The muscle where life happens
Bringing the red color through
The thing we call blood
Without it we would not do.
It pumps many gallons a day
The number I cannot say.
Designed to carry the weigh
Of life to one’s body night and day.
It expresses sorrow – emotion
But it is a pump, what do you say?
Someone can break it many times
Pumping it goes without pay.
(Isaiah 53)
Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm (power) of the Lord been disclosed? (Isaiah 53:1). A question that has been echoed for thousands of years in the ears of mankind. The Prophet Isaiah uttered the message of the coming Savior in a far distant future, with descriptions of His sufferings, at the hands of wicked men. In the early days of the church, an Ethiopian was found reading the passage of Isaiah 53, without the understanding of Whom was that referring to. A Gentile with an enormous curiosity and desire to know and understand the question set in the beginning of the chapter, Who has believed our message? Of whom does the prophet speak? Himself or someone else? He asks the apostle Philip, who after been guided by an angel of the Lord to go to a certain place, there, he met that Ethiopian. Philip then asked him the question, do you understand what you are reading? To what he answered, How is it possible for me to do so unless, someone explains it to me? He said, I beg of you, tell me about whom does the prophet say this, about himself or someone else? (Acts 8:26-34). After Philip explained the message he was reading, the eunuch believed it and was baptized. That was the message of love- a gift of salvation through God’s Son, Whom Philip knew personally and had witnessed Him agonizing at the garden before His trials, and death.
(Ephesians 6: 10-19)
The writer to the book of Hebrews gives the most definite and solid meaning of faith: the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). Who can understand faith, when never gone through difficulties? The measure of faith in one’s life is seen through hard times. Everyone has a certain applied degree of faith outside the spiritual. It is an important ingredient essential to life. Faith removes the doom and gloom of today’s when one has faith for a better tomorrow. Faith is a lifter upper brightening hope in whatever we hope for. But faith is much more than that when its shield is taken up in the spiritual battle field. The Bible says that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. That is, not against humans. It is against the devil and his forces. Paul uses the Roman armor example to symbolize the armor of God’s proficiency in its use in every spiritual battle.
Faith is used as a shield. A shield means protection. The Roman shield was a very important piece of the armor used for that purpose. But it was not only used for protection, it was also to push out the enemy. It was made of wood-covered in hide. When wet it extinguished flaming arrows. The Roman shield had an impressive size: almost three and a half feet tall and three and a half feet wide; its curve provided means of deflection against the enemy’s attacks.
Listen to the sound of spring
Calling, it is time to sing!
Colors adorning the earth
Music echoing in tunes
Varied and beautiful
All in unison- different
Bird, different tune!
Showers and flowers
April and May bring
Sounds of thunder
Sparkles of light
And winds
Awake the spring
Life to the earth it brings
Winter past
No longer a jacket
No longer a fire
The sun again shines
The earth with beautiful,
and warm rays
It is spring days
The word promise bears a wonderful meaning, especially in times of trouble. It assures us of better things; it brings hope to the soul, strengthening it when all seems gloomy and hopeless. I am referring in particularly to the promises of our Lord YAHSHUA, promises that will never fail us. Paul, God’s faithful servant, who suffered much persecution, and was taken for dead, endured all because of God’s promise. He wrote, For I know Him Whom I have believed (II Tim. 1:12). For knowing God, Paul without a doubt, believed His promises. The word know according to Webster, is to have a clear perception or understanding of. YAHSHUA said that will take knowing Him personally for one’s entrance to heaven. Not by work of miracles, not by work of uttered prophecies, neither by the casting of demons. He said, Not everyone who says to Me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven (Matt. 7:21). “Depart from Me, I never knew you” will be the words those who did not do the will of God will hear.
Paul’s life, when YAHSHUA revealed Himself to him through a bright light, on the road to Damascus, was changed forever. Now an apostle of Messiah he pursued a deep relationship with God. His words, For I know Whom I have believed, is a solid statement of his faith. In a letter to the Philippians, he expressed his desire to know God by saying, [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him, and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection, and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed to His death (Phil. 3:10). At the time when the day for his departure from this world was approaching, he said, I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me and recompense me on that day… (II Tim. 4:7,8). Paul endured all, never losing his faith, for the love of God and the promise of his victor’s crown.
As I sing to the Savior
The wind whispers
Joy to the trees and in
A constant rhythm
They dance to the tune
Of peace and of love
YAHSHUA has for me
His whisper carries the tune
Far and near until
All trees clap their hands
Silently, that is to me
But expressively
To the creator
Ever so joyfully
Spreading the joy
To nature high and low
It carries the tune
In a dance to heaven
With eternal hope
And unspeakable groans
Of redemption for all!
(Matt. 25:1-13; 24:40-41; I Thess. 5:1-3)
Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name? and then I will say to them openly, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly (Matt. 7:21-23).
We live in a time of convenience and short cuts to everything. Computers are the master mind of things we used to do yesterday. The age of high tech has indeed handicapped the mind of men. We only have to know how to click or press a button for things to happen. The sad thing about it is not only that our brains have become lazy and shrinking, but it has affected the spiritual side of things too. We can only tolerate teachings that tickle our ears. It has to be convenient for us to follow in line with our life styles. Conviction is a thing of the past. “I am okay, you are okay.” All our sins have been forgiven, no need to cry over them with repentance. The Word of God says that we must be born of the Spirit to be considered being born again. It is the only way that we can receive the image of God. His image is His Holy Spirit, Who is given at that time of our spiritual birth.
We may spend our life in church, teaching Sunday- School, preaching the Gospel, visiting the sick, we may never miss a day going to church, we may perform healing, prophesy, even casting demons out and still not being born again. We may impress the world with our look of humility and sacrificed life, but we can never impress God with all we do outside of Him. YAHSHUA said to a Pharisee, “You must be born again”. He assured Nicodemus that unless a person is born again, he cannot ever see the kingdom God; unless a man is born of water and [even] the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. What is born of the flesh is flesh; what is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3: 3,4-6). Born of the Spirit, is when the Holy Spirit of God indwells the person. His indwelling is the sign that we are born again. The results are seen in the way we think, act and behave. His indwelling is the Seal, also a guarantee of our inheritance, in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring possession of it (Ephesians 1: 13-14).
Heavenly Father,
I enter the courts of heaven
To draw near and listen to You.
I will regard Your name holy
And will worship You
In spirit and in truth.
Let Your kingdom
Come to my life
And Your will be established
In me as long as I live,
For I am crucified with
Your Son; live not I
But His Spirit lives in me.
Light from the Word 