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Showing posts from July, 2025

Yeshua At The Table: Who Gets A Seat?

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When we picture Yeshua, we often see Him standing in the synagogue, teaching on a hillside, or walking with His disciples through dusty paths in Galilee. But one of the most overlooked yet deeply powerful places where He revealed the Kingdom of God was at the table. Meals in the ancient world were never just about food. They were about belonging. They were about honor, shame, status, and relationship. And Yeshua, with His astonishing grace, had a way of upsetting every expectation about who got a seat. Let’s start with a simple truth: Yeshua loved to eat with people. The Gospels show Him at the table so often, some of His enemies accused Him of being a φάγος ( phágos – “glutton”) and a οἰνοπότης ( oinopótēs – “wine-drinker”) in Matthew 11:19 . Why? Because He didn’t just eat with the “good people.” He ate with tax collectors, sinners, and even pharisees who wanted to trap Him. If you look at who He dined with, you’ll discover something scandalous: Yeshua’s table was big enough...

When Zeal Meets God’s Will

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Paul was a man on fire for the Lord, but that fire sometimes burned so hot it came close to consuming him. We often think of him as the great apostle who wrote so many of the letters we read in the New Testament, but we forget he was also stubborn, headstrong, and even reckless at times. Just like the first king of Israel, שָׁאוּל ( Sha’ul – asked for ), Paul (also Sha’ul) was not above pushing the line God had drawn. And it’s important we see this, not to tear him down, but to learn from the lessons God has left us through his life. Paul admitted openly that God had given him a painful reminder of his weakness. In 2 Corinthians 12:7–9 , he wrote: “ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My str...

Worship God's Word Completely

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  Read this in worshipful prayer to our Holy God: In Genesis , I bow before the words בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים ( Berēshīt bārā’ ’Elōhīm : “In the beginning, God created”). You, O Lord, called light out of darkness and breathed life into dust. And even in the garden, when sin entered, I see You whispering of Yeshua, the Seed who would crush the serpent’s head. In Exodus , I hear the cries of Your people and see Your mercy answer: אֲנִי יְהוָה ( Ani YHWH : “I am the LORD”). You break the chains, split the sea, and lead Your children home. Your glory rests among them in the tabernacle, and I know this is Emmanuel, Yeshua dwelling with us. In Leviticus , You call — וַיִּקְרָא ( Vayyikra : “And He called”). A holy God inviting me close. Every sacrifice, every priestly act, points straight to the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. You say, קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ ( Qedoshim tihyu – “Be holy”), and in Yeshua, You clothe me with that holiness. In Numbers , though Your ch...

Repentance Explained

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  When we speak of repentance, we are not dealing with a suggestion, or with a word tossed lightly into the air. We are dealing with the very heartbeat of God’s covenant call to mankind. From the very beginning, repentance has been the bridge between our rebellion and His mercy, the turning that brings us out of darkness and into the light of His presence. The word itself is both simple and profound. In the Torah and throughout the Tanakh, the Hebrew root שׁוּב ( shuv ) rings like a bell — “to return, to turn back.” It carries the image of a traveler who has gone the wrong way, who suddenly realizes his error, stops, and retraces his steps back home. Repentance is not merely an emotional regret, not the sigh of a guilty conscience, but a decisive turning — a return to God Himself. Later, in the Greek of the New Testament, the word μετάνοια ( metánoia ) takes its place, a word that literally means a “change of mind.” But the meaning stretches beyond the intellect. It is the change ...

The Mystery of the Aleph and Tav

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The very first words of Scripture contain a mystery that has been waiting thousands of years for eyes willing to see it. Many pass over it without a second thought, because in translation it seems invisible. Yet this small, two-letter Hebrew word carries within it the signature of the Messiah Himself. That word is אֵת — ’ et — spelled Aleph ( א ) and Tav ( ת ), the first and last letters of the Hebrew alephbet . When Moses recorded the creation account in Genesis, he began: בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ — Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve’et ha’aretz — “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” ( Genesis 1:1 ). Hidden in plain sight is אֵת , right after the name of God. Grammatically, in Hebrew, it is considered the “direct object marker.” It signals what the action of the verb applies to. But unlike most words in Scripture, it cannot be translated directly into English. It has no sound or meaning—only a function. Yet, what is untrans...

One Soul Matters

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One Soul Matters There’s something quietly radical about Luke 15. When Jesus tells these three stories—the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son—it’s as if He’s handing us the very heartbeat of God. These aren’t just moral lessons or nice parables for Sunday school. They are invitations to understand the relentless, personal love of God, to see His value system, and to remember why every single person counts. It’s easy to get swept up in the idea of mass evangelism or big outreach numbers—and don’t get me wrong, those things have their place—but the real gospel pulses with a different rhythm: one soul is enough. I want you to picture that first story with me. The shepherd who has a hundred sheep. Maybe you’ve seen flocks before—hundreds grazing peacefully on a hillside. When one wanders off, what do you think most shepherds would do? Maybe count the ninety-nine left, breathe a sigh of relief that most are safe, and go about their day. But Jesus says the shepherd leaves the...

The God Who Remembers

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    In Hebrew, זָכַר ( zakhar ) means more than recalling — it’s to act on behalf of what is remembered. When God “remembers” Noah ( Genesis 8:1 ), Rachel ( Genesis 30:22 ), or His covenant ( Exodus 2:24 ), it means deliverance is already in motion. There is something deeply comforting about knowing that our God is a God who remembers. Now, the Hebrew word behind that simple English idea— זָכַר ( zakhar ) —isn't just about recalling something like you might remember where you put your keys or what you had for breakfast. No, zakhar is alive and powerful. It’s a word that means God remembers in a way that moves Him to act on what He remembers. It's covenantal, personal, and purposeful. In the Bible, when God remembers someone or something, it’s never some distant thought or a vague memory floating around. It’s a divine stirring, a movement of His heart and will toward fulfilling promises, bringing rescue, or extending mercy. This is the God who remembers Noah when the flood...

There Aren't Always Fireworks

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  Life has this way of catching us off guard. One minute we think we’ve got the next few steps mapped out, and the next we’re staring at a closed door, a detour, or a deep ache we didn’t see coming. Maybe it’s a job that didn’t work out. Maybe someone let us down. Maybe we’re carrying questions that don’t seem to have answers. Whatever the case, those are the moments when we find ourselves at a fork in the road—and the path God asks us to take doesn’t always come with explanations, neon signs, or a big emotional rush. Sometimes, we just get a quiet whisper in the dark: “Trust Me.” But if we’re honest, that’s not always easy to do. Trust sounds simple when life’s smooth. But when things unravel a bit, trust feels more like a wrestle than a resting place. That’s why I come back again and again to Proverbs 3:5-6 :  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” That verse feel...