Category: A Drash to Start the Day

Let’s Talk About Forgiveness

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One of the hardest things in the world for most humans to do is to forgive others who hurt us or who hurt those we love.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Now, for those of us who profess to worship God and claim to be a member of the body of the Messiah, Yeshua, well…we aren’t supposed to just forgive others: nope, we have to go one step further and be willing to forgive.

And I don’t mean forgive those we love because anyone can do that. That’s not enough! We have to be more than forgiving of those who hurt us on purpose, we have to be willing to forgive them! Yes, even the ones we can’t even stand to be near.

So, nu? In the real world, how can I be expected to want to forgive someone who is a mean, nasty, hurtful, poor excuse for a human being?

It ain’t easy, no doubt about that, but it is possible.

One way is to forget about what they did to us, just for a moment, and place ourselves in their shoes standing before the Throne of Judgment and trying to explain to the Lord, God almighty that even though we did all those nasty things to all those nice people, we still want to be in heaven.

Got the picture?

If you do this for real, I have to think that you are feeling, maybe, just a little sorry for that schmo, knowing what the outcome will most likely be.

Another way to make it easier to forgive someone is to realize that when someone is that hurtful to others, they must be hurting even more inside. I don’t believe that anyone who is really a godly person won’t feel pity for those who are in pain, especially the ones in emotional pain who are spiritually empty.

Another way to be willing to forgive (which makes it MUCH easier to do) is to pray for that person. I’m not saying to pray for the other one’s destruction. Nah- that’s not helping us to forgive anyone (although it can make you feel better).

What I am saying is to pray for their deliverance; imagine how horrible their life must be for them to be that horrible to others. I truly believe that a hurtful and nasty person does so to reduce the pain they are feeling by making others feel worse. When you pray for them to be saved, to have God cure their pain, you will feel better because you are showing the kind of love that Yeshua showed for us.

And when we love others, we always feel better ourselves.

One last reason to be willing to forgive which is, honestly, the least godly reason, is for self-protection.

In Matthew 6:14, right after Yeshua has told us how to pray, he gives us this warning (CJB):

For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will not forgive yours.

I’ll bet right now some of you are thinking because you’ve accepted Yeshua as your messiah and ask forgiveness in his name, you will be forgiven, right? And that this warning came before he was resurrected, so doesn’t mean anything now that he is at the right hand of God and our Intercessor. Again, am I right?

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but I don’t think so.

I think that if we are not going to forgive offences against us, believer or not, worshipful or not, going to synagogue/church every Sabbath or not, it won’t matter- Yeshua said if we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven.

That seems pretty final to me.

Now you have four different ways to help you forgive others, and I am certain that when you practice these things, you will find yourself not only being able to forgive those you have had a hard time forgiving, but at some point, you will even be willing to forgive. And when you forgive those that have hurt you, do you know what happens?

The pain goes away.

Thank you for being here and please subscribe to this ministry on both my website and YouTube channel. Buy my books, share these messages with everyone you know, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but make sure you agree to the rules to be let in).

That’s it for this week, so let me wish all my Jewish friends a Happy Shavuot, and to all my Christian friends a joyous Pentecost.

Baruch HaShem!

Did Shaul Overstep His Authority?

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In the first letter Shaul (Paul) wrote to the Corinthians, in Chapter 8 he talks about the eating of meat that has been offered to idols. He says, outright, that it is fine to eat that meat without sinning.

But the letter the Elders in Jerusalem had written to the Gentile believers (Acts 15) strictly forbade that very thing, so did Shaul overstep his authority?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

My question is: did Shaul really say eating meat sacrificed to idols was not a sin?

Let’s take this in the proper context, meaning we have to review the entire chapter.

Shaul starts off by stating not all believers have the proper knowledge, even though they may think they do. As for the gods and lords that the pagan’s worship, Shaul says that we who know God (and thus, God knows us) know, for certain, that these false gods don’t really exist, and as such, anything sacrificed to them is not affected by them. Therefore, when eating meat that has been sacrificed to an idol, a knowledgeable believer knows that there is nothing different about that meat. This is why, in 1 Corinthians 8:8, Shaul says that food will not improve or hurt our relationship with God; since sin is the thing that separates us from God, it seems that Shaul is saying to eat food sacrificed to an idol is not a sin.

He goes on to say that what we must realize is to those weak in spiritual maturity, if they see us eating meat in the temple of an idol, they will become confused and we might, in our knowledge that this is not going to affect our relationship with God, cause them to stumble into sin and think that it is fine to eat food sacrificed to idols, which is, in fact, sinful and was forbidden by the Elders in Jerusalem.

In the end, which is always where Shaul finally makes sense, he tells the Corinthians that as far as he is concerned, to prevent his doing anything that might weaken (even more) those who are spiritually naive and might think eating meat sacrificed to idols is not a sin, he would rather not eat meat, at all!

My feeling is that Shaul would never eat meat sacrificed to an idol, or even enter their temple, but he failed to state, clearly, that he was speaking hypothetically.

Essentially, his point is that even if a person has the spiritual maturity and faith to know false gods have no power on anything, especially food, and therefore what has been sacrificed to something that doesn’t exist is no different than what it was before it was sacrificed. However, he goes on to say that whatever we do, we shouldn’t allow our superior knowledge of God to interfere or confuse those with less knowledge and understanding, so even though we know that food sacrificed to idols is not affected by them, we shouldn’t allow this understanding to cause anyone with less knowledge to become confused and possibly stumble into sin.

I believe his point is that it is not so much what is done, but a person’s conscience and emotional state about doing that thing that is important. In other words, if something we do that seems wrong (but we know it isn’t) may cause another to think it is OK and end up sinning or feeling bad about themselves, we haven’t built them up in love but rather caused them trouble, so it is best that we just don’t do that thing, at all.

Geeze, even though I know what he meant, and am trying to get it across in a way anyone can understand, it still comes out confusing!

I guess the easiest thing to do, and this is especially important when we are dealing with the Pauline Epistles, is to remember that Shaul talks in a round-about way, using Jewish Logic, which is confusing- sometimes, even to us Jews.

Jewish Logic is my own term, and I define it this way: A Jew will not tell you what anything is until he has told you everything it is not.

In my opinion, Shaul DID overstep his authority here and should have simply answered the question about eating meat sacrificed to idols with a stern: Don’t do it! But, being a Pharisee, and Jewish, he had to go through his diatribe about even though some know better than others, we shouldn’t do anything that might confuse a spiritually weaker person.

The take-away for today is this: yeah, we know there are many false gods out there, and some people still worship them, but even though we know they are non-existent, we shouldn’t have anything to do them because it sets a bad example.

Thank you for being here and please subscribe to my ministry on the website and my YouTube channel- don’t forget to click on Notifications and the little bell so you know when I have posted. I would love it if you would share these messages with everyone you know and buy my books- if you like what you get here, you will like the books (all very affordable!), as well.

You are also invited to join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word”, but please agree to the rules to be let in.

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

Spiritual Gold Diggers

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If you’re not familiar with the term, a gold digger is someone who forms a relationship with someone else for the purpose of getting their money, or some other asset. Their love is strictly for the thing(s) they can receive, and not for the one giving it.

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

You may say, ” I know about gold diggers, but what the heck is a spiritual gold digger?”

That is someone who says they love the Lord and worship God, but really only love what they expect to receive from God.

Before I was saved, I used to think the “I found it” movement was designed to be attractive to losers, people who were unloved, had unrealized dreams and aspirations, and were using the idea of God loves them as a crutch to get them through their problems instead of changing their lives, themselves. Of course, this should not seem an unusual attitude, coming from an unbeliever who didn’t understand what finding Yeshua (Jesus) is really about.

However, after over 25 years as a Believer, a credentialed Minister of Messianic Judaism, having served as Elder on two separate Councils, and even as Rabbi-Pro-Tem for 1-1/2 years at one time, I still believe there are many people who accept Yeshua as their Messiah solely for the purpose of receiving salvation and blessings, although they have no intention of changing who they are or how they live.

Except, maybe, for what they do for an hour or so on Sunday morning.

If you ask me if I love the Lord, God, I’ll say yes, but that love is not like the love I feel for my wife, or family, or friends. It is a love that transcends physical emotion- and I don’t just love God for what he did for me by sending Yeshua, or just for the blessings he gives me, but more so for what he does for the ones I care about, and for the world, in general.

Now, I am no different from everyone else who decided to accept Yeshua as my Messiah and receive forgiveness of sins- we all want to be saved, we all want to avoid hell, and we all want to receive blessings (unless you’re crazy!)

Does that make me a spiritual gold digger, also?

My answer is “No.” The reason I do not consider myself a spiritual gold digger is because I have changed my life for the purpose of being more pleasing to God. I am more Torah observant than I ever was growing up in Reform Judaism: not to earn salvation (that is legalism) but to show my faithful trust in God.

How does obeying the Torah show my trust? Simple- I trust that whatever God said I should do is for my benefit, and since I really believe God knows better than I do what is good for me, I trustingly try to be as faithfully obedient to his instructions in the Torah, which teach me how to worship him and how to treat others.

Traditional Christianity, I am so sad to say, has taught people that salvation is pretty much a Come-As-You-Are party: believe in Jesus, be a good person, love others and that is all you need to do to go to heaven.

Lies, lies, lies- straight from the pit of Sheol!

Does God love you just as you are? Yes, of course he does, but that ain’t gonna get you into heaven. We love our children but if your child asked you to let them do something you know is dangerous, (hopefully) you will say “Not happening!” Why? Because you don’t really love them? Of course, not- it’s because you DO love them and will not let them do what they don’t know will end up hurting themselves.

But given that same sort of situation, i.e., can I be saved without doing what God said I should, many Christian denominations say, “No problem- have fun! God loves you.”

Spiritual gold diggers are like the seed in the parable that is sown on ground that is shallow. It takes root (in the promise of forgiveness and blessings) and doesn’t care about anything else. They want to be blessed, they want to be in heaven, and they really don’t want to change how they live. And what happens when they don’t receive what they were told they would? Or don’t receive as much as they expected?

Time to go to a new religion that promises me what I didn’t get from this one.

If you are thinking of becoming a Believer, accepting Yeshua as the Messiah God promised to send, and looking for the joy and serenity you see in other Believers, let me warn you: if you aren’t willing to change your life to be obedient to God’s instructions in the Torah… forget it.

Look- Christianity has dozens of denominations, all of which profess to worship the one, true God, and all of which have different ceremonies, rites, holidays, and rituals that are not found anywhere in the Bible.

What they do have in common with the Bible is that nearly everything that God said to do, they don’t!

So, if you are saved, or thinking about getting saved, and all you really want is what you can get out of it, without having to make lifestyle changes- some of which may be extremely difficult, costing you friends, family, maybe even your job- then don’t bother.

If you ask me, it’s better to be an honest sinner than a hypocritical Believer.

Thank you for being here. Please share these messages with everyone you know, buy my books, subscribe to my website and YouTube channel (click on the bell), and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but make sure you agree to the rules, or I can’t let you in).

And please don’t hesitate to give me some feedback, positive or negative. If you agree, let me know, and if not, tell me why. I am still learning.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!

Which Commandments Did Yeshua Say Count the Most?

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I think we all know which commandments Yeshua said are the most important, right? Isn’t it from Matthew 22:37-40?

Well, if that is so, then why does he give a totally different set of commandments in three separate gospels when asked what does someone have to do to be saved?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Let’s start in Matthew 22, when Yeshua is asked which is the most important commandment of all? He replies (CJB):

‘You are to love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’ This is the greatest and most important mitzvah.  And a second is similar to it, ‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’ All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot.”

So here Yeshua is telling us that to love God and each other is paramount. Now, traditional Christian teaching tells us that this is all we need to do. Love God and love each other, the message of Christ is to love- and that’s it! Nothing else is required. Love God, love each other, and you’re in!

They interpret this verse to mean these are the only two commandments we need to do.

But that’s not right, is it? Yeshua never said these are the only commandments, just that they are the most important ones. And, when he added that all the others pivot on these two, that means he expects that we will follow all the other commandments BECAUSE we love God and each other.

But if these are the most important, then why did he tell the rich man who asked what he needed to do to enter God’s kingdom (Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:17, and Luke 18:19) something different?

In all three Gospels, Yeshua’s answer to the man includes these commandments:

Don’t commit adultery, don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t give false witness, honor your mother and father, (this additional one was only in Matthew) and love your neighbor as yourself.

So, nu? If Yeshua said that to love God and each other are the most important commandments, which all the others will pivot on, why tell the rich man something different? In fact, these commandments are straight from the Big Ten, whereas the ones Yeshua said were most important were from the Torah, but not listed in the Big Ten.

Hmmm…now we have to ask ourselves “What do we do?” Which are the commandments we are to really need to strive to obey?

It seems that we should love God, then love each other, then come the Big Ten. That makes sense, doesn’t it?

But wait a minute! Didn’t James say if we break one commandment, we break them all (James 2:10)? So, even loving God, loving each other, and obeying the ones Yeshua quoted from the Big Ten isn’t enough?

Shaul (Paul) tells the Romans that no one can be saved by the law (Romans 3:23), which he knew from his vast knowledge of the Tanakh, for there are numerous places where we are told, over and over by different people that everyone sins, and no one is without sin.

I mean, there are some 613 commandments in the Torah! We can’t do the ones involving the temple service, which is about 1/3 of them, and some are just for women and some just for men, some just for the Cohen Hagadol (High Priest), which leaves less than a hundred or so for us simple folk.

Oy! That’s still a lot to do, so once again we ask, “What do we do?”

There is no longer a temple in Jerusalem where we can be forgiven under the sacrificial system, which (according to the Torah) was the only place we could bring our sacrifice to receive forgiveness (thank God for sending Yeshua, who replaced that requirement, making forgiveness available to everyone, everywhere, at any time.)

The answer, I suppose, is that we do the best we can to obey all the commandments that God gave in the Torah that apply to us. You see, the Torah is the only place in the entire Bible (this includes the New Covenant) where God tells us what he wants us to do. We can be secure in the knowledge that if we accept Yeshua as the Messiah God promised to send, repent of the sins we commit and ask forgiveness by means of Yeshua’s blood, which was shed for us, then we can be forgiven of that sin.

Yeshua only repeats what God said, and Shaul only wrote to Gentiles what they needed to do initially, expecting (as did the Elders who wrote the letter in Acts 15) that the Gentiles would learn the rest of what God wants them to do as they grew more knowledgeable in the Word and more spiritually mature.

Christianity has taught the opposite of what Yeshua and Shaul taught; Yeshua and Shaul taught the people to obey God, but Christianity has taught the people to ignore what God said and, instead, follow the tenets, rituals, and holidays that men have created.

It is up to you to decide what you will do: you can either worship God by obeying his commandments as best as you can, knowing he will forgive you (through Yeshua) when you screw up, or worship a Christian rebranding of the true Messiah, kneeling before graven images, praying to people instead of God, and ignoring nearly everything God told about how he wanted you to live, choosing to obey man-made tenets, celebrate man-made holidays, and perform man-made rituals.

Your choice, but if you ask me, I will have to say it is probably safer to do as God says then to do as people say.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages with everyone you know to help this ministry continue to grow. Subscribe to my website (while you’re there please buy my books), also to my YouTube channel, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but make sure you agree to the rules to be let in).

Ans please give me some feedback- positive or negative- to let me know someone is actually reading this stuff.

Thats it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

Which Commandments Did Yeshua Say Count the Most?

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I think we all know which commandments Yeshua said are the most important, right? Isn’t it from Matthew 22:37-40?

Well, if that is so, then why does he give a totally different set of commandments in three separate gospels when asked what does someone have to do to be saved?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Let’s start in Matthew 22, when Yeshua is asked which is the most important commandment of all? He replies (CJB):

‘You are to love Adonai your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’ This is the greatest and most important mitzvah.  And a second is similar to it, ‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’ All of the Torah and the Prophets are dependent on these two mitzvot.”

So here Yeshua is telling us that to love God and each other is paramount. Now, traditional Christian teaching tells us that this is all we need to do. Love God and love each other, the message of Christ is to love- and that’s it! Nothing else is required. Love God, love each other, and you’re in!

They interpret this verse to mean these are the only two commandments we need to do.

But that’s not right, is it? Yeshua never said these are the only commandments, just that they are the most important ones. And, when he added that all the others pivot on these two, that means he expects that we will follow all the other commandments BECAUSE we love God and each other.

But if these are the most important, then why did he tell the rich man who asked what he needed to do to enter God’s kingdom (Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:17, and Luke 18:19) something different?

In all three Gospels, Yeshua’s answer to the man includes these commandments:

Don’t commit adultery, don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t give false witness, honor your mother and father, (this additional one was only in Matthew) and love your neighbor as yourself.

So, nu? If Yeshua said that to love God and each other are the most important commandments, which all the others will pivot on, why tell the rich man something different? In fact, these commandments are straight from the Big Ten, whereas the ones Yeshua said were most important were from the Torah, but not listed in the Big Ten.

Hmmm…now we have to ask ourselves “What do we do?” Which are the commandments we are to really need to strive to obey?

It seems that we should love God, then love each other, then come the Big Ten. That makes sense, doesn’t it?

But wait a minute! Didn’t James say if we break one commandment, we break them all (James 2:10)? So, even loving God, loving each other, and obeying the ones Yeshua quoted from the Big Ten isn’t enough?

Shaul (Paul) tells the Romans that no one can be saved by the law (Romans 3:23), which he knew from his vast knowledge of the Tanakh, for there are numerous places where we are told, over and over by different people that everyone sins, and no one is without sin.

I mean, there are some 613 commandments in the Torah! We can’t do the ones involving the temple service, which is about 1/3 of them, and some are just for women and some just for men, some just for the Cohen Hagadol (High Priest), which leaves less than a hundred or so for us simple folk.

Oy! That’s still a lot to do, so once again we ask, “What do we do?”

There is no longer a temple in Jerusalem where we can be forgiven under the sacrificial system, which (according to the Torah) was the only place we could bring our sacrifice to receive forgiveness (thank God for sending Yeshua, who replaced that requirement, making forgiveness available to everyone, everywhere, at any time.)

The answer, I suppose, is that we do the best we can to obey all the commandments that God gave in the Torah that apply to us. You see, the Torah is the only place in the entire Bible (this includes the New Covenant) where God tells us what he wants us to do. We can be secure in the knowledge that if we accept Yeshua as the Messiah God promised to send, repent of the sins we commit and ask forgiveness by means of Yeshua’s blood, which was shed for us, then we can be forgiven of that sin.

Yeshua only repeats what God said, and Shaul only wrote to Gentiles what they needed to do initially, expecting (as did the Elders who wrote the letter in Acts 15) that the Gentiles would learn the rest of what God wants them to do as they grew more knowledgeable in the Word and more spiritually mature.

Christianity has taught the opposite of what Yeshua and Shaul taught; Yeshua and Shaul taught the people to obey God, but Christianity has taught the people to ignore what God said and, instead, follow the tenets, rituals, and holidays that men have created.

It is up to you to decide what you will do: you can either worship God by obeying his commandments as best as you can, knowing he will forgive you (through Yeshua) when you screw up, or worship a Christian rebranding of the true Messiah, kneeling before graven images, praying to people instead of God, and ignoring nearly everything God told about how he wanted you to live, choosing to obey man-made tenets, celebrate man-made holidays, and perform man-made rituals.

Your choice, but if you ask me, I will have to say it is probably safer to do as God says then to do as people say.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages with everyone you know to help this ministry continue to grow. Subscribe to my website (while you’re there please buy my books), also to my YouTube channel, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but make sure you agree to the rules to be let in).

Ans please give me some feedback- positive or negative- to let me know someone is actually reading this stuff.

Thats it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

The Difference Between Blood Descendant and Adopted Child

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Let me place my Disclaimer out there right now- this message is mostly just my opinion. You can disagree, or agree, and in either case, if you have biblical justification for your opinion, please let me know.

If you prefer to watch me opine in a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

OK, Shaul tells the Galatians (Galatians 3:29) that if they are in Messiah, then they are also heirs of Abraham. This is his conclusion from his previous explanation about how there is no longer slave or free, Gentile or Jew, but only one type of person when we accept Yeshua as our Messiah because from that point forward, we are all one in the body of the Messiah.

But there is a difference between an adopted child and a blood relative. It doesn’t matter on a spiritual level, but it does on a physical one.

I am not an adopted son of Abraham because I am Jewish, through and through, both sides, DNA proven. In fact, I even have the Levitical allele, so I know I am a Levite.

(If you’re not familiar with this, years ago they studied the DNA of Jews whose last name was any form of Levi or Cohen, and matched that to other Jewish DNA samples, and found there is a definitive difference between the DNA of Jewish males who have a Levitical sounding last name and those who do not.)

The issue I have is with the traditional Christian teaching, which has been promulgated throughout the centuries, that adopted children of Abraham are entitled to all the promises God made to him but are not subject to the Torah because they are “in Christ” and, as such, not under the law but under Grace.

Oh, how I hate that saying- “not under the law but under Grace”- because it has led so many thousands upon thousands of people away from the narrow gate by making them think they can do whatever they always did and be saved.

Don’t you know? Grace is not exception from obeying the law, but the opportunity to be forgiven when we disobey the law!

Does an adopted child in a family get to ignore the rules that the natural born children are subject to following?

I don’t think so!

So, what makes Christians who claim to be children of Abraham think they can ignore the Torah, which was given by God to the children of Abraham to learn and live and teach to the world as God’s chosen nation of priests? (Exodus 19:6) And what do priests do? They teach you how to worship! That’s why God gave the children of Abraham the Torah- not just for them, but for them to learn, live, and bring to the world so that everyone can be saved.

The only real difference between an adopted child of Abraham and one that is natural born is a physical one, dealing with circumcision (as Shaul explained to the Galatians and also mentioned, as I recall, to the Romans), and circumcision is not needed in order to be saved. If an adopted child wants to undergo that, fine- so long as it is not done to be “correct”, i.e., to earn the right to say they are under the covenant. That is the wrong reason, as Shaul explained to the Galatians.

Think about it…do you really have to be circumcised to be under the same covenant God made with Abraham?

My opinion is that the Abrahamic Covenant is not as important to a person’s relationship with God as the Mosaic Covenant is. Why not? Well, because Abraham was only required to do B’rit Milah, whereas Moses was given God’s instructions for the way to live our lives: how to worship him and how to treat each other.

If you ask me, any male Gentile who is not circumcised, but wants to live as Yeshua (Jesus) really did live, to do as he really did do, will not have to buy a large package of Birds Eye Frozen Peas (a real lifesaver after having procedures done down there) but just obey the Torah as best as he can.

Do you know what they call a Jewish baby who isn’t circumcised? A girl!

Do all females who accept Yeshua as their messiah have to undergo the female type of circumcision (the kind that is done to certain Muslim women) in order to be an adopted child of Abraham?

Of course not! But they are just as “saved” as the men are.

As Shaul pointed out, Abraham was NOT circumcised when God called him out of the pagan lifestyle he had been living. God accepted Abraham as a righteous person based on his faith and, for the record, his obedience, as well. Read Genesis 26:4-5, which is where God renewed the promise he made to Abraham with Isaac and stated that Abraham obeyed all that God told him to do.

Abraham was considered righteous not just because he was faithful, but because he proved his faith through obedience, which many centuries later was confirmed by the brother of the Messiah (James 2:17).

So, there you have it- male blood descendants of Abraham have the obligation to undergo B’rit Milah when they are 8 days old (good thing it’s at 8 days, because if they asked me when I was 35, I would seriously have to think about it!), but Gentile males who accept Yeshua as their Messiah and want to be adopted children of Abraham do not have to be circumcised in their flesh, only in their heart.

And, for the record, being circumcised in your flesh, alone, doesn’t save you.

There is a difference between blood descendants of Abraham and adopted children, but that isn’t what is going to make a difference in your salvation. The Abrahamic Covenant doesn’t provide you what you need to be saved, but the Mosaic Covenant does.

Thank you for being here and please subscribe to this ministry on my website and my YouTube channel. Buy my books, share these messages with everyone you know, and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but you must agree to the rules to join).

And remember… I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!

Is Your Spiritual Modem Using Dial-Up or Fiber?

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For those who aren’t tech-savvy, dial-up service, which you might know better as DSL, was how we used to connect to the Internet, and always had that tweetle-like noise as it was connecting.

It was as slow as molasses flowing uphill against the wind in November… in Maine!

Now, fiber optic is the speediest form of connection we have today, and about ten times faster than the old DSL connection.

So, nu? What the heck does this nerdy stuff have to do with God?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Being a nerd, myself, I was wondering about this: since our connection with God is (for most of us) through prayer, is the prayer relationship we have with God one that is sluggish as DSL or speedy as fiber?

For example, when praying, do you go through a series of Shakespearean statements like this example:

Oh Lord, thou art the great one. I prayeth to thee now, seeking thy goodness, to be gracious to me and giveth thy servant all that thy servant requesteth of thee.

Or do you do as I do, which is simply to say something along the lines of:

Lord, thank you for the blessings you give and please hear my request.

Can you see what I mean? Dial-up or fiber?

Now, I am not condemning anyone who wants to pray as they used to pray in the Bible, but do you really think that you get any extra points for that? In truth, didn’t Yeshua tell us to pray in a simple, precise manner?

In Matthew 6, isn’t the template he gave us for how to pray rather simple? When we read in 1 Kings 8:22-53, when Solomon prayed to God at the dedication of the Temple, now that was a prayer! But geeze! It went on and on, and it had to because, well, what else were the people there going to do?

It’s not like they had a plane to catch, or that they had to get back home in time to watch the game on TV.

And that prayer is beautiful, but let’s face it- Solomon was the wisest king of all time praying at the dedication of the most glamorous temple ever built to the one true God. I mean, okay, let’s not cut that one short.

But when you and I pray to God in the privacy of our home, or car, or wherever, and especially when praying publicly in your house of worship… well, c’mon. Let’s get real- that’s not the same.

I believe (and you can disagree with me- that’s OK) that God isn’t listening for fancy speech or ornate prayer, but rather for a humble and heartfelt need that we bring before him for help. I really believe that all God wants is a simple request, a request for just what we need, humbly coming before him and acknowledging that we are unfit, and come before him in the righteousness of Yeshua, our Messiah, whose sacrifice made it possible for us to approach the Holy One of Israel.

So, my point today is that when we pray, in my (probably) less-humble-than-it-should-be opinion, we should all maintain the KISS rule (Keep It Simple, Schlemiel) because God already knows what we want, and he knows better than any of us what we really need, and I really don’t think he is impressed by spectacular verbiage or King James style pronunciations.

God wants humble, honest, and worshipful prayer; ya know what? -when it comes down to it, you don’t even need to speak. Just let your heart talk for you.

Thank you for being here and please share these messages with everyone you know to help this ministry continue to grow. Subscribe on my website and YouTube channel, buy my inexpensive books (if you like these messages, you will like my books), and join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (you must agree to the rules to be let in).

And remember that I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

False Praise

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Is there such a thing as false praise?

I think there is: it’s when someone says something so very, very “praiseful” (is that really a word?), but their intention is not to praise but to receive praise.

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For example, let’s go to Luke 11:27, where after teaching about how a house divided against itself cannot stand, and that evil spirits may repossess a person even after being cleansed, this happened:

As Yeshua was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice to call out, “How blessed is the mother that gave birth to you and nursed you from her breast!” But he said, “Far more blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”

Did you notice how Yeshua pretty much ignored the praise?

And this isn’t the only time he did something like that.

In Luke 14:15, Yeshua is at a dinner and teaching that those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted, when someone at the table says:

How blessed are those who eat bread in the kingdom of God!

Yeshua again ignores this comment and goes directly into a drash (parable) about the man who had invited people to a banquet, but when they all came up with an excuse, he invited beggars and the lame so that his house would be full, and none of the ones he did invite would be allowed in.

I may be a little off-center with this, but I feel that the way Yeshua reacted to these praises, which was to let them go by without acknowledging them, was because he recognized the praise was meant not to glorify him or God, but intended so that the one giving it would be acknowledged.

I believe Yeshua recognized this as false praise because the one praising wanted to be the one receiving praise.

Again, I confess this may be a pet-peeve of my own, but I have often heard people say things that I feel- in my spirit- is not genuine praise for God or Yeshua but said in order for the one praising to receive the praise of others.

“Oh, that is such a wonderful thing to say! That person must be so spiritually aware.”

“Oh, my! What wonderful praise to be given.”

“I wish I had said that- they’re so spiritually mature and wise.”

Haven’t you seen this in your house of worship? Aren’t there those who give praise like they were handing out candy on Halloween?

Now, don’t get me wrong! I praise God all the time and believe there is nothing better to do than praise God. But I don’t think it should be done in the way Yeshua accused the Pharisees of doing it- having longer tzitzit, making a public spectacle of their worship, trying to appear so spiritual, but all that in order to receive praise from people.

Okay, I’m a cynical person- so, sue me! But I absolutely know for sure that there are people who do things to appear spiritual and worshipful, but underneath it all, their praise is designed to receive, not to give.

They don’t fool me, and I know they don’t fool God.

So, nu? What’s today’s take-away?

When you praise, do so the way Yeshua said in Matthew 6; privately, so that your father in heaven will reward you. He warns us that those who seek public approval or recognition will receive it, but that is all they will get. So, if you feel a genuine desire to praise God or Yeshua, do so under your breath- don’t worry, they will hear you.

If you ask me, the best praise we can give to God is simply to act the way God wants us to act.

People don’t mean what they say, they mean what they do, so let people see your praise to God all the time by the way you act.

Thank you for being here and please subscribe to this ministry on both my website and my YouTube channel. Buy my books, join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but make sure you agree to the rules to be let in), and share these messages with everyone you know.

And remember that I always welcome your comments.

That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (and early) Shabbat Shalom!

Do We Have to Reference Yeshua When We Pray?

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In the Gospels, Yeshua (Jesus) tells us that when we pray in his name, that which we ask for we will receive. But if we have accepted Yeshua as our Messiah, wouldn’t God already know that? Why do we have to speak it?

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Maybe I am preaching disobedience or rebellion… I’m not sure.

For many years I would always end my prayers, as well as often interjecting while praying, “I ask this in Yeshua’s name”. Then, a couple of years ago, I began to think that because the word “name” in the Bible is really just a reference to a reputation and renown, there isn’t any power in Yeshua’s reputation.

However, there is plenty of power in what he did for us; the real power we can receive is not from the word “Yeshua” or “Jesus”, but from the blood he shed. That is what allows us to be cleansed of our sins; that is what enables us to come into the presence of the Lord, God, Almighty and ask for forgiveness, which is only achieved through the shedding of innocent blood (Hebrews 9:22, which references the sacrificial system God created in Leviticus 1-7).

Now when I pray, I finish my prayer by saying “I ask this by the shed blood of the Messiah, Yeshua.”

But still- I wonder why I need to reference Yeshua, at all? I wonder why God doesn’t already know that, because I have accepted Yeshua as my Messiah, whatever I ask for in prayer is always going to be based on the power of the blood he shed for me?

Is prayer now some form of spiritual Simon Says? If I say, “By the blood of Yeshua” I get what I ask, but if I don’t say that does God reply, “You didn’t say ‘Yeshua says’, so you don’t get what you asked for.”?

I don’t think so.

I think that God knows I always ask for forgiveness of sin by the shed blood of the Messiah, and yet I still say it. Maybe I am just conditioned to do that? Maybe I feel more comfortable and that I am covering my you-know-what when I add “By the blood of the Messiah” at the end of my prayer?

I don’t know.

I will continue to ask for forgiveness, of course. And to lift those I love and care about to God for healing, whether physical or spiritual. And I will continue to refer to Yeshua as his son, my Messiah, the one he promised to send and thank him for doing that, as well as for all the blessings he gives me.

I had written that when we thank God there is no need to refer to Yeshua because thanking God is not asking for anything, which I wrote a while ago when I was still using the actual name of Yeshua in my prayers. (Here is a link to that message)

In the meantime, I will continue to ask for God if he desires me to say, “By the blood of Yeshua” or “In Yeshua’s name” every time I ask for something in prayer and be open to hearing his answer.

I hope it comes soon because I can’t just get rid of this question: If he truly knows my heart and mind, won’t he know when I pray that asking as Yeshua said to is a “given”?

Thank you for being here and please share these messages with everyone you know to help this ministry continue to grow. Also, buy my books- if you like what you get here, you will like my books, as well.

Subscribe to this ministry and my YouTube channel, and don’t forget to click the bell to get notifications. You are invited to join my Facebook group called “Just God’s Word” (but please ensure you agree to the rules in order to be allowed in).

And remember that I always welcome your comments.

I’d really like to hear what you think about this one.

That’s it for today, so l’hitraot and Baruch HaShem!

UPDATE:

It’s the morning of May 6, 2023.
I have been praying to God to help me come to a final conclusion about what to use, if anything, with regard to pryaing in Yeshua’s name. I received good comments from people and some good points were made for always using Yeshua’s name, and not even using “by the blood”(which is not what Yeshua said).
This morning in prayer God made it clear to me.
I have always stated that God knows what is in our hearts and minds, and when I was thinking about that it came to me that because he does, and because (as someone pointed out) even though he knows this, he still wants us to pray, then it doesn’t matter which words I use to refer to Yeshua- God wants us to pray to him and Yeshua wants us to pray referring to him as our Intecessor no matter how we phrase it.
I don’t have to concern myself with should I use Yeshua’s name, or say “by his blood” – it doesn’t matter so long as I refer to Yeshua in some way because, just like God knows what we need but still wants us to pray, Yeshua knows God will answer us but he wants us to recognize his role in our prayer as Intercessor, so we should acknowledge him, as wel, when asking for something from Godl.
Whew! That’s a load off my minnd. 🙂
Thank you, Lord, for answering prayer!

A Study on Kohelet (Ecclesiastes)

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The Book of Kohelet has often been misunderstood, and I suppose that’s because it starts off telling us that everything is pointless, and that all our efforts are no more useful than chasing the wind.

Okay, I get it- someone isn’t happy with how things they have done has turned out.

So, who wrote this treatise on disappointment?

If you prefer to watch a video, click on this link: Watch the video.

Most agree that it was King Solomon, although in recent years some have stated it may have been written by someone else pretending to be a king of Jerusalem. Personally, I don’t buy that.

In the first chapter the writer tells us that he has been a king over Israel in Jerusalem. Not only that, but this book is filled with wisdom and proverbs, very much like those Solomon wrote.

For example:

1:18- there is much wisdom in grief.
2:14- wise men have eyes that see, but fools walk in darkness.
4:5- better an armful of tranquility than both arms full of effort that yields nothing
5:1 nightmares come from worrying too much, and a fool chatters too much
5:9- the lover of money never has enough money

There are other wisdom sayings throughout the book that indicate the writer is a man possessed with great wisdom. Not to mention that he tells us in 1:16 that he has acquired more wisdom than anyone else ruling in Jerusalem- that is exactly what we are told in the Bible about Solomon (1 Kings 4:30).

Now, what about this statement that everything is pointless, that nothing matters, and what does a person gain after all their efforts? These sound like the ramblings of a depressed, cynical man, but when we realize the reason he is saying this, it makes sense.

In Kohelet 1:12, he tells us that he applied himself to seek out and investigate everything that is done under heaven. I believe what Kohelet was saying was that he wanted to understand the “why” of everything- he wanted to have the same level of understanding that God does. Well, no wonder he was disappointed and found everything pointless! No one can understand anything at the same level of God.

However, he did come to an understanding of what might be the most important lesson of all- that whatever we do we should do with joy and appreciation because this is what God has given us.

Kohelet tried to understand everything by starting out with the pleasures of the body. He went on to build palaces, gardens, pools, have slaves, amass wealth, have singers and musicians, and many other material things. Yet, in the end, he realized that it was all worthless, just chasing the wind.

Why? Because when he dies, everything he worked his whole life to attain will go to someone else who will just waste it.

Throughout this book, we are given a number of examples of what is pointless:

  • attaining wisdom is useless because no matter how wise or how stupid a man becomes, in the end, we all die and are treated the same.
  • the pursuit of material things is pointless because the rich never have enough and the money they accumulate will go to someone else when they die.
  • no matter how good a king is, it’s pointless because when the king is dead the ones coming after him will not regard him highly.
  • having goods and wealth will not please a person, who will always want more, and when they die someone else gets to enjoy them.
  • the righteous person can perish in his uprightness while the evil person lives a long and happy life.

Despite the overriding depressive feel of this book, Kohelet does come up with a number of revelations that are messages of hope and the lessons we need to learn in order to have a contended life:

Revelation #1: Kohelet tells us all that is left to us to do in this life is to eat, drink, and enjoy whatever fruits of labor that we have attained, because this is what God has given to us (2:24; 5:17; 8:15; 9:7).

Revelation #2: Everything that happens has its own time (3:1-11), nothing is new under the sun (1:9), and this is the way God has designed the world.

You may remember the song by the Byrds called “Turn, turn, turn” (1965) which was from this passage; it was originally written by Pete Seegar in 1959

Revelation #3: People who love things of the world will never be satisfied.

Revelation #4: Everything happens to everyone: rich or poor, wise or stupid, righteous or evil. In the end we all die, although those who live a righteous life will be in better shape when facing God.

The final and ultimate lesson that Kohelet has learned, which he tells us at the very end of the book, is this:

We should worship God and obey his laws, for that is what being human is all about;
in the end, God will bring to judgement all that we do.

This is unquestionably the wisest thing anyone can do.

Kohelet, with all his wisdom, riches, and achievements, concludes the only thing we really need to do is enjoy the fruits of our labors, the simple things in life, such as eating and drinking, and be thankful to God for giving that to us. I believe this was confirmed by Yeshua who, when telling us how to pray, said we should ask for our daily bread- nothing more, nothing less, and that we shouldn’t worry about tomorrow.

So, the next time someone tells you that they just don’t get the Book of Kohelet, asking why is such a “downer” even in the Bible, you can tell them that the real message of Kohelet is one of contentment. It teaches us we will never understand why things happen the way they do, that all things happen for a reason and that God has determined the correct time for all things that occur under the sun, and that to be at peace and enjoy life all we need to do is worship God, obey his commandments, and appreciate what God has given us because that is what being human is all about.