A Weekly Devotional – The Times – Personal Meditation (3)

A Weekly Devotional – The Times – Personal Meditation

Comment: If you listen Messianic Jews (believers in Jesus Christ) you may be surprised at what they have to say about the church west of Israel. If you are scratching your head as to where this is, that would be most of the churches in the U.S.A. and Canada along with some parts of South America. This is not to say that all of these churches are corrupt, there are remnants (pockets) of ‘Bible Believing churches’ throughout the American continent, but there are not many. You do not have to believe this, but I would suggest that you might give it some thought. Here is one thought to start the process: The Holy Bible says that even the Christ/Messiah does not know the day or the hour when He will return for His church Mark 13:32 NKJV "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. So, if you believe that Jesus will return halfway through the Tribulation, or at the end of the Tribulation are you not dating the very day to the hour of the second advent of Christ. Everyone knows that the Great Tribulation will last seven years.

Devotional: I would say that we need to take HEED to what we are preaching and teaching; that is if you are preaching and teaching. If not; then you ought to be KNOWING what you are listening to on your Sundays. Ministries across this nation are failing to teach the Word of God. If you were to poll the declining number of people who still go to church, you might find yourself asking this question. WHY am I polling a people who say they LOVE God with their lips, but quickly forget that avenue of love; while they drive home on today’s highways? Isaiah 29:13 and Matthew.15:8.

Some will say: “Well we are not living in apostolic times, things change and we need to keep up with the times, do we not?” Glad you made that a question! Jesus Christ is the SAME, YESTERDAY, TODAY and FOREVER. Is not the church an ambassador of Christ? Yes! Then ought not the church be the SAME, YESTERDAY, TODAY and FOREVER? We who go to church are to represent Christ to those who do not come to church., so are we ambassadors of Christ or of the flesh? 2 Corinthians 5:12-21.

Today it is more common to find churches where the Holy Spirit of God is NOT WELCOME, because the human emotional flesh is in control. The Holy Spirit ‘explicitly’ has testified that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons (human and demonic forms of worship). Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own consciences seared with a hot iron (False expressions and false practices).

Politically correctness, forbidding to marry (moral and religious corruption) abstaining from foods to be received with thanksgiving (God HAS created and blest for our nourishment). Sadly, our churches here in the west are a mess. We have traded the simple Truth of God for the lie and deception of the devil and his angels who are very popular. Whether we like it or not this is the trend today in our churches. These churches, swollen with sins of idolatry lead people away from being sanctified by the WORD of GOD and by PRAYER; 1 Timothy 4:1-4. Remember this: The Great Apostasy must come before the Great Tribulation.

A Weekly Devotional – The Times – Personal Meditation (2)

A Weekly Devotional – The Times – Personal Meditation

Comment: NEVERTHELESS! I have this against you, that you have left your FIRST LOVE. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; REPENT AND DO the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place – unless you REPENT. The present-day church in many nations, and who were one time gospel centers for the world are now in need that someone should once again speak the words of the Gospel to them. We are living in an age “worldwide” that reveals the truths of 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

Devotional: Not every church member knows the love of God, nor is every church member a child of the love of God. But for those of us who are saved by the LOVE of God, through the sacrifice of God’s Lamb (His Son Jesus), I ask! Do we know and understand that the Christ/Messiah knows the works of His church on earth, including every individuals’ response to God by personal faith? Failing to know this does not relieve us of the responsibility to preach the gospel of God.

In Revelation 2:1 through Revelation 3:1-22, Jesus reveals conditions that either bless or condemn the activities of the church. As each church receives this evaluation, (there are seven) He gives a warning to repent and an invitation to HEAR what the Spirit of God has said. From our position on earth the church things we participate in, do not seem to be so bad. But, from Messiah’s view we are not where we ought to be! 

There is an interesting section of scripture in Isaiah, when He was called by God to be a prophet to Israel. Isaiah 6:1-13, especially from verses 8 through 13. This same LORD who knew the condition of God’s chosen people at the time Isaiah was called to preach to Israel, also knows the condition of His CHURCH. Isaiah 6:9-10 are like the words spoken by the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4. Israel in her journey as God’s Chosen and we the Church in our journey as God’s Bride have failed God’s love because we have willing worshipped the gods of this world, we have fallen away from God’s love and committed adultery with false religions, even mixing these adulterous acts within our churches, we have wiped our mouths and claimed that we are doing, nothing wrong. 

I say: How long LORD, shall we endure the failure of our churches today, we are liberal with our doctrines, in fact some churches do not have a doctrine. Some churches worship the god of celebration, some the god of ritual and some the god of self-indulgence. God answers Isaiah by saying in Isaiah 6:11-13 – Until the cities are laid waste… until only the stump of the terebinth tree remains. So, the holy seed shall be its stump.

Are you of the stump? Whom shall be God’s remnant be? Whom will He teach knowledge? And whom will He make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breast? Isaiah 28:9-13 is not for the weak-minded child of God, but for those heavy burdened with drought, who fail to abide in His Word. To understand this you must read, Isaiah 28:1-10. God teaches “Precept upon precept. Line upon line, line upon line. Here a little, there a little.” While some may believe that these verses are directed at teaching through an entire book in the Bible at a time, I would disagree. It does however mean that what is taught is to be taught because there is a spiritual draught in our day just as it was in Israel’s day.

A Weekly Devotional – The Times – Personal Meditation (1)

A Weekly Devotional – The Times – Personal Meditation

Comment: The decision to provide a weekly devotional may serve to be a good thing as this will give me more time to prepare a more in-depth meditation. Often when developing a thought or two for the day, many other verses of scripture and content comes to mind. Time can limit a daily meditation and restrict the increase of an awareness of God’s presence through the Holy Spirit and the Word. 

Devotional: Proverbs 4:7 – Wisdom is the principle thing, therefore get wisdom and in all of your getting, get understanding. This wisdom that Solomon who was King of Israel at the time of his writings? Is he talking about human wisdom? Or, the Wisdom that comes to the children of God through the study of God’s written Word and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Yes! and through daily personal meditation God gives His children “His Wisdom” 

This wisdom does not come from the world, the world does not know or understand the Wisdom of God; notice if you will, 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 also Isaiah 64:4. Notice in the last sentence of 1 Corinthians 2:9, the things that God has prepared for those who love Him, and now meditate on Hebrews 1:1-4. Can we understand? We can if we avail ourselves to the Creator God who made the worlds, purged our sins, who is above all, because He is ABOVE ALL.

As we begin this weekly journey, I was reminded that Israel’s New Year begins tonight and through tomorrow. Israel has two trumpets to blow and herald in the New Jewish year 5778. Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of both the Hebrew month of Tishre and the Jewish high holidays, which ends with Yom Kippur ten days after the New Year begins.

Note: God told Moses to make two trumpets for himself of silver Numbers 10:1-10, these were used to gather the people together and directing them regarding the movement of the camp. In Leviticus 23 we see that these trumpets were used to begin the feast, which brings in the Jewish New Year. Now there is much we can say about this New Year within the Jewish communities all across the world today, but again time restrains me. One thought; why two trumpets, would not one be sufficient? God called the nation to be a witness to the nations and He has also called the church to be a witness to the nations, therefore two trumpets.

To pray and meditate on the times in which we live, may I suggest the following reading, Matthew 24:32-33 (Parable of the Fig Tree) by the way the Fig Tree is Israel, see Joel 1:6-7, also Hosea 9:10. The regathering of Israel is the parable of the fig tree. Now no one knows the day or the hour for the return of Messiah, Matthew 24:36-44, yet God has called His Children to be ready! Are you ready? If you seldom pray and meditate in the Word of the Living God, then you are NOT ready to say in prayer; “EVEN SO COME LORD JESUS.

Some of this material comes from the ministry of Amir Tsarfati of the Ministry “Behold Israel” if you wish you can download this app from the “app store” it is free.