Showing posts with label Lord Almighty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lord Almighty. Show all posts

Saturday, November 4, 2017

V’ahavta וְאָהַבְתָּ ‘And you shall love’ - "Perspective" Hadassah from Jerusalem


V’ahavta  
וְאָהַבְתָּ    ‘And you shall love’ 

Perspective
Hadassah from Jerusalem

When we first moved back to Israel, we had a small two-bedroom apartment. It was exactly what we wanted and needed at the time. There was a fig tree in our ‘yard’. We say ‘yard’ because it was really only the size of a small bedroom. There used to be an apple tree, but for some reason the landlord saw fit to remove it. That left a massive fig tree surrounded by dirt. Not a very useful area as in the winter it turned into mud and the summer it was full of bugs. So we decided to pave the area to make it more useful.

Having a fruit tree in ones’ yard is a mixed blessing. There is the romantic notion of trotting into the garden, bowl in hand, to pick the morning fare. (We are not especially fond of figs though). The reality is, there is dropped fruit everywhere including on the clean laundry. Dropped fruit means ants and bees and bugs and a funny smell if not cleaned up right away. This tree also had a branch that seemed to always swipe me in the head as I walked by! 

We did not fully understand the ‘gift’ that had been given us. In looking in the Torah, we know that the fig is one of the 7 species of Israel. (Deuteronomy 8:8) There is also a wonderful promise that upon returning to the Land, we will ‘live in houses we did not build and eat from trees we did not plants’. That each of us will invite our neighbor to sit with us under our fig tree-- a picture of dwelling in peace. (Zechariah 3:10). 

Right in front of us, we had the blessing of returning to the Land in the ‘person’ of this fig tree. But we also learned another lesson from our Arab gardener, Ya’acov and our Moroccan Jewish landlord, Pini.

Ya’acov installed tile in our yard. The branch that hangs too low kept clipping him and he saw what a nuisance it can be. He kept wanting to cut it off. Actually, even before putting in the tile when he worked for us he had been bugging us to cut it off. 

One day he came and said that the landlord wanted it cut. We asked him several times if he was sure. We couldn’t imagine Pini doing that as it would be about half of the tree! Our understanding of Hebrew isn’t that bad but I thought I should ask Pini to be certain. 

Sure enough, when we asked Pini about it he said ‘NO! It is a mitzvah to grow this tree! It is one of the Shivat HaMinim! The 7 species’ He went on the show us the others of the 7 species that he was growing in the garden.

As Pini walked away, we were struck by the different perspectives on this tree:

Ours: the fig tree was a bit of a nuisance- messy, bug drawing, sticky mess.

Ya’acov: cutting the fig tree represented a bit of income if he could cut it.

Pini: his fig tree was a mitzvah… an act of obedience to Torah and a Holy work; a blessing and a fulfillment of promises made by God. 


After this, we looked at the fig tree with totally new eyes. I also learned to make jam so we could enjoy the fruit! May we continue to have this kind of ‘seeing’ as we walk this Land of promise.

"Every man will sit under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid; for the Lord Almighty has spoken." Micah 4:4

Nissim & Hadassah
Jerusalem, Israel

Hadassah and Nissim, her accountant husband, live in a settlement just outside Jerusalem with their dog Molly. After making Aliyah (immigrating) from the U.S. with their five children in 1989, they are now semi-retired and open their home to guests and those wishing to make Aliyah. When not busy with their 16 'GrandWonders', they enjoy a quiet life of study, prayer and learning to serve the LORD. 


Hadassah #12 11.04.17


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Friday, October 9, 2015

God of Truth Will Slay Israel's Enemies - ISRAEL TODAY

God of Truth Will Slay Israel's Enemies

Friday, October 09, 2015 |  Charles Gardner  ISRAEL TODAY

The stage is being set for what could turn into an almighty battle in the Middle East. Israel was already surrounded by sworn enemies before Russia entered the toxic fray, and we are now witnessing an extremely dangerous situation which could erupt into a major conflict at any moment.
But the entire scenario needs to be seen through a biblical lens. With such a focus, we should be in no doubt that this is a battle for truth more than anything else; it is not just a physical reality, but a spiritual certainty. The God of Israel is pitched against the old enemy, Satan, who is employing all his usual tricks in a bid to deceive the world with a torrent of lies.
Through the natural lens it may well appear as yet another young David facing up to the seemingly impossible task of slaying the nine-foot Philistine giant Goliath. But in fact David, through whose line Jesus traces his ancestry, never saw it that way: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” (1 Samuel 17.45)
David became the greatest king Israel ever had, and today’s re-born nation would do well to adopt their hero’s total faith and trust in Elohim.
True, today’s Israeli society is as secular as Britain’s in many ways. But there are encouraging signs that this could soon change. The prophets foretold that, before Messiah’s return, there would be a great spiritual awakening among God’s people whose hearts would be melted as they recognised the One who declared his everlasting love for them with outstretched arms.
The stage is set for this great unveiling, and the key lies in the Word of God. Israel has miraculously survived many attempts to destroy her, but when the beleaguered nation finally takes her eyes off the ‘horses and chariots’ that have helped defend her thus far, they will surely put their total trust in the Lord. It is heartening to know that Prime Minister Netanyahu is a convinced believer in the Bible, which is well able to impart ultimate truth (2 Timothy 3.16) as he seeks the Lord on major decisions. We also hear of a colonel working to bring strong biblical values to IDF soldiers. A recent survey has revealed that an impressive 95% of Israelis have a Bible in their homes. And the heart of its message is: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105) The Jewish people will very soon welcome their Messiah.
But the onus is not only on them. The Gentiles have a big responsibility to help in this process through their love and support, and indeed through sharing the message originally passed on to them by Jews such as the Apostle Paul. In this respect Russia’s establishing of a military base in the Syrian city of Latakia is a wake-up call to the Church. The city was known in ancient times as Laodicea, home of the first century church which earned a stern rebuke from our Lord that they were neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm, and he was going to spit them out of his mouth. It’s a good description of the Church’s attitude to Israel’s predicament today; they’re neither hot nor cold about it; they simply can’t see its relevance to them. (Revelation 3.14-22)
Russia’s presence, complete with tanks, ships and airplanes, is meant to prop up the Assad regime, a key ally of Iran which has made no secret either of its intention to wipe Israel off the map or of its support for the Hezbollah terrorists posing a major threat on Israel’s northern borders. In fact Iranian forces are now reported to be on the Golan Heights. The clash of interests is as obvious as it is frightening. All the while tensions in Israel itself are almost at boiling point with seven children orphaned in recent attacks on innocent Jews.
Against this background the world continues to witness the deceit and hypocrisy of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas who, at the UN, compared Israel to apartheid South Africa and Nazi Germany, and declared that the PA no longer considered itself bound by the 1993 Oslo Accords. Does this mean they’re now officially terrorists again as the Oslo Accords had legitimized them? The PA has never kept the agreement anyway as their former leader Yasser Arafat was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on the basis of dropping Israel’s destruction from its charter. That never happened!
The raising of the PLO flag at the UN headquarters for the first time was about as effective as Goliath’s shield. All that is needed is one well-aimed rock of God’s truth and the whole sorry propaganda edifice will come crashing down as people finally realise there never was a Palestinian state and that it was the Jews who were known as Palestinians before 1948.
As bestselling author Jack Engelhard wrote last week, “The entire world is arming itself against radical Islam, and it was to support radical Islam that Mahmoud Abbas came to the United Nations.”
The word of God says: “The day of the Lord is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.” (Obadiah 1:15)
And now Jew-hatred is effectively being exported to Europe where many of the refugees fleeing Muslim countries will have been brought up on decades of anti-Semitism learned and promoted through schools, newspapers and social networks. Worse still, some of the refugees will undoubtedly turn out to be ISIS fighters in disguise.
Also in the Middle Eastern firing line are Christians, who worship Jesus, the Jew. I have just received a shocking report (from California-based Assist News Service) of the beheading and crucifixion of a dozen indigenous Christian workers near Aleppo in Syria.
Supported by US-based Christian Aid Mission, they had opportunities to escape, but chose to stay in order to provide aid and comfort in the name of Christ amidst the carnage. All were ex-Muslims who refused to renounce Christ, and were badly brutalized before being executed, with the two women among them publicly raped. Yet they prayed throughout their ordeal. And in the midst of such unspeakable horror, the region’s underground church has mushroomed since June 2014. One former ISIS fighter fled to Jordan where he intended to kill Christian aid workers. But something stopped him from following through with his plan and that night he saw Jesus in a dream. He subsequently received Christ with tears, and now he’s helping in the church.
A spokesman said: “In the past we used to pray to have one person from a Muslim background come to the Lord. Now there are so many we can barely handle all the work among them.”
Jews and Christians are in it together because they share their Messiah who is clearly coming soon judging by the many signs of his imminent return. The nations are being shaken. It’s time to stand with the God of Israel and the Israel of God!

Charles Gardner is author of Israel the Chosen, available from Amazon, and Peace in Jerusalem, available from olivepresspublisher.com
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Friday, July 12, 2013

Your Great Name (OFFICIAL VIDEO) from Paul Wilbur










Paul Wilbur


Published on Feb 14, 2013
Find Paul Wilbur's "Your Great Name" album now on iTuneshttp://bit.ly/15o6QkB
Words and Music by Krissy Nordhoff & Michael Neale

Lyrics:

Verse 1

Lost are saved find their way
At the sound of Your great Name
All condemned feel no shame
At the sound of Your great Name
Ev'ry fear has no place
At the sound of Your great Name
The enemy he has to leave
At the sound of Your great Name

Chorus 1

Jesus (Yeshua) worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us
The Son of God and man
You are high and lifted up
And all the world will praise
Your great Name

Verse 2

All the weak find their strength
At the sound of Your great Name
Hungry souls receive grace
At the sound of Your great Name
The fatherless find their rest
At the sound of Your great Name
The sick are healed the dead are raised
At the sound of Your great Name
Misc 1

(BRIDGE 1)
Redeemer my Healer Lord Almighty
Defender my Savior You are my King
(REPEAT)
Misc 2

(BRIDGE 2)
Sing the Name of Jesus
We worship the Name of Jesus
We bow before Jesus
There is no other Name but Jesus

CCLI Song # 5393329 Krissy Nordhoff | Michael Neale © 2008 Integrity's Praise! Music (Admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing) TwoNords Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
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