Monday, October 31, 2011

Gardening

The Holy Spirit has impressed upon me a goal.  I would love for my girls and I to get through the entire bible together before they leave home. So in light of that goal, I have decided not to do the traditional Torah portion reading this year.  It is a lovely tradition that certainly merits our attention but this year I simply want to snuggle on the couch with my girls and read His Word, from the Aleph to the Tav.  Yes we will probably discuss it some, but my goal is not to beat them over their lovely heads with the bible.  I want to simply present the Seed and allow Abba to the gardening.  I thank YHVH for His Word and I pray it accomplish His purpose in our lives.

So Yesterday we started with Genesis or (B'resheet) 1-4.  Today we read chapters 5-7.  For my own accountability sake I will try to post our reading a couple of times a week.  Not to necessarily bore you do death but to help keep track of our progress so we can reach our goal.

Shalom Alechem!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The Story of a Seed

Have you ever had a time in your life when you just really wanted to know exactly what YHVH wants from you?  Maybe you came across something in Bible that you really wanted to understand.  A year ago I was in that place.  At the same time I was watching my friend on Facebook very closely.  "What in the world has she gotten herself into?" I would often think as I read her posts.  "His set apart day"?  The Sabbath; was she keeping the Sabbath? What?  I KNOW she knows better than that.  You see we had always been very good Baptists.  Always doing the right thing and pitying poor others who didn't do the same.  Well I certainly wasn't going to ask her about it because I really did not want to know the answer.

However, with a heart filled with love and courage, my friend gave me the answer to the question I didn't want to ask.  "I can't find where Jesus changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday."  I knew she was in a cult. Hmph.  My reply in short: "Well I just read Trail of Blood and I think Baptist have it figured out. I  suggest you read it too."

There it was.  The Seed planted.  Surely, Lord, You changed the Sabbath.  I mean you rose on the first day so now Sunday is your day. The Holy Spirit gently spoke.  Where my child? Where did I change it? The Holy spirit would not let me rest.  I tried convincing Him that Jesus had fulfilled the law so now I don't have too.  We are free! The Holy Spirit: "Free from what my child?" Sigh.  There was no rest.  The  only thing to do is read the book of Acts and prove my friend wrong for surely in there we will see that the Sabbath is no longer on the seventh day.   I read it twice back to back. What do you think I found?

Acts 13:14...They came to Antioch in Pisidia and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day and sat
 down....

Acts 13:42...And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath...... 44. And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city......

Acts 15:21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

Acts 16: 13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made......

Acts 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them and three sabbath days reasoned with them of the Scriptures.....

Acts 18:4 And he(Paul) reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath.....

I think you get the point.  Guess what I didn't find?  Not one teaching  on the Sabbath being changed to the first day of the week.

It is also said of our Messiah  in Luke 4:16 that he entered the synagogue on the sabbath as was His custom.

So there you have it.  The story of a seed.  My Savior kept the sabbath.  The apostles kept the sabbath. YHVH commanded us to remember the sabbath.  He blessed the seventh day and sanctified it.  He has not said that about any other day.  The seventh day is HIS DAY.  I'm convinced.   The seed is planted.  I'm so thankful my friend had the courage to do some gardening. May YHVH grow it to bear fruit to glorify His Holy Name.

Shalom Aleichem!


A Tree Planted

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man who shall not walk in the counsel of the wrong
And shall not stand in the path of sinners
And shall not sit in the seat of scoffers

But his delight is in the Torah of YHVH,
And he meditates in His Torah day and night.
For he shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of water
That yields its fruit in its season,
And whose leaf does not withe,
And What soever he does prospers.

The wrong are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind blows away.

Therefore the wrong shall not rise in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For YHVH knows the way of the righteous
But the way of the wrong comes to naught