“The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous stands firm.” Proverbs 12:7

One of my all-time favorite childhood stories was “The Three Little Pigs.”  My mother was a great storyteller and made me laugh when she huffed and puffed like the big bad wolf, throwing the blanket off the bed, just as the old wolf was blowing down the houses of the little pigs.  Back then, the story was just entertainment but when I remember it again as an adult, I realize the great Biblical truths of that the story and the meaning behind it. 

The first two little pigs opted to build their houses quickly and easily, one of straw and one of sticks. They finished quickly so that they could go out and have fun!  They had no idea that the big bad wolf was watching them.   He was easily capable of blowing down each flimsy house. and the two little pigs had to save their little pig lives by running quickly to their third brother’s house.   He had taken the time to build his house of bricks.  It wasn’t luck that that kept the third pig’s house standing, but the time and effort he invested in building something strong.  So how is this story related to Biblical truths? 

Notice that in the story of the three little pigs and in real life, everyone encounters troubles that threaten to topple us.  The big bad wolf will try to blow down everyone’s house whether they are righteous or wicked.  Yet, while we all go through difficult times, we don’t all come out of them the same way. 

When someone builds their life on lies……founded on faulty beliefs and misplaced values, their foundation is extremely precarious.  If they face financial challenges, they might lose their sense of wellbeing and capacity for hope. If they encounter uncertainty in any area of life, they completely implode.  If you don’t have God as your foundation, what will keep you standing?

 We, as Believers, have built our lives on the solid foundations of faith., biblical values, morals, and teachings of scripture.  We can withstand the storms that come into our lives.  The big bad wolf will always be on the other side of the door, waiting to blow our houses down, unless we have the firm foundation and have built our houses of brick.  When we do, we will be able to weather any storm.  Our houses will stand, and we will emerge stronger than ever before. 

 ‘Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rains came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rains came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.’ (Matthew :24-27)

How are you building your house?

Good King Solomon was considered to be one of the wisest men who ever lived.  He authored several books in the Hebrew Scriptures.  The Book of Proverbs is one of my favorites.   In Hebrew it is part of the scriptures called Ketuvim or “writings”.  It is part of their “wisdom tradition” which also includes Job and Ecclesiastes
       “Whoever seeks good finds favor……..but evil comes to one who searches for it!”…….Proverbs 11:27

Do any of us really search for evil?  What are we missing here?

Many years ago, I thought it would be fun to take a psychology class.  In fact, I needed this credit to graduate.  The professor was known for his work in the field of adolescent psychology.  He also was a professed Believer, which was not that unusual back in my day.    The professor gave us an assignment. Each of us was assigned to write a paper on our adolescence years.  Both the positives and negatives of growing up and how it has affected us as adults. 

At one point during his lecture, the professor told his audience that he would project a picture on the screen for 90 seconds and instructed us to count how many shapes we could find in the picture.

A picture of a school bus carrying children on a sunny day down a tree-lined street immediately appeared and like everybody else I started to look for and count the shapes that I saw.  Then the 90 seconds were up. The photo disappeared.

The professor admitted that he was testing us.  Although he asked us to find various shapes, not one person even noticed the how many children were on the bus. 

So, case in point.  The good professor’s exercise pointed out that we only find what we are really looking for.  What we see in our lives reflects what we seek out and choose to focus on.  A person who is caught up in the negative aspects of life and is overly focused on their own problems will most likely have a difficult time seeing anything positive in life.  Such a person will find little joy in life and likely feel depressed and worthless. 

On the other hand, someone who seeks out the positive aspects of life and makes a conscience decision to focus on what is good, will see God’s blessings everywhere. Despite the problems of life, such a person will experience life as a blessing and feel grateful and happy much of the time. 

So, Solomon’s words are true.  If we look for the good in every situation, we will find it. But, if we are negative and thrive on being a victim of life, we will find validation for our victimhood everywhere. 

 Ultimately, our perspective on life determines the trajectory of our lives.  Let us choose to focus on God’s blessings and then as Solomon says, we will find even more of God’s favor.

                              Is your glass half full?  Or do you see it half empty?

                                                 The choice is yours.

                                    Happiness is Giving                                                                    ,

Every day I receive at least five to six requests for money.  Each letter is an appeal to improve a situation, provide medical supplies, feed a family, help kids in hospitals.  Each one is worthy.  They all have good credit scores with Charity Navigator. Now what to do?

Therefore, I must decide.  Each one of us must make similar choices.  Most of us have been blessed with money and we are entrusted to use it wisely. 

The Bible has words of wisdom on use of our money.  2 Timothy 3:  “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money.” 1Tim.6:16 ‘For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”   There are many verses which allude to the same type of desire……….the quest for riches. 

We have all sat in our Sunday pews and heard stories about the love of money. The rich man coming to Jeshua to become a disciple but refusing to give up his way of life; the man building bigger barns to hold all his goods and yet not living to enjoy it.   It’s not about the money itself, but the deep need we all feel that money will provide what we are missing in life. 

We are thankful for the wealthy who have donated millions to provide funds for symphonies; great museums; hospitals; donations for many philanthropic causes, all of which enriches our lives.  

There is nothing wrong with a nice cruise to the Greek Islands, seeing the sites of Paris at night or perhaps a vacation in Colorado.   Money can give us pleasure. God provides wonderful experiences for us to enjoy.  But in the long term, we are left with an empty purse and pictures on our phones.

But here is the really sweet secret of giving.  When one gives, one also receives in return! 

In one study, researchers discovered that those who spent more on charity and others rather than themselves enjoyed significantly greater and longer lasting happiness. (Dunn, Aknin,  Norton: Science Mag. March 2008)

Other findings include lower depression rates and less self-focus.  Perhaps we are missing something when we have not let our children realize that giving is a necessary part of being a real person.  The one that God created us to be. 

Giving money isn’t the only way to enjoy the benefits of generosity: People who are very giving in relationships, being emotionally available and hospitable, are much more likely to be in excellent health.

  According to research, the positive energy that you feel when you do a good deed has a tangible impact on your body.  In much the same way that exercise releases endorphins into your brain that makes you feel good, acts of charity generate what scientists call the “helpers’ high!”

The benefits of a generous heart not only provide you with rewards but also provide comfort to others.  Help might be needed in finding work, in prayer, in relationships.  This is all part of giving. 

A famous rabbi once said: “We are only worth with we are willing to share.” When we give of ourselves to others, we are not diminished but enriched.”

In the words of Winston Churchill “We may make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

                                                Agree?

Transparency and accountability are the new buzz words for the 21st century.  No doubt all honorable people welcome every genuine effort to stop corruption and dishonesty in whatever sphere of society—– corporate, governmental, or personal.  But is this really a new phenomenon?  Is ours, in fact, the first generation in history concerned about such issues?

In Exodus 38-40 we learn that even Moses needed a transparent accounting of the donations received towards the building of the tabernacle and the fittings and sacred vessels.  Every person became accountable for their donations plus their actions.  It was to be with a willing heart to provide funds for this tent in which God himself would be worshipped. 

Is God holding us accountable today?  Is He regarding us and our actions and what we are doing with our lives?  Do our possessions take preference over our relationship with others?

None of us can imagine God in Heaven with a big scoreboard.   Is He putting check marks for our behavior?   After all we are mere humans doing human things in this crazy world.   We give, we worship, we live under God’s grace, and we depend on our Messiah to take away our sins. 

                                    But wait………..there is more to come!
One day we all will face the ultimate accountability of our actions.  Each of us must give a full justification and accounting for the way we have lived our lives. 

                    Yes, there is a final exam.  How do we know this?

Matthew 25; Jeshua tells us that ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”

When He tells us that all nations will be judged, it isn’t just the Jews to whom He is speaking?.  It’s you and me.  He isn’t asking if you have been baptized; how many times you attend services; how much money is in your checking account.

‘Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was ill and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”³⁷ ‘Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you ill or in prison and go to visit you?”⁴⁰ ‘The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

⁴¹ ‘Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was ill and in prison and you did not look after me.”⁴⁴ ‘They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or ill or in prison, and did not help you?”⁴⁵ ‘He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.⁴⁶ ‘Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

I do believe that many of you reading this blog will dismiss these words.  Why?  How could a loving God do this?  After all, we have lived well; we haven’t committed a really dreadful sin; we have kept part of the Torah teachings (at least most of the Ten Commandments). Or how many times we have read though the Bible. We have never been unfaithful to our spouses.

  I’m not suggesting that we all will visit the sick or make trips to the county jail.  It’s the every day happenings and how  we make other’s lives  a little better. Should we fear a Judgement?

We will all die and make an accounting for our treatment of others; sorrows for doing things our way; repentance with a commitment to do good unto others as we would have them do to us!  The words of our Master should fill us with both joy and fear! 

            It’s time to examine our lives. . 

                                  “Doing good unto the least of these!”

You might say I have a small but powerful aversion to the word “Mother Nature.”  Leaving God out of the equation really bothers me. Mother Nature did this Mother Nature that!  What makes creation a Mother?  Creation is a product of a Creative mind, not some mindless happenstance. 

                                           Creation is a Miracle. 

“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story that is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see” (CS Lewis)

Creation is that story we take for granted. It is our small world we see, often failing to see the “large letters” and the wonders of our universe. The new James Webb telescope has opened the world outside of our own small universe.  We can see the majesty of the Creator.       

The human propensity to take creation for granted is truly astonishing. We try to explain the wonders surrounding us.  We explain them away to help us simplify and make sense of life.  As a result, we tend to overlook the extraordinary realities of Creation unfolding before us. Our Messiah is part of Creation process.

 John writes:  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

Perhaps our view of the world is like the sea.  It is only when one dives in and is fully immersed that we can appreciate the world’s wonderous rich life concealed beneath its surface. Therefore, we must live fully and joyfully to see what God has given us.

Many people observe the universe but disregard its origin, Creator, and life-force. This leads them to take our created world and reality at face value, without looking beyond its façade to find a deeper meaning and significance.

We as Believers, must slow down the frantic blur of life, see beneath the veneer of the world and search for the beauties of the created order.

When reading the Gospel stories of the Messiah, we can see Him as the light of the world in the creation account of Genesis.  Seek and you will find.

When we know Him and who He is, we can see the Divine Presence of God with us (Emmanuel) and dispel the illusion of atheistic naturalism and behold the created order of the universe and the divine within each person.

We will see our world as a series of miracles that are perpetually recreated at every moment and yet never exactly the same as before! Amazing!!

                                    God is still creating!

The Sin of the Golden Calf is so well known that most of you reading this blog are familiar with the story.

Fifty days after leaving Egypt, the people camped at the foot of mount Sinai.  Moses went up into the Mountain to meet with God and receive the commandments.  When he didn’t return after 40 days the people presumed, he had died.  Now what?

Needing a replacement for Moses the people said, “Let us make gods that will go before us. To lead us, to intervene for us to be there for us. .. because this man Moses who brought us up from the Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him. “  (Ex:32)

 So, they approached Aaron, Moses, brother, who later became High Priest and demanded, “Make for us a god!” Aaron was under great pressure, but he agreed and collected gold ornaments that the people had been given by the Egyptians.

Aaron took the gold, and threw it into the fire, and voila, the Golden Calf was born.  This was a god that would lead them into the future.  It would pave their way for success into the land of promise!!

What or where is our Land of Promise?   Will our gold lead us there? Will our latest technology take us there? 

To answer this question, let’s segue into one of the most important debates of our times.  How should we as Believers use technology to our advantage?

Technology has no doubt improved our lives.  It is part of our culture, and it will only become more sophisticated with AI.  Technological advances have become so ingrained in our society that we can’t imagine living without it. 

Yet technology comes with risks.    Giving young children unrestricted access to smartphones, tablets, and the internet can be very dangerous, the contents they view could be highly inappropriate.  There are predators lurking out there.  The internet can be a perilous place.  Young lives have been lost due to bullying on social media sites. 

There is no tool more effective than the internet for spreading God’s word to the world. Through it, many thousands have come to faith in Yeshua and His teachings.  Technology can be wonderful.

But if technology becomes your replacement for faith, you have created your own golden calf. 

 If gold and your finances become your goal, realize that material possessions will never lead you into the Promised Land.    Used wisely, however, your gold will not only benefit you but also others.

            Gold and Technology are your servants and not your Masters.

                               Actions Speak Louder Than Words!

Many things that we do, and experience require a combination of emotion, sympathy, and action.  Just because we don’t feel like doing something doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t.  However, the absence of feeling can affect the sincerity of what we do.  Just because we say…….”I will pray for you”…without sincerity seems artificial at best and mechanical at its worst! It’s what you do that makes praying something more.

Mechanically helping a friend in need without empathy and interest is incomplete.  Praying, just by mouthing the words seems like a meaningless exercise.   Our prayers seem to reach no higher than the ceiling. 

But feelings don’t come automatically.  We cannot just turn the happiness switch on, or suddenly, feel love towards another person.  We often don’t feel happiness or empathy, or we feel totally uninspired and disinterested. 

To continue with the tabernacle story, we read that the High Priest had to wear elaborate clothing when serving in the Temple. These garments had to be sewn according to a very specific design and had a special purpose.  Wearing them during service was of critical importance. 

This Kohen Gadol (High Priest) had an awesome responsibility.  He served in the Temple, representing the entire Jewish nation, to ask for Divine atonement and blessing.   This required a strong focus and sense of devotion.  However, donning the garments, an action that made him “look the part,” helped his heart and mind to be in total focus.  He might have had a bad day or had heartburn from the burnt quail he had eaten at dinner, but he was appointed to the task and that meant he must fulfill his assignment, whether he felt like it or not! 

Yeshua has become our Kohen Gadol.  He represents us before the throne or mercy seat of God.  He puts on those priestly garments to become our representative and prays for us as we journey through this life and beyond.  This is part of what He does for us but with a joyful heart!  He does this willingly because He loves us. 

But how about our faith?  Prayer doesn’t come easy at times.  You are in a bad mood.  That’s just the time when prayer is needed most.  Prayer isn’t for God.  He knows what’s in your heart.  Prayer is for you!

God teaches us valuable lessons.  He is involved with our day to day living.  Our job is to unite the physical and the spiritual.  Each of us plays a part in what God wants us to be. 

So, we must consciously focus on things outside ourselves. Put on your smiley face.

                  Actions with effort create strong feelings.  Do a good act.

                                                  The heart will follow!!

We find the Exodus story is an amazing account of God’s working in saving His people. 

In Exodus 20 we read about the commandments and covenants that God made with Israel.  They are remarkable.  At Sinai, the Lord gave Moses a variety of laws that covered many aspects of life…..civil, criminal, and ceremonial, as a seamless whole.  These instructions were meant to bring this rag tag group of people into one nation, under one God and making them into a nation of holy people, devoted to the One who had saved them.

Ten chapters later God called Moses and Aaron, his two sons and seventy elders to ascend the mountain.  There, God was to present himself.  Yet we are often told that no man can see God.  What did they see?  Whom did they see?
Later, however, when Moses asks God to show him His glory, God replies, “You cannot see my face; for no man shall see me and live (Ex 33:20)

Moses sees God, but he does not see Him.  He encounters God but he cannot see God’s face.  No matter how much of God a man might see, God remains infinitely beyond his seeing.   Moses hides in the clef of a rock and God’s glory passes by.  He sees God’s back.  Is that possible?  This is a mystery that we really can’t explain, nor should we try. 

We know that Moses and all the people have seen God’s power and might.  They have seen the Cloud of Glory, and they experience His majesty. 

From this point on, the knowledge of God unfolds to His people with verbal instructions. “And God said…….” etc.  The words are recorded and transmitted from generation to generation.  

Scripture is not so much the story of our discovery of God but a God who seeks to bridge the gap between Himself and us. 

God may not be readily seen in our world, and indeed we often wonder where He is.  We want him to interfere in our lives.  We want Him to correct the wrongs that we witness.   

However, God has dialogued with us through the writings of Scripture. He engages us more fully by sending the Messiah to embody these attributes of His instructions.  Jeshua did not come to nullify the commandments.  He came to engage us more fully with the purposes that God intended for us. He fulfilled them in every way but didn’t end them.

In the writings of the Apostolic scriptures Jeshua tells us how we must relate to others and how to please God himself. 

“The Torah was given through Moses, grace and truth, came through Yeshua the Messiah.  No one has ever seen God, but the only unique Son, who is identical with God, and is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.”
(John 1:17-18)

John is not drawing a contrast between Torah and grace, or between Moses and Yeshua. Rather he is describing Yeshua as the living Torah who embodies, the very attributes that God declared to Moses. Jeshua himself said not a dot or tittle (of Torah) shall pass until all is fulfilled.  Jeshua is the Word of God in human form!! 

                                          Can we see God?  The answer is yes!!
                                            We see him as Yeshua our Messiah.

The thousands of freed Hebrew slaves have been in the desert for months. It has been a time of testing.  The people complained on missing the luscious food of Egypt; they complained about lack of water, it was a dry and barren land, and it was boring!

But each time God had supplied their needs.  Moses goes up and down the mountain where he receives the various commands, rules, and instructions from God.  Now it’s time for something even greater.

In the last few chapters of Exodus, the Lord commands Moses to build a tent, called a tabernacle.  It isn’t just any tent but built to specific requirements and instructions that Moses received from God.  It travels with them as they make their way back to the land that their forefathers left 400 years ago.

This tent was to provide a dwelling place for God to meet with the priests . A place to interact with humanity. It was a place of worship.  It was a creative act! .

Why did God need a special place of worship?  Why did He need a specific dwelling place?  Isn’t God everywhere and why did He instruct Moses on building this moveable worship tent?

As I studied these last few chapters of Exodus I also did a bit of research.  I found one particular study which impressed me and which I will share with you. 

The message of the tabernacle is a reminder of the Creation account that we read in Genesis.  The universe had become disordered. The Divine Presence is not with His creation as before. So God provides a model of the Creation where He can now meet with the representative of Humankind, in the person of the Priesthood. 

The tabernacle now becomes a repeat of the Gensis story. ”And God said……..Let there be light.”  There were candlesticks which provided light in the tabernacle.

The Garden of Eden was a meeting place where God  interacted with the first humans.  Adam and Eve lost contact with God due to their disobedience but now God has restored some of the contact. 

When God drove Adam and Eve from the Garden, He placed Cherubim guarding the entrance.  In the tabernacle He had Moses put Cherubim as guardians over the Ark! “And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the Ark of Testimony…….” Exodus 25:22)

Finally at the conclusion of the building of the tabernacle, the Torah says, “And Moses finished the work” (Ex 40:33)

When our Messiah comes on the scene the tabernacle has been replaced by the Temple which was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans. 

But wait, the Lord did once again “tabernacle” with us in the form of the Messiah!

“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying…..Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with the, and they shall be His people.  God himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away ever tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain for the former things have passed away.  (Rev. 21:2-4)

                                    A new Creation Awaits Us!!

“In the third month after the children of Israel went forth from the land of Egypt, on the same day they came to the Desert of Sinai and camped there. Israel camped before the mountain and Moses went up to God (Exod. 19:1-2

After the great crossing of the Sea, the Hebrews have arrived at Mt Sinai.  It is a holy mountain where God reveals Himself to Israel.  Thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud hiding its summit as Moses ascends to receive the Lord’s commandments.

This great mountain is in the midst of the desert.  The people are encamped in the desert opposite the mountain. 

Having lived in the desert I can vouch for the its barrenness.   We find scorpions, snakes, a thirsty land.  However, this desert becomes a sacred place where God interacts with His people.  But there are lessons to be learned.  

Leaving Egypt even with its bondage, brought complaints among the people.  Here they are in a barren wilderness.  They have left the flesh pots of Egypt and its dozens of deities but at least they had food to eat and water to quench their thirst.  Now they must rely on this God to supply their needs. 

Egypt is like America and the developed world.  Our abundance deludes us into thinking we really don’t depend on God.  We can supply ourselves with everything we want or desire. 

The earliest life of Messiah opens in the desert.  After His encounter with John the Baptizer, Yeshua goes into the desert to be tempted.  After the temptation He is ready to go back to the villages and towns of Israel, but he continually returns to the desert to seek God and pray (Mark1:35, 45; Luke 5:16)

We too have our own desert experiences.  We find that we are vulnerable, dependent, profoundly in need of God.  In our desert, we encounter spiritual thirst and hunger, sickness, estrangement from family and friends, and our ultimate inability to meet these needs for ourselves, thereby making ourselves dependent on God.

However, despite the fears of being in our desert, God does not leave us.  God does not lead us into the desert to feel forsaken, but to live in freedom from the false Gods that we have created in our life. 

The desert experience is an essential transition in the life of a Believer.  Without it, there will be no encounter with a Holy God.  Our transition from Egypt to Sinai, separates us from the old ways and brings us into a complete realization that we can no longer supply our deepest needs.

Without the realities of discipline, trials, and preparation we cannot become a completed and devoted follower of the very One who created us.  We have come to understand that we can no longer be a singular person but one who seeks something far greater in life.   

May the lessons of our desert experiences bring us closer to finding our true selves and who we are meant to be.

                             Learn the lessons of the desert.