We need the Lord. When all seems lost, when hope is gone, we need the Lord. He who cannot lie says to us... “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
“I will allow nomads from the eastern deserts to overrun your country. They will set up their camps among you and pitch their tents on your land. They will harvest all your fruit and drink the milk from your livestock.” (Ezekiel 25:4)
The love of God is a joy...a joy to receive, a joy to experience, and a joy to share. Think about it. The Master Creator of the universe, and all that exists, loves You! Yes you! What a joy to know. Now... love Him back.
Mr. Spock, of Star Trek fame, would raise his hand and say “Live long and prosper.”
This "Vulcan salute," as it has come to be called, was invented on the set of Star Trek by actor Leonard Nimoy during the filming of the second-season opener, "Amok Time." What the people didn’t know was that the Vulcan greeting came from Leonard Nimoy’s real-life Jewish heritage. He took it from the ancient blessing the Jewish Priests would bestow upon the Israelites.
“Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing: 'May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace.' Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.” (Numbers 6:23-27 NLT)
The actual blessing is done with both arms held horizontally in front, at shoulder level, with hands touching, to form the Hebrew letter "shin." This stands for the Hebrew word for "Shaddai", meaning "Almighty [God]."
With the hand symbol, the priest was putting the name of God on the people, sealing it upon them.
This is a special blessing God wants all of us to receive. This blessing is so important because it covers us completely in every area of our life, spiritually and materially.
This blessing is so specific that God commanded the Priests to bless the people not using their own words, but rather using an exact formulation for the blessing, prefacing the instruction with the words: “Thus shall you bless.”
This reveals that the blessing comes from the LORD Himself; the priests were a means for transmitting His gracious will. Now that we have Jesus, our Messiah, our Savior, we know that He is The High Priest and that His sacrifice has made it possible for us to enter boldly before God.
So today we can pray, petition, and speak blessings knowing that our voice will be heard, and our words will be fruitful before the Lord our Creator, because of Jesus.
As we continue to study the Priestly Blessing we learn that the people accepted the blessing and responded. So how do we receive and respond to a blessing from our Heavenly Father? We anticipate His blessing with a thankful heart and declare that His Word is so. Here is the blessing that the priests recited, along with the response of the people.
JPRIEST: May the LORD bless you and protect you.
PEOPLE: Yes, may it be His will.
PRIEST: May the LORD shine His face to you and be gracious to you.
PEOPLE: Yes, may it be His will.
PRIEST: May the LORD turn (or lift up) His face to you and give to you peace.
PEOPLE: Yes, may it be His will.
You may ask, what does a Jewish blessing have to do with me?
The Bible says,
“And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you” (Galatians 3:29NLT).
So that means that all of God’s blessings are for us to obtain because Jesus paid the ultimate price. Everything he promised pertains to all of His children.
So let us expect the blessings from God and enjoy His goodness. Be thankful for the gift of His Son Jesus, which is His greatest blessing to us each day of our lives.
Seek the Lord while he may be found. For there is coming a time, sooner than you think, when the believers who fellowship with the Lord in the spirit, from a close intimate spiritual connection, will be gone. That will be what we call the rapture. After the rapture happens, to find the Lord, although possible, will be more difficult than it is now. The events of the world with shake men to their very core, and as the word of God says, “men’s hearts will fail them for fear.” Seek the Lord while he may be found. Make peace with God. Let your salvation be assured for accepting Christ into your heart. Let your future be assured for you and those you love by preparing your everlasting soul for eternity. Seek the Lord while he may be found. - Gene
“I am the LORD your God,’ I told them. ‘Follow my decrees, pay attention to my regulations, and keep my Sabbath days holy, for they are a sign to remind you that I am the LORD your God.” (Ezekiel 20:19)
He will walk with you in your joy. He will walk with you through your valley. He will walk with you through the desolate cold. He will walk with you through the fire. Wherever you’re walking today, invite Jesus to walk with you. He will, because He loves you regardless of where you are, the struggle, or the peace. Take His hand and walk.....
We take too much for granted. Things change and nothing lasts forever...so enjoy life, it’s fleeting.
The United States of America... A complex nation. A Nation founded on the principles of honor, righteousness, and fairness. Principles that even the founders only partially performed. One nation under God was the foundation stone, and the principles of God was the fuel of freedom. The founders dreamed of what could be, dreamed of what should be, and we as citizens must never forget that there is a better version of ourselves. A version that the founders saw, a version that our fellow citizens fought and died for. For like any good father who dreams of his child’s future success, our Heavenly Father dreams of the success of our nation, and we shall succeed by the measure of God’s precepts which we uphold.
The closer you come to God the more unworthy you feel. It’s humbling. Not humbled? Then get closer.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Wars and rumors of war, pestilence, earthquakes in diverse places, and who knows what other disasters are coming our way. Jesus told us this was coming yet we don’t believe, do we? The Bible tells us that Jesus Himself is coming.....do we believe? The Bible tells us of many things that must happen, and they have...yet do we believe? We better.
