SATURDAY, JANUARY 15, 2011
Happy New Year to the Trees!
By David Brickner
Jews for Jesus 
Of all the Jewish communities in the world, Tu B'shevat is by far most widely celebrated in Israel, where planting trees has been extremely important in the process of reclaiming and revitalizing that once arid and barren land. The Jewish National Fund has taken on much of the responsibility of reforestation in Israel. Many tourist groups, Jewish and Christian alike, take the opportunity to help in that process by purchasing trees to plant in Israel's forests. The last time I was in Israel, I had the privilege of planting trees in honor of Moishe and Ceil Rosen. The devastating fire in the Mount Carmel region lately probably lends even more importance to Tu B'shevat this month.Trees are indeed important for many different reasons. Today I was driving to the Amtrak station in Washington D.C. The night before, a couple of inches of snow had fallen and was still clinging beautifully, almost magically, to the branches of all the trees lining both sides of the Potomac River. It was a majestic sight that reminded me of the artistry of our great Creator God.Isn't it interesting that trees play such a prominent role in God's purposes for His creation? In the Garden of Eden, trees were a symbol of God's grace and provision for humanity — except for one special tree that served as a boundary between obedience and disobedience. God used that tree to instruct and to warn: "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die'" (Genesis 2:16-17).
Likewise, the apostle John's vision of our eternal home in the New Jerusalem showcases the description of a tree that is truly wonderful beyond imagination and beyond anything we have seen on this earth: "In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:2).
From beginning to end we can see that our Creator God uses the majesty and meaning of the trees He has created to point us to Him.Science has demonstrated how important trees are in maintaining a healthy atmosphere and balanced environment. Even though environmentalism is so often associated with political controversy, it is important to remember that God is the first and ultimate environmentalist. We who are His children worship the Creator and not the creation; nevertheless, our love for God should compel us to love what He has made and to be good stewards of the earth He has entrusted to us.In addition to great beauty, there is an aura of mystery in the midst of a beautiful forest. Living in Northern California, I have often ventured into groves of the giant redwood trees. You can stand in the midst of these giants and listen to the wind whispering in those trees. It is such a wonderful and powerful experience; you can almost believe you are listening, like Adam, for the sound of the Lord God walking in the cool of the day. Every now and again you hear the groan and crackle of the trees as they sway in the wind. C.S. Lewis captured this sense of mystery through his imaginative personification of trees in The Chronicles of Narnia. But the mystery of the trees is far more than mere stories or fairy tales. There is a mystery that plays into the real redemption story that God planted in His very Word.Why do you suppose that God through Moses told us that“he who is hanged on a tree is accursed of God" (Deuteronomy 21:23c)? Well, whenever God curses something in the Bible, we ought to pay close attention. The apostle Paul unlocked the mystery behind this unusual Scripture in Galatians 3:13, by quoting it in the context of what our Lord Jesus accomplished: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree')."
Y'shua's death on Calvary's tree was foreordained by God, established as His plan to redeem us from before the very foundations of the earth. Like those trees in the Garden of Eden, that tree symbolized God's grace and provision, along with His warning of the consequence of sin and separation from Him. When Messiah hung on that cross, that tree, He experienced on our behalf all the pain that sin (and separation and brokenness) has unleashed on this world since the Garden. And when He died on that tree the veil was rent, the curse was broken and the blood of His life shed for us indeed became "the healing of the nations." The cursed One became the source of ultimate blessing. The mystery once hidden has now been revealed and we who believe are now redeemed. Hallelujah!I don't know what kind of tree that cross on which Jesus died was made from, but I am kind of glad I don't know. What happened on that cross means everything to me, but it's not a symbol I would choose to wear — mostly because many whom I am called to reach would misunderstand it. Sadly, the symbolism of the cross has been misused throughout history, especially with regard to the Jewish people. And as Moishe Rosen often pointed out, Jesus didn't wear the cross; that cross wore Him.But the wonder of the cross is forever wedded in my mind to the wonder of a tree. That is a symbol that I can see and celebrate each and every day with joy and gratitude. And it isn't a bad thing to have a special day set aside like Tu B'shevat, a day to celebrate God's gift of trees. How I long for those who are celebrating this day to understand and celebrate, not just the mystery and gift of trees, but also the mystery and gift of the One who died upon that very special tree to make possible the healing of all the nations.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Happy New Year to the Trees! Tu b'shvat -Jews for Jesus
DailyHope: Godly Goals Require Faith
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GodCalling: " Relax,"
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Relax, do not get tense, have no fear. All is for the best. How can you fear change when your life is hid with Me in God, who changeth not - and I am the same yesterday, today, and forever. You must learn poise, soul-balance and poise, in a vacillating, changing world. Claim My power. The same power with which I cast out devils is yours today. Use it. If not, I withdraw it. Use it ceaselessly. You cannot ask too much. Never think you are too busy. As long as you get back to Me and replenish after each task no work can be too much. My Joy I give you. Live in it. Bathe your Spirit in it. Reflect it. Jesus came and spoke with them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Matthew 28:18 blessings to you and yours this day and always ... Have you seen the free classic Christian books Contact by email: servant@twolisteners.com You may also choose to receive Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25 |
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OpposingViews: Solving the Great Issues Christians Face..., well maybe....(Abortion)
Solving the Great Issues Christians Face..., well maybe....
Abortion
The problem with abortion issues is Men decide. They are often the first ones to "make" a knee jerk decision and remind a "religious" minded person what the scriptures say and not "add the rest of the law" if they are determining a "course of action".
If I were strictly and purely "legal." MAN is guilty of abortion. While the Woman may determine the "participation" on her part of the initial act, and the subsequent "consequence" result, i.e. pregnancy then choice of abortion;
The "original sin" in an abortion is the man.
You can't get pregnant and have an abortion unless a man has "Unaccountable Seed" that is "his responsibility" of where it goes. He has the ability to determine where and what his "seed" is used for.
Whether for good or evil, whether to give life or take life(eventually) or whether to waste his "seed" as in spilling on the ground and abusing (not using as in the way and purpose it was designed.)
The "issuance of life" are those things that proceed out of a man, and in Jesus case he said it was Our words from our heart, but in "the Law" it would be the "seed of man" is responsible to the man who initiates it.
Seed" is the Issuance of Life that man is allowed to participate with a woman and God in "creating" life, and propagating birth.
Man Conceives; Woman receives; God breathes; and you have a living soul.
If you participate in sex, as God intended, then you are Initiating life, and progenitor of "life issuance" which is orderly usage of the body for godly purposes meaning pregnancy and birth.
Inordinate affection, though often used to only include homosexuality in Romans, is ANYTHING that is NOT THE NATURAL ORDER and usage of the body. Since you exist forever, heaven or hell etc, then it makes sense.
If you live only now, "throwing your sperm around" without consequence and irregardless of accountability, then that is the rationale of many.
BUT, if you admit, like WE MEN DO, we dodge the issue and BLAME everyone else AFTER THE FACT OF OUR INDULGENCE, and pretend we are not accountable for where and what we did with our seed, then of course we say like ADAM....,
IT WAS THE WOMAN at fault.
ABORTION is a MAN dodging his accountability for his own body, by blaming a woman for what he did with her body in the first place.
You don;t have an abortion without a man participating in the first place. No woman rapes a man to go out and have an abortion. Nor does a woman get inseminated to have an abortion.
It's just we men, much like society portraying mean as boys, need to grow up and own up to our own Seed.
If we do, it won't eliminate all abortion, but 99% of it. And if it were "eye for an eye" than the man who impregnated a woman and woman who had an abortion ending life, the woman might be sterilzed, but if you castrated just one man, MALES the world over would think twice about Inordinate, Irresponsible SEX with no accountability.
(grin)
WeekEndswithBob Coy: "Conflict Resolution"
Articles by Active Word On-the-Go Devotional
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
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WeekEndswithJoyceMeyer: "Accidental Sin"
Accidental Sin |
| January 15 No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, for God's nature abides in him [His principle of life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten)of God. — 1 John 3:9 I like to put it this way: I used to be a full-time sinner, and once in a while I accidentally slipped up and did something right. But now that I have spent many years developing a deep, personal relationship with God and His Word, I concentrate on being a full-time obedient child of God. I still make mistakes, but not nearly as many as I once did. I am not where I need to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be. There are times when I accidentally make mistakes, but it is not the desire of my heart to do wrong. I do not deliberately, knowingly commit sin. I do not habitually sin. So I don't allow those occasions to make me feel insecure. I don't do everything right, but I do know that the attitude of my heart is right. I can be having an absolutely wonderful day, feeling very close to the Lord and quite spiritual. Then my husband, Dave, comes home and says he does not care for the outfit I am wearing, and I suddenly become angry and defensive, telling him everything I don't like about him either. I don't intend for that to happen; in fact, I plan to be very sweet and submissive when he comes home. But, as Paul said in Romans 7, the things I want to do, I don't do, and the things I don't want to do, I end up doing. We plan for right behavior because our hearts are right, but like Paul our plans don't always work. Thank God for His mercy that is new every day (Lamentations 3:22-23). |
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WeekEndswithCharlesStanley: "Steps of Faith"
The Bible portrays the Christian life as a walk. It speaks of walking in the Spirit, in God's ways, in love, and in truth. Our lives, then, shouldn't be stagnant; they ought to move and develop to be increasingly like Jesus'. Scripture calls this "sanctification." But what if you feel that you're going backward instead of forward? Do you know how to turn around? Only by faith in Christ can any of us move in the right direction. Here's how to correct your course: • First, have assurance that God keeps every promise. The Bible contains an amazing number of guarantees for believers, including wisdom for the asking, God's constant presence, and peace when we focus on Him. • Second, anticipate the Father's response. In other words, prepare for what He will do because of your confidence in His promises. • Third, be aware daily of His involvement in your life. By spending time in the Word, prayer, and meditation, you will become sensitive to what He is doing. • Fourth, pray boldly because you are God's child (Heb. 4:16). Approaching the Father in such a manner isn't a prideful confidence, but an overflow of your assurance in Him. • Finally, obey the leading of the Holy Spirit. This is the true test of your belief—in fact, the Bible says that without action, faith is dead (James 2:17). Can you sense that your life is progressing and you are maturing into Christ's likeness? Or do circumstances and character traits seem to hold you back? God promises to continue making His children beautiful throughout their lives. You can resist Him or cooperate with His gracious work in you.Devotionals by In Touch
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WeekEndswithGregLaurie: "Do You Want to Change?"
Articles by A New Beginning
It’s interesting to look through the pages of Scripture and note how God came to various people in the way they needed Him to come.
To Abraham the pilgrim, God came as a traveler. Remember those three visitors who came to his tent before the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah? One of them was the Lord himself.
To Joshua the general, Jesus came as the Commander of the Lord’s army, telling him to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground.
Jacob, in turn, was a wrestler. Figuratively speaking, he was always wrestling with people: he wrestled with his father Isaac . . . he wrestled with his brother Esau . . . he wrestled with his father-in-law Laban.
So the Lord came to Jacob as a wrestler. Psalm 18:26 says of God, “With the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd” (nkjv).
Therefore, the Lord shrewdly came to Jacob. Genesis 32:24 tells us, “Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day” (nkjv).
Jacob had been left alone with God. He was always conniving, always scheming, always plotting, and always had an idea. So the Lord stripped everything away and said, “OK, I want you alone with Me.”
As the commentator C. H. McIntosh said, “To be left alone with God is the only true way of arriving at a just knowledge of ourselves and our ways.”
The conniving, plotting, scheming Jacob was all alone with God, and they began to wrestle.
What God wanted from Jacob was his surrender. But that wasn’t going to happen until Jacob came to the end of his strength. So on it went throughout the night.
Then a life-changing moment transpired for the scheming Jacob. Instead of fighting with God, He was clinging to Him. The Lord said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks” (Genesis 32:26 nkjv).
Jacob responded, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” (verse 26 nkjv). It was a valid response on Jacob’s part in asking for this blessing, because in surrender to God’s plan, he would find what he always wanted.
There is a wrong kind of wrestling with God in which we try to run from His work for our lives and refuse to go in the direction He wants us to go. But there is a right kind of wrestling with God when we are trying to get His blessing.
Jacob won, in one sense, because he called out to God and asked for His will.
Then God asked Jacob an unusual question: “What is your name?” (verse 27 nkjv). Did God ask this of Jacob because He didn’t know his name? Hardly.
For Jacob to state his name was an admission—an admission he did not necessarily want to make. The name Jacob means, “heel-catcher, supplanter, grabber.”
In essence, the Lord was saying, “Jacob, do you want to keep living up to your present name and deceiving others, or will you admit what you are and let Me change you?” This is a question only Jacob could answer.
Jacob finally gave in. He surrendered. He had gone from cunning to clinging, from resisting to resting. He had been brought to the end of his resources. And God gave him a new name: Israel.
The name Israel is not an easy word to translate. Scholars differ as to its meaning. Some translate it as, “One who God commands,” or “Let God rule.” Others translate it, “One who fights victoriously with God,” or “A prince with God,” or “God’s fighter.”
Whatever the meaning, it is clear that a complete surrender to God and His will took place for Jacob. His loss was his victory. He won by losing, because now he was able to go in new strength as he walked in God’s power, will, and timing.
This is exactly what Jesus meant when He said, “Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 1625 nkjv).
We might look at that statement and think it doesn’t make any sense. But it makes perfect sense. To lose your life simply means that you come to the understanding at some point in your life that God’s plan is better than the plan you have for yourself.
I want to ask you today, are you ready to walk in God’s ways? Are you really ready to change?
If you are, then just watch what God will do.Posted via email from ..................The Last Call Digest
JonCourson: “the miracle of manna ceased,”
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| May blessings be abounding to you all this day! And if I may, let me share with you something that has truly blessed me in a profound way . . . My son Benjamin has just released his third book entitled "A Generation Chosen." Everything from the front/back cover, to the layout and sizing, and (most importantly) the content of his writing is very, very fresh and just plain ol' cool! But don't let the cool factor fool you . . . for the book is written as a clarion call to this new generation of young adults to take seriously the command to take up the Cross, die to self and live a consecrated life for the Lord. As a young adult himself (with a very wise 'old soul'), Ben speaks the language and understands the battles facing his generation. He pulls no punches, yet he preaches grace. He issues an exhortative invitation to grow up and get serious about living for Jesus, and explains why this is the way to really experience the abundant life. If you are linked to folks in their twenties (or teens), please consider putting this book in the hands of every one of them! And if you yourself desire to be inspired and encouraged in your own walk with Jesus, I promise you this book will most definitely do just that. Truly, this book is a bargain at $10.00, and you can order today by clicking onto the following link: You can also order this book and other books by Ben, or take in his teachings, by visiting his website at www.bencourson.com Ah, I have great, great hope for the impact that this new generation will make on this old, broken world that so needs to passionately fall in love with and seriously follow after the Lord Jesus Christ, who "is the same yesterday, today and forever." Amen and amen! All Blessings, Jon | ||||||||||||||||||
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DailyLeadership: Do you have the necessary conviction to become a great leader? (156-5)
Great courage comes from great conviction in the leader’s relationship with God. Read Isaiah 63:11-14. Moses led Israel during one of Israel’s most difficult times. What was Moses’ key to success? Isaiah recalls that Moses received his courage from his convictions. Moses’ relationship with God came first. That relationship established a foundation for his convictions and finally from his convictions came his courage to lead others without compromise. Conviction is more than simple belief; it is a firmly held belief. Conviction is something that is set deep in a leader’s spirit, something they believe in wholeheartedly. A leader’s every thought involves certainty and assurance about an area where a leader has conviction. Moses had a great relationship with God and great conviction that God loved the Israelites and had their best interests at heart. That conviction gave him courage to lead the Israelites even when they openly rebelled against his leadership and even God’s leadership. Good leaders believe in their assignment; great leaders are convinced that God gave them their assignment. Their relationship with God is such that they will overcome any obstacle to please God with their service born out of love for Him. When a leader believes in something with all their heart they find the courage to complete the task. Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Tags: A foundation for your convictions, A Leader's relationship with God, Be strong and courageous,Conviction set in a leader's Spirit, Discouragement, Great Conviction, Great Courage, More than simple belief,Overcoming Obstacles Trackback from your site.Do you have the necessary conviction to become a great leader? (156-5)
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