My mind is so busy with thoughts that I am not sure where or how to start! Yahweh is leading me in His paths of Righteousness, and in so doing, He teaches and convicts me of things in such a wonderful way! Tonight, He has caused me to ask myself, where is my devotion? Let me explain! :)Think of a tree that has been translanted after many years of growth. This beautiful tree has been growing in the same soil for years, it has grown to love its surroundings, stretching its roots deep. It has grown comfortable, and it intends to continue to grow stonger and more beautiful as time goes by. But now, it finds itself in a state of shock; the tree has been transplanted from its well rooted soil, to a completely new area. This once beautiful tree, now in shock and confusion, must learn to adapt, as well as learn how to devote such strength in its growth as it did in its previous state.
This is a sort of comparison to myself. I was born into, and grew up in a Baptist home. I grew strong and my roots grew deep. I knew what I believed, and I pursued it with zeal. I had a special devotion towards all I held Scripturally dear. By the time I was fifteen, I never missed my personal morning and evening prayers with my Creator. I did my utmost best to keep up on my daily reading of two chapters out of my Bible a day. I was devoted to what I believed, and I wasn't afraid to stand on the streets with my dad while he preached and be ready to talk to someone about the Bible, if they came up to me. Devotion and a steady mind kept a spring in my step.
But now, my roots have been dug up and exposed to so many new thoughts and ideas, so many Scriptural eye-openers! I find myself climbing down the tree of the approximate 32,000 (something like that:) Christian and non-christian denominations, and climbing onto the Branch of the Root of Yahweh! And, though I have learned SO much in these past 3-5 months, and though I am loving every bit of it, and though I have such a strong desire to learn more and more, I realize that, I am not devoted. If I was devoted, I would not miss my every morning praise to Yahweh for the day He created as I step out of my bed to begin my day; I would not miss my special daily prayers; I would not miss my daily reading of the Psalms & Proverbs; And I most certainly would not miss my Shabbat Torah Portions!
Yes, I am learning, but my fire in the camp of devotion has died down. But, HalleluYah (Literally meaning, Praise Yah!), my Creator has slowly, surely, and sweetly began to bring this to my attention and lay it upon my heart! I read the most amazing article tonight taken from the book called, 'The 48 Ways to Wisdom' by Rabbi Noah Weinberg, called 'Way #1 Be Aware of Every Moment.' I suggest everyone read this! Rabbi Noah wrote of paying attention to every detail, to devoting oneself to take time every day to simply....think. To stop wasting time daydreaming, and put those wasted minutes to use! Use these times and moments to think of a personal problem, and think of ways to better it. Or, simply use this time in prayer. All in all, be aware of EVERY moment! Be devoted to a cause, pursue it with zeal, and use your mind as Yahweh intended for us to.
This is so convicting to me, as I am sure that, if I put all my wasted minutes to use, I could have read my two chapters daily, I could have got on my knees and prayed, I could have studied some Hebrew, I could have finished two or three books that I started a month or two ago.
My roots are being planted, now it's time for me to devote my strength to the cause! May Yahweh my Elohim show His lovingkindness and patience towards me as I take this next step into the growth if my roots! May the camp of devotion be rekindled, and may I always be aware of every moment that Yah puts in my life.
Shalom Aleichem, friends. I pray your camps are burning brightly!
Shalom!
ReplyDeleteI found your blog today through Google and read some of your posts. I am happy that you have started to keep some of the mitzwot of Torah!
I want to comment about Torah-observance and devotion..
Yeshayahu [”Isaiah”] 9:6 in Hebrew according to etymology (science of the origins of words and their meaning) prophecies that ha-Mashiakh and his followers will keep the directives of the Torah and teach others that they must do likewise.
The person looking up all instances of the Hebrew word ‘mishpat’, used in that verse, in a concordance will find that the term implies one should observe the directives of Torah non-selectively to ones utmost. This is the devotion that the Creator requires!!
In this article [Link] on my blog www.followyeshua.com and other articles on the same blog you will learn about mitzwot you are not yet observing.
Following the teachings of the Messiah, leads oneself into Torah-observance; and into an immensely meaningful relationship with the Creator.
Shabat shalom when you do your best to keep Torah non-selectively!
Anders Branderud
@Anders Branderud
ReplyDeleteShalom, Anders! Thank-you for commenting! I too believe in non-selective devotion and observance of Torah. Am I there yet? Absolutely not. Is it my desire to be? Yes! I still have so much to learn, but YHWH willing, I will continue to study, learn, and obey. I briefly looked over the link you posted....very interesting! I will definently be back to further my looking around. Thanx again; any and all encouragment to study & follow the Creator's ways is always welcoming.
~Courtney
Courtney,
ReplyDeleteYou are on the right path and it will be the toughest journey of your life to be sure. I want to encourage you to continue to study under the power of the Ruach HaKodesh and also to be on your guard. There are many false teachers looking to gather converts to themselves and to gain some sort of following. After reading Anders blog this is what comes to mind. Only our Abba can determine who is and who is not a true follower. We all come in confused and as little children. it is a process of learning and doing. May I encourage you that through the doing comes the understanding. "we will do, and we will hear". in that order.
Always remember the most important words in Torah.....and these come from Mashiach when He said....."follow Me".
@Courtney Langford,
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! Glad that you found it interesting!
@Brooks,
To call a person, who is doing his/her best to keep Torah non-selectively to his/her utmost as required by the Torah [1], for a ‘false teacher’ is libel – which is forbidden according to Torah.
Ribi [title] Yehoshua – the Messiah – taught: By their fruits you should know them. Their fruits are: Do a person do his/her best to keep Torah non-selectively or not.
Read Devarim 13:1-6 in Hebrew (not in the Christian ‘translation’). This is how the Jewish community always has discerned if a person is a false prophet/teacher or not, including a false Messiah or not.
The Torah including logical mishpat [3] requires subordination to a beit-din – i.e. it is a mitzwah - and the beit-din of followers of Ribi Yehoshua is the Netzarim in Ra’anana in Israel [2].
1.Required in Devarim [“Deuteronomy”] 6:4-9, Devarim 4:2, 13:1, Yekhezeqeil [“Ezekiel” 18] in Hebrew according to etymology
2.Documented in this post : Link
3. Look up the definition in www.netzarim.co.il ; Glossaries; “Mishpat”. The Christian rendering of the term as ‘judgement’ conceals the real meaning of the term according to the Torah, which is related to non-selective Torah-observance [based on Shem•ot′ [Exodus] 15:39; Devâriim′ [”Deuteronmy”] 17:9-13 and many more verses).
Anders Branderud
@Anders Branderud
ReplyDeleteI am not hoping to open this post up as a continual battle ground (*Grin), but here's some thoughts, Anders.
I can see where both you and Brooks are coming from. I do not know how you (Anders) were raised, or what your family was like...etc. I for one most certainly was not raised in a Torah observant home. If you know anything about Christians/Baptists, then you know I was taught that 'the law' was done away with. I was taught nothing of Yisrael, and I was taught that we did not need to undertsand Hebrew, for all we needed was the 'holy spirit' to guide us in our learning. I grew up in a 'I'm right and you're stupid' enviroment. We believed we were right, and that was that.
But 'that' has a name: Arrogance.
Looking at at how I was brought up, I can see where Brooks is gathering his thoughts. There are people out there just like I was who don't even know what the word Torah means...they've never even heard of it. If you come at them with a loaded barrel, they're going to back off and see you as a person of arrogance and start looking for answers else where.
If I was a person that got offended easily (which I am not) and was just now learning Torah, and you said to me,.. "That's wonderful, but I'll start wishing you blessings when you start following Torah non-selectively."...I would be greatly discouraged. MANY people are anti-Torah and that's all they've been taught. Grace needs to be shown here...and I'm not talking about the 'grace' that christians talk about, I mean the grace of the Creator that has been here since the beginning.
I believe Brooks detects little grace in your comments. Perhaps I agree, but at the same time, I agree on nonselective observance of Torah, and I do believe that non-selective observance is how we follow HaMashiach. Nevetheless, too much meat and one will choke.
I wish you both Yah's shalom and guidance!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHey again Courty, or should I say howdy ; )
ReplyDeleteI read your reply quite long time ago and now decided to reply. Sorry for the delay!
I am also coming from a Christian background. I was a very devoted Christian for six years and then I learned through studies in the Tana’’ch that Christianity contradicts the Torah. The last year as a Christian I came to the understanding of that the Creator requires of me to observe some directives of the Torah, and I did my best to implement what I learned. Than in the spring of 2007 I encountered yet more knowledge that made me to take a big decision affecting my observance and beliefs. More of my life I describe in this testimonial: Link. My parents have been Christians during all of my upbringing and still are.
“I was taught nothing of Yisrael, (..) us in our learning.”
Indeed, that is what I was taught also.
“If you come at them with a loaded barrel (..) “
Well, I know that I don’t communicate in the way that is the most efficient in order for persons to start walking in the right path, all of the time. I do my best to always have this in mind and to implement it.
However, when I and others are slandered, it is in accordance with Torah to defend oneself and refute the slander.
“"That's wonderful, (..) "
Okay, I will have that in mind. I surely don’t want people to get discouraged by my ending phrase. None of my writings are aimed at discouraging people. However, people who don’t want to keep the truth will necessarily be discouraged when I demonstrate from the Hebrew Bible that the Creator requires them to observe His directives in His Torah.
It is clear that the Creator only gives His blessing to those doing their utmost to following Him – D’varim – Deuteronomy – 28 and forward. Mishlei Shlomoh [Proverbs] 28:9 about prayer. However, it is easy to become a blessed person, by just start implementing the directives of His Torah. Just like David taught in Tehilim – ‘Psalm 1’ – that is a lifestyle full of life.
“Grace needs to be shown here. (..)“
Regarding grace; did you know this?:
As stipulated in Devarim ["Deuteronomy"] 6:4-9,11:13-21 one is required to keep all of the directives of Torâh′ to one’s utmost—viz., “with all one’s heart, psyche and might [lit. "very"]“—”for the purpose of extending your days and the days of your children… like the days of the heavens above the earth” (i.e., eternal life). According to the Hebrew Bible -Yekhezeqeil ["Ezekiel"] chapter 18 et.al in Hebrew – the Creator confer His atonement in His loving kindness to those and only those turning away from their Torah-transgressions and (re)turning to non-selectively Torah-observance including mishpat.
These are quite serious words. Indeed, the Creator do love all of mankind and indeed He wishes us all well; however, it is important to remember that according to Torah there is no forgiveness for the person not doing his/her utmost to keep the directives of Torah non-selectively.
However, there is hope ; ) We can all start loving the Creator by observing His directives of His Torah – including to start celebrating Shabbat and stop eating shellfish and pork. Torah-observance includes – and is necessary for- an immensely meaningful relationship with the Creator – blessed is He!
Christians believe in the ‘gospels’.. However the ‘gospels’ have been heavily redacted. [Documentation]
I wish that you will have a great day and that you will walk on the right path!
Shalom,
Anders