Trust in God Alone - Idols Be Gone!
“Those who trust in idols, who say to statues, ‘You are our gods,’
will be repulsed in utter shame.” Isaiah 42:17
Did you know that just about anything can become an idol? That’s right!
An idol is anything that someone
adores, worships, or devotes their attention to. It can be anything that draws
our love, time, and attention away from God and towards it. While thousands
upon thousands of people will drop whatever they are doing and do just about
anything to attend a rock concert of a popular group or to see the Super Bowl
live or to get an autograph of a famous movie star or athlete, the churches and
the synagogues of our cities are mostly empty. When the opportunity arises to
gather together and worship the One who created us and saved us, most people
are too busy devoting their attention to other things. But, when all is said
and done, the only one worth our time and trust is the Lord God – He is the
only One who lives and breathes and moves among us – and He is the only One who
truly loves us. So, who or what are you devoting your time and attention to? Do
you adore God or other people and things? What or who is most important in your
life? In who or what do you place your trust?
Making Peace With Others
Living a Life of Shalom
“First be reconciled to your brother, and then come
and present your offering.” Matthew 5:24
Have you ever had an argument or a fight with
somebody? Maybe a friend or a
brother or a sister? How did you feel afterwards? Kind of angry or icky on the
inside? What did you do about it? Did you continue to be angry? Did you try to
avoid that person? Or, did you try to fix things and make it right between you
again? Our relationships with others are very important. Yeshua told us in Mark
12:29-31 that the two greatest commandments are to love the Lord our God with
all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves. If we want to have a good
relationship with Yeshua, we have to work at having good relationships with
others. If we want to live our lives for God, we have to treat those around us
in a way that is pleasing to God. Yeshua tells us in Matthew that before we can
offer a gift to the Lord we must first be reconciled – we must first make
things right between us and our brother – between anyone with whom we are
having a disagreement with. So, is there anybody you need to go and make things
right with?
Endurance - Strength in the Lord
“But
those who wait on the L-RD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not
faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
Do you ever get tired of trying to live your life for God and always doing the
right thing? Well, you’re not alone. Yeshua told us that our walk through this
life as His disciples would be a difficult one – that we would run into opposition
and even persecution. But, He also promises that He will always be with us,
especially in the tough times. (See John 14-16) This life of faith that we are
living is like a race. Not a 100-yard dash, but a marathon. It takes speed to
run a 100-yard dash, but it takes endurance to run a marathon. That means you
have to carry on and keep going no matter what for the long-haul. A marathon is
a long, long race and while you are running it you will inevitably come across
obstacles – obstacles from within and obstacles from without. When we run into
obstacles in this life – illness, injury, or friends making fun of us – that is
when we need to really press into God. That is when we need to really look to
the Lord. That is when we need to really wait for Him to show us the next step
to take or the next words to say. Because if we look to Him, He promises us
that He will renew our strength and help us to overcome all obstacles. And, He
will not only help us to run the race, but He will help us to finish the race
and finish the race well!
God's Standards - Right and Wrong
“The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from
trials and how to hold the wicked until the Day of Judgment…””
2 Peter 2:9
The world tries to tell us that there isn’t anything that is really
right or wrong. The world tries to tell us that what is right or what is wrong
is really only someone’s opinion about what is right and what is wrong. But, in
His Word, God has shown us what is right and what is wrong in His sight. And,
if God is the one who created this world – and if He is the One who created us
– then we should probably pay attention to what God has to say about what is
right and what is wrong, shouldn’t we? Right and wrong are real choices that we
make. And, our choices have real consequences. Good consequences or bad
consequences. God views those who do right and those who do wrong very
differently. And, He treats them very differently as well. He rescues and
protects those who are godly and do right and He punishes those who are wicked
and do wrong. When all is said and done, it is really only God’s opinion about
what is right and what is wrong that really matters. So, let’s live our lives
according to God’s standards of what is right and what is wrong.
Kehilat Sar Shalom
Beth Yeshua
