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The Evil One, cursed be he, has one central way of attack. First, it is to tempt a person to sin, and then once he or she sins, is to push that individual deep into depression and sadness. If the Evil One gets us to commit sin, he then wants us to feel so terrible about sinning that in our minds we think it is impossible for us to ever repair the break of relationship that we had with God.
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In Proverbs chapter 3, we read this powerful truth: “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.”
King Solomon is writing about the extreme importance of kindness, too.
This simple command to bind truth and kindness to our necks and write the on our hears, he is teaching us that these two life giving principles need to be a focal point of who we are.
When you were younger you probably heard the phrase, “Kill them with kindness.” The focus of this advice may sound a bit harsh, but I believe that it tells us how powerful kindness can be. Continue reading 21 – More than me!
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Each one of us has experienced difficult times in our lives, and some of us may be going through a painful time right now. But God himself hears our cries for help and he knows and understands our weaknesses.
In Isaiah 54, the Lord says, “It is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flames and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to wreak havoc; no weapon forged against you will prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.” Continue reading 20 – Life Insurance
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A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the LORD;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.” — Isaiah 40:3–4
The book of Isaiah is full of verses that are calling us to repent and to be healed.
Isaiah 40 begins with some of the most well-known words in the Bible: “Comfort, comfort, my people, saith my God.”
Two verses later we read: “A voice of one crying: ‘In the wilderness; prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”
Have you ever wondered how to find your way back to God?
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Deuteronomy chapter 31 and verse 19 reads:
“Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.”
This verse picks up the story of the Children of Israel after they have spent 40 years in the desert. They are now in the land of Moab, soon to be crossing the Jordan River into the promised land.
Moses has just been told by God that he will not be able to go into the promised land and his life would soon be over.
God wants him to do a few things to help the children of Israel remember the years that they have spent in the wilderness learning to follow God with all their hearts, soul, mind and strength.
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“Everybody line-up!” I can still hear the PE teacher yell that early spring morning, as all of us kids scrambled to line up along the kickball field base line. “Today we are playing kickball.”
“Tim; Aaron, you are the team captains, you get to select the players.” You quickly look down the baseline as everybody is trying to get into line, the great kickball players are the cool ones, just standing relaxed, confident and have begun to try to get the captains attention to be picked first. Others are just standing there without much thought, but knowing that soon they would be picked. But there are a few, that are trying to hide. The ones that know they will be picked last. The ones that don’t have many friends and have limited skills in kickball. Continue reading 17 – I Believe in You!
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Everybody goes through tough times in their lives. Circumstances that are beyond our control impact each one of us, and in the chaos we find ourself in a deep, dark valley. Some people through their own choices bring trials into their lives, but many times difficulties cross our pathway that was completely outside of our control.
In Psalm 55:6, you can hear the desperate cry of King David, “My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.” Continue reading 16 – Oh, that I could fly away!
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The Bible goes into great detail concerning how the Tabernacle should be built. In very fine detail it explains each specific vessel that should be constructed and sanctified for service. The details are so precise that here in Jerusalem at the Temple Institute there are scholars that have begun to reconstruct the vessels of the Temple.
In Exodus 25, God gives the details on how the Ark of the Covenant should be built.i
And they shall make an ark of ACACIA wood: two cubits and a half shall be the length, and a cubit and a half the breadth, and a cubit and a half the height.
And thou shall overlay it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round about..” — Exodus 25:10–11
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One of the teachers of Torah came to Jesus while he was discussing the text and noticed that Jesus was giving great answers, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
The most important one,” said Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
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