Football

I went to my brothers' 8th grade football game last night, and they lost 6-14. I guess being the first game of the season with a lot of new players, they did better than most would have. I could not help but notice, though, that they were all over the field, running where the ball was instead of being strategic, or plain standing still waiting for the ball to come to them (which it rarely ever does).
They would kick the ball where it needed to be, but the team members would simply not be there to catch the ball: the quarterback, also, would be streaming down the field, only to be tackled by the opposing team simply because the team members were not where they should have been, doing what they should have been doing.


Many have compared football to Christianity, which many find amusing or incomparable, but in this instance I learned something spiritually significant from this experience.
 In football, when a quarterback charges into the fray carrying the ball, and nobody is there to keep the opposing team off of him, he usually is tackled right? he must, MUST have good team members to back him up, or he can count of being done for. Teamwork is necessary. He has to have help.

 The same is true in Christianity, whatever sect you claim yourself to be of. We see examples of this from Torah, and even from what is called 'the new testament'. You can not send out believers... 'quarterbacks' if you will... into the world to carry the word...'the ball'... to finish the race... or in this case, to win the game.
 
  Each test, each quarter of the battle of our spiritual lives, has a test of spiritual endurance. We must get in the end zone. We must prevail. We must spread the word about Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) to those who do not know Him personally- and most importantly of all, we must...MUST live out our lives in a way that is pleasing to Him, and reflects Him. We must show the world what Yeshua looks like, and who He is... to do that, He must live in us...we must have a heart change. He alone can change us.

Messiah Yeshua did not swear, drink or smoke- He did not abandon those in need, nor did He ever turn away one who was needy. He never stopped pressing towards the goal. And neither must we.   We must be where we need to be- helping others- doing what we need to be doing -serving others- and not serving our lustful selves, or our own selfish desires. How do we do this? through Yeshua, and by keeping His commandments.

Perhaps you are called to train up spiritual quarterbacks- or perhaps you are to be a spiritual quarterback yourself.

                     
What is a way that you can support the spiritual quarterbacks in your life? Pray always? Support financially? The answer is yes. The question is, why aren't you? or perhaps in a better way of speaking, why don't you do that today?                                                

The importance of 'Dad'

The picture above, 'Daddy Issues' is more truthful than many fathers want to admit. Sadly, it has been proven that when a father is not active in his children's lives, that the children seek approval from other places, people and things.
Why you ask? Because children need to know that their parents approve of them, want them around, and love them. It is an important built-in need that follows the into adulthood. Young boys who need love and respect from their mothers today, will need love and respect from their wives tomorrow. Daughters who, today, desire love and protection from their fathers will need love and protection from husbands tomorrow.
 It has also been proven, that it is a cycle that grows as love often does. The children give respect and honor to their parents, and the parents give love and respect to the children. As one gives, the other gives from the heart. It's not a 'you do then I do' but rather a beautiful "I give, and expect nothing in return'' that marks the family of YHVH from the individuals of baal. After all, YHVH Himself started the giving. He gave us life, family to love us, a place to live, and food and clothing. He says in return, "If you love me, keep my commandments'', setting the guidelines for parents to come.

There is no certain way to parent. There would be ONLY if every child was a cookie cutter image, with instructions for care and growth to all be the same. But no child is the same. Some children need serious correction, some need a gentle voice to speak to them. All children need love but not all need it shown in the same way. Some need to be held and caressed while others need a firm parent to direct them.  No two children are the same. Not even twins.

In reality, to say that you have to give to all because you give to one (for instance, a reward for good behavior to one child means every child gets one despite behavior) is incorrect logic. That trains the child to believe that they 'deserve' what they want regardless of how they behave. It enforces greed, and removes power from obedience and reverence. Sound familiar?


Absalom, the son of King David, was one of many of David's sons that thought they deserved power, gifts, and ultimately, kingship.

Every son of David's that had tried to take the throne, first showed signs of disobedience, irreverence, and bad temper. They first began to send fifty men before their chariots, an act that only a king was allowed to perform. But David had done nothing to stop his rebellious sons. And one by one, they were either killed, or banished from the realm.
 David had loved each and every one of his sons, but because he did not correct his children, it was counted as hatred and resulted with the deaths of his sons.

Solomon on the other hand, raised by Bathsheba, loved God, and obeyed his earthly father and mother. In fact, all of Bathsheba's children were obedient children who reverenced God and King. They are never recorded in the books of history or tradition as being wicked and or evil as David's other children were. Surprising when you consider the sin of lust that David committed with Bathsheba, and the sins of both parties when they committed the immoral act.

This would show that it don't matter the sins of the parents, if they repent and turn from their wickedness, their children may still grow up to obey and reverence the Lord as well as those in authority over them.


Does your child need severe correction? do they need a gentle nudge? Take this before the Lord daily and then act on what He tells you. Take care that you do not ignore their needs, or correction, lest you become like Eli in the book of Samuel, who , by his disobedience, caused the ark to fall into the hands of the enemy during a crucial battle, and his sons, Hophni and Phineas, to die, and instantly after receiving the news, Eli himself died.

Be a responsible parent... love your children by showing you care, by being there when they need you, protecting them from dangerous people and places, and, when needed, by correction.

Shalom

People, like ponds....

People, like ponds, have mud. Go deep enough and you can scoop a huge handful of the nasty squishy stuff.
  Like ponds, some people are shallow with a lot of mud, and others are deep with a little mud.
 Like ponds, a lot of people have dried up spiritually because of a lack of rain....or like other ponds, some people may be spiritually overflowing because of an overflow of rain.

Yes there is a point to this. Bear with me please.

People, like ponds, reflect the enviroment around them. Either a reflection of the sunny blue sky, or a reflection of trash floating in the water and oil darkening the water's surface.

What does your pond look like?
Is it calm and serene, or is it dark and cloudy? is it muddy or is it filled full of fresh water refreshing to drink and spash in?

Your pond represents your life.
The mud is past sins, regrets, mistakes, failures, baggage of all kinds and sorts and sizes. Like when your friend spoke sharply to you and treated you unfairly? that's mud: If you hold onto it that is... and trust me, you don't have to.
 However, what most people don't want to recognize is that oftentimes, the mud is things we do to others too. Like when you disrespected your parents or lied to your sibling or took something without asking. That kind of mud will hang around until you go to the Lord and to those you've hurt and ask forgiveness. That forgiveness is like water from the faucet, washing all the icky goo from your hands and body.
Another thing most don't want to recognize, is that in order to get 'washed' in forgiveness, they mush 'wash' others in forgiveness first. Otherwise, they won't get it from the LORD.

Recall to memory the story of the adulturous woman. Yeshua said, 'let those who have commited no sin cast the first stone.' This was because in the Torah, only innocent witnesses were to be accepted as witnesses...and there had to be at least two. Because the pharisees were not innocent, they could not legally throw the first stone. They looked nice, but were like whitewashed tombs...full of dead men's bones on the inside.
The reason I bring this up? the way I word it is, 'don't judge another man's pond before you check your own'.
 Consider this.
We have all been sinners. How can we judge another on a matter if we have done it ourselves? or if we are still active in that sin? We are, in fact, not to judge anyone at all, except ourselves and our own hearts.

Sometimes God uses other people as His 'shovel' to dig out the mud that lies deep within you. But the more you fight Him, the more it will hurt you. Like knocking the edges off of a block of rock. I don't imagine that would feel too good! but if we are to be of any use, we must go through it and let Him take us through with flying colors.

if another has wronged you, forgive them. Don't let the mud cloud up the water in your pond. If you let it, you won't be able to reflect the sky anymore like you were created to do. Let the Master take the mud out. And when all the mud is gone, you are completed and you can go Home with Him. That makes me want to get all the mud out right now so I can go Home! but it's all in His timing.
 After you forgive another, then God will forgive you. Not until youforgive them though. God is loving but He is also just and true. He will not do somthing for you that you won't do for others.

Let God clean your pond. Then maybe the other pond will look at your pond and want the same thing. THEN you have progress. But it starts with you.

The Lord has set before you life and death. Which will you choose? Forgiveness and life? or bitterness which will lead to the death of your spiritual soul?

People, like ponds....
What does your pond look like?

Foreshadow

Many times as a christian, I have heard people say that the Torah, eg 'old testament' was just a foreshadowing of the coming of the Messiah. That much is correct. The Torah was a foreshadowing of the Messiah... but it was far from 'just' a foreshadow.

John writes;
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
 "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 
" And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
"John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, 'This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 
" For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. "No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."


That was John 1:1- 18. I did not put the numbers by the verses for the reason that when the books were written (gospel or otherwise) they were not chaptered, nor did they have verse numbers on them. It is most inconvenient for those of us who want the whole story to have a chapter plopped right in the middle of a story... and I find it sad that many teachers and pastors stop at the end of the chapter, usually leaving a good portion of the story out. But I'll not go on about that.

Note that the first verse says 'Word' and is capitalized. Yes, Word is capitalized because it refers to Yeshua Messiah. But something you will find interesting to know, is that the original word there, in the original text, was not 'word' but 'Torah'. The Torah being YHVH's instructions given in the front of the book on how to serve YHVH God in and with our lives.
It is interesting to find that, not only was Yeshua in the beginning with YHVH, and that He was YHVH, but also that He was the Torah. The Torah became flesh and dwelt among us!

Furthermore, the Torah is called the light on a dark path MANY COUNTLESS times in the 'old testament' by writers all throughout the history of Israel. Don't believe me? Read Psalm 119 and highlight every time that David mentions the Law (Torah).
 In Psalms 119 Verse 105: " Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."
Here is a foretelling of the coming of the Messiah:
Isaiah 9:1-6
"1 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. 2 Thou hast multiplied the nation, Thou hast increased their joy; they joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 3 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, Thou hast broken as in the day of Midian. 4 For every boot stamped with fierceness, and every cloak rolled in blood, shall even be for burning, for fuel of fire. 5 For a child is born unto us, a son is given unto us; and the government is upon his shoulder; and his name is called Pele-joez-el-gibbor-Abi-ad-sar-shalom; 6 That the government may be increased, and of peace there be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it through justice and through righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts doth perform this."
Yeshua=Torah.

Everything that was commanded in the 'old testament' was NOT JUST a foreshadowing of Yeshua. It WAS Yeshua.

Yeshua was in the beginning, and was with YHVH, and was YHVH. Yeshua Himself states, 'I and my Father are one." and "I am the true light."
Most importantly of all, (the point I want to get to) was that Yeshua said: "If you love me, keep my commandments."

If Yeshua is Torah, then has Yeshua done away with Torah? How in the world could Yeshua have done away with Torah since He WAS Torah?!? He was Torah, and He was YVHV, thus the Torah was not just YHVH's commandments, but Yeshua's as well. The evidence is scattered thickly all throughout the Word of YHVH...the Bible. It is everywhere! If you were to try and remove every mention of Torah, you would be left with few precious pages of the Truth... not to mention you would be judged severely for tampering with the Word of YHVH.

What were the commandments that Yeshua was referring to? There were over 800 laws and commandments throughout the Torah. ( you think that's a lot? there are over 2000 laws in the USA today, and we live under every one of them. And if you don't... you see the inside of a jail cell or pay a lot of cash. btw,obeying the laws of the land in which we dwell is one of the commandments of YHVH)

Now, before you click the red X button, I want to let you know that some of the law was not necessary after Yeshua came. The Levitical law, concering washings and sacrifices and certain others, was not needed once the priesthood was no longer Levitical after Yeshua's death, but was after the order of Melchesidec. Yeshua paid the price completely, totally, with no refunds and the only return being His to claim His children. (Hebrews 4:14-5:11)
 Circumcision was another law that was not needed anymore. (Galatians 2:1-10, 5:1-13) And the bulk of the Moral law was summed up in one commandment...  To love your neighbor as yourself. After all, if you love somebody are you going to steal from them or fornicate with their wife/husband or gossip about them and slander them? No. And if your answer was 'yes' then I'll tell you now ...that's not love.

The Dietary law was semi done away with. We are not to eat anything offered to idols (1 Cor. 8:1-13) and while we may eat whatever we like otherwise, not everything is good for us to eat.
 When we go to another person's home, we are told to eat whatever they serve us, not asking what they prepared or what's in the food. But if they tell us that it is food sacrificed to idols (eg pork) that we must not eat it.
The law concerning blood in the meat is still strict. We must not eat anything with the blood still in it because it's physically and spiritually unhealthy.

The Sabbath, however, has not been set aside. It is confirmed countless times in the 'new testament' by Paul, Peter, John, and Yeshua Himself. (Hebrews 3:11-4:11)
http://www.apostolic-churches.net/bible/books/hebrews.html
Hebrews 3:11  So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

Hebrews 3:12  Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Hebrews 3:13  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 3:14  For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

Hebrews 3:15  While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

Hebrews 3:16  For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.

Hebrews 3:17  But with whom was he grieved forty years? [was it] not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?

Hebrews 3:18  And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?

Hebrews 3:19  So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Hebrews 4:1  Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left [us] of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

Hebrews 4:2  For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard [it].

Hebrews 4:3  For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Hebrews 4:4  For he spake in a certain place of the seventh [day] on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

Hebrews 4:5  And in this [place] again, If they shall enter into my rest.

Hebrews 4:6  Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

Hebrews 4:7  Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Hebrews 4:8  For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

Hebrews 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

Hebrews 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God [did] from his.

Hebrews 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

This is not the only example of scripture (don't worry... it's 'new testament') that encourages us to take Sabbath day Rest. I encourage you to do a search for yourself.


I hope that you have taken these scriptures to heart, and have, at the very least, a curiosity to find what the Word of YHVH Really says.

There is much more to this topic, but I feel that this is perhaps too much meat for us in one day, and that I should save the rest for another post.

So in closing, yes, the 'old testament' was a foreshadowing of Yeshua's coming... but not JUST a foreshadowing, but the Torah WAS Yeshua. When He tells us to keep His commandments, He is telling us to obey the Torah. Anything not done away with or revised, remains for us to obey in faith.

Read the Torah my friends. and have an open mind to the Will and guidance of YHVH.

Also I want to say that if anybody finds a mistype or scriptures to uplift the above or tear it to shreds, or if you have a better definition of the words used, feel free to comment. I will not be angry if you disagree. All I ask is that you do not post foul language or suggestive comments.

Thank you for reading my blog.