Only the Beginning - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Only the Beginning

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

“The end of something is better than its beginning, so the patient are better than the proud.” (Ecclesiastes 7:8, Complete Jewish Bible)

There are times the Lord will give me a word that I “hear” in my head, and I know He has something for me to share in writing. At other times I will ask Him for a word, and then He tells me. This time He gave me the words, “Only the beginning.”

Now I know that that is in the lyrics of the song Beginnings, sung by the band Chicago in the 1970’s. But I don’t think it has anything to do with that. I believe there is something else the Lord wants to speak at this time.

My sense is that there are some of us, myself included at times, who may think our “assignment”, whether it be on a job, in a particular situation we have been in for a period, or even near the completion of this life, is done. We get the feeling that it is over, the season has passed, and now it is time to move on. For some it may be we are wanting it over, out of discouragement or disappointment. We may really hope it is.

That may be true. That aspect of your life, or mine, may be done. But it does not mean that our long term purpose and plan of the Lord is over. It may be it is only the beginning of something new; the next challenge we are to face and be as a conqueror in and through it. We may be close to finishing the one assignment. We have gone through it in preparation for the next.

When I meditate on the ways of the Lord, and read of His actions in the many lives of the biblical characters, I find peace and hope that He fully knows the beginning and the end for each of us. As we put our trust in Him, we can be certain that what may have been seen as bad will prove in the end to be good.

The Word does say clearly, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Romans 8:28-30, NASU)

When I consider the works of His hands, such as how a mountain stream begins as a small trickle and gathers momentum as it works its way down the slope, I am confident of this. Those things which may seem unimportant at first, due to lack of size or notice, will one day be the full, finished product the Maker had in mind all along.

Look at how many times a large corporation “started off in the garage” of its founder.

Whether you are hoping to finish something now in your life, and glad it is almost over, or just beginning something new, be reassured that the Lord has promised to be with you every step along the way. In good and in bad, in sickness and in health, our Bridegroom will remain steadfast to see us through. He has promised to be there, from the beginning to the end.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People, Inc.

P.S. I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

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Now Think On This - In the Year of our Lord 04.22.17 - #280 – “Only the Beginning” – Saturday, 1:40 pm

All previous editions of Now Think On This can be found on this Blog, and on the website: Now Think On This

Again, I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

The Modest Beginnings of The Great Return Of Spanish and Portuguese Jews By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

The Modest Beginnings of The Great Return Of Spanish and Portuguese Jews

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz May 17, 2016  BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

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“Therefore say: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Although I have removed them far off among the nations and although I have scattered them among the countries yet have I been to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they are come; therefore say: Thus saith the Lord GOD: I will even gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered and I will give you the land of Yisrael.” Ezekiel 11:16-17 (The Israel Bible™)

Israel Independence Day was marked last week with large celebrations and fireworks, but small rallies held around the world, easily overlooked, may have signalled the beginning of a great change for the Jewish people: the return of millions of Bnei Anousim.

The “crypto-Jews”,  or Bnei Anousim in Hebrew, are descendants of Jews who were forcibly converted in Spain and Portugal during the Inquisitions in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. At the time of the Inquisitions, Jews made up 20 percent of the population of Spain and Portugal but only about half a million fled during the  subsequent expulsions. Those who remained were forced to convert. Many maintained a covert connection to their Jewish roots through cryptic family traditions and are just now beginning tentative steps to re-establish their spiritual and genealogical identity.

(Photo: Ezra L’Anousim)

The rallies were organized by Ezra L’Anousim (“Help to the Anousim” in Hebrew), an organization started by Batya Yaffa Dacosta, a returned Jew, to help crypto-Jews reconnect to their Jewish roots. The organization offers a platform for crypto-Jews to connect to each other in their journey back to their spiritual roots.

Acknowledging this national identity had special meaning for the groups of emerging crypto-Jews who gathered together in over 40 cities around the world on Israel’s Independence Day last week to show support for the state. The turnout was admittedly modest but participation at the rallies was visibly enthusiastic . The small groups represent the vanguard of a much larger movement that can only continue to grow. The cause is important and the number of people affected is in the millions.

(Photo: Ezra L’Anousim)

This religious identity took on a nationalistic dimension with the creation of the modern State of Israel, which in many ways enabled the Bnei Anousim to finally reconnect with Judaism. Dacosta explained that Israel provides a focal point for Jews to come together, a necessary aspect of the return of the Bnei Anousim.

“The reason for the rallies was so that these people who have had to live a secret life for so long should know that they are not alone,” DaCosta told Breaking Israel News. “There is an incredible awakening going on but some of the people are so afraid to come out publicly because of all the fear that has been passed down.” DaCosta compared it to the experience of Holocaust survivors, who were suddenly turned on by their neighbors. “The difference is that this has gone on for 500 years.”

DaCosta said that many of the Bnei Anousim want to come live in Israel, expressing a preference for settling in the Negev, the southern area of Israel, as an enactment of the prophecy in Obadiah.

And the captivity of this host of the B’nei Yisrael that are among the Canaanites even unto Zarephath  (France) and the captivity of Jerusalem that is in Sepharad (Spain) shall possess the cities of the South.  (Obadiah 1:20)

Recent awareness of the plight of the Bnei Anousim has led to the creation of several organizations to help the Bnei Anousim connect with the Jewish People. Shavei Israel, the largest of these organizations, has been working with Bnei Anousim for over a decade. Its Spanish language guidebook for crypto-Jews has been distributed to tens of thousands for free and future editions in Portugese, Italian, and English are planned. Reconectar is a website that helps people on any level they choose, whether it is to reconnect with Judaism, or just to learn more about their own heritage.

(Photo: Ezra L’Anousim)

The return of the Bnei Anousim is a recent global phenomenon. Spanish and Portuguese governments are offering citizenship to descendants of Jews expelled from their countries centuries ago. In October, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs held the first ever official Knesset Caucus for Reconnection with the Descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Communities.

DaCosta plans on having a global rally every year on Israel’s Independence Day. She compared it to the beginnings of the movement that opened the doors for millions of trapped Jews to leave the former Soviet Union, though the return of the Bnei Anousim has far more potential for the Jewish people. Recent genetic studies have shown that the return of the Bnei Anousim could increase the number of Jews in the world four times over.

Dacosta insisted that these first steps towards raising awareness are essential. She has high hopes for more people around the world to discover their Jewish roots and joining in future rallies. “There is really a great anousim awakening going on, and it is only just beginning.”