Tag: blessings

How Do We Know If We Really Love God?

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And How Does The World Know?

Keep in mind, I did not ask, how do we prove that we love God. Are these ways that we know that we love God?

  • You have a bumper sticker.
  • You sing in the praise team.
  • You have #blessed on your profile.
  • You listen to positive, encouraging music in the car.
  • You recite the apostles’ creed.
  • You even know what the apostles’ creed is.

The Beloved

They call John “the beloved disciple.” Theologians say that he had a special bond with Jesus. Evidenced in several verses, but especially at the cross where Jesus asked him to take care of Miriam, his mother. So this beloved disciple tells us the evidence for showing that God is our beloved.

Cliff Notes:

Obey God if you love Him.

The Fruit of Loving God

Fruit Is A Testimony

Fruit is pleasant, and it has great effects. People of the world see the good deeds that are described in the Torah and glorify God because it has shown them that He is real.

Fruit Is Not A Burden

If Paul was adamant about us rejecting God’s laws, why did he want us to miss this opportunity to bless the world? Was he calling the law a yoke? Why did John say that it’s not a burden? Why did Jesus call us to take His yoke and why did He say that it is easy?

Conqueror

Seeing our obedience to God (following His Torah) can be a conquering force. John says that our faith is the victory that overcomes the world. Does the world need to be overcome today?

Don’t Just Say It, Live It.

Do you have faith enough to conquer? Then you must have faith enough to obey.

Show me some faith without action. I’ve never seen it. But I can point you to some people who have actions that speak louder than words. The mouth of faith is an arm. The hand of God is in the works of His servants. The eyes of the world take notice, and they have no gripe in the court of heaven.

This is just one way that the Torah brings victory over the enemy. If you have faith, you will seek to follow the Jesus example. Like Him, you will overcome.

The world will give God the glory for our good deeds. The enemy will lose more of his grip.

Bring YHWH glory on earth, as if it were the very throne of God.

Give Torah A Try

Open up your heart to the possibility that man has largely gotten it wrong about Torah for more than 2,000 years. From Genesis to Revelation, we now know, Jesus (Yeshua) is present. People used to think He was a “New Testament” invention. A closer look shows that He has been here from the beginning.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:1

Now, as He is the alpha and Omega, and the living Word. Let’s consider that He has been here as the Living Torah for All Time.

Be blessed.

Torah Is Practicable

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Why should we not care?

If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

I John 2:29 ESV

We will know them by their fruit.

If we know a person who claims to be a follower of Jesus, you expect them to act differently – different from the world, the pagan.

Ask any atheist if we should follow God’s laws, he will say, “H#@* no!”

Then why spend our energy defending the idea that God’s laws were abolished or that they should be ignored? We can do His will. We can serve Him in this way. Here it is called practicing righteousness.

I used to think if I followed the laws (His Torah) that I was being like a pharisee. Since the Pharisees (many of them) were evil, I don’t want anything to do with that.

Listen, God is Not the author of evil. He is not the author of lies. He asks us to follow Jesus’ example, to follow His word. His Torah can transform out thoughts. But we have to relax our hard line against it as a body of Messiah.

We must know and make known that Messiah is our sacrifice. However, we must acknowledge His gift of Torah and Holy Ruach (breath) to guide our actions. This is our reasonable service. Our righteous deeds are evidence of our righteous new birth.

The one who does what is right (righteousness) is born of Him. The ones who seem to do otherwise, we can’t be so sure. We cannot bet our PBJ sandwich on the man who shuns God’s laws.

Clean your Temple.

Yes, as sinners, we can repent and be saved. But we must cleanse our Temple. Our bodies are that special place of God’s presence. Use the water of His word to wash and purify. Yes, it takes effort. It takes some work. We can’t save ourselves with works, but we can use real endeavors to do His will.

Speak it and live it at the same time.

The concept of literally making our disobedience an actual method of serving God sounds ludicrous. However, we often obey with our actions, yet speak against God’s holy Torah. I simply say, let’s be consistent and read further than our misrepresented scripture support for lawlessness.

In every role, we are expected to do the work.

As many of us are employed, we submit to our boss’s authority. Think of our Christian (Christ-like) life as our job, I’d you will. Think of our role as followers as one that has built in responsibilities. At work, as I am offered a duty such as the production of a short video, I wouldn’t look at my boss and say “nope.” I wouldn’t explain that it would be legalism to comply and it is best to reject the request. From cover to cover, God asks for us to do our duties and make the world a better place.

Prayer:

Father, your awesome will be done. May my life align with your will and your Kingdom. May I not bring shame to your throne. I thank you for your special grace to learn as I live. Thank you for your patience with me. Help me to understand the hard sayings of your scripture. If there are personal constructs that are getting in my way, please sanctify my mind to the mind of Messiah. May I live your Torah for my life. May I work to cleanse my way more each day. Amen.

And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

I John 3:3

Torah Is Shalom

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A person who lives in harmony with God and His creation, doesn’t just feel peace, but experiences it completely.

The person who kicks against His Heavenly Father’s will, experiences a wide variety of peace stealing forces.

Broken Record

I’m like a broken record here. But I guess repeating certain things is important, because the Bible does it. Over and over we see the results of obedience and of disobedience.

When I was convicted and convinced that honoring Torah is for me, I went from turmoil to peace. Turmoil is, in fact, what dropped me to my knees.

Of course I haven’t been perfect. Pharisees and Roman priests have tried to codify perfection by building up zillions (according to my last count) of man made rules and regulations in an attempt to perfect the pious ones. Still hasn’t worked.

Give me 613

The average person does not know that the pharisees were loading up the people with their cement mixer of minutiae… Even though the Bible tells me so.

You leave the commandment of 

God and hold to the

tradition of men.

Mark 7:8

Then He emphasizes,

But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban” ’ (that is, given to God) then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.

Mark 7:11-13

We generally don’t think of Pharisees as being particularly peaceful.

We mistakenly attribute this grumpy nature to the fact that they were too busy following Moses’ law.

News alert: To anyone who believes the Law was done away with at the Cross; Jesus was still alive.

The Pharisees clearly were following an accumulation of laws that were not so called “laws of Moses.” They were making stuff up and calling it “oral Torah.” How convenient is that? I’m writing this on the day after Reformation Day. If you remember, Martin Luther (not King) hung up his points which addressed 95 new laws made up by man. He realized that tyrants could just make it up. The church that was called Catholic, was under roman authority. The Pharisees were in authority under roman rule as well. Why do we miss this stuff? That’s why I’m here, I guess.

It is so important to know that our Joy comes from God. He says that His Torah brings Shalom. Peter said to seek Shalom, referencing Psalm 34.

I don’t think it’s an accident that the Psalm relates obedience to peace.

Depart from evil, and do good. seek peace, and pursue it.

Psalm 34:14

Shalom in adversity

When we are walking in God’s will, we walk in peace, even in the presence of enemies.

Now, who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,

I Peter 3:13-14 ESV

Shalom means more than peace, my friend.

The shalom of YHWH is complete. It means wholeness. It includes what we call “wellness.”

This is the kind of peace that passes all understanding. This is the type that is hard to measure, but you’ll know it when you’re there. This shalom is only truly found in Messiah. He is the prince of Shalom.

May He keep you in His perfect peace.

Prayer:

Father in Heaven, I lift up your Name. I lift up my prayer in the name of Yeshua. Please keep my brothers and sisters in your perfect peace. Please shield us from evil and let us rest in your shalom. Help us walk in your Way and shelter under your tabernacle. You are the wise and loving Father, but you always were. You have always shown us more grace than we deserve. Help us to show grace on our neighbors. Amen.