God Fulfills His Promises at Exactly the Right Time

From ancient times the Jewish synagogues would read a scheduled portion of the prophets every Sabbath. This is called the Haftorah and every synagogue reads the same scripture as all the others. Do you think God might have a hand in what scripture is read on what days?  Of course He does.

May 15,1948, when Israel was resurrected into a nation, was a Sabbath and the Haftorah for that day was Amos 9:11-15.

Part of that scripture reads:"I will restore David's fallen shelter- I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins- and will rebuild it as it use to be,...They will rebuild the ruined cites and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,"

Coincidence?  Not with God.  On the day He fulfilled the prophecy in Amos, He had every synagogue in the world reading that very prophecy.

Photo credit: Torah by Lawrie Cate

The Grave of Hope

The grave is a forbidding place full of sorrow and hopelessness.  It is one of the most depressing places on earth where despair and pain are found in abundance.  This is where families are eternally torn apart.  The grave is a site for tears, heartache and helplessness.

But, there is one grave in all of history that is the exact opposite.  It brings hope to the hopeless, joy to the sorrowful, and healing to all who acknowledge it.  This is the one grave where tears are wiped away, heartache becomes joy and helplessness becomes hope.

The grave of Jesus Christ is where you find life instead of death.  The grave of Jesus is not the end, but the beginning.  This is not where life ends, but where eternal life begins.  This is a grave for our old lives of hopelessness to lay buried forever, and where our new lives are born to live with love, hope and the blessings of God every day. 

How to be a Jonah

Jonah was a Jewish prophet called to preach to the people of Nineveh.  What you need to understand is that Nineveh was hated by the Jews because of their cruelty and wickedness.  The Ninevites would carry home from war pieces of their enemies bodies as souvenirs. They would skin people alive and think nothing of it.   Jonah feared the Assyrians and wanted nothing to do with their sadistic empire. He was delighted that God would destroy them in forty short days.

He also knew that God was a God of mercy, and if the people of Nineveh should repent then God would relent and let them live.  He couldn't take the chance of them repenting so Jonah ran.  God had called Jonah and Jonah purposely disobeyed.  A big fish swallowed Jonah, and Jonah suddenly decides he would love to go visit Nineveh.

Jonah told the people in Nineveh that God was going to destroy them and, much to his dismay, they listened and repented.  Jonah got mad because thousands of lives were spared instead of having God destroy them.

It is easy to be a Jonah and many of us do a great job at being a Jonah.  Christians are to show God's love, but we think it is fine to be happy at the death of a murderer, terrorist, pedophile  or anyone who does something we consider evil.  We want those people to die, face God's judgment and go to Hell.

God wants everyone to repent of their wicked ways and follow Him.  Does that mean capital punishment is wrong?  No.  Capital punishment is the result of actions we have done in this life. What God desires is for us to be more concerned about the souls of men than judgment.  We are to look past the evil actions people do and out of love, reach out and bring them to God.  There is no sin so terrible that God is not greater.  His mercy can cover any and all sin.

Is there an enemy in your life that you are hoping meets face to face with God someday and get thrown into eternal damnation?  God's hope is that you will help bring your enemy to live forever in Heaven with God

Photo Credit: Jonah watches Nineveh under the booth by Evans E

Mystery of the Temple Doors

If you have read the story of the crucifixion of Jesus, you know that the curtain dividing the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies  was torn from top to bottom.  This was a very thick, strong curtain and yet at Christ death, it tore on its own.  Of course it was God who tore it to show the separation between  man and God no longer existed, because Jesus had reconciled them.

Did you know that the curtain being wrent in two was not the only miracle.  For the next 40 years, every night, until the destruction of the temple, the temple doors would open on their own.  It is recorded in the Jewish Talmud at Yoma 39. 

There were two barriers to the Holy of Holies, where God sat, and man.  One was the curtain and the other was the two temple doors.  Every night after Jesus was crucified those two doors would swing open as if inviting all people to enter the presence of God.

Why would the Jewish leaders report such a thing happening when they were so hostile towards Jesus and his followers?  By recording such an event in the Talmud they are being a witness for Jesus and the importance of his death.  They do not mention Jesus of course, but the timing is too great to ignore. 

Even the enemies of Christ bear witness of him.  God opens doors with His power that man meant to be closed.  Even the door of hearts firmly shut to the gospel can be opened by his power.

Photo Credit: Gold Door by annie

Finding the Riches of God.

The word "Hebrew" means to pass over.  The Hebrew children had to pass over  the Red Sea and the river Jordan to get to the promised land, but before they did that they had to exit Egypt. The act of entering the promised land was very important, but equally important was the act of exiting the land of their slavery.  You can not enter into something without first exiting something else.

In Genesis 12:1 "The LORD had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you."  God's first command was to "Go from your country."  Before Abram could ever go anywhere he first had to leave where he was at.

When Jesus called his disciples to come with him, they first had to leave their fishing boats and nets.  They had to leave their old lives behind so that they could follow Christ.

God calls us to come and follow Him.  He asks us to be willing to leave our old lives and enter into a new life.  Just as you can not go into one room without leaving the room you are in, you can not enter into a life with Christ, without leaving your old life behind.

There are many people who long for changes in their lives.  They want something better, more satisfying and new.  What they don't want is to leave what they have now behind.  Few people are willing to leave what they know they have, even if it is not good for them, for something they have not even seen.

When we look upon what we have in our hands now, we are scared to lose what little we have for the promise of something greater that we do no see.  We need to look up from our hands and into the face of God.  What God promises, God does.  When God promises rich robes for rags, He fulfills that promise.  God never fails. Trust God.  Leave the slavery of your land and go into the promised land of God's riches.  

Is Jesus God?

Most people in the world say that Jesus is not God.  Does the Old Testament show Jesus to be God?  Not only does it show him to be God it out right says it.

In the Hebrew the word for salvation is Yeshuah.  The Greek translation of Yeshuah is Jesus. So Jesus' name means salvation or Yahweh saves.  With this knowledge we can find some very interesting verses in the old testament. 

"Surely God is (my) Yeshuah; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become (my) Yeshuah" Isaiah 12:2

"The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become (my) Yeshuah." Psalm 118:14

"The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become (my) Yeshuah. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him." Exodus 15:2

The words in parenthesis were added by translators to make it easier to understand.  

You might say this is only a coincidence but when it comes to God, there are no coincidences. Yes these verses are talking about salvation, but many times God talks about two different things in a verse. I believe these verses have a double meaning as well as do many more Bible passages. These verses show that God came to earth and became Yeshuah, our salvation. 

Photo Credit: Face of Jesus 130 by Waiting for the word

Launch Out into the Deep

Where are you living your life?  Are you living in the calm, quiet of the shallow waters, or in the unpredictable, dangerous waters of the deep?

It's nice living in the shallow waters where life is easy and stress free.  You never enter the deeps. You are near the safety of the familiar shore.  It is comfortable here.  Very little can ever disturb you when you live in the shallows.

The deep waters are unknown and unpredictable.  There is no land in sight and safety is beyond the horizon.  The waves of the deep can be huge and completely engulf you.  Storms are more vicious and deadly here. It is not easy, stress free or comfortable.

In Luke 5:4-11 Jesus tells his disciples to "Launch out  into the deep, and let your nets out for a catch."  When they did as Jesus said, they caught so many fish that they filled two boats to almost sinking.  Because they followed what Jesus said, they were blessed beyond what they thought possible.  If the disciples had stayed in the shallows, they would have been more comfortable, but not blessed.

Following God means to leave what is comfortable and  putting out into the deep.  To trust Him with our lives even when storms come to overwhelm us.  It means to not look for familiar shores for safety but to God instead.  This is where we will find true blessings.  This is where God can use us and bring about an abundant harvest.

I was in the US Navy and I have seen waves which completely cover a ship.  I sailed through hurricanes and saw the destruction they possess. It was out in the deep waters where I found myself the most alive and where I saw the might and the glory of God.  I never felt fear our in the deep waters no matter how rough it was, but I found the presence of God much closer out there.