Removing the Veil

“Whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” – 2 Corinthians 3:16

Seed:

Deuteronomy 30:9-16; Isaiah 25:6-8; John 6:63-69; Romans 8:2-8; 2 Corinthians 3:13-18

Plant:

Have you ever heard the saying, “Once you see something, you can’t unsee it”? I’ve heard and used this expression over the years, and it can be applied two ways. One is when you actually see something, either majestic or gruesome, and it stays with you. You see it replay in your mind over and over again. It elicits either a sense of longing or foreboding whenever its memory comes to mind. Whether by choice or by chance, its image is now etched in your mind, and you can’t unsee it.

Another use is when you either notice or someone else points out the similarity between one thing and another. For example, there is an abstract picture my mother painted hanging in our home. I always thought it looked like mountains with the sun setting behind and a stream wandering across the field below them. One day, I realized how similar the texture in this picture is to the lava fields we explored in Hawai’i. Now I can’t unsee it. Whenever I look at the picture, the peaceful mountainous landscape I once saw now wrestles in my mind with the memory of the harsh, rocky landscape left behind by Mauna Loa’s fierce eruptions.

Years ago, I had a “can’t unsee it” experience with God’s Word. Once God opened my heart to His Torah, I can’t unsee it. It has become the thing through which I not only view scripture, but how I see myself and the world around me. 2 Corinthians 3:14-18 sums this experience up perfectly. If you’re anything like me, sometimes it takes a few different ways of receiving information for your brain to fully wrap around it, so here it is in two different translations just to give us all a more vivid picture:

“But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” – ESV 

“What is more, their minds were made stonelike; for to this day the same veil remains over them when they read the Old Covenant; it has not been unveiled, because only by the Messiah is the veil taken away. Yes, till today, whenever Moshe is read, a veil lies over their heart. “But,” says the Torah, “whenever someone turns to Adonai, the veil is taken away. Now, “Adonai” in this text means the Spirit. And where the Spirit of Adonai is, there is freedom. So all of us, with faces unveiled, see as in a mirror the glory of the Lord; and we are being changed into his very image, from one degree of glory to the next, by Adonai the Spirit.” – CJB

During Old Testament times, before Messiah came, people read scripture with a veil over their faces, without the full understanding of who Messiah was to be. Not just in the flesh, but as an emissary of freedom. Our freedom. Freedom from the bondage to sin. Freedom from the penalty of our sin. Freedom from the inability to resist sin and live for righteousness. Freedom from the compulsion to satisfy our fleshly desires. Freedom to overcome all that separates us from our Heavenly Father.

We are told that in Messiah we are given the ability (freedom) to flee from evil and pursue that which is good, but how will we know which is which without something to guides us? Yeshua (Jesus) said that He didn’t come to abolish the Law (Torah), but to fulfill it. He came to show us how to live according to Torah the way God intended so that we might learn to do likewise. Torah is the light that exposes sin and illuminates righteousness. (Rom. 3:20,31) The law is not a heavy burden as many believe, but a joy, a blessing, and life. (Deut. 30:19-20, Psa. 119:92-93; Rom. 7:22; 1 John 5:3… and so many more.)

It is only through Messiah that we see Torah for what it is… our freedom.

Years ago, I gave God permission to rewrite my faith. To take anything that I believed about Him that wasn’t true and get rid of it, and to strengthen what was true so that my faith might be genuine and pure. I began to read the Bible and let Him speak to me Himself instead of listening to what someone else had to say about Him. It was then that He began to open my eyes to the beauty of His Word… all of it. I began to see Torah, His law, through the lens of Messiah. And now, I can’t unsee it.

Everything makes so much more sense. Things that didn’t fit together before have now become seamless threads in a beautiful tapestry. Seeming contradictions now come together into a single truth. In our turning to the LORD through faith in Messiah, the veil truly is lifted, and we begin to see Him as He really is. Yeshua (Jesus) walked according to Torah, and we are called to walk as He walked. To imitate Him. To follow Him. And when we do, that is when we begin the transformation into His likeness, from one degree of glory to another. And the freedom that comes from Torah, from faith, from the power of His Holy Spirit in us, becomes a reality in our lives.

Just as the pharisees presented to Israel a legalistic view of the Law through works and manmade decrees, we have been presented with a false messiah who did away with the Law altogether. Neither of these views are correct. Both of them are veiled displays of the truth, keeping us from seeing and experiencing the freedom Messiah offers to us all. And hindering us from being changed into His image. If we can’t see what He looks like, how can we become like Him?

We are told that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Word made flesh. (John 1:14) We are also told that Torah is the Word. Torah was the written Word; Messiah is the living Word. They are one in the same. Yeshua is the Word of God, the living, incarnate righteousness of the God of all creation. It is in this realization that the veil is lifted from our face, and we can see clearly the glory of God. And once you see His glory, it becomes something you can’t… something you never want to unsee.

Harvest:

• In what ways has my view of Messiah and Torah been distorted?
• Am I willing to let God rewrite my faith into one that is based on the truth of who He is?
• Read the whole of Psalm 119 this week and ask God to help you see His Torah the way David, a man after God’s own heart, did.

Father, thank You for sending Messiah that I might be free. I ask you right now to cause Your freedom to be a reality in my life. Show me anywhere that I am in bondage, anywhere that sin has a hold in my life. Send Your Holy Spirit to guide me into all truth. Father, You are truth, and it is Your truth that will set me free. I thank You and praise You in the name of Yeshua our Messiah. Amen

Signs of the Season

Seed:

Exodus 34:12-16; 2 Kings 18:1-6; Mark 12:28-34; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

Plant:

We are about to enter October, one of my favorite months of the year – and not just because it contains my birthday. It is the beginning of cooler weather, bonfires, and the beautiful autumn hues that grace the trees this time of year. At least trees in certain parts of the country. Here in the deep south, the trees stay green well into December when they simply turn brown then fall off their branches sometime in January.

In tribute to the season, many of us decorate our front porches with haybales, scarecrows, and mounds of mums echoing the colors of fall. Other homes incorporate into their landscape skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, and pretend graveyards ushering in another sign that October is here.

These signs of Halloween have been embraced by people of all different faiths, or even no faith at all. But for us who love God, it should not be so.

Most people say it’s OK to celebrate Halloween because they’re not worshiping the devil. They just like the decorations and candy and dressing up in costumes. There’s no harm in doing that as long as we aren’t doing it on honor of the darkness those things represent.

OK. That’s one argument. But what does God, the One we say we are worshiping, have to say about that?

First, we need to understand what Halloween is and how things like jack-o-lanterns, trick-or-treating, and dressing up in costumes came to be. I think we can all agree about the inherent evil in witches and ghosts, but what’s so bad about giving candy to a little girl who looks like a princess as she stands on our doorstep which is decorated with smiling pumpkins?

I’ll give you the short answer first. Then we’ll dive into the deep end of this pool. Anything that has to do with Satan should have no place in our lives. He is the master of tying evil up in pretty red bows and calling it good, and we fall for this trick more often than anyone would want to admit.

“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.“

– 2 Corinthians 11:14-15

Halloween began some 2000 years ago in parts of France, Ireland, and England. It was a druid celebration commemorating the change of seasons. It was believed that on the night of October 31st, the portal to the dead was opened, and lost souls were able to come back to earth. These lost souls were thought to wreak havoc – think destruction of crops and terrorizing humans. Druid priests would seek to communicate with these spirits in hopes of procuring a milder winter.

As the years went on and Halloween was spread across Europe and into America, other rituals were developed, and more pagan customs were incorporated. Costumes were worn so people could hide their identity from the wandering spirits, or to blend in as one of them in hopes of avoiding the torment they wrought. Pumpkins were carved with scary faces hoping to scare off the evil spirits all together.

The trick-or-treating so many kids look forward to isn’t bad because it threatens to overload our children with high fructose corn syrup and artificial colors, leaving in its wake weeks of crying over how much candy they can eat in a day until it is finally finished or thrown away – although that would be enough for me to shun the practice. It is a watered-down version of a long observed pagan ritual. Just in case the costumes and pumpkins didn’t do the trick (pun intended), people would often give offerings with the hopes that it would appease those pesky mayhem makers. You can imagine how some people took advantage of this practice by showing up at people’s homes dressed as an evil spirit demanding treats to avoid getting tricked.

Today, Halloween is the Satanic high holy day, when more sinister acts are carried out in the name of darkness than on any other night of the year. Animal and human (yes, human) sacrifices. Brutal acts of rape and sexual abuse against men, women, and children, many who were prepared by their own parents for such an egregious act. Worship of the Devil is at an all-time high. It glorifies all that is evil. So why do so many God-fearing Christians take part in this day?

We don’t celebrate those things.

We just do it for the fun stuff.

We don’t dress up in scary costumes.

Everyone else does it and has been doing it for years.

That’s what Halloween used to be, but it’s not that way anymore.

We’re redeeming this day for God and use it as an opportunity to minister to our neighbors who come to our door.

The reasons are almost endless. And some of them even sound reasonable. But is our fallible human reasoning reason enough to take part in something that clearly has dark and nefarious roots? Can we truly redeem and take part in a day that glorifies Satan and still glorify God?

God never instructed His people to take part in or try to redeem evil things. He told us to destroy them. In Deuteronomy 12, God instructs His people to refrain from pagan practices, that we are NOT to worship Him as they worship their Gods. (Deut. 12:2-4) Adopting pagan worship practices was the very thing that led Israel (and will lead us) into captivity over and over again.

Even when Israel turned back to the LORD, many of those times were noted with an “except.” They worshiped the LORD… except they continued to make offerings at the high places. They worshiped the LORD… except they did not tear down the Ashera poles. (See 1 Kings 3:3, 22:43; 2 Kings 12:3, 14:4, among others.)

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be remembered as someone who loved the LORD… except. I want to be someone who truly loves Him with my whole heart, mind, soul, and strength. No exceptions. I don’t want to leave pagan high places or Ashera poles in my life – whether demonic celebrations tied up in pretty red bows or any other thing that opposes His glory – just because they were “fun,” “cute,” or because “everyone else does it.”

I’m including some links here, some of which contain graphic content. So, proceed prayerfully. I highly recommend doing some research, both searching the scriptures, the history of Halloween, and your heart. Ask God what He really thinks about this day, and how you can really celebrate Him in a way that will honor Him. Believe me, God’s got some really great holy days that we get to take part in that are so much fun! Way more fun than a bag full of cavities and rotten pumpkins!

Harvest:

• In what ways have I accepted the influence of this world to distract from my worship of God?
• What things have I accepted as harmless fun that are really evil tied up in a pretty red bow?
• Where are there Ashera poles or high places that need to be torn down in my life?

Heavenly Father, may Your name be kept holy. Keep me from anything that detracts from Your glory. Let Your kingdom come, and your will be done in my life both in thought and deed. May all I do be proof that you are my LORD and King. Give me today, the strength I need to follow You with my whole heart, even when the world tries to tempt me to compromise in the name of harmless fun. Forgive me for any way that I have strayed from a pure devotion to You, and to show grace to others who have done the same, that I might be a light testifying of Your mercy and grace for all who call on Your name. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I might be able to discern the schemes of the enemy and not fall into the seemingly harmless temptations of this world. You truly are the King above all kings, the Light in this dark world, powerful, merciful, and good. Amen

https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/holy-days-vs-holidays/halloween

https://www.foxnews.com/faith-values/halloween-celebrate-christian-satanist-evangelist

https://wordmissionchurchinternational.org/should-christians-celebrate-halloween

I Was Abused In A Satanic Halloween Ritual

Looking for a Sign

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Seed:

Deuteronomy 4:8-10, 5:12-15; Isaiah 56:2-8, 58:13-14; Matthew 25:21; Luke 16:10

Plant:

I had an opportunity to choose God this week. I know that sounds silly because if you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you’d think I’d have already chosen Him by now. However, each one of us is faced every day with opportunities to choose Him again and again.

We choose Him every time we choose to follow His ways instead of this world. When we turn off that inappropriate T.V. show, or refrain from making that gossipy comment to our friend, or read our Bibles instead of scrolling through social media. Things like these are small choices that can strengthen our faith for the times when we are faced with bigger things down the road.

That’s the kind of choice I was faced with this week, one of those “bigger things.” It may seem to some like it was a small thing, but for me, it was not only public, but profoundly personal as well. There were several times I could have allowed myself to jump through a “loophole” or come up with some sort of technicality not to do what I knew was right. But I really wanted to honor God, and because I wasn’t fully convinced of the right thing to do (although if I’m really honest, I was), I sought the godly counsel of a couple friends and a respected teacher I know. I prayed. I asked for wisdom and for the courage to do what He said, and God really showed up for me. But kind of in a quiet, less than obvious way. Until today, that is.

So, let me start at the beginning of all this so you can see why I have spent much of the afternoon in complete awe and gratitude for the opportunity God gave me to choose Him in this way and why I feel it’s important for me to share it with you. Maybe it will give your faith a boost for those times you’ll find yourself in my shoes. Because sooner or later, you will.

One of the ways handcrafters and other small business vendors make money is by setting up booths at craft fairs. Being a potter myself, these markets are a perfect opportunity for me to sell my wares. However, most of them are run on weekends and the venues who run them expect their vendors to be there the whole time the fair or market is open. Because I do my best to honor God’s instruction, I choose to refrain from working on the Biblical Sabbath, which goes from Friday night through Saturday evening. Which means I am unable to participate in pretty much every craft fair around.

Last week, I was helping set up for our homeschool co-op’s parent night. One of the moms who was also there came to me very excitedly and said that her friend had a business that ran a market for three days every month and they were in need of new vendors. She told her friend about me and would introduce us when she got there, too. This is an invitation-only kind of event, so I was excited for the chance to get my foot in the door.

I was excited, but at the same time I was expecting it to be the same old thing: “Yes, I’d love to be a vendor, but I can’t be there Saturday.” “Oh, well our vendors are required to be there to run their booth every day. So, we’re sorry but you can’t take part in our market.” But it wasn’t like that this time. She was totally fine with me not being there on Saturday. She said they would be willing to collect any money from sales and cut a check for me at the end of the month. What a great blessing! Or so I though.

Almost immediately after our conversation, I began to feel convicted. God gave us the Sabbath as a day of rest. A day we put down all work and focus on spending time with our Heavenly Father. One of the blessings of the Sabbath, a blessing that we get to bestow on others, is not forcing, asking, or otherwise causing others to work on our behalf so that they, too, can rest.

However, that’s just what I was going to do if I allowed my things to be sold by them at the vendor market. No, I wasn’t going to be working myself. And yes, they are going to be working regardless of whether or not I am there. But if they are actively taking part in selling my pottery, they would be working on my behalf.

So, here came the loopholes and technicalities…

What about online sales? My books are only available online, and people might choose to order one on a Saturday. Should I take them off Amazon and just not sell my books anymore? What about people who have products in retail stores? Most retail stores are open on Saturdays. Does that mean that anyone who wants to honor the Sabbath shouldn’t have products in retail stores? I don’t think so, and I’ll tell you why.

As a wise friend said (one of the wise friends from whom I sought counsel concerning this matter), we are living in Babylon. This world is not our home, and it is certainly not set up to honor God with the way it does its business. There are times when we simply cannot get around the ways of this world. We need to be in constant prayer, asking the LORD what is the heavy and what is the light. Which is the burden we need to carry, and which is the one we can put down.

This burden, whether or not I allowed my things to be sold at the market on Saturday, was one I felt needed to be carried.

Was I going to let it slide just this once? To be sure to tell her next time that I can only take part in the market on Thursday and Friday? Or was I going to let her know now, this time, that I needed to step back from the Saturday sales? Was I going to fear her disappointment and the possibility of losing the opportunity to be a vendor? Or was I going to fear (revere) the LORD and honor Him in the way I knew He was asking of me? I chose God.

Before I talked with her, I prayed for favor. I prayed that she would be willing to let me step away from selling on Saturday and that this might be an opportunity to share why the Sabbath is important to me. But most of all, I prayed that I would have the courage to not back down from the chance I was being given to choose Him. I’ve run from God in the past and I know the path down which running away from Him leads. And that is why I am so thankful for every opportunity He gives me to choose Him again.

Whatever the outcome, I decided to talk with her today when I went to set my area up for the show. I explained to her that I honored the Sabbath on Saturday as instructed in the Bible, and I felt a conviction about leaving my pottery there for someone else to sell on my behalf. Not only was she completely fine with me not having my things there on Saturday, but she also invited me to be a vendor next month as well with the understanding that I would only be available on Thursday and Friday again! What an answer to prayer!

I know this is a long post, but please bear with me a little longer. This next part is really important. God showed me something this morning that really helped solidify in my mind what I needed to do today, and why.

I had a little time to kill this morning after I dropped the littles at school and before I had to leave to set up my space at the vendor’s market. I grabbed the opportunity to sit down for a minute, something I’m not sure I’ve done all week. Then I washed the dishes. Then, with a few more minutes to spare, I decided to scroll through Facebook.

I was only on there about thirty seconds, but in that brief time I saw a post that hit me right where I needed it at that moment. It was a post by a friend who had just come back from a fishing trip in the Gulf. He raved about the fish and scallops they were bringing home which they had caught on their excursion. Attached to the post were pictures of the yummy fish fileted and dressed with herbs and lemon, and the scallops neatly wrapped in bacon awaiting their turn in the frying pan.

Some of your mouths are watering right now, I’m sure. But this is where the LORD spoke to me about what I was facing today. You see, this man and his family were some of the first people I knew who, although they had been raised in traditional church, found a love for Torah and began to follow the Messianic faith. Part of Torah (God’s instruction as given in the Old Testament) outlines what is acceptable for food and what is not. Both scallops and pork are on the “do not eat” list. This family, who had once chosen to follow God in obedience to His Torah, had now decided that they really didn’t have to do everything He says.

I remembered a conversation I’d had with this friend’s wife several months ago. She mentioned they were no longer meeting to worship on the Sabbath, but had reverted back to Sunday because it was more convenient for them and the group they were meeting with. It struck me then, but not in the same way it did today.

When I saw those pictures and I remembered that conversation, God brought some scripture to my mind. It was these verses from Isaiah 58:

If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words, then you will delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. 

– Isaiah 58:13-14

Israel was in the middle of a captivity brought on by their own rebellion. Their hearts had strayed from a pure devotion to the One True God and had wandered into a place of idolatry. Here, the LORD was telling them through the prophet Isaiah, what the key was to unlocking their redemption. If they would just turn their hearts back to a sincere love for His Sabbath…

The Sabbath is likened to a wedding ring from God to His beloved. It is what sets us, His covenant people, apart from all the other nations. It is the reminder of what our Creator intended for His creation from the very beginning – an undefiled, unbroken communion with Him – and what He will restore when He returns for His bride. He tells us to set this day apart from all others, to keep it holy, as a way of highlighting the fact that we belong to Him. It is a reminder that without Him, we are in bondage to sin and death, held captive by the god of this world, Satan, and only God holds the key to our redemption.

Somehow, honoring the Sabbath shows our love for the LORD more than anything else we do. And when we start to slip away from that, it is only a matter of time until we fall into all sorts of disobedience. This is why the LORD told Israel first and foremost to return to a sincere love for and devotion to the Sabbath, because this is where our love for Him finds its firm foundation. It is the cornerstone of our relationship with Him. When we love God, it’s not the Sabbath that becomes inconvenient, it’s everything else that threatens to infringe upon our special day with Him.

As I prayed this week, I asked the LORD to show me clearly what the right decision was. I never felt some moment of great mental clarity, it was more like a simple knowing in my spirit what the right thing was. He didn’t give me some profound sign to affirm me, but God did remind me of His sign, the Sabbath, and our call to keep it holy, not out of obligation but out of love for the One who gave us such a great gift.

Today, in my obedience to what God was telling me to do, I found favor with the woman who runs the vendor show I’ll be taking part in. But what meant the most to me is the fact that I really felt my Father say, “Good job, little one.” Our obedience to God may not always have a positive outcome in this world. In fact, there are times it may come at great cost. But there is no cost in this world that can outweigh the rewards we have in heaven.

Harvest:

• In what ways have I strayed from a pure devotion to the LORD?
• Is there an area in my life where I am resisting obedience to God, small or big?
• In what way am I choosing to gratify my flesh over pleasing my Heavenly Father?

Father, thank You that Your mercies are new every morning. Each new day is an opportunity to choose You. May You truly be my hearts delight, so that no matter what happens in this world, neither in loss nor in gain, will I ever stray from my love for You. Your joy is indeed my strength – my strength to live fully and faithfully devoted to You. Amen

Life or Death (Part 2)

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Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Messiah Yeshua. For the law of the Spirit of life in Messiah Yeshua has set you free from the law of sin and death.” – Romans 8:1-2

Seed:

Romans 3:1-31; Romans 8:1-8; Galatians 3:19-25; Ephesians 1:3-12;

Plant:

It has taken more than a week for me to get back to our discussion about what the Bible has to say about God’s Law. But here I am, finally. I started to write this yesterday, but then life happened. It was a (mostly) quiet morning once the chickens and dogs were fed, the big boys were off to school, and the little ones were watching cartoons in the other room. But then the fussing came, I had to leave early to pick my son up from his school, and then when I sat back down to write again, I’d lost everything I’d written so far, which was quite a bit. C’est la vie.

In my last post, we asked the question: is God’s Law (Torah) the same as the “law of sin and death” from which we have been released? Is it indeed a heavy burden we no longer have to carry? In my opinion, I feel we answered that question with a scripturally backed “no.” From the prophets of old to the apostles of new, we found that God’s instruction, or commands, are life-giving and come with great reward for those who follow them. The LORD tells us that if we keep His commands, He will bless us. (Deut. 30:16) King David valued them above any worldly treasure. (Psalm 19:10) Yeshua (Jesus) said that if we love Him, we will obey His commands. (John 14:15) And that whoever does them and teaches others about them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:19) The apostle Paul said that he delighted in God’s law in his inner most being. (Rom. 7:22) And both God said and John affirmed that Torah is indeed not a burden to carry. (Deut. 30:11-14; 1 John 5:3)

So, if Torah is not a burden for us to bear, and it is not the thing from which we have been released, what is? What does it mean to no longer be under the Law but under grace? Let’s see if we can find that thread and run with it. I think the perfect place to start looking is in Romans.

The book of Romans was written by the apostle Paul to the church in Rome. This community was made up of both Jewish and Gentile believers in Messiah. Paul had yet to visit this group in Rome, but had heard about them and their faith from other congregations with which he did have a personal relationship. The community of believers throughout the Mediterranean was small but close. Even though they were spread out, they were connected by their faith and their common struggles. Pastoral letters of encouragement (including the ones that make up our New Testament) were carried to the congregations throughout the region, and reports of their well-being (or lack thereof) were spread right along with them. Thus, Paul’s knowledge of the conflict going on in Rome.

It is obvious that Paul intended to encourage the churches in Rome with his letter. He also intended to set some things straight. It appears that some false doctrines, mixed with some pride and jealousy, had found their way into the hearts, minds, and actions of the believers there. Not far into the letter we see two competing doctrines were being addressed. One was that the Law had been abolished, the other was that simply being an observant Jew meant you were saved.

These two viewpoints were addressed in many of the New Testament letters. It was a common struggle between the Jewish and Gentile believers. Some of those from a traditional Jewish background still thought they could rest on their Jewish heritage – ie. descendants of Abraham and circumcision – as their ticket to salvation, while others had to depend on their works of the Law to save them. On the other hand, there were those who believed that this newfound faith and the grace that came with it meant they didn’t have to obey the law at all. Paul sets forth to show them that neither one is right. Both negate the free gift of salvation and the responsibility of the believers once they are saved. Here’s what he says in chapter three:

“For there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are set right as a gift of His grace, through the redemption that is in Messiah Yeshua. God set forth Yeshua as an atonement, through faith in His blood, to show His righteousness in passing over sins already committed. Through God’s forbearance, He demonstrates His righteousness at the present time—that He Himself is just and also the justifier of the one who puts his trust in Yeshua.

Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. By what principle? Of works? No, but by the principle of faith. For we consider a person to be set right apart from Torah observance. Is God the God of the Jewish people only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also. Since God is One, He will set right the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then nullify the Torah through faithfulness? May it never be! On the contrary, we uphold the Torah.”

Romans 3:22b-31

Faith in the death and resurrection of Yeshua as the only sufficient sacrifice for our sins is what saves us. It is in our choosing of Him as our Lord and Savior, turning from our sinfulness to His righteousness. That, and only that, is what brings us into right standing with God. Once we are saved, we then pursue works of righteousness according to the Law.

The reason obedience to God’s Torah is not a burden is because as His children, we have His Holy Spirit within us. In our flesh, we are bound to its sinful desires. Once we are saved, we are released from that bondage and enabled to serve the law of righteousness.

Paul tells us that the Torah is good because it teaches us what sin is. Here’s what he says in Romans seven:

“What shall we say then? Is the Torah sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the Torah. For I would not have known about coveting if the Torah had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, taking an opportunity, worked in me through the commandment all kinds of coveting. For apart from the Torah, sin is dead.

Once I was alive apart from the Torah; but when the commandment came, sin came to life and I died. The commandment meant for life was found to cause death. Sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So then, the Torah is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

Romans 7:7-12

Just like Adam and Eve, who had no frame of reference for sin until God said, “You shall not…”, if there were no law, we would not know what sin was either. But once sin entered the world, so did temptation. And being a Gentile, or non-believer, is not an excuse. God has put in all of us a spirit of discernment, or a conscience. Romans 2:14-15 says, “For when Gentiles, who do not have the Torah, do by nature the things of the Torah, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the Torah. They show that the work of the Torah is written in their hearts.”

You see, God doesn’t hold anyone accountable for things they do not know. Which is why He made Himself evident, all of creation bearing witness to His eternal glory, to all mankind. Once we acknowledge that He is, He sends His Holy Spirit to minister to our spirits, leading us into all righteousness. (Rom. 5:12-13; Rom. 8:16; John 16:13) We don’t have to have a bible to know Him, but it sure makes a huge difference. As scripture says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim good news of good things!” (Isa. 52:7)

The law of sin and death says that as unbelievers, we are bound to sin and we will die. The Law of Grace sets us free from that bondage so that we, by the power of His Spirit within us, might live for righteousness. We are no longer under the Law. We are now under grace. No longer being “under” the Law does not mean that the Law no longer applies, it simply means that it is no longer the measure by which we will be judged. Nonbelievers only hope for the day of judgement is in fulfilling the righteous requirement of the law in themselves, which no one can do. Our hope as believers is in the fact that Yeshua fulfilled that righteous requirement on our behalf. Being under grace means that the blood of Yeshua has atoned for our sins for which we have sought repentance and found forgiveness. As Paul said:

“Therefore do not let sin rule in your mortal body so that you obey its desires. And do not keep yielding your body parts to sin as tools of wickedness; but yield yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your body parts as tools of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that to whatever you yield yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to what you obey—whether to sin resulting in death, or to obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching under which you were placed; and after you were set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.”

Romans 6:12-18

Grace = Forgiveness.

Paul wrote in Hebrews that, “without faith it is impossible to please God. For the one who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6) It is our faith that makes us children of God, and as His children, we are to obey Him as our Heavenly Father. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb. 13:8) He will not break His covenant nor alter the word that has gone out of His mouth. (Psa. 89:34) All of His rules and commandments and laws were given because He knows what’s best for us, and they will not change. He knows what will benefit us and what will destroy us, even when we don’t understand or agree.

What a blessing and a gift that He has freed us from the sin that entangles us. He has cancelled the debt that we could never pay. And He has given us the ability to live lives of righteousness, goodness, and peace.

Harvest:

Father, thank You for Your loving and wise instruction. You truly have blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Messiah Yeshua. (Eph. 1:3) Let our hearts see the beauty in living according to Your righteous decree. Help us see that it is not a burden to honor Your Word. Show me Your ways, oh LORD, and teach me Your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me; for you are the God who saves me, my hope is in you all day long. (Psa. 25:4-5). Amen

Washing the Dishes With Your Tears

“As she stood behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to drench His feet with tears and kept wiping them with her head of hair. Then she was kissing His feet and anointing them with perfume.” Luke 7:38 TLV

Read: Luke 7:36-50; John 14:15-27; Philippians 4:10-13

This morning as I was washing dishes, I began to cry. We’ve got a lot going on. My plate is full. And today I don’t feel like I’ve got the strength to carry the load that is sitting heavily upon my shoulders.

As I washed and as I cried, I also laughed to myself thinking that I could just turn the water off and wash the dishes with my tears. At that moment, God reminded me of the woman from the story recorded in Luke 7.

Yeshua (Jesus) was at the home of a Pharisee. They were reclining at the table eating dinner when a women from the village came in and knelt down behind Him. She began to weep, and with her tears she washed the feet of Yeshua.

The first word used to describe this woman was “sinful.” She was a sinful woman who dared to enter the presence of a Holy God (Remember, it was in Yeshua that the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. See Col. 1:9). She had reached the point that the burden of her sinfulness was too great for her to bear, and she knew that He was the only one who could release her from it’s weight.

So she wept. And she hoped. And as she did, the weight of her burden was lifted. The heaviness was taken off her shoulders and placed squarely on those of the One upon whom her tears fell.

After an exchange with the Pharisees who were taken aback by this encounter, Yeshua told this woman that her sins were forgiven, and in place of her heavy burden she was given peace.

Peace. The absence of worry and conflict. A place of rest and comfort.

There are few things in this world that even come close to the peace offered to us through Yeshua our Messiah. That’s because His peace is something we can’t get from the things of this world. Here, our lives will never be completely absent of the presence of conflict. We will never have a time when there isn’t something threatening the calm of our minds with it’s invitation to worry.

However, what we get when we encounter Yeshua is HIS peace. His peace is one that knows no matter what might happen in this world, it has no bearing on the world to come. That nothing can separate us from the Father’s love. And that we will never have to carry our burdens alone.

Trials and struggles and battles might come against us, but our minds, when set on Him, can still have peace. When we feel like life is about to overwhelm us, we can come to Yeshua, lay down at His feet, and trust that He will help us carry the weight. The peace that He gives is not the absence of adversity, but His presence in it.

What weight are you bearing today? Is it the weight of your sin? Is it illness or financial trouble? Is there a prodigal in your life for whom you are longing to see return home? Is it your marriage? Or an addiction? Or loneliness? Let this promise bring peace to you today:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and ‘you will find rest for your souls.’ 
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” 
Matthew 11:28-30 TLV

Putting Away the Asherah Poles

I know many of my posts will never win any popularity contests, but that’s ok. I am much less concerned with being popular than I am with being holy. I’m afraid this post may fall into that unpopular category, none the less it is what I feel compelled to write.

I see a lack of a pursuit of holiness within the church today, much like we see in the history of Israel as recorded in the Old Testament. Surprisingly, it manifests this time of year possibly more than any other. Are you surprised that I would say that? This is, after all, the Christmas season, when everyone around the world is celebrating the birth of Christ. To that I say, is that really what we are doing?

First, let’s step back and see one of the ways Israel continued to turn away from the LORD:

"And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth." - Judges 3:7 

Asherah poles were a common practice in the worship of Asherah, the pagan goddess of fertility, during the period when the Old Testament was written. When the LORD told Israel to drive the nations out of their land, He included the instruction to destroy all their high places and the Asherah poles, cutting them down and burning them to the ground. Many times in scripture, we see where Israel turned form the LORD and rebuilt these pagan idols and began to worship them. We even see instances where they tried to incorporate them into their worship of God. This, however, was an abomination to the LORD and contributed to their exile into those foreign nations whose pagan practices they’d embraced.

Pagan symbols have no place in our worship of the One True God. He made it very clear that we are not to worship Him the way the pagans worship their Gods. (Deut. 12:4) But, Israel continued to do just that. They embraced the rituals of the pagan nations around them and even made up rituals of their own. Holiness became less about setting themselves apart for God and more about doing what was right in their own eyes.

Here’s where the parallel of Christmas comes in…

Christmas is rampant with pagan imagery and customs. Evergreen trees were decorated during winter solstice celebrations as a way to offer gifts the the tree’s spirit. Mistletoe is an ancient fertility symbol under which much more than kissing took place. The yule log is steeped in pagan rituals centered around the rebirth of the sun after the winter solstice. Even the story of the birth of Messiah has been recreated to fit a narrative far from the actual biblical account. Yet all these things have become tied up in our Christian celebrations, handed down from one generation to the next, without so much as a thought as to where they came from.

Now we have added a fat man in a red suit created as a marketing campaign by a soda pop company, to whom our children must be accountable for their actions. We have promoted going into debt just to buy gifts our families don’t need as an honorable venture. And most of our celebrations have nothing to do with the very thing we claim to be celebrating.

When the pilgrims first came to this country, they also came with laws that prohibited Christmas observances. Oliver Cromwell’s Puritan Council even abolished Christmas itself in December of 1657. They understood the pagan influences, the reality that Messiah’s birth was not in December, and the need to separate themselves from such unholy things. It wasn’t until the 1800’s that Christmas became more widely practiced in the United States, when the presence of Dutch and Anglican influence became more prominent.

With so many fond memories and so much joyous celebration wrapped up in this time of year, it can be hard for many of us to want to let go of something we’ve come to hold so dear. But many of the traditions, if not all, are simply glittery versions of Asherah poles tied up with pretty red bows. When faced with the truth of the origins of our Christmas traditions, and of Christmas itself, we must be willing to ask ourselves some questions:

• Do we believe God meant it when He said we are not to try to “Christianize” pagan practices and incorporate them into our worship of Him?
• Am I really willing to hear His answers to these question even if it means letting go of something I’ve held dear for so long?
• Am I willing to pursue holiness even when it’s not the popular thing to do?
• If not Christmas, what kind of celebration does honor God?

These are some hard questions. Believe me when I say I have wrestled with them all. But they are worth asking, whether about Christmas or anything else this world tempts us to embrace. However, the more I learn about God and the celebrations (feasts) He instructed us to observe, the less joy I find in the counterfeits of the world. He has given us such hope in the promise of His salvation, and each of His holy days points us to that. There’s no marketing, no greed, no hustle and bustle, just adoration and worship of the One from whom all blessings flow.

If this stirs you at all, I recommend that you research the celebration of Hanukkah, which begins tonight (Dec. 18th). What a beautiful place to start when considering the cost/benefit between embracing or dismantling the Asherah poles of this world.

• Links to articles for further study:

https://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/102978/jewish/The-Story-of-Chanukah.htm

https://rcg.org/realtruth/articles/169-ttooc.html

• An online teaching about the history of Hanukkah and how it pertains to the church today:

Another blog about legalism verses holiness.

I’ve had a lot of people tell me that following God’s commands is legalism. Things like not eating unclean animals and honoring Saturday as the Sabbath and honoring the LORD’S feasts instead of Christmas and Easter.

So let me pose this question. Is it legalism not to murder? How about stealing? Or abstaining from sexual immorality? Because those are God’s commands, too.

According to God’s word, obeying His commands is righteous, it is how we show Him we love Him and how we set ourselves apart as holy for His good purpose.

I think that what makes the difference between legalism and holiness is the motivation behind it. Are we following God’s instruction as a means of salvation? Are we trying to earn His grace? Or is it because we have already recieved His gift of salvation knowing there is nothing we can do to earn it? Is our obedience, then, the way we show Him we love Him and is our hearts desire to please Him?

There is not one single verse in scripture that supports God’s law having been abolished or done away with. However there is scripture after scripture, found in both Old and New Testaments, that affirm His Law is forever, unbreakable, and our obedience to it is the very litmus test of our faith.

Friends, our Messiah’s return is so very close. We don’t have the luxury of getting this wrong. Our eternity is on the line here. Jesus said that if we love him, we will obey his commands. (John 14:15) John said that by this we know if we love God, if we obey His commands. (1John 2:3, 5:2) And Paul said that he delights in God’s law in his inner most being (Rom. 7:22) and that our faith does not nullify the law but causes us to uphold it! (Rom. 3:31)

If you aren’t sure whether or not you’re saved, if you want to talk more about whether or not we should still be following God’s law, or if you have any other questions, please reach out. God is so good and He loves you. I love you. And I want you in heaven with me.

Knee Deep in the Weeds

Photo by Shelagh Murphy on Pexels.com

Sometimes, trudging through certain books of the Old Testament is hard. It’s not as exciting or uplifting or interesting as other portions of scripture. My husband calls it getting knee deep in the weeds – not the most enjoyable task, but sometimes it’s necessary. Let’s face it, reading about the life of Jesus in the gospels is way more engaging than reading the seemingly endless pages of genealogy in 1 Chronicles or the lengthy instructions about the priestly requirements of temple service in Leviticus.

That’s where I’m at right now, in Leviticus chapter four. I find myself struggling not to skip over these parts. I’ve read them before, do I really need to do it again? That’s usually when I throw out a “hail Mary” and ask God to help me find the joy in all of His Word. And guess what, He always does. He did it again this morning. Let me show you what I was reading then I’ll tell you where God showed me the joy.

“If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the LORD’s commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed. And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering. And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. And all its fat he shall remove, as the fat is removed from the peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasing aroma to the LORD. And the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven.” Leviticus 4:27-31

The thing is, as much as I may love to read the gospels because they tell me about Jesus, so does the whole rest of the book. It’s ALL about Him!

This sacrifice that people had to bring for their sin, it was a picture that pointed to the complete, eternal, atoning sacrifice of our Messiah. These sacrifices weren’t adequate payment for anyone’s sin. That’s why they had to keep offering these sacrifices over and over again. And these lambs and goats, they never saved anyone. It was faith in what these sacrifices promised, what they represented, that made them right with God.

Sin requires sacrifice. Why? Because sin is deserving of death. And that debt must be paid. Either by the one who committed the sin or by someone else stepping in and paying that debt for us.

To those living during the time of the Old Testament, they looked forward to a promise given. We look back at a promise fulfilled. They had the blood of bulls and rams, we have the blood of the Lamb of God.

When we realize that we’ve committed a sin, unintentionally breaking one of the Lord’s commandments (or even intentionally but now we’ve come to a place of repentance), we can find forgiveness through our Messiah. He is not only the payment for our sin, He is the priest who makes atonement for us through His own blood shed on the cross.

Hebrews 10:1-16 explains it much better than I can:

For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings

you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christb had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord:

I will put my laws on their hearts,

and write them on their minds,”

What a beautiful promise for those of us who truly repent of our sin!

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Hebrews 10:26

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

Acts 3:19

Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,

-“True repentance begins with KNOWLEDGE of sin. It goes on to work SORROW for sin. It leads to CONFESSION of sin before God. It shows itself before a person by a thorough BREAKING OFF from sin. It results in producing a DEEP HATRED for all sin.” J. C. Ryle

-“True repentance will entirely change you; the bias of your souls will be changed, then you will delight in God, in Christ, in His Law, and in His people.” George Whitefield