness. Only forgiveness, true, sincere and generous, can heal those wounds. And forgiveness can not arise out of anything but love.

Let me use an analogy here. In the human heart there is a section called the pacemaker. It is where the electrical charge is produced that causes that powerful muscle to contract and pump blood out into the body and to bring it back again to exchange oxygen with carbon dioxide. If that pacemaker fails, the person dies. The love that we have for others has a pacemaker too, without which love cannot survive. That pacemaker is forgiveness. If we cannot find love sufficient enough within us to forgive the wounds that others have given us in word or deed, then the relationship we had cannot survive. It will die as surely as the human heart will if its pacemaker fails.

Jesus’ death on the cross was the supreme act of love. It required the total giving out of everything so that our relationship with God could be reconciled, rebuilt, restored. Forgiveness is love’s pacemaker. It was required for our relationship with God, and it is so often required in our relationships with those whom we love in this life.

Our culture teaches us many false ideas about love. Disney tells us in everyone of its movies for children, that when you “fall in love” with someone and get married, you will “live happily ever after.” Hallmark cards tell us “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Hollywood tells us that love is a feeling, a very powerful feeling attached to physical pleasures and when those pleasures are no longer there, love is no longer there.

Jesus’ message is in opposition to every one of these ideas. Jesus’ example of love is realistic. It is mature. It is not deterred by injury, nor is it merely a physical expression alone. It recognizes that we fall short of our ideals, that though we fall we can recover from our mistakes and grow. It shows that love endures even through the hard times, that it is stronger than any injury. Most importantly he shows us that love, real love, is a feeling AND a willingness to work hard at this thing called relationships. Love is manifested in actions, not just passive feelings. “Love is patient and kind…” (1 Corinthians: 13)

Love is the source of our being and without it all is lost. God is love. With God in our lives we too can become co-creators with the Father, co-saviors with the Son, and co-lovers with the Holy Spirit. This is, indeed, what “makes the world go ’round.




Dan Doyle is a retired professor of English and Humanities. He taught 13 years at the high school level and 22 years at the university level. He spends his time now babysitting his granddaughter. He is a poet and a blogger as well. Dan holds an AA degree in English Literature, a BA in Comparative Literature, and an MA in Theology. To read more of Dan’s work, click here.

NATHAN --- THE PROPHET WHO GAVE AND TOOK

When you learn Biblical Hebrew with us in E-teacher, one of the first things that we do as Biblical Hebrew teachers is to write the students' name in Hebrew and then he can do it after the first two lessons with us. Today we shall see how a name can show us two different destinies of the same character.




One of the most important verbs in the Hebrew Bible is "to give"(Hebrew: natan).From the first chapter of The Scriptures we can find this verb as written:




"God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good."(Genesis 1:16-18)




The character we shall encounter today is Nathan the prophet. Nathan appeared in three important stories in the days of King David. The meaning of his name is related to the verb that we discussed above; Nathan means "he gave".




After David decided that Jerusalem will be the capital of his kingdom he had a conversation with Nathan about building the First Temple for G-d, as we see in these verses:









"Now it came about when the king lived in his house, and the LORD had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within tent curtains.” Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your mind, for the LORD is with you." But in the same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, “Go and say to my servant David, ‘thus says the LORD, “Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in? For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about in a tent, even in a tabernacle."(2 Samuel 7:1-6)




Nathan literally gave David the opportunity to build a house for G-d though we know that G-d decided at the end of this chapter that David's son will do it and David got the promise from G-d that his house will always be a house of royalty. In my opinion Nathan tried to be independent without asking The Lord what to do, as a prophet should do.







Maybe the second time that we meet him as a prophet Nathan acts as a mouth that speaks the words of G-d through a beautiful fable that came after the sin of David with Bathsheba, as written:












"Nathan then said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. I also gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.’” Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die.” So Nathan went to his house…"(2 Samuel 12:7-15)









When you look at the outcome of this meeting the sin of David caused him to be punished in public in every way you can think of. The horrible thing in this chapter, I think, is that his son that was conceived the night with Bathsheba died due to his father's sins. In this meeting Nathan didn't give anything good to David, he just took from him his respect and his son.




Therefore, dear friends, maybe this is the reason why the third time that we see Nathan, he continued to disrespect David and caused him to be deceived in the last days of his life, due to his sins. However, Bathsheba's second son with David, Solomon, became king after Nathan manipulated his old father. Nathan here, one more time is the giver- He Gave Solomon the royalty after a beautiful manipulation that he had made with Bathsheba.




1 KINGS 1:11-53

THE FEMALE ESTATE

The Female Estate

Parshat Pinchas

By Chana Weisberg







Linda listened attentively to the two lecturers. Both were dynamic speakers; both enthralled their audience with their interesting material and vibrant presentation.

But Linda couldn't help but notice their contrasting styles.

The first lecturer, a man, would invariably pose a thought-provoking question. When participants ventured to answer, he'd disprove or discredit their offerings, in order to build up his central point and hypothesis. He'd demonstrate the fallacy of other responses, leading every participant towards his line of reasoning and conclusion.

The second lecturer, a woman, also posed a thought-provoking question. But every answer from participants received a complimentary comment. Somehow, this lecturer was able to discover or elicit from even the more far-fetched responses some point of similarity-- some point that would compliment the concepts that she was conveying.

Linda wondered if the different styles of the lecturers were related to their genders.

Was the masculine mode more direct and goal oriented, and the feminine one more intuitive, more geared toward finding the common grain of truth and connection? Was it inborn for women to empower and nurture just as it was natural for a man to be more confrontational and conquering?

The more she thought about it, the more Linda wondered if these different modes of communication were perhaps a reflection of some spiritual, cosmic arena of the masculine and feminine energies within creation...

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This week's Torah reading contains the laws of inheritance. These laws were revealed to Moses through the daughters of Tzlafchad.


The daughters of Tzlafchad, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah, stood before Moses and the entire congregation saying, "Our father died the desert, but he was not in the assembly that banded together against G-d in Korach's assembly, and he had no sons. Why should our father's name be eliminated from his family because he had no son? Give us a portion along with our father's brothers."

So Moses brought their case before G-d.

G-d spoke to Moses, saying: "Tzlafchad's daughters speak justly. You shall certainly give them a portion of inheritance.

Speak to the children of Israel saying: "If a man dies and has no son, you shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter." (Numbers 27: 1-8)

From every episode in the Torah we can discern an everlasting spiritual lesson. The Kabbalistic masters understood this law of inheritance as a metaphorical reflection of the spiritual roles of men and women.

The "conquest of the land" was not a command for the generation of the wilderness alone. Each of us is enjoined to "conquer the land"--to gain mastery of our physical world and transform it into a proper and holy home for G-d.

The nature of the physical is that it is resistant and hostile to G-dliness, holiness and spirituality. The way to "conquer the land" has traditionally been to battle, subjugate and uproot the darkness and negativity (whether by battling evil people or regimes, or by fighting value systems that are antithetical to the morality of the Torah). We "battle" by suppressing the materialistic nature of our world and impose on it a higher purpose and function.

But there is another method of transforming our world into a G-dly home. This approach does not aggressively battle the negativity, but rather cultivates and exposes the inherent positivity within creation. In this mode, we are not working in the traditional, linear method of imposing and overcoming, but rather in the more inner and pervasive manner of raising and elevating our reality to make it more G-dly.

These two methods, in a nutshell, reflect the masculine and feminine modes of spiritual endeavor. We employ the "masculine" mode when we conquer, subjugate or overcome. We employ the "feminine" approach when we cultivate, nurture and bring out the inner qualities. (This is not to say that every man will always use the masculine mode and every woman the feminine, but these are the masculine and feminine energies within creation.)

Both roles are vital for transforming our world into a G-dly one. But from the beginning of time, the male role was traditionally perceived as superior and more effective. And for a time, that role was the vital one. When evil abounds, you need to fight it aggressively and head on.

But there comes a point when humankind is ready to make a transition from male to female values--from authority to dialogue, from dominance to persuasion, from control to nurture.

The daughters of Tzelafchad understood this reality. They realized that there would come a time and a place when "conquering and settling the land" would not be an exclusively masculine endeavor. Not all conquests are achieved by overpowering one's adversary. There is a feminine way to transform the materiality of our lives into a "holy land."

G-d agreed with their perception.

G-d instructed: "If a man has no son, you shall pass his inheritance on to his daughter." The Kabbalistic masters understood this to mean that at times the qualities of the "son," the masculine, aggressive and combative nature, is better replaced by the "daughter," the passive, compassionate, non-confrontational side.

Humanity will reach a time when the feminine qualities of receptiveness, nurturance and empathy will be valued and vindicated for their equal, if not more effective, role of changing the very nature and hostility of "the land" and transforming it into a home for G-d.

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The Chassidic masters explain that each of the forty-two legs of the journey from Egypt to the Holy Land reflects another generation and stage in our world history. The incident of the daughters of Tzelafchad occurred on the last stop of this journey. It reflects the end of our cosmic journey, right before our ultimate conquest of the Land, in the messianic age.

From the time of our patriarchs onwards, and throughout Jewish history, there have been select individual women who displayed spiritual qualities that their husbands (who were themselves great men and leaders of Israel) could not attain. These were individuals who tasted the messianic era in their own time. They experienced a touch of the future, when the feminine values in our world will rise above the masculine.

The generation of the desert was also exposed to this messianic reality. In that generation, the women repaired what the men broke down. The women refused to participate in the making of the Golden Calf. Similarly, the women refused to listen to the negative counsel of the spies against the land of Israel. And, in our parshah, when the men had been unwilling to enter the Land, the daughters of Tzelafchad petitioned to receive an inheritance.

The great kabbalist Rabbi Isaac Luria (the "Arizal," 1534-1572) explains that the generation of the final redemption is a reincarnation of the very same souls as those freed from Egypt. Their strong feminine values will be mirrored in the last leg of our history, causing and heralding the ultimate redemption, when the feminine role will be valued and appreciated.1

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Perhaps this is hinted to in the special sacrifice of the New Moon recorded later in the parshah. The New Moon offering was different from all the other sacrifices of each of the holidays.


"And on the beginning of your months, you shall offer... one young male goat for a sin offering to G-d. (Numbers 28:15)

Rashi: The young male goat brought on the first day of the month differs (from all the other offerings) as it says, "to G-d." In the Aggadah, it is expounded: The Holy One, blessed is He, said, "Bring atonement for Me because I diminished the moon." (Talmud, Sevuot 9a).

When did G-d "diminish the moon" and why does He ask us to bring an atonement on His behalf for doing so? The Talmud relates the story: On the fourth day of creation, when G-d made "the two great luminaries," the moon approached G-d complaining that it was the same size as the sun.


The moon said to G-d: "Sovereign of the Universe, can two kings share a single crown?"

G-d replied: "Go and make yourself smaller"'

"Sovereign of the Universe"' she said to him, "because I made a proper claim before You, am I to make myself smaller?"

He said to her, "Go, and you will rule over both the day and the night." She said "What good is a lamp in broad daylight?"

He said, "Go! Israel shall use you to count the days and the years."

On seeing that the moon would not be consoled, the Holy One said, "Bring an atonement for me for making the moon smaller." (Talmud, Chulin 60b)

The moon pointed out a fundamental flaw in creation--how can two "kings" equally dominate the same territory? G-d commands the moon to make herself smaller, implying that one luminary does have to be bigger. But the moon complains that this decision is unjust, and no matter what other gifts and enticements she is offered, she refuses to give up her claim. G-d admits that the situation is unfair and makes a sin-offering every month to atone for this injustice.

In the time of Moshiach, however, the moon will regain her original stature and will be returned to her full glory.


When the moon was first created, she was a glistening jewel. She did not merely reflect light, but rather transformed it and brought out its inner beauty. In her own way, the moon was greater than the sun -- for the sun only shines from its surface, whereas the moon shone from its inner essence. And so will be, once again, and much more so, in the time to come. (Rabbi Isaac of Homil, Maamar Shnei Me'orot)

Women have a strong connection to the moon and to the holiday of the New Moon, Rosh Chodesh. The moon metaphorically symbolizes the feminine energy, with her waxing and waning and monthly renewals.

In the beginning of creation, for reasons beyond our understanding, the moon was diminished, just as in our perception, the more nurturing and intimate feminine energies has been devalued as if they are of lesser import than the masculine, aggressive and assertive public role.

But, G-d assures us, that there will come a time when humanity will evolve and these values will change. There will be an era when we will reach our final destination, on the last leg of our six-millennia journey, poised to enter the holy land.

And at that time, in that era, the "daughter" too will inherit the land and the moon will shine with equal, if not greater, brilliance than the sun.






FOOTNOTES



1.

Shaar Hagilgulim, Introduction 20.

























By Chana Weisberg More articles... |




Chana Weisberg is a writer, editor and lecturer. She authored several books, including her latest, Tending the Garden: The Unique Gifts of the Jewish Woman. She has served as the dean of several women’s educational institutes, and lectures internationally on issues relating to women, faith, relationships and the Jewish soul.

A VIEW TOWARD THE HORIZON

Romans 1:3b-4

...who as to his human nature was a descendant of David and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.





The resurrection did not make Jesus the Son of God -- it revealed His identity and proved His claims. John 8:23, Jesus speaking, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world." Therefore Jesus was 100% God, but He was also 100% man ("who as to His human nature was a descendant [seed or sperm, KJV] of David").
The next part of our passage today contains the word "declared" which comes from the Greek word "horizo", and is the source of our English word "horizon". I find it a little easier to understand this passage when it is written this way: "...who through the Spirit of holiness was horizoned out to be with power, the Son of God..."
A few years ago I took my wife Sherry and daughter Amanda with me to a business conference in Washington DC. After the conclusion of the conference, the three of us spent several days sight-seeing. On one particular day Amanda was having trouble with our present location in relationship to where we had been and where we were going. So we took an elevator to the rooftop of a nearby building to gain a better perspective. As I pointed out the various landmarks, Amanda's eyes widened as she understood -- we looked behind us to see where we had been -- then out to the horizon for our next destination.
I think that is a big part of what Paul is explaining to us in our passage today -- if we look at Jesus with His resurrection on the horizon we gain a heavenly perspective. It is a lot easier to understand the prophecies of the Old Testament (Romans 1:2), His life while on this earth (His humanity), and ultimately the power in His resurrection (His proof of divinity).





Sometimes we all get lost in the day to day business of living. Once in awhile, when we lose our sense of direction, we need to climb above all the problems, stress and activity to gain a heavenly view -- toward where we are going. It sure makes what might happen today a lot less important if looked at from an eternal point of view. Have you been guilty of losing your perspective? I know I have from time to time. What will it take to get you back on the right path, to clear your head, and clarify your direction and purpose?

PTL.ORG

SICK OF THE DARK SIDE

Tammy grew up in a Christian home, but she never felt like she fully owned her faith, she knew she was just following along out of fear. Once she got to college, she met a guy who was into an entirely different kind of spirituality. She started following his lead, seeing psychics and delving into dark arts. She began to get physically sick til she was unable to get up and go to class. She knew the spiritual was weighing on her physical body and so she pursued God. See how God helped her, restored her and freed her from the grip of the dark side.

http://youtu.be/KerVCRtooxo

JESUS LOVES YOU

http://jesus-loves-you.org/?p=7600&utm_source=jly&utm_medium=email&utm_term=video&utm_content=darkness&utm_campaign=7-9-12-2am

NOT SHOPPING AT THE MALL

By Sara Esther Crispe











I've been spending way too much time at the mall lately. It so happens that the very place that is stimulation overload for me, causing terrible dizziness, is the very same place my teenager finds relaxing. And so here I sit once again outside the store with the blaring music and flashing lights. (Yes, I sit amongst a group of bored husbands and exasperated kids...)

It is a good thing that I like to people watch. I actually love to people watch and can do it for hours. And the mall is a great place to watch away. I have always enjoyed looking at others and trying to read their body language, figure out who they are, their relationship to the people they are with, and what their personalities are like.

I actually love to people watch And while the mall is filled with so many different types of people, here for so many different reasons, they are all being bombarded with the same idea: that they need much more than they came for. In the mall luxuries become necessities and arms sans bags are incomplete.

I try to tell myself over and over that no matter how great the deal, anything I buy, no matter how cheap, costs more than not buying it. And if I came in not needing anything, then I should leave that way as well.

Eizehu ashir, hasameach bechelko: "Who is rich? The one who is happy with his lot." It is no coincidence that the word for "rich" is similar to the word for "happy" (osher). Not that being rich will make me happy, but being happy will make me rich. Of course not in the sense of having money, but by not needing money.

Meanwhile, I will venture to guess that poor people are not spending the day here. How could they afford it? This is an upscale area with an upscale mall, and from the crowded parking lot, I am guessing these people are not just here to window shop.

And what is the message of every store? You need to spend your money to be happy. Only if you give us your money will you feel satisfied and content. But more so, you not only need what we sell, but you deserve it. You owe it to yourself to buy it. And that, my friend, is the key to happiness.

If I came in not needing anything, then I should leave that way as well I definitely seek happiness, but I don't believe I deserve every outfit I like. And even if I do deserve it, I can't afford it. And even if I want it, I don't need it. So buying it will not make me happy, it will not make me fulfilled, it will make me stressed and depressed. The mall is trying to tell me that I can't possibly be happy with what I have, while Torah is telling me that the only way to be happy is by recognizing and being happy with what I already have.

And my daughter is about to learn this lesson, whether or not she agrees with it. I might be willing to sit here while she walks into stores for "relaxation." But she will walk out the same way she walked in...empty-handed.

Funny enough, I am starting to enjoy my time here, sitting on my bench, typing away, and feeling completely at peace with not needing anything this enormous place has to offer. Who knew not buying a thing could make you so happy?!

http://www.chabad.org/blogs/blog_cdo/aid/1888030/jewish/Not-Shopping-at-the-Mall.htm

MULTITASKERS A;NONYMOUS

By Rochel Holzkenner












Photo by Chana Lewis





I’m an expert at multitasking.

As soon as I start doing something, I automatically think of ten other things that I need to get to.

Yesterday afternoon my daughter said, “Mommy, come and sit with me.”

“In a few minutes,” I promised. But when I finally relaxed with her, the multitasking hadn’t stopped; I’d just relegated it to my head. While I listened to her, I was making mental notes of things I needed to accomplish after the kids were asleep.

It’s a dangerous addiction.

Can you think about what you really want out of life?Here’s the scam—multitasking is not always time effective! It tends to diffuse my focus. Beneath the illusion of control and efficiency is my resistance to be fully present to the details of life. Perhaps it’s a lack of appreciation for work in progress that breeds distraction and teases my mind with “more important” things to get to.

It’s easier to quantify the value of a final product. I want my kids to grow into healthy adults; but tonight’s dinner seems like only a small step in the process. I’d love to learn Torah; but studying today’s segment of the Torah portion isn’t interesting. My goal is to have an outrageous relationship; but today’s conversation isn’t going to make it or break it.

Can I value a work in progress?

Can you think about what you really want out of life? (It should make you smile.) Now think about what it would take to get there. (Exhausting!)

Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneersohn (1860–1920) was the fifth rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch. His chassidic discourses were so soul-stimulating, so rich with brilliance and depth, that his students couldn’t get enough of them. One day, as the rebbe prepared to teach them, something happened to surprise him. The students were singing a deep and meditative song that is customarily sung before a chassidic discourse is taught. But the Rebbe sensed that the melody didn’t flow in the slow and reflective way that it was meant to be sung. His students were so eager to finish the song and hear the discourse that they were rushing through its sweet notes.

Instead of teaching a discourse, the Rebbe taught them a valuable life lesson:

If you can’t appreciate the song, you can’t appreciate the Torah. If you can’t be fully present in the preparatory stages, you won’t be fully present even when you arrive. Value the means towards the end.

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Miraculously, the lot picked was always the perfect size for the matching tribeIn Kabbalistic lingo, accessing our core desires, what we really want out of life, is cultivating our portion of Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel. The word eretz shares a root with the Hebrew word ratzon, desire. Just like everyone’s passion and soul mission is unique, every family that entered the Holy Land was given a unique plot to cultivate.

Our individual calling and aspirations grow from a mosaic of variables: family dynamics, culture, work, and our personal strengths and challenges. Together they comprise our unique terrain, the most fertile terrain for the particular soul’s mission.

When the Jewish nation entered Israel, G‑d made it crystal clear to each tribe and every family which plot of land was theirs to cultivate. G‑d told Joshua to divide the land through lots. The names of the tribes were inscribed on twelve slips, and the twelve territories were written on another twelve slips. Miraculously, the lot picked was always the perfect size for the matching tribe. In the second round, Joshua subdivided the land to the families within the tribe; again, a perfect match each time.

“The inheritance shall be appointed between the numerous and the few by the mouth of the lot,” says G‑d.1

Rashi catches G‑d’s unusual verbiage—“by the mouth of the lot.” “The lot actually spoke out,” Rashi explains. As Joshua pulled out the paper, “the lot itself cried out and said, ‘I am the lot for such-and-such a tribe in such-and-such a territory.’”

Even without the talking, it was clear that the lots expressed G‑d’s plan for the division of the land. What was the purpose of the miraculously vocal lots?

G‑d evidently saw it important to place more value on the process of dividing the land. It wasn’t simply a pragmatic step in their immigration. It wasn’t just a reference guide, directing them to their individual mission. The division of land was so essential that G‑d fully invested Himself in its process. The lots not only exhibited the perfect match, they also spoke it. It was a visual and auditory experience for the nation, one that perhaps left a lifelong imprint.

In fact the talking lots left a millennia-long imprint. They spoke not only to the Jews entering Israel, but to all people who journey their way towards their portion in the land, their core life-desires. It’s a winding route getting there, a route that can seem so trivial, even disconnected from the target. Which makes it tempting to disconnect and distract from the scenic route.

Connect everyone’s highest destiny, and you’ll see a world of MoshiachSo G‑d goes all out when He matches the tribes to their new land. It would take years and decades before the tribe finally settled their land, and more time before they tilled the soil and fertilized the fields. But they remembered the voice of the lots: “I am your highest destiny—to reach me you’ll need to be very invested in my development.”

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Connect everyone’s highest destiny, and you’ll see a world of Moshiach. In the time just before Moshiach is manifest, we are still a collective work in progress, a world in progress. The secret is how invested we can be in the process of global transformation. Sure, we’ll all value its impact when global Redemption is complete, but until then, how strong is our focus?

Here’s a meditation for addicted multitaskers like me:

If I’d only know how much G‑d is invested in my progress, I’d give each moment the attention it deserves.2






FOOTNOTES



1.

Numbers 26:56.



2.

Based on the Rebbe’s talk delivered on Shabbat Parshat Pinchas 5751 (1991).

























By Rochel Holzkenner More articles... |




Rochel is a mother of two children and the co-director of Chabad of Las Olas, Fla., heading its educational department. She is also a freelance writer—and a frequent contributor to Chabad.org—and lectures on topics of Kabbalah and feminism, and their application to everyday life. Rochel holds an MS in Brain Research from Nova SE University.