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See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. – Colossians 2:8 There once was a man who was so lazy he would scarcely roll out of bed. One day he sat under a tree on the edge of the savannah and watched all the antelope go by. He wished he had one to eat but he couldn’t be bothered to actually get up and shoot, for he felt it was simply too hot. But as he continued to sit, he observed a cheetah on the prowl.…  ( Click for more )

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. – Revelation 3:20

There are few activities that are more intimate, more bonding than sharing a meal with someone. Inviting them in, serving them, sharing your resources with them, eating with them, swapping stories, learning from each other – no wonder that hospitality is one of the qualities actually required of church elders! (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8; 1 Peter 4:9)

I would however like to take a slightly…  ( Click for more )

…You will tell people about me everywhere…to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 When man was first created, he was given a command intended for each succeeding generation. Men were to be fruitful and multiply and, while filling the earth, subdue it to the service of God (Genesis 1:28). After mankind’s depravity pushed God to destroy them with a cataclysmic flood, He reiterated to Noah His wish for us to fill the planet in Genesis 9:1. Instead, man decided in Genesis 11:4 to build a city and a tower whose top would reach the sky so that they would not be scattered…  ( Click for more )

Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

A small fish caught in a net said to the fisherman, “I am too little to be a good meal. Even if you boil me or roast me – I won’t be enough to truly satisfy your hunger for long. Let me go and keep growing. I promise to return to you two years from now. You will find me in this same spot, large and seven times as fat. If you wait till then to eat me, it will be like a great feast in your house, and…  ( Click for more )

I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your work and muse on Your deeds. - Psalm 77:11-12 We instinctively know that listening is an important marital skill. In an unsuccessful marriage, both individuals are constantly talking “at” each other. They announce their needs, their desires and complaints when they should be sharing their needs. To share means there must be some listening going on. Listening is also necessary in our devotional lives. We need to set aside time when we listen TO God and…  ( Click for more )

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord. – Lamentations 3:25-26 A contractor recently stood before our city’s council and presented his petition. He started out well; being clean-cut, well dressed and well spoken. But the answer to his request was delayed. It was not denied - simply delayed. The politeness drained out of him like dishwater through a colander. It was truly astonishing to witness. Instead of acknowledging that he had presented his request too late to appear…  ( Click for more )

"Leave this work on the house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. Moreover, I issue a decree concerning what you are to do for these elders of Judah in the rebuilding of this house of God: the full cost is to be paid to these people from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces beyond the River, and that without delay.” - Ezra 6:7-8 As we saw in the previous blog, “Acceptable Worship,” God had Cyrus order the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Jews obeyed, returned…  ( Click for more )

“You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the Lord God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.” - Ezra 4:3 Around 537 BC, King Cyrus issued a decree to rebuild God’s temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1). The Jews, who had been taken into Babylonian captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar years earlier, gathered and returned to Israel, each to their own city. They went back through the records and determined who among them were qualified to be priests (Ezra 2). Then with huge fanfare, they…  ( Click for more )

How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path of sinners, or join a group of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the LORD's instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside streams of water that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. - Psalm 1:1-3 HCSB

Adonaists (those who worship Christ as Lord, Adonai) believe that the practice of meditation is advocated in the Scriptures. The vast majority of Scriptural teaching on the practice of meditation being found…  ( Click for more )

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” - Matthew 11:15 I am slowly and inexorably going deaf. I finally admitted this a couple of years ago. I got tired of pretending to hear what people were saying; tired of people getting aggravated with me because I simply nodded and smiled when I failed to catch what they had said, and then didn’t show up when I was supposed to. My wife ended up being the deciding factor. “You’re hard of hearing.” She explained as though to a child. “You need hearing aids. It’s not the end of the world.”…  ( Click for more )

(Elohim – The Strong One) In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth. The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of Elohim was hovering over its surface. Then Elohim said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And Elohim saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. Elohim called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” Together these made up one day. - Genesis 1:1-5 Does the sum total of our purchases actually produce happiness? We are assured by the marketing…  ( Click for more )

"Leave this work on the house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its site. Moreover, I issue a decree concerning what you are to do for these elders of Judah in the rebuilding of this house of God: the full cost is to be paid to these people from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces beyond the River, and that without delay.” - Ezra 6:7-8 God had Cyrus order the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Jews obeyed, returned to Israel, chose priests, established the altar and began to…  ( Click for more )

“Son,” he said to him, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." - Luke 15:31-32 HCSB

The godly father could have been offended by his older son’s coldness. The younger son demonstrated selfishness in asking for his inheritance early. The older son demonstrated selfish pride in his “good” behavior. Instead of getting angry and bitter, the wise father entreated his son to rejoice in his brother’s…  ( Click for more )

“Son,” he said to him, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." - Luke 15:31-32 HCSB

Teach your children to think critically. Do not just impart wisdom. Ask questions that lead them to wisdom. This technique used by the Master. He asked the disciples, “Who do people say I am? Who do you say I am?”[1] Then He encouraged the right kind of answers.

Of course, we have to realize that this method will…  ( Click for more )

“…Because this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' So they began to celebrate. - Luke 15:24 HCSB

The wise father knew that it was sinful, self-centered pride that led his son to ask for his inheritance early. He could have taken offense at being told in essence, “Dad, I can’t wait for you to die. Give me my inheritance now.” Yet he chose to consider his son lost. No one gets lost on purpose. Everyone thinks they are going the right way. It is only once we start getting signals that it slowly dawns on us how far…  ( Click for more )

So he got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. - Luke 15:20 HCSB

Say “I love you” to your wayward child a lot. Show your affection for them physically. You need to tell him that, although you disapprove of the choices he has made, you still love him. Imitate the Master who expressed His love and longing for His rebellious children, even as He recognized that they would continue in their rebellion.[1] Be quick to forgive…  ( Click for more )

Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing. - Luke 15:13-14 HCSB

The apostle cautioned, “Do not be deceived, bad company corrupts good morals.”[1] I doubt the young prodigal went through his entire inheritance alone. The Greek for “foolish living” is “asotos zao”. “Asotos” means “dissolute, riotous or profligate”. It’s…  ( Click for more )

He also said: "A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.' So he distributed the assets to them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living." - Luke 15:11-13 HCSB

You need to understand that your adult children don’t necessarily want to be protected. Adults have a lot more freedom than children, but adults understand, often through bitter experience, that with freedom…  ( Click for more )

He also said: "A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.' So he distributed the assets to them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. - Luke 15:11-13 HCSB

Given the wisdom and compassion that the righteous father demonstrated in the story of the prodigal son, (and given the fact that he represents Adonai), I’m certain the father had many discussions with the prodigal…  ( Click for more )

He also said: "A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.' So he distributed the assets to them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. - Luke 15:11-13 HCSB

Try not to take the rejection of wayward children personally. You are collateral damage – a casualty of war. It’s usually more about them trying to make their own minds up concerning obeying God’s commands than…  ( Click for more )

He also said: "A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.' So he distributed the assets to them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his estate in foolish living. - Luke 15:11-13 HCSB

It’s true that parents carry a great deal of responsibility in regards to their children’s upbringing. We should not provoke our children to anger through abusive, inconsistent or hypocritical behavior. Instead,…  ( Click for more )

Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy. - Matthew 5:7 HCSB

It’s easy to say “I want to be merciful” but exactly how does one develop this trait. In a world characterized by judgment and condemnation, and where even the most altruistic acts are accompanied by strings or selfish motivations, what can we do to show mercy from the heart?

We need to be humble. We need to recognize our personal need for mercy. We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the LORD has punished the Messiah for the iniquity of us all.[1]…  ( Click for more )

And the angel came to her and said, "Rejoice, favored woman! The Lord is with you." - Luke 1:28 HCSB

Of all the women of Judah, Mary was chosen by God to become the mother of the Messiah, the King and Redeemer of Israel. Gabriel said she was selected because she had “found favor with God”, but what was it about Mary that caught the Lord’s attention? What qualities did she possess which “found favor with God?”

She had faith. When the priest Zacharias was told that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son in their old age, Zacharias…  ( Click for more )

Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy. - Matthew 5:7 HCSB

If we cannot find it within ourselves to forgive someone else, then we’d better plan on never sinning again, because if we go to Adonai for mercy and have not shown it to others ourselves…remember the Lord’s Prayer which says, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”[1] Living mercilessly will lead to dying without mercy.[2] On the other hand, exemplifying mercy results in being treated with mercy.

But what exactly is mercy? It is important…  ( Click for more )