Religion & Spirituality

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The Next Shemittah-3

As I mentioned in an earlier devotion, for me the spiritual meaning of a shemittah release is rooted in forgiveness.

With this thought in mind it will totally change the meaning of what Jesus taught Peter about forgiveness?

Matt 18:21-22 “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

It has been said that the Rabbi’s taught that forgiving someone three times was sufficient. I have found where a Rabbi Yosi may have taught this in the Talmud using the example of Joseph and his brothers as the backdrop.

But what I find interesting is that seven and multiples of it are used.

Seven is one shemittah. Seventy is ten shemittah. And seventy times seven is 490 or seventy shemittah.

What if Peter was not just talking about forgiving someone seven times but seven years!
A shemittah!

Then the response of Jesus is not to forgive someone 490 times but seventy shemittah’s or 490 years. That would mean your whole life!

Forgiveness is not an option – it is a lifelong lifestyle!

Matt 6:15 If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Abba, my forgiveness from You will become my forgiveness for others. I release them and free myself from any grudges. In Jesus name, YES&AMEN

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The Next Shemittah – 1

I did not know the word shemittah until I heard it from Rabbi Jonathan Cahn two years ago.

I do not know all there is about the Bible but I consider myself a good listener, quick study, and a disciplined learner.

What the Rabbi had to say in light of my Bible study made since, especially when he had the physical evidence of the collapse of the U. S. economy coinciding with the release (shemittah).

This period of rest and release is written into the Law of Moses as a agricultural rest for the land and a financial rest for the people.

Lev 25:2-4 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the Lord. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.

Deut 15:1 At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts.

Though there were some financial crises in 1973, 1980, and 1987, the ones fresh in our memory took place in 2001 and 2008, all of which are 7 year periods.

And another shemittah year begins later this month.

For the sake of brevity in each devotion, I will continue with this next time.

Abba, I want to know Your word to the fullness and exercise it in my life. I want to release those in debt to me and be forgiven my debt, as my Lord Jesus prayed. It is in His name I pray, YES&AMEN

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Don’t be Piggish on the Foundation

Last night the unusual happened. Our speaker at church had given testimony and read from God’s word.

It was wonderful.

She then said she wanted to read from another book – a children’s book of bedtime stories.

She picked it up and thumbed over a few pages.
“Once upon at time,” she began, “there were three little pigs!”

She went on to tell the story of houses of straw, wood, and brick.

Then she wanted to tell of one more story of a house.

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭24-25‬

The funny thing to me is during the Three Little Pigs I found myself saddened by the plight of the two that were eaten by the big bad wolf.
Then I remembered how much I had enjoyed baked ham earlier that afternoon.

I have built my house on the foundation of Jesus Christ, the Rock.

I am not concerned about the foundation. But I am taking great care at what I build on it. (1 Cor 3:10-13)

Abba, You are my Rock. In Jesus name, help me to build rightfully on the Foundation. YES&AMEN

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Grasshoppers!

For the 2nd night this verse has been given to us:

Num 13:33 we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.

This is from two different speakers that attend two different churches.

The verse is from the men that did not believe they could take the Promised Land that God had led them to.

When I think of a grasshopper my mind sees this small, virtually harmless insect; harmless because they don’t bite or sting humans. Imagine if they did!

However the Israelites missed the important characteristic of grasshoppers – in swarms they can take over the land.

Indeed it seems at times that Christians are like grasshoppers in this secular world. Therefore we don’t act. We sit. We get ran over by the world!

But Israel wasn’t grasshoppers and neither are we!

We are the people of a Holy God that has commanded us to go and take the land; to go and spread the Gospel, making disciples, and baptizing in the name of Jesus!

We need to be as grasshoppers and swarm the land in the name of Jesus!

Abba, I want to move forward into the land and face those giants today in the name of Jesus!! YES&AMEN

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I challenge you to protect life!

Fads come and go.

There was a time college students swallowed goldfish and wore raccoon coats.
Lava lamps, bell bottoms, and platform shoes were fads.
So were Beanie babies, fanny packs, and sagging pants, though that last one needs to leave.

Fads come and go and the latest to come is the ALS ice bucket challenge.

On the surface it looks fun and the videos have been entertaining. But under the surface something else lurks.

Each challenge participant is to make a donation toward ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) research. It appears that the research involves embryonic stem cell research.

I don’t think anyone has the right to force another person to forfeit their life for the lives of others. Embryo’s may not be able to walk, talk, or live outside the womb but that doesn’t make them any less human.

Barbaric religions have often forced the sacrifice of the innocent to appease the god of the guilty. Children have often been chosen to be that sacrifice.

Not even God forced His own innocent Son to give His life for you. It is written

He laid down His life for us. 1 John 3:16

And

Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. John 10:17-18

Jesus gave His life for others.

That’s something an embryo, baby, or toddler cannot do!

Abba, we have failed You and ourselves in not protecting the innocent. Forgive us and help us change our ways! In Jesus name, YES&AMEN

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His Anger

Do you ever feel like God is angry with you? Like you can’t do anything right?

Though God can be a God of anger, it is aimed specifically.

When God told Abraham of His intentions toward Sodom and Gommorah, Abraham began to plead for the cities.

Would God destroy everyone if fifty righteous people could be found? Then forty?

It was here that Abraham said something that seems strange to me.

Gen 18:30 “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?”

Why would the Lord be angry at someone for interceding for them – even the exceedingly wicked (Gen 13:13) people of Sodom.

God’s anger is not directed toward good. It is directed at sin.

His anger is not against…

love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Gal 5:22-23

His anger is not because of prayer and intercession. His anger is not at preaching the Gospel. He is not angry at praise and worship.

He is not angry with those that seek Him with their whole heart.

Abba, though I deserve Your fullest wrath, I am so thankful that You are not angry with me in Jesus name. YES&AMEN

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Know the Spiritual

I will be the first to admit that I don’t know everything about the Bible. Even though I have read it, there are parts of it that just escape my knowledge and understanding.

However I recognize there are many more people that know less than I do. I have made it a lifetime priority to study God’s word and live accordingly.

Many others have loosely dabbled with the Word and are living accordingly. Some do not know anything about God or only know some very basic things like the crucifixion.

As a result I can get blank stares from people when I speak of the spiritual.

Matt 22:29 You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.

I recall several years ago sitting with a family as a psychologist was talking to them. One of the girls in the family was having some problems.

The psychologist asked my opinion.

I told her that this family was under a generational curse that included some demonic activity.

You can guess how that went over. I got a blank stare from the psychologist and I’m sure she would have liked to recommend a psychiatrist for me.

She did not understand the scripture and the power of God.

It’s time for the church to stop thinking in the physical and begin thinking in the spiritual. There is much more to life than what is merely seen and heard.

Abba, Your word is strength and power. It is understanding and life. It is hope. Increase my knowledge and understanding that I may rightly teach others. In Jesus name, YES&AMEN

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Affirming Sin

A few days ago I watched a video debate called “Can you be Gay and Christian”.

The debate is between Dr. Michael Brown and Matthew Vines.

Mr. Vines is very intelligent in his pro-gay part of the debate. He does not deny the what the Bible says in Leviticus 19 and Romans 1. But his main debate is that today people are capable of a caring and loving gay relationship as Christians.

Something Dr. Brown said caused me to think about myself.

He quoted Matthew 16:24:

Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Dr. Brown says you must deny yourself – not affirm yourself.

Wow! I’ve never thought of it that way.

It makes the following verses take a whole new meaning.

Matt 16:25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Anyone that affirms their sin is trying to save their own life – trying to make the sin of no affect. They will lose.

It is not by my standard or yours. It is by God’s and His word is the standard.

Abba, I am guilty of affirming myself. Forgive me for not denying myself and affirming no other but You. In Jesus name, YES&AMEN

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Never too old – Never too young

The service of God has no age limit – either upper or lower. We only limit ourselves by health and physical ability.

God does not!

Gen 18:11-12 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

I cannot imagine myself retiring from pastoring, teaching, and preaching. It’s not like I will one day speak on everything in the Bible and be through. It doesn’t end.

Lam 3:22-23 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning;

With God it’s always a new beginning.

Did age stop God from using Abraham and Sarah? No.
Did physical ability stop God from using this couple? No.

God will use the willing heart no matter how many times it has beat in its lifetime.

Abba Father, here I am – use me. I am available for Your service today! In Jesus name, YES&AMEN

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Know the Future

Sometimes it would be nice to know the future.

Abraham and Sarah had that knowledge.

Gen 17:19 God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac;

Gen 18:10 And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.”

Abraham and Sarah are told they will have a son. They will call him Isaac. And they even knew the time he would be born.

Often the desire for futuristic knowledge isn’t about having a baby. More likely it’s for next weeks $250 million lotto numbers, the final score for the next Superbowl, or penny stocks that will increase in value 500%!

Such knowledge is selfish, greedy, and temporary.

There is one future you can know.

God has said;

I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord; Jer 29:11-14

God’s future for you is one full of hope and promises. It’s full of love, forgiveness, and grace. It’s also eternal.

The future belongs to God. Join in.

Abba, my future is in You. I trust you with it. In Jesus name, YES&AMEN