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Who is your king?

Give to Caesar

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(#045 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

(4) “Then all the elders gathered and approached Samuel, saying, ‘Appoint us a king to judge us; just like other nations.’ But these things displeased Samuel… Samuel prayed to Yahweh… Yahweh said, ‘…they have not rejected you [Samuel], they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them… to this very day… forsaking Me in order to serve gods [men]… listen to them and let them know how a king will reign over them and will behave toward them.’
(10) …Samuel said, ‘This is how the king you desire to reign over you will behave… he will take your sons and appoint some to serve his chariots… some will drive his horses… others will run before his chariots… you will plow his ground… bring in his harvest… manufacture his weapons of war… he will take your daughters… seize your best fields… demand a tenth of your sheep… you, yourselves, will become his servants. You will cry out, but Yahweh will NOT listen to you.’
(19) The people REFUSED to listen to Samuel. ‘No, we want a king over us. Then we will be like other nations with a king who will fight our battles.’ …So Yahweh instructed Samuel… “Appoint them a king…’” (Highlights from 1 Samuel 8:4-22)

Ask and You Shall Receive

Come one, come all; step right up,
And give your tribute gladly.
There are walls to build and roads to pave,
You want a king so badly.

Your priests and leaders all agree,
Over time their plans revealed.
“Better to pay… than to fight me,
Your best will plow my fields.”

For if the masses all agree,
Do not fret or be dismayed,
Our faces alone, your currency,
Your part, it must be played.

The entitlements offered will tempt to sway,
The most oppressed of you at heart.
“All must protect the kingdom’s way,
Each must do their part!”

Pay no attention to those foolish ones,
“Come out of her…,” they cry.
“We’ve read THE book; we understand.
But, give fear of man a try!”

Come one, come all; step right up,
And give your tribute gladly.
There are walls to build and roads to pave,
You’ve got your king so sadly.

“Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then He said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to the Almighty what is the Almighty’s.” (Matthew 22:20-21)

That The World May Know with Ray Vander Laan

Give Us A King

You may have learned somewhere that God did not want Israel to have a king. Most Christian churches teach this to youngsters early in Sunday school. But it is wrong. God did want Israel to have a king; he just had a certain kind of king in mind. In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, long before the time of Saul, God said, “Be sure to appoint over you the king the LORD your God chooses” (emphasis added). God’s choice for king: that is what Israel ignored.

God’s Qualifications For Israel’s King

In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, God gave the qualifications for a king. First, the king was to be an Israelite (17:15). This meant the king would belong to the people who recognized the authority of God.

Second, the king must not acquire many horses (17:16a). The Bible explains that horses came from Egypt, and horse-trading would tempt the Israelites to interact with the pagan people from whom they had been delivered.

Third, the king must not take many wives (17:17a). It was normal in ancient times to seal treaties between kings by intermarriage. Foreign women would influence the Israelites to abandon the unique lifestyle to which God had called them. Later in Israel’s history, Ahab (who married Jezebel) and Jehoram (who married Athaliah) learned the hard consequences of ignoring this proscription.

Fourth, the king must not accumulate large amounts of gold and silver (17:17b). Perhaps God wanted to make sure Israel’s king remained dependent upon him for success; or perhaps he wanted to keep his people from interacting with the pagan nations that would be supplying the gold and silver.

Fifth, the king must keep a copy of God’s Torah with him to be read throughout his life, so he would rule according to God’s principles (17:18-20).

This was God’s king: faithful, separate from the pagans, guiding God’s people to righteous living as a shepherd leads his sheep.

A King Such As Other Nations Have

Facing a Philistine threat at the time of Samuel the prophet, Israel requested a king. Samuel was angry because he knew they were rejecting God’s rule. The key to God’s displeasure was the request itself, to “appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have” (1 Sam. 8, emphasis added). The Israelites did not ask for a king that God would choose, but one that the world would choose.

Jewish scholars maintain that the story of David and Saul makes this contrast clear. When the people asked for a ruler such as other nations had, God gave them Saul, “a man who couldn’t keep track of donkeys in his care,” to show them what their kind of king would be: a self-absorbed failure. Throughout his life, Saul did things to satisfy his own desires and not God’s.

By contrast, David, a shepherd like God, was God’s choice for king, a man after his own heart. David lived by the words of the Torah, keeping the Lord always before him. When he sinned with Bathsheba, he was beside himself with sorrow, because he knew he had turned from God.

Who Do You Want As Your King?

Today, we face the same decision the Israelites did. Who (or what) do we want as our king (master)? The fascinating stories of 1 Samuel provide us with some insight and perspective.

Solomon was the wisest king of all. Yet the Bible judges Solomon by God’s standards: “Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horses” (compare 2 Chron. 9:25 with Deut. 17:16a). “The king [Solomon] made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones” (compare 2 Chron. 9:27 with Deut. 17:17b). “The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents” (compare 2 Chron. 9:13 with Deut.17:17b). “He [Solomon] had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines [mistresses]” (compare 1 Kings 11:3 with Deut. 17:17a).

What a shock! The wisest human ruler who ever lived broke almost every command God gave for a king.

We are left wanting something better. Matthew, the Jewish writer, voiced our need: “If this is the best the human race can provide, there must be someone else.” Then he remembered the words of Jesus: “… one greater than Solomon is here” (Matt. 12:42).

That is God’s final choice for the ideal king: Jesus the Messiah. He must be our choice as well.

Your Life For HIM

The Servant’s Way

(#044 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. If he comes alone, he is to go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she is to go with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free. But if the servant declares, “I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,” then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life. (Exodus 21:2-6)

He knew what freedom meant. It meant there was only one way in all things, and that was the way of the Father, His Master. There could be no variation; no shadow of turning if He was to complete the task at hand. Everything was perfect; everything was precise, word for word, precept upon precept.

By preferring His bride and children, He knew He would pay a hefty price. As He again contemplated the law of the Hebrew servant, there could be no doubt about what His orders were. A servant, after all, follows orders.

It was the acceptance of the task at hand, long before Gethsemane, when the sweat that flowed like blood began. It first started when the sacrifice was contemplated, when He declared, “I love My Master, My bride, our children. This is why I came. My form was in existence long before the creation of man; but now I have chosen to stay, to become a servant for life. I will no longer be like the wind, but ‘taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man’ (Philippians 2:7-8). Taking on the form of a man, this is when My piercing began.

When First I Was Pierced

One to be pierced as prescribed by the law,

His Master well pleased to infinity,

In an instant the cup of redemption fulfilled,

All it took… “Hand over Divinity.”

Yes, I am He who took on your form,

The true sacrifice that must be heeded.

I never before had these hands or these feet,

These limbs I’d simply not needed.

How can you kill who has always existed?

It’s the mystery of faith we concede.

The thought of the death of this One Divine,

You might-as-well ask wind to bleed.

Do not be mistaken with skewed human thinking,

That My hope was for this cup to be taken,

It was for joy set before Me I accepted your stake;

But with that all eternity shaken.

For the rest of My days just as you I will be,

The depth of this sacrifice of Mine,

Something new to embrace, even for Me,

Yet to you I will still be Divine.

The Goal of The Torah

The Price of Sin

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Messiah Yeshua our Lord.
-Romans 6:23

But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Messiah Yeshua.
-Romans 5:15

For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is Yahweh’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Yeshua our Messiah
-Romans 7:17

But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses Yahweh’s good commands for its own evil purposes.
-Roman 7:13

Adam or You?

(#042 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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Adam:  Why would anyone possibly blame me for the sinful desires of their own heart?

Eve:  Well Adam, you know that you are the first man to have sinned.

Adam: Gee, thanks honey. I did have help if you remember. I am serious though; I don’t like the idea one bit, being blamed for the sin of another. It’s simply preposterous, unconscionable really.

Eve: Well, one day I am sure people will create their own doctrines and portray the beliefs they had conjured up in their own hearts as if they actually came from our Father.

Adam: You mean people will actually believe the doctrine that Yahweh will hold me accountable for their own lawlessness?

Eve: It’s bound to happen.

Adam: Yahweh has forgiven me and, although my consequence for rebellion was grave, His forgiveness made me into a new creation.  Abba says that all men have this same opportunity to repent and become brand new.

Eve: So, it would seem that even their sin of changing the words of Abba will be forgiven as well?

Adam: Yes honey, but it still bothers me.  If they are made into new creations, why would they sin again even after such grace is bestowed on them?  And even worse, why would they sin and blame it on me?

Eve: I am quite sure both will happen. It seems that humans have a propensity to do just that.

Adam: Well there you have it then!

Eve: Have what Adam?

Adam: All men will be just like me, all on their own; they won’t need my help to sin.  I just happened to be the first.

Eve: Please elaborate Adam.

Adam: Sin once, okay, blame me! But, sin again after you have been renewed, now who’s to blame?

Eve: Oh, I see. Now let’s pray that they will see it as well.

 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to the Almighty. (Romans 14:12)

How I overcame the Sin of Smoking Marijuana

How I overcame the Sin of Smoking Marijuana

Traditions of Men

If I could pick one Bible message out of everyone I ever did I think it would be this one. It is about how the traditions of man cause the death angel of Yahweh not to passover us and what we need to do about it.
(#041 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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Why do you break the commandment of the Almighty for the sake of your tradition? (Matthew 15:3) For the sake of your tradition you have made void the law of the Almighty. You hypocrites! (vv. 6, 7a)

“Never again do you have our permission to walk off like that Yahshua.” Mary was visibly shaken as she squeezed His arm.

“I told you I was in My Father’s house, why is it that you don’t understand?” Yahshua said.

“What did those teachers say to you? They never speak to your father, or any common man.”

Yahshua, knowing these things very well answered gently; “Mother, it is I who spoke. Did I not tell you I am always about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49)

Joseph kept silent. Mary, at this point practically dragging Yahshua with her: “Well, what did You say to them Son?”

“I was reciting the words of My Father from the Prophet Jeremiah.”

“This is what Yahweh says, ‘Do not learn the way of the heathen, and do not be deceived by the signs of heaven, though the heathens are deceived by them. For the customs of the people are vain; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold and fasten it with nails and hammers, so that it will not move. They are upright like a palm tree, but they cannot speak, they must be carried, because they cannot go. Do not give them reverence! They cannot do evil, nor can they do righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 10:2-5)

“And then I reminded them of Jeremiah’s powerful affirmation.”

“Inasmuch as there is none like You, O Yahweh (You are great, and Your Name is great in might), who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You. But they are altogether senseless; as one, they are consumed by their foolishness; their stock is a doctrine of vanities.” (Jeremiah 10:6-8)

Yahshua smiled.

Mary, finally relaxing her grip on His arm said, “Oh yes my child; we must stay far away from the traditions of men when they transgress Your Father’s commands, at all cost. We will always be set-apart in that way. The teachers you sat with have many of their own traditions which violate the Law, but you clearly know that already. It seems that at least part of Your Father’s business would be to expose them.”

Yahshua again smiled. “Yes mother, I know. One tradition at a time mother, one tradition at a time.”

Gathering and Suffering in My Name

Gathering in My Name

(#040 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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Many years ago, a group sat before Me convinced I was there;

Gathered in My Name.

Someone convinced them that My being “there” meant I’d answer;

Gathered in My Name.

She said, “He’s leaving me,” and then adds, “I’m fine with that;”

Gathered in My Name.

“I can’t stand my job; my boss is so pushy;”

Gathered in My Name.

“God, can you hear us; there are more than two of us here;”

Gathered in My Name.

“We know you have greater things for us; please help us understand;”

Gathered in My Name.

“We’ve been coming together for months Lord; yet, Your hand has not moved;”

Gathered in My Name.

“Your Word cannot lie Lord; so why are You silent?”

Gathered in My Name.

After forty years of wandering in the wilderness of church pews….
The group sits before Me, with My Son and Spirit as witnesses;

Gathering in My Name.

“Father we praise You; and we worship and adore You;”

Gathering in My Name.

“We know we must change Yahweh, our hearts set like flints;”

Gathering in My Name.

“Your magnificent glory is all we can think of;”

Gathering in My Name.

“How foolish of us to think that gathering was for us.”

Gathering in My Name.

“We thank you Abba for the privilege of suffering;”

Gathering in My Name.

“By Your grace may we never forget why You made us.”

Gathering in My Name.

“And we thank you Father that as we praise You, You bless us;”

Gathering in My Name.

“Now seal it in us that we never forget this;”

Gathering in My Name.

It takes a humbling of the soul through the process of affliction for transformation to become evident. The suffering that brings about change is ultimately recognized as necessary to the one who endures. In the end, there is a piercing conviction of what it means to be gathered in His Name, the Name of Yahweh. All other man-made titles will fall away. In this Name and by this Name all else is sifted like wheat; only chaff remains. There is only light or darkness, loved one. There is only truth or compromise.

“Princes of nations are gathered together, the people of the Mighty One of Abraham, for unto the Almighty belongs the shields of the earth! He is greatly exalted!” (Psalm 47:9)

Woman wearing a bikini was arrested in the Maldives

Woman wearing a bikini was arrested in the Maldives

The Potter’s Hand

The Potter’s Hand

(#039 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)
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Why must you continuously kick against the goads? It never works (Acts 9:5) because you are never alone. As you struggle and strain to fulfill what you believe is His will, you automatically presume that because what you are engaged in is “for Him” that He will be with you and will favor your outcome. Yes, it is true that Yahweh is always with His chosen ones. However, you must not get caught in the trap that blinds you from seeing that not everything you claim to do “for Him” is actually for Him. In many instances is really for yourself and others. Perhaps, then, what it means that “you are never alone” actually refers to an even much bigger role He plays in your life than you formerly imagined, one which, until now, you’ve refused to see. Here it is; He is not always with you to favor your outcome, but He is constantly crafting and molding His chosen vessels for honor (Romans 9:21).

The Potter is always fulfilling His plans for His Body, plans that are far more complex than you may be thinking. Your failures and successes are being supernaturally crafted at the Potter’s wheel to affect the entire unified Body; the commonwealth of Israyl (Ephesians 2:11-13). As you yield to the effects of His hands, your pliable heart (a mind once bound only to carnal desire: Ezekiel 36:26) will soon acknowledge that the Potter is always molding His creation into a beautifully crafted temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), His Son being the chief cornerstone (Psalm 118:22). As the water (Spirit precipitation) softens you (the clay being molded) in the hands of the Master, allow the process (the spinning wheel) to perfectly shape you into a vessel of honor created for His purpose. Yield voluntarily; obey to the point of death, or the yielding will be mandated by His Spirit (Philippians 2:5-11). Knowing that Yahweh will ultimately have His way every time, isn’t it so much better to wait and hear His voice, rather than to presume and do it your way?

Ultimately, if you have decreed to be doing something “for Him”, and in the end it turns out it was not so, do not despair. The final outcome can be shifted at a moment’s notice to teach you a lesson even greater than the blessing you might have expected from doing what you had originally presumed was for Him. Even if the lesson is painful to learn, it is not a failure! Embrace it with the same joy and gratitude as if what you had set out to do came to pass. He is Sovereign over both the things He reveals and those things He alone knows will take place. Never try to control situations. Take strides but never strive. Let Yahweh be Yahweh; all is well!

Do not be unequally yoked

You may believe the people you hang out with are good friends and trust worthy but we cannot trust our feelings. Rather, we must rely only on the Word of God taken by faith. God’s rewards for us are directly related to obeying His Word, not to how we feel or think about it.

Too many people today are unequally yoked with unbelievers. Partnering with unbelievers is like inviting a thief into your life to ravish your soul.

Before you comment or judge what I am saying please see this video…

Do Not; There are Snakes in Your Midst

(#038 from Suffer Well Devotional Series©)

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“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14)

What do you make of this beloved?  It certainly seems harsh.  Nevertheless, do My commands come with options?  Do you have flexibility when I say, “Do not?”  Does My “do not” mean: “Only once in a while, do not? Only on weekends, do not? Only on Sabbaths and Holy days, do not? Only if you feel like it, do not?”

My will is to protect you and to ensure your increase (Psalm 115:14). My promise is that if you abide in My words you will bear much fruit, which is the only way My disciples can be recognized (John 15:7-9).  The harmony I desire for your life will yield an abundance of real fruit, the type filled with sweet juice, which can only be found in Me (Hosea 14:8). What you will harvest if you follow your own plans will be like hollow plastic, a cheap imitation fruit.

The risk you face when you fellowship with darkness, if you partner with one who does not bear My seal, is that My light in you becomes dimmed. Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (1 Corinthians 15:33) There are realms other than the one you are accustomed to that make up the true reality; and you can be easily deceived because you have become comfortable discerning only what you can see.  If you had a glimpse of the principalities that war for your soul, then you would better understand why I Am adamant when I say “Do not!”  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.(Ephesians 6:12)

 Trust Me My child; it is not open for discussion.  The path to life is very narrow (Matthew 7:14).  Partnering with unbelievers is like inviting a thief into your life to ravish your soul.  And “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

 It needs to be made perfectly clear to you that My Son was always able to differentiate between the souls who were redeemed to hear His voice, and the ones He would need to expose as snakes in your midst; light and darkness beloved. Cultivate His wisdom and you too shall know!