Middot U'Mitzvot: Character Qualities and Commandments
Seek G-d Wholeheartedly


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


Seek God WholeHeartedly

“Seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29

Have you ever lost something and then become so focused on finding it that absolutely nothing else mattered? Have you ever experienced a time when to find what was lost – when to find what you were searching for – consumed all of your thoughts, your time, and your energy? Well, that’s how we’re supposed to be seeking God. We often complain that we can’t “feel” God’s presence. We get discouraged thinking that He is far away or has forgotten about us. But, usually, when we feel like this, it’s not because God has moved – it’s because we’ve moved. We are the ones who put God on the shelf and give our time and attention to other things. God promises to be there when we seek Him and He always keeps His promises. But, we have to seek Him wholeheartedly – with all of our heart and soul. That means we have to seek Him with the very core of our being – with all of our will and emotion – with all of our thoughts, time, and energy. And, when we do, we will find Him. So, go on and seek God with your whole heart!

Nothing Can Seperate Us From God

“I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers, neither what exists nor what is coming, neither powers above nor powers below, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua, our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

This life can be hard sometimes. It’s filled with challenges, difficulties, illnesses, fears, injuries, and tragedies. Sometimes it feels like the whole world is against us and there’s no way that we can win. But, when we’re discouraged, we must remember that—in Messiah Yeshua—the victory is already won. Rav Sha’ul tells us, in his letter to the Romans, that absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God that is found in the Messiah Yeshua. And, nothing means N-O-T-H-I-N-G. Nothing from this life or this world or the world to come can come between or split us apart from our Heavenly Father. Isn’t that great news? Doesn’t it give you courage and fill you with great joy? When Yeshua rose from the dead, the victory was won! So, when you face one of life’s hardships, remember that you are united with the Messiah. Remember that you have the one, true God on your side. Grab hold of Yeshua and put your trust in Him because He will never leave you or let you down and nothing will ever separate you from Him.

Do Not Trust Every Spirit - Test The Spirits

“This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Messiah Yeshua has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Yeshua is not from God.” 1 John 4:2-3a

People are not always who they appear to be. Have you ever known somebody who put on an act to disguise how they really felt or to hide what they really believed? Maybe this person wanted you to think that they were cool or tough or…whatever, but, on the inside, they were scared or embarrassed or hurting. This type of “masking” the truth can also happen when it comes to people saying that they believe in God or in the Bible. But, having a real relationship with God involves more than just saying you believe in Him. And, the key is what someone does with Yeshua—do they acknowledge that He is the Son of God who came in the flesh and died and rose again to save us from our sins, or not? Lots of people will say that they believe in God, but they will not recognize Yeshua as the Messiah. That’s why it’s so important for us to “test the Spirits” like John tells us to in the verse above. We do not want to stumble over someone’s hidden unbelief. Rather, we would like to reach out and share with them the truth of Messiah Yeshua.

Blessing in Repentance - Turn From Evil

“It is to you first that God has sent his servant whom he has raised up, so that he might bless you by turning each one of you from your evil ways.” Acts 3:26

Yochanan the Immerser said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2) Peter said, “Repent, and each of you be immersed on the authority of Yeshua the Messiah into forgiveness of your sins….” (Acts 2:38) And, when Yeshua sent His disciples out in Mark 6:12, He told them to preach to the people to repent. Repentance is key to our relationship with our Creator. And, to repent means more than to just say, “I’m sorry.” To repent means to turn and go in another direction. It means to stop walking one way – in the way of sin – and to turn and walk back toward God – in righteousness. As children of the King, we are to do more than simply feel bad about the evil things that we have done – we are turn away from those evil things and leave them behind us forever. God cannot bless evil. He cannot bless sin. If we want to receive the blessing of God, then we must be willing to walk away from anything that is not pleasing to Him. So, Repent – turn from evil, back to God – and be blessed!

Kehilat Sar Shalom

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