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For His Glory!
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Seek First Last time we wrote about the Light. In Matthew 6:23-24 Yeshua (Jesus) was telling His disciples "The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.At first this may seem confusing. Light or darkness, clear eye or bad eye; not serving two masters, God or wealth, which will it be? Can wealth be associated with darkness and Light with Elohim (God)? This seems to be the case, but don’t we need income to exist in today’s world! What are we to do? The next verses clear up any questions we might have about the clear eye – bad eye, light – darkness, Elohim – wealth issue. Matthew 6: 25 "For this reason I say to you, (the above verses) do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?Yeshua is careful to explain what He is talking about: Verses 26-29 " Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.Going on He says: 30-32 " But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! "Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.The message is not to worry (to be anxious, to be troubled with cares, to seek or promote one’s interests) about the things that are necessary for our daily existence.Here then is Yeshua’s command, the point of His teaching: 33-34 " But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.We are to focus on today; be concerned about our relationship with our Father and Yeshua, now! This does not mean we are not to labor and work for our living; we know better than that; the Sabbath commandment makes this perfectly clear: Exodus 20:9-10 "Six days you shall labor and do all your work,but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work… Paul made sure his converts understood the work ethic also: 1Thessalonians 4:11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, 2 Thessalonians 3:10 …we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.2 Thessalonians 3:11-12 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.Note Yeshua’s teaching in the Gospel of John: John 6: 27-29 "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal." Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."With that we might better understand Yeshua’s statement in Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.It is a twofold command: Seek first His Kingdom and Seek His Righteousness. Do not seek after this materialistic world and all it has to offer for it is darkness; come to the Light and believe Yeshua, the One the Father sent and will send again. T o seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into; also to crave.
His Kingdom: (used in the N.T. to refer to the reign of the Messiah; royal power, kingship, dominion, rule) the reign of Yeshua, our King; in our physical and spiritual life and in the future reality of His earthly reign. At that time we will reign with Him and be like Him; possessing a spiritual body with eternal life and shall be forever with our King.Righteousness: 1343 AV-righteousness 92 1) in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God
1342 AV-righteous, just, right, 81 1) righteous, observing divine laws
Seeking His Righteousness is being obedient to the law (Torah), of YHVH. This is the condition acceptable to Elohim. Our lives must exude His integrity, virtue, purity, rightness in our thinking, and actions. We are also to deal justly with others according to the will of Maker. May all who believe in Yeshua walk in the Light; showing singleness of heart by seeking first His Kingdom and adhering to His Righteousness. 2Corinthians 6:14 …for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? |
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Seek Righteousness Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn…Proverbs 10:3 The LORD will not allow the righteous to hunger…Proverbs 10:11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life… |
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" The things we believe in are more likely to come to pass than things that we don’t believe in, particularly when they involve our expectations regarding other people. As teachers, managers, parents, or simply friends and associates, we can influence people by holding positive expectations regarding them." Stephen R. Covey When Yeshua told us to believe in Him; He also told us to be a light to the world. One of the commandments of Yeshua was to love our neighbor as our self (Matthew 22:36-40). Also to make disciples, teaching them to observe all things He commanded (Matthew 28:19-20). We can influence others by having high expectations for them; whether child, friend or associate. May we be a light to others, showing them Yeshua’s way which can give them hope for freedom from their bondage to sin and lead to life everlasting. |
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In our pursuit of humility: "…Jesus was as humble in His relationship with men and women as He was with God. He felt himself to be the Servant of God for those whom God created and loved. As a natural consequence, He counted himself the Servant of men and women so that through Him God might do His work of love. " Andrew Murray Yeshua counted Himself as a Servant of Elohim as well as man. When we believe in Him we also must be like Him. Are we servants to Him and mankind just as Yeshua was? Luke 22:26 "But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. John 12:26 "If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. Philippians 2:7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 2Timothy 2:24 The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, |
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The most crippling failure……………….Excuses The most powerful force in life…………….Love The worlds most incredible computer………. The brain The worst thing to be without…………………Hope The deadliest weapon…………………………….The tongue The two most power-filled words……………… "I can" The greatest asset………………………… Faith The most worthless emotion………………. Self-pity The most beautiful attire………………….. A Smile The most prized possession……………….. Self esteem The most powerful channel of communication…. Prayer The most contagious spirit……………………… Enthusiasm |
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I couldn’t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder. Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it. For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism. No one is listening until you make a mistake. The colder the X-ray table, the more of your body is required to be on it. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm. When everything is coming your way, you are in the wrong lane. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now. Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don’t have film. |
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Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. Don’t believe everything you hear and read. When you say "I love you" mean it. When you say "I’m sorry" look the person in the eye. True religion is not a matter of observing all the right feast days, offering burnt offerings, and worshiping at the sanctuary. Authentic worship results in changed behavior—seeking God’s will, treating others with justice, and following God’s commands. (Source unknown) |
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Larry was a bright young man. He was always careful to cover all the bases before he made a commitment or uttered a word. A leader in the church youth group he set a good example for the others to follow. One day he was working with a few of his friends, at the local church building. He stubbed his toe and went crashing to the concrete floor. It happened so quickly and the pain of hitting his shoulder and head made him blurt out words his friends had never heard him utter. Larry was confused; he lost his orientation. He was embarrassed to have made such a goof. He was so agile on his feet; he was always careful to watch his step – how could this happen? In fact Larry had not realized he had uttered such foul language. His friends being also fine young, moral individuals rushed to Larry’s side to help him; to check for injury. Making sure he was coherent and without broken bones, they asked if he would like to go to a doctor. Larry seated on the floor began to check all the affected areas. Stretching and rotating his arm, shoulder and neck he indicated everything seemed ok. There was a tear in his shirt and a scrape on his shoulder. A small bump formed on his head, yet he was able to rise to his feet. The words that came out of Larry’s mouth so astounded the group they were shocked into questioning what they should do. As one person stayed with Larry, the others met in the corner behind Larry’s back. Should they just write the experience off, and get back to work? Should they bring it to the attention of the pastor at the earliest possibility? Should they confront Larry with his reaction? Should they see that Larry got home right away and deal with the issue later? One young lady, Helen, suggested they gather in prayer around Larry and see what happens, if God would give some insight into the situation. By now Larry was walking around; rubbing his head and shoulder, he seemed find. He was ready to go back to work. When the group suggested they might pray around Larry, that there would be no repercussions, he seemed annoyed. "I am perfectly fine, why do we need to pray?" the embarrassed Larry responded. It seemed everyone wanted to drop the whole thing except Helen, "I feel we need to do this as a precaution and ask for wisdom about what happened," she responded. Larry seemed more agitated about the suggestion he might need prayer than about the fall. Helen was insistent; "Just sit down and we will ask for God’s direction." Trying to gather his composure Larry quickly evaluated the situation and thought it would be best to allow the prayer if it would end the episode. Agreeing he sat on a step stool as they gathered around him. The group agreed that all who felt led should pray. First it was Ben, then Gary, then Martha, then Sarah. They were general prayers about no repercussions and safety as they would resume their work. Helen did the unexpected as she began to pray; she asked for wisdom on how to handle the string of ungodly words that flowed from Larry’s mouth during the fall. The group having their hands on Larry’s shoulders could feel the muscles tighten and feel the shock that came from Larry’s body. When finished Larry questioned what Helen was talking about. It was Ben who told him what they had heard. Larry was incredulous, never would he do such a thing – he had such control over mind and body. How could they accuse him of such an action? Looking at each person they all were shaking their head in agreement with Ben. His mind raced to find some explanation for his response. He tried but could not honestly respond to their accusation. Larry was truly humbled. He bowed his head and cried out to Yeshua for forgiveness; he asked why he reverted to his base nature when this incident happened. He asked for a closer walk so he could be under the control of the Holy Spirit and not his fallen nature. He asked to have his mind enlightened, his attitude adjusted, and his actions controlled by his Savior Yeshua. The group was now glad they did not pass up the opportunity to address the error. They decided they also wanted to seek the Kingdom of God first and the Righteousness of Yeshua for their own life. That they may in turn be a living example of the love of Yeshua. They realized their every action could be under scrutiny at all times. Only a closer walk, a closer relationship with Yeshua can guard our actions from like circumstances. |
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1. All night Luke 6:12 2. Obadiah 3. The place called the skull Luke 23:33 4. God’s 1 Corinthians 3:9 5. His back Exodus 33:23 6. Esau and Jacob Genesis 25:20-26 7. Yeshua (Jesus) Luke 23:34 |