Middot U'Mitzvot: Character Qualities and Commandments
Listening to G-d's Voice


G-d's Torah is the best source of instruction
in character qualities and holy living


Listening to G-d's Voice - Obeying the King

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:27-28

Once you truly give your life to Yeshua – once you truly trust Him completely – nothing, nor no one, can snatch you out of His hand. That’s a pretty awesome promise isn’t it? And, it’s a promise that should give us great confidence as we daily walk through this life serving Him, shouldn’t it? You see, what God promises, He will do. So, even when He asks us to do something that seems impossible or scary, we can count on Him to see us through. Think about the Maccabees and the situation that they faced. A tiny band of men against the great Syrian army?!? It must have seemed both impossible and scary, right? But, they listened to God’s voice and they took a stand for what was right and God gave them a great victory! Listen and obey. That’s our job as children of the King. Listen and obey. Listen and obey and God will hold you in the palm of His hand and He will give you a great victory!

The Power of Words - Guard Your Tongue

“Moreover, I tell you this: on the Day of Judgment people will have to give an account for every careless word they have spoken.” Matthew 12:36

Have you ever said something without thinking? Sort of blurted something out and then wished you could take it back? Sadly, we all have, from time to time, said things that we later regret. There is a midrash that tells the story of a young man who, without thinking, spreads a rumor about a well known rabbi. The words this young man spoke were untrue and they destroyed the rabbi’s reputation. When the young man realized what he had done, he went to the rabbi to seek forgiveness and ask what he could do to make it up to him. The rabbi told him to go, take a pillow full of feathers, rip it open, and scatter the feathers into the wind. The young man did as he was told. When he returned to tell the rabbi the task was accomplished, the rabbi told him to go out again and gather all of the feathers. The young man exclaimed that this would be impossible. To this, the rabbi responded that it was the same with the damage that had been done to his reputation by the words that the young man had spoken. You see, there is great power in the words that you speak and you will be held accountable for what you say. So, choose your words wisely, guard your tongue, and think before you speak.

The Fullness of G-d - Rich Soil Students

"...every Torah-teacher who has been made into a talmid for the Kingdom of Heaven is like the owner of a home who brings out of his storage room both new things and old." Matthew 13:52

What use is a stove for cooking if you never turn it on? Or, what good is a car if you never fill it up with gasoline and start the engine? Not much, right? The same is true for the Word of God. If we never open up God’s Word, if we just leave it lying on a shelf covered in dust and never read or study it, what good is it? Not much, right? To be a talmid (disciple) for the Kingdom of Heaven requires us to put “hands and feet” on the knowledge of God’s Word. We must take the written Word of God (all of it) and make it come alive in our lives by actually walking it out and doing it like Yeshua showed us how to when He lived here on this earth. If we want to be “rich soil” students of God, bearing much fruit for the Kingdom, if we want to experience His fullness and all that He has to offer, then we must become living examples of Him. We must incorporate all that He is (the new and the old) into our lives—we must turn on the stove and put gasoline in our cars!

The Key to Success - Obeying the L-RD

“Observe the charge of ADONAI your God to go in His ways and keep His...instructions in accordance with what is written in the Torah...so that you will succeed in all you do and wherever you go.” 1 Kings 2:3

Do you want to be successful in this life? Do you want to experience the blessing of God? Do you want all that you say and all that you do to grow and to prosper? Then listen up and hear the words of King David as he spoke them to Solomon, his son. King David, was a “man after God’s own heart,” (Acts 13:22) and, just before he died, he shared the key to success in this life with Solomon his son. King David told Solomon to keep the commandments of God, to walk in the ways of the Lord, and to live his life according to God’s Word – according to God’s Torah. King David told Solomon, his son, that if he did these things, then the Lord would bless him and he would succeed in all that he did and wherever he went. These words of wisdom ring true for us today as well. Want to be successful? Then live your life like King David said. Live a life of obedience like Yeshua did and order your steps according to Torah!

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