MEM

The above comment was made in response to one of the reasons we may be suffering. If this is true, we can find Scripture to back up this statement. Our human tendency is to blame our problems on circumstances outside our control. If we are experiencing difficulties in our walk with YHVH (LORD) we need to start by examining ourselves.

Lamentations 3:40 Let us examine and probe our ways, And let us return to the LORD.

1Corinthians 11:28-30 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.

Galatians 6:4 But each one must examine his own work…

1Thesslonians 5:21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;

Psalm 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart.

Jeremiah 12:3 But You know me, O LORD; You see me; And You examine my heart’s attitude toward You…

When we belong to Messiah, He will judge us for our own good, because He loves us and wants us in His family. However I believe it would be better if we could be pro-active in this area; consider how the Apostle Paul puts it:

I Corinthians 11:31-32 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

In examining ourselves, what are we to look for?

2 Corinthians 13:5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you…

Here we have the answer. Have we humbled ourselves so the Almighty Elohim (God) can renew our mind and form Messiah in us?

Galatians 4:19 My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you— (Here it means, until Christ reigns wholly in your hearts; till you wholly and entirely embrace his doctrines; and till you become wholly imbued with his Spirit. Barns commentary). (…to be made new creatures, or new men in him; or, in other words, to have the principle of grace wrought in the soul, which goes by the name of Christ formed in the heart; because it is from him, he is the author of it, and it bears a resemblance to him, and is that by which he lives, dwells, and reigns in the souls of his people. Gill commentary).

Colossians 1:27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

If we are just calling Yeshua (Jesus) our Savior and not yielding to Him as Master of our life we could indeed face a real judgment. Let us examine, test, and probe ourselves, call out to Him to examine us so we will not be condemned with the world. However there are many reasons for suffering for Messiah’s sake. Do not be discouraged, believe that He is with us and desires for us to be in His Kingdom and have His righteousness.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Proverbs 2:1-5 My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD And discover the knowledge of God.

We are told here the sure way to the Knowledge of Elohim. By making Him master of our life we need not be concerned about the judgment of YHVH.

"Our mission statement acts as a guide that unifies and directs all that we do." Stephen R. Covey

Each should have their own mission statement. It should be first and foremost in line with our Master’s will and command.

Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

I personally subscribe to this one. I believe He should be my goal. How about you?

1. What did Yeshua talk about to His disciples during the forty days that He appeared to them following the resurrection?
2. As a physician, to which particular ministry of Messiah did Luke give special prominence?
3. Where did Elijah go to be fed by a widow?
4. What did Peter do when Cornelius fell at his feet in reverence?
5. How old was Joash (Jehoash) when he began to reign in Jerusalem?
6. Who was the mother of Dan and Naphtali?
7. Who said, "I will enter the battle in disguise, but you wear your royal robes"?

In our pursuit of humility:

"If once we learn that to be nothing before God is the glory of the creature, the spirit of Jesus, the joy of heaven, we shall welcome with our whole heart the discipline we may have in serving even those who try or annoy us." Andrew Murray

When we learn to be nothing and allow the Spirit of Yeshua to dwell within we can have the joy of knowing we can serve those who try us. Yeshua (Jesus) said: John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also."

Hopefully the persecution we receive is the result of Yeshua living His life through us. If He is truly our Master and we are like Him, we can learn to serve, because He said: Luke 22:27 "I am among you as one who serves"..

As the crowded airliner is about to take off, the peace is shattered by a five-year-old boy who picks that moment to throw a wild temper tantrum. No matter what his frustrated embarrassed mother does to try to calm him down, the boy continues to scream furiously and kick the seats around him.

Suddenly, from the rear of the plane, a man in a Marine uniform is seen slowly walking forward up the aisle. Stopping the flustered mother with an upraised hand, the courtly, soft-spoken Marine leans down and, motioning toward his chest, whispers something into the boy's ear.

Instantly, the boy calms down, gently takes his mother's hand, and quietly fastens his seat belt. All the other passengers burst into spontaneous applause.

As the Marine slowly makes his way back to his seat, one of the cabin attendants touches his sleeve. "Excuse me, sir," she asks quietly, "but could I ask you what magic words you used on that little boy?"

The Marine smiles serenely and gently confides, "I showed him my pilot's wings, service stars, and battle ribbons, and explained that they entitle me to throw one passenger out the plane door, on any flight I choose."

F A M I L Y

I ran into a stranger as he passed by, "Oh excuse me please" was my reply.
He said, "Please excuse me too; I wasn't watching for you."

We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way and we said good-bye.

But at home a different story is told, How we treat our loved ones, young and old.
Later that day, cooking the evening meal, My son stood beside me very still.
When I turned, I nearly knocked him down. "Move out of the way," I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said, "While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use, but the children you love, you seem to abuse.

Go and look on the kitchen floor, You'll find some flowers there by the door.
Those are the flowers he brought for you. He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.
He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise, you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."

By this time, I felt very small, And now my tears began to fall. I quietly went and knelt by his bed; "Wake up, little one, wake up," I said. "Are these the flowers you picked for me?"

He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree. I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."

I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today; I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."

He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway."

I said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."

FAMILY
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?

1. The kingdom of God - Acts 1:3

2. The healing ministry - Luke

3. Zarephath - 1 Kings 17:9-10

4. He made Cornelius get up - Acts 10:25-26

5. Seven years old - 2 Kings 11:21

6. Bilhah - Genesis 35:25

7. King Ahab - 1 Kings 22:30