Did you know this?

 Yeshua HaMashiach

   Jesus the Anointed One
Messiah

  Savoir of the World

 Lamb & Shepherd both

Slain before the foundation of the world for our sin.

 Love of my life~and nothing I thought He would be~thankfully.

"In my independence and sometimes seemingly forced life of 
solitude. I have learned a great many things. One being to cast all my care upon him [Yeshua] who cares for me.[*1 Peter 5:7]..and then to pick up where I left off and continue to  run with perseverance the race marked out for me, fixing my eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter my faith. [Hebrews 12:2]  Even when the course has taken me places many around me have considered to be far less than desirable, desert like, extreme self sacrificing, perhaps even a tad bit crazy. To the point of being being approached and out right counseled that I ..."did not hear the voice of the Lord...." and I ..."was not in God's will for my life." at that present given situation or time, moment or given point in my life.                  

However I am not alone in my spiritual life map leading me to and fro here on earth! In fact I am in quite good company! Let's just take a look at a few of the examples God gives us in the Bible...like - Noah, Abraham, Moses, Ruth, Esther, Mary (Jesus' Mother) just to name a handful of prominent examples most would know of. There are so many more in the word of God it would take paragraphs to list them all! Then there are believers that you and I actually know. Brothers and sisters in the faith who we have heard about in our own life time. Their incredible stories and testimonies. So many other men and women of God who have been obedient to do what the Lord has ordered them to do. Believers who have GONE OUTSIDE THE BOX - regardless of what PEOPLE MAY THINK. 

Yeshua/Jesus being our biggest and most Holy ~ perfect example.



Yes...
you heard me correctly. 
I said Yeshua...I said JESUS.




According to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus was one who was considered by the religious leaders of his day, to be an out-cast and trouble maker. He was known as one who hung out with sinners, drinking and eating. He was called a drunkard & glutton. [these religious leaders of today would be our churches and synagogues of today - the ones you and I attend- something to think about huh?] Can you imagine the Baptist's , Church of God's, Catholics, and Jewish synagogues, how they would treat Jesus today? Do you think Jesus would be embraced with open arms today?

Jesus was thought of as a revolutionary. One who went around disturbing the peace. Challenging the "up until then" perfectly fine religious order of the day. 

When he spoke publicly he scorned fame, family, property, and other traditional means of success.
Does this sound like the Jesus you picture in your head/heart?

Jesus was about as unconventional as they come. And we are supposed to BE like Jesus!
 I mean how many times have I prayed that VERY prayer? "Lord I want to be like you."


You will notice I have placed many different pictures of Yeshua/Jesus through out this Blog post. They are examples of different denominations and peoples in those denominations and faiths "ideas" of what Yeshua/Jesus may look like physically.


Personally, I feel pretty comfortable saying that everyone of those artists would stand by their idea of what they think the Lord looks like as the most accurate depiction of his true likeness.


I dunno, maybe they had a vision of Jesus? Perhaps. I know that I have...three times. Only one time did I see his face.


As for what Jesus looked like when he walked this earth before his crucifiction?

If you want to get real about it...Jesus was Jewish. So he would be of middle eastern descent. The word of God tells us in Isaiah 53:2 "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him", So I take that to mean, not particularly handsome. He was a carpenter was he was probably not scrawny, not like allot of these pictures we see.

Does any of that really matter? No not really. I don't think so.
What I think does matter is what we believe He is like INSIDE.
That is how the Lord looks at us. Inside out!
1 Samuel 16:7
 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”


So, this being said...on to the inside of the Lord's heart. Who can know the Lord's heart? Romans 11:33-36 reminds us that no one can know the heart and thoughts of God for the greatness there of is unattainable...but God himself knows his own heart! Jesus is  "one with the Father" - God* [John 1:1-5]


So - jumping - to an unconventional statement Yeshua/Jesus says,
Matthew 10:34
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword"....[continue below*]


Yeshua is not talking about making war for war's sake here and this is where reading scripture in context is very important! Yeshua is talking about the sacrifice of following HIM.....what it means to become a true disciple of Yeshua is all about.  

There are EXPECTED SACRIFICES when we choose to follow Jesus. This portion of scripture is where the Lord lays down some of those expectations. Basically, the  [very] short of the long of it is, if you put anything ....anything at all, before the Lord. You are not worthy of following him. Period.


Serious stuff, huh? When was the last time you heard a preacher or an evangelist [at least in America] preach on this?


It is one thing in a moment of passionate worship or intimate time alone with God to say, "Yes Lord! I will!"  (hineni !) To what ever he would ask of us.


It is an entirely different thing to carry out that "Yes Lord." in reality....out of our "Holy Cloud" - if you will. When we have gotten back to routine, the daily grind of work or school in the presence of those closest to us, who weren't there...when the Lord spoke to us...so clearly....who didn't hear - His booming voice....or....His soft still voice and didn't receive that shalom peace- like we did. 


Suddenly, that moment in time when we told the Lord, "Yes I will!"  (hineni!) is slowly becoming more of a burden and conviction as we watch the memory of that precious moment fade away in the face of down right adversity. As  storms from all sides come against us, like JOB. Or, like Noah, it's not so easy to continue on building that Ark, believing those promises, staying put when everyone says you GO. Those closest to you tell you, you have not heard from God you are wrong.

 Let me ENCOURAGE you NOW...Do NOT forget his promises! Always make time for The Lord - FIRST... if you stay close to the Master. Keep HIS WORD - deep and fresh within your heart. Feed on it daily. Stand firm. Make THEE Rock your Solid Foundation. Love everyone...Forgive always....Hold no bitterness in your heart....and continue to  run with perseverance the race marked out for you, fixing your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter my faith. You WILL make it and better yet...HE will be there waiting for you with a crown of Glory and a NEW Name!

This world is not our home! we are only passing through!


 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also....Jesus 


Be yourself...you are beautiful! 
Fearfully and wonderfully made in the likeness and image of God Himself!


I love you! God's Shalom  Peace be with you this week as you seek him with all your heart in the secret place!


   AmyColleen








*1 Peter 5:7 " Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."


*Hebrews 12:1-10
" Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

God Disciplines His Children

 ⁴ In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. ⁵ And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

   “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
   and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
   and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

 ⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness."

*Galatians 1:10

"Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."

Matthew 10 ¹ Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

 ² These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
 ⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. ⁶ Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. ⁷ As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
   ⁹ “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— ¹⁰ no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. ¹¹ Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. ¹² As you enter the home, give it your greeting. ¹³ If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
   ¹⁶ “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. ¹⁷ Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. ¹⁸ On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, ²⁰ for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
   ²¹ “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. ²² You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ²³ When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
   ²⁴ “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
   ²⁶ “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. ²⁸ Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.^[b] 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
   ³² “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. ³³But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
   ³⁴ “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to turn
   “‘a man against his father,
   a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
   ³⁶ a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
   ³⁷ “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
   ⁴⁰ “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹ Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴² And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”


* John 1:1-5
Jesus the Word ¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Torah....G-d's Word.....The Bread of Life....a Light unto my Path

Comforter - Ruach Hakadosh - -Ha-Melitz Holy Spirit so comforting! Just when I thought I was about to fall apart....The Word of G-d spoke.



(I apologize for the re-post but as I looked into it I found that my little loaf of bread link did not bring you right to the rest of the commentary so I wanted to post the rest of it on here!....
Also...As I continued on with my own reading I found myself to be doubly blessed as I read from the "TorahBites" They have the same scriptures from Torah but chose a different  passage to do their thought of the week on and it spoke  deeply to me as well. So I thought I would pass it along too!)

It may seem like a bit of reading but well worth it!!!

If you find yourself blessed by it...you can click on the little loaf of bread link and sign upi for your FREE weekly emails!!

 

As I woke this weary Monday morning here in Ohio. After giving room to my Lord in prayer I opened the Word and saw this week’s Torah portion! I was so blessed! My heart *smiled* and I cried!

I will share only a small portion here, as you can simply *click* on the upper left hand corner of my blog where you see the little loaf of bread and continue to read the rest.

I WILL ADD this…a simple reminder remember to pray always, stay close to the foot of the throne and be still before His Majesty Our Lord G-D the G-d of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and know that it is not by anything you have done but because of the Mercy and Grace of  our Lord Yeshua HaMashiach you are able to do just THIS!

weekly e-dreash

First Fruits of Zion

Signet , Cord and Staff

Parasha: Vayeshev

Tags: Judah, Judah's staff, messiah, Peretz, staff, tribe of Judah

Vayeshev - וישב: "And he dwelt"
Torah : Genesis 37:1-40:23 
Haftarah : Amos 2:6-3:8 
Gospel : John 2:13-4:42

Thought for the Week

As Tamar's pregnancy began to be obvious to others, she would confidently "tap her stomach and declare, 'I am big with kings and redeemers.'" (Genesis Rabbah 85:10) So may Messiah be fully formed within us, and may we never forget who dwells within.

Commentary

In Genesis 38:18, as Judah negotiates with Tamar (whom he assumes to be a prostitute) he asked her "'What pledge shall I give you?' And she said, 'Your seal and your cord, and your staff that is in your hand.' So he gave them to her and went in to her, and she conceived by him.'"
The Rabbis of old saw messianic revelation in Genesis 38's story of Judah and Tamar. As we look at their comments, we are afforded a wonderful opportunity to observe a typical example of classic midrashicallegory. A midrash is a form of biblical interpretation developed by the ancient Rabbis. Its goal, derived from the Hebrew root for the word drash — "seek, search" is to attempt to find the deeper inner, often hidden meaning of the Torah by use of the allegory and word associations.
After agreeing to the price, Tamar demanded that Judah leave a pledge as a guarantee just in case he was to forgo his payment to her. The pledge she demanded was Judah's personal identification articles: his name signet (probably a cylinder seal with his name on it), the cord which held his cylinder around his neck and his personal walking staff.
The sages of old, practicing classic midrash, saw much more in these verses than what most of us would be able to see. Without negating the literal, most obvious sense of the words, the rabbis went "deeper" and said, "'Thy signet' alludes to royalty (citing Jeremiah 22:24); And 'thy cord'...alludes to the Sanhedrin (citing Numbers 15:38). And 'Thy staff' alludes to the royal Messiah, as in the verse, 'The staff of thy strength the LORD will send out of Zion.'" (Psalm 110:2) (Genesis Rabbah 85:9)
The first thing to note is that the rabbi who developed this midrash connected the reference to "the signet" and Numbers 15:38 because this Torah reference was to wearing blue in the fringes of your four-cornered garment. This alludes to the Sanhedrin because, the Sanhedrin wore fringed cloak, (talit). Second, notice, most importantly that in Judah's staff the rabbis saw the Messiah. Perhaps they connected the passage in Genesis 49 which places the staff of kingship in the tribe of Judah. Lastly, when the Rabbis cited Psalm 110 as a proof-text for their interpretation concerning the staff of Judah, they betrayed the fact that they also considered Psalm 110 to be a Messianic Psalm-as we also do. Psalm 110 is the most frequently quoted Psalm in the Apostolic Scriptures.
To what end do these things betoken Messiah? The offspring of Judah and Tamar is Peretz, the father of the Davidic line through whom Messiah would ultimately be born.
Truly, Messiah may be found throughout the Torah.

Thought of the week from TorahBites

Va-Yeshev
For the week of November 27, 2010 / 20 Kislev 5771
Torah: Bereshit / Genesis 37:1 - 40:23
Haftarah: Amos 2:6-3:8

God Is in Charge

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. (Bereshit/ Genesis 37:3-5; ESV)

The story of Joseph is one of the most mind-blowing stories in the entire Bible. It is the story of how God uses a most dysfunctional family for his plan and purposes. Not only did he use jealousy and hatred to preserve the nation of Israel, but also of Egypt and the surrounding region. Joseph's understanding of how God was involved in his difficult circumstances are summed up by his words to his brothers some time after the whole clan moved to Egypt, when he said, "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today" (Bereshit / Genesis 50:20; ESV). There is no doubt in Joseph's mind that God's good intentions for Israel, Egypt, and many others were carried out through his brothers' evil intentions.

Let's look at some of the details of what happened. Joseph, the eleventh of twelve sons, was his father's favorite. Jacob had no qualms about broadcasting his feelings about Joseph in public in that he gave Joseph the gift of an extraordinary outer garment. Joseph had no qualms about speaking badly about his brothers to their father. This all would be sufficient to cause significant problems between Joseph and his brothers, We read "But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him" (Bereshit / Genesis 37:4; ESV).

Then we read that Joseph had two dreams that predicted that he would rule over his parents and brothers. We do not know Joseph's motivation in sharing his dreams with his family, since the Torah provides no behind-the-scenes commentary on what he was thinking. All we know is that his older brothers hated him all the more to the point of wanting to kill him. One day when Jacob sent Joseph to check up on them, they were about to murder him. The eldest brother, Reuben, convinced the others to hold off in hopes of rescuing him. While Reuben was away attending something, the nine brothers sold him to slave traders on their way to Egypt. They then deceived their father into thinking that Joseph was killed by wild animals. Do note if it wasn't for Reuben's intervention, Joseph would have been killed.

Joseph served as a slave in Egypt. Yet God made him successful in his work. Even when he resisted his master's wife's advances, which ended up in his going to prison, there too God was with him, resulting in his being put in charge of the other prisoners. It was due to his accurate interpretation of some dreams of his fellow prisoners that he was eventually called up to interpret some of Pharaoh's dreams, thus resulting in his release and promotion to second in command in Egypt. This was the set up for the fulfillment of Joseph's earlier dreams concerning him and his family.

In the midst of all the human intrigue, jealousy, hatred, and lust, God's was at work for good. The Torah in no way excuses the evil just because God used it for his own good purposes. Also, there is no impression given that God made the bad stuff happen. The people did the bad. Yet the bad stuff served the overall purposes of God.

People also did the good stuff. Joseph was faithful to God in the midst of his terrible circumstances. It was not as if he was a passive spectator as God manipulated the situation to accomplish his purposes. He actively trusted God and worked hard. At the same time, it was not as if Joseph had the ability in himself to make things work out as they did. God did that. The Torah gives no impression that people are mechanically controlled by spiritual forces. Human responsibility in the affairs of life is not an illusion, but a reality. But whatever effect our actions have, God's plans and purposes cannot be thwarted. That's why we can trust him no matter what happens to us. While we cannot understand how this works, it is comforting to know that God is in charge.