No Slackers

by Jeannie Wood Ladd

YHVH has ALWAYS required something of us. That's what free will is all about.

He doesn't have robots in His Kingdom, but rather those who would choose HIS Way, not their own.

When He placed Adam in the garden, Adam had a job to do, just as we all still do have a job to do.

His Kingdom is NOT for slackers or the sluggard, but for those who are willing, by their own free choice to DO as He commands.

Yeshua used many parables to illustrate that we are to DO something.
Here is just one:

Matthew 25:4-29

"For it is like a man going from home, who called his own servants and delivered his possessions to them.
And to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability, and went from home.
And he who had received the five talents went and worked with them, and made another five talents.
In the same way, he with the two also, he gained two more.
But he who had received the one went away and dug in the ground, and hid the silver of his master.
And after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
And he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents. See, I have gained five more talents besides them.’
And his master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy servant. You were trustworthy over a little, I shall set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Then he who had received two talents came and said, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents. See, I have gained two more talents besides them.’
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy servant. You were trustworthy over a little, I shall set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
And the one who had received the one talent also came and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed,
and being afraid, I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
And his master answering, said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.
Then you should have put my silver with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.
Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to him who possesses ten talents.
For to everyone who possesses, more shall be given, and he shall have overflowingly; but from him who does not possess, even what he possesses shall be taken away".

Poured Out

by Timothy Kubo

In middle school a teacher handed out different products and asked the students to squeeze out all of the contents. Once everything was out of each container the teacher asked the students to put the contents back into the containers. As hard as the students tried, they just couldn't do it. The teacher said "In the moment, you were so consumed with what you were doing that you didn't realize the mess you were making. Then, after it was so quickly and easily poured out, you realized it was impossible to put it all back in. Remember this for the rest of your lives when it comes to words that come out of your mouth."

Humbling

                                                  by Tony Biggs

This is Jesse, he is a drifter who lives near the bridge in my area. He owns nothin but a bike, a bird and a bag of about 10 items! 
Yesterday, while I was riding my bike down around the beach - which is about 5km from my house - I got a flat tyre. I had no choice but to turn around and wheel my bike the long walk home.
A few people rode past and didn't really pay me any attention and I didn't expect them too, but as I started walking, headphones in my ears, I noticed the homeless guy from under the bridge saying something to me. At first I thought he was going to ask me for something so I popped my headphones out and asked him what he wanted? He then replied "I don't want anything bra but I've got a new tube in my bag and you can have it if ya want !" Shocked at first I said no thanks but he insisted. So I walked over to his little clearing where he had his things and his pet bird sat in a busted cage.
He opened up his empty bag and gave me the tube (which was one of the very few things he had) helped me change the tyre, even pumped it up! I asked him how I could pay him back and he said to me "don't worry about it bra, this is what it's all about!"
The enormity of his situation and the fact that he went out of his way to help me was so humbling, I mean this guy was willing to give me his stuff and didn't want anything in return. To you and I, a bike tube would probably not mean much but to a guy with so little this item must hold enormous value!
I could go on and on about how selfless this guy was to give me, a total stranger, clearly in a much better position than him some of his possessions, while people like us are so selfishly attached to all our useless crap.
Anyway I just wanted to show you a pic of Jesse with his new Versace lenses, some fresh Sneakers, a full belly and a cold beer... Felt good to do something for the bloke. I also went up to woollies and got him a couple weeks worth of food and some seed for his bird lol...
Man he was ecstatic even had tears in his eyes and couldn't thank me enough, but amidst me sitting there proud of my good deed, and him singing me praises, I suddenly felt pretty bad because the truth is if he didn't go out of his way to help me, I wouldn't of done anything for him.
I ride past this guy all the time and never even think twice!
Really knocked me off my high horse!
Even tho we sit around with all our materialistic needs and pass judgment, this dude has something that none of us can buy!
I guess what I'm trying to say is thanks for the lesson in humanity champ!

Obedience is Up to Us

by Jeannie Ladd

Yeshua IS the Word made flesh. He Himself said that NO man has ever seen or heard the Father, but Him!!

So, every single word spoken or written in scripture was from Yeshua.

It was Yeshua that walked in the garden, met with Avraham, wrestled with Yaacov, spoke with Moshe, showed Himself to Moshe, wrote the commandments with His own finger on the tablets given to Moshe.
It was Yeshua that spoke to the prophets, revealing His displeasure at the wickedness of ALL of Yisrael, choosing to walk in their own way, doing what was right in their own eyes.

It was Yeshua who said He does not change!!

“For I am יהוה, I shall not change, and you, O sons of Ya‛aqoḇ, shall not come to an end. “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My laws and did not guard them. Turn back to Me, and I shall turn back to you,” said יהוה of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what shall we turn back?’
Malachi 3:6-7

How then, did He change ANY requirement for obedience to His commands? How did He require ancient Yisrael's obedience, but not ours? Wouldn't that mean He changed? Or that He has differing weights and measures, which scripture tells us He hates!?!

Yeshua in NO way condones sin, which is lawlessness. He did NOT die to set us free from obedience, which by the way, He promised would bring BLESSINGS & PROTECTION. When He says if you love Me, you will keep My commandments, don't you see, they are all His?!? From Genesis to Revelation.

“If you love Me, you shall guard My commands".
John 14:15

If you think that YHVH is going to overlook breaking His Torah, doing what is right in your own eyes, that it's ok, you're covered by Yeshua's sacrifice no matter what you do, then you my friend are worshipping a false Messiah, not the Yeshua of scripture.

‘Do not do as they do in the land of Mitsrayim, where you dwelt. And do not do as they do in the land of Kena‛an, where I am bringing you, and do not walk in their laws. ‘Do My right-rulings and guard My laws, to walk in them. I am יהוה your Elohim.
Leviticus 18:3-4

He made it clear over and over and over again, that we are NOT to do as the nations do. In NO way are we to walk in their ways. We are not to MIX the ways of the nations into our worship of Him, EVER!! Yet the mixing happened clear back at the beginning and continues to happen. It didn't become okay all of the sudden because we are more "civilized" or because Yeshua died. It STILL is forbidden!! Ancient Yisrael also saw no harm in incorporating it into their worship either, and it didn't bode so well for them.

And I heard another voice from the heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. “Because her sins have piled up to reach the heaven, and Elohim has remembered her unrighteousnesses. “Render to her as she indeed did render, and repay her double according to her works. In the cup which she has mixed, mix for her double.
Revelation of John 18:4-6

It doesn't matter if what you are mixing comes from Judaism or Christianity, it's ALL grievous to Him, and He will not turn a blind eye to it.

BOTH houses have error and blindness. It's not exclusive to one or the other!!

Yeshua made it abundantly clear that the road is narrow and few there be that find it. The wide road is easy, and it leads to destruction. He EXPECTS that we walk as He walked. That means, we follow His example, His way of life, His complete Torah obedience, that we walk uprightly, with our hearts fully set on Him and HIS way!! He told us to be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. Hmmm, Yeshua said that!!!

He will not excuse our excuses!! There will be no prize of we don't overcome and endure til the end. WE must overcome!!! We MUST obey!!!

Yeshua did not do for us what we need to do for ourselves.

Prayer

by Jenna Caruthers

In English, the word "pray" originates as begging or entreaty. When I was fleeing Roman Christianity, one of the things that used to bug me was their seeming passivity. One way that showed up was in terms of "prayer." Recently I saw an initialism that drove home that point: "P.U.S.H--Pray Until Something Happens." While I sort of understand the perceived desirability of persistence, their degrees of distance from the destination guarantee their flight to Hawaii ends up in Alaska instead.

Roman Christians seem to conceive of prayer as, okay, you have or know about a situation, you tell "God" and wait for Him to do something. And yet, a study of the Hebrew word "palal"--which is among the words used for communicating with the Almighty--tells a different story. We have the letter pey-lamed-lamed. Pey is the mouth, speaking. Lamed is the shepherd's staff--the authority; it's doubled here denoting the emphasis.

The word itself even seems to portray a supplicant kneeling before the throne where YHVH and Yahshua are seated.

Pal-from the root word--means to fall. This is literally a recognition of one's status of coming before the king and showing respect before pleading one's cause. "Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name."

Another aspect of palal is that of discernment. The one to whom you plead is making a judgment about what you've said. He tells you what to do about it. Our Western orientation makes a distinction between words and actions but Hebrew makes no such separation. After telling your side of the story, the Judge will make a determination directing you to take some action. Often, even in courts today, there is a "brief" about the decision that explains the judge's point of view and precedents.

When you don't humbly wait, but just sort of sign off with the tagline "in Jesus' name," you miss the point: relationship, communication, understanding, obedience.

Truth!

by Jeannie Ladd

For what purpose does YHVH open our eyes to the truth of His whole Word, when we come to understand that Torah was NOT done away with, but is still relevant today, as it has always been?

Is it to give us knowledge to puff us up? Is it to beat people with? Is it to disregard as Christianity has done for 1700 years?

I have watched a disturbing trend among those who would call themselves Torah obedient or Torah keepers.

There seems to be a blatant disregard for the REQUIREMENT to obey. There is still such a mindset that it's all just too difficult to keep, that we don't NEED to anymore, etc., etc.

So then, what is the purpose in Him opening our eyes, if we just remain unchanged, still thinking that obedience is not REQUIRED?

If Yisrael was divided and scattered because of disobedience, what makes us different? Did YHVH change?? Is He guilty of keeping differing weights and measures, which scripture tells us He hates??

Yeshua changed NONE of the requirements for obedience, NONE!!!! That is NOT why He died!!

I submit to you, that if He opened your eyes, He called you to change!! To Teshuva to Him, His Ways!!! To OBEY!!!

Because we have seen, we are held to a greater accountability!!

I didn't post this to condemn or argue with anyone, but to challenge each and everyone of us. Yeshua died to redeem us, to RETURN, not to remain in our sin. He is calling the First Fruits. Will we obey?? We MUST deny ourselves, die to our own way. We must work out our salvation, endure to the end. Yeshua is the door, but we first have to walk the path to the door.

We MUST have BOTH.

Then יהושע said to His taught ones, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his stake, and follow Me.
Matthew 16:24

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to fight with the remnant of her seed, those guarding the commands of Elohim AND possessing the witness of יהושע Messiah.
Revelation 12:17

Women Teaching

I don't know who originally wrote these thoughts or where I found them, but I've seen several posts this week about women, so I'm going to include this, for those who will read, pray, and seek . . .

From the Pope to various Messianics, some hold the opinion that women should not teach "spiritual matters" to men. Certainly, there is one verse that many interpret to support this position. Nevertheless, we know that any one verse can be used to support just about any position. (Peter's vision, for example.) We must look at the totality of Scripture.

If one holds the opinion that it is wrong for a woman to teach spiritual truths to men, then one must also conclude that Mary Magdalene and Priscilla were among Scripture's foremost sinners. Fortunately, that opinion is incorrect.

"Yeshua saith unto her, 'Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.' Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things unto her." (John 20:17-18)

"And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly." (Acts 18:24-26)