Teach Your Children Well

 

"And you (Can you hear?) of tender years (And do you care?)

Can't know the fears (And can you see?)

That your elders grew by (We must be free)

And so, please help (To teach your children)

Them with your youth (What you believe in)

They seek the truth (Make a world)

Before they can die (That we can live in)"

Lyrics Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is older he will not depart from it.

I have quoted this scripture to myself when I desperately needed a reminder and have used it to encourage many parents with prodigal children. However, this week I realized a whole new meaning to the outcome of not training up a child in the way he should go.

We need to go back to the beginning when God tells Moses to have 12 spies search out the promise land and bring back a report. Now remember, the children of Israel have been taken out of Egypt, experienced first hand all the plagues that God personally did, walked through the Red Sea and watched Pharaoh and his army drown, ate heavenly food daily called manna, saw water come from a rock and if all that wasn't enough, personally saw the cloud of God by day and the fire by night to know when and where to go!!!

You can read all this for yourself in Exodus.

Move onto Numbers 13 to see the outcome of the spies who were sent out and the fearful, faithless report they bring back to the children of Israel.  Only Hoshea son on Nun, whom Moses called Joshua and Caleb still believed in the miracles of God, even though they all directly saw the events.

Numbers 14:6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them. ”10 And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.

God's response:

22 because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, 23 they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. 24 But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.

29 The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.

30 Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. 31 But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised.

To sum it up, God is saying that even though you saw with your own eyes that I AM all powerful and I alone saved you, yet you still don't trust me, you will not enter the land I promised you.

Moving forward God tells His children to have nothing to do with the following people and the reason why.

Exodus 34:10 And He said: “Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you. 11 Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 12 Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. 13 But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images 14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), 15 lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice, 16 and you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods.

God is teaching His children from the beginning of Exodus to this point what He needs them to learn and know. How their decisions will effect their future and that of future generations. He warns them against marrying people who will turn them into whores for other gods. 

Moses is on the journey with them all the way up to the book of Joshua, teaching the children of Israel the laws of God.  Because of his own disobedience God has forbid him from entering the Promise Land with Joshua, however, Moses passed the mantle of leadership to Joshua.

Deuteronomy 34: Now Joshua the son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; and the sons of Israel listened to him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.

We will pick up now in the book of Joshua as they enter the new land.  God speaking:

Joshua 1:7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Interestingly enough God does another miracle with water for His children as they crossed the Jordan River. Read Joshua Chapter 3 for the details.  After the entire nation finished crossing the Jordan the LORD spoke again telling Joshua to take one man from each tribe, and remove a stone from the middle of the Jordan as a sign.

Joshua 4:6 "Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, "what do these stones mean?" 

OK where am I going with this you ask? I know I'm taking the long way but I need YOU Gems to know the facts before I make my humble point.

Think about it, every man from 20 years and above died in the wilderness before they crossed over to the promise land right? So other than Moses, Joshua and Caleb I don't think there were many old people with them, Elders if you will. The real issue here is other than Joshua and Caleb at this point in history they are the only two eye witnesses of God's past miracles.

The book of Joshua goes through battles and the giving out of the inheritance of land to each tribe of Israel.  The book ends with Joshua once again recapping all that had happened in the Nations history with God from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He goes over the events with Moses and the exodus from Egypt.  After the recap he asks a question of the people, who will you serve as  you enter the land of the Amorites? These were the people inhabiting the land they were entering.  He let's them know as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:16 So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; 17 for the Lord our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way that we went and among all the people through whom we passed. 18 And the Lord drove out from before us all the people, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.”  19 But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you, after He has done you good.”  21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord!” 22 So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord for yourselves, to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses!” 23 “Now therefore,” he said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.”  24 And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!”  25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.  26 Then Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone, and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 And Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God.”

First off I find it intriguing he says the stone has heard and will be a witness....

Joshua was the last of the prophets, now enter the era of Judges.

Chapter 1 opens with Israel asking who will fight for them against the Canaanites and the Lord says Judah.  He let's them know He has given the land into his hand and they would win the battle.

However, each following leader in Judges does not drive out the Canaanites like they were commanded by God to do. The chapter begins with God's judgment against the Canaanites and ends with God's judgment against Israel.

When the last generation who saw what God did died the next generation did not follow God's rules. Why?

They didn't know God. 

Joshua 2:7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the LORD which He had done for Israel.

They served God while Joshua and the elders were alive. Where the people failed was not continuing to teach the children about God and His laws, the blessings in following them and the curses for disobedience. 

We see that by Judges 2:10-11 When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals;

They failed their children. This whole generation of Israel didn't just decide not to follow God anymore they didn't have a relationship with Him. They followed the god's of society that were available to them at the time. Baal was a god of fertility in your family, land and harvest. It was an attractive god to them, they were never farmers, they were slaves they "needed" a god of soil for their crops. They would "believe" in God they were just adding other gods to the list. They didn't know the part about “You cannot serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins, If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods!

When I was in Haiti leading vacation bible school we did a program at the end for the parents and to my surprise, the local witch doctor came. There he was seated in the front wearing all his garb. I asked a local Haitian about it because I thought the witch doctor forbid believing in God. He told me it was ok for them to believe in "our god" as long as he, the witch doctor was still the main god.

Same concept here in the history of the Israelites.   The story gets pretty gross with all that went on with the children of Israel, not much different than how gross we have become as a people who say we believe in God.

An angel calls them out and let's them know that because of their disobedience God would no longer drive out their enemies from  them, they would become as thorns in their sides and their gods shall be a snare to them. The people wept BUT they did not repent, conviction is not the same as repentance.

Gems back to the beginning of this jewel, teach your children well...  Most people today don't know God, they know about Him. The generations still have not been faithful in sharing the truths of God's love. The blessings and the curses that we choose by being obedient or disobedient. We still don't understand the only way to the Father is through the SON.

I remember years ago I was leading multiple bible studies and decided to join a group at the local church. As soon as I sat down I felt the Holy Spirit say "you keep sharing with friends and strangers but how much do you share with your own children and grandchildren?"  I went home and started testifying to my family about all the miraculous things God did in the past for me and them and how He was still moving in my life. Do I do it all the time? God forgive me the answer is no.

Train up a child in the way he should go so he won't depart from it generations later! Nothing blesses me more than seeing my sons teach their kids about God. When we praise together as a family and I see my grandchildren watching their parents sing to God I about explode with joy. I pray daily that they will marry believers and all my grandchildren after them will know God and be known by HIM!

When we lose sight of God's glory we lose sight of our need for forgiveness. People don't think they need Yeshua (Jesus) when they can just serve the gods of society. 

What gods are we showing our children are important to us? What gods do we turn to in times of need or trouble? Who do we cry out to for help? Do we understand there is a difference between being sorrowful and repentance? 

God definitely disciplines those He loves but honestly Gems most of what happens to us is the consequences of choosing sin over God's commands. This is why we have to know what God's commands are. He sent His son Yeshua so we have the perfect role model. Yeshua said "If you love me keep my commands."

Children love nothing more than hearing you read a story.  My grandsons can tell you the names of most Pokémon and what their super power is. Most men can tell you the name of NFL teams and the quarterbacks stats and most women can give you a play by play of their favorite movie. My point is we learn what's important to us. 

We are so blessed to have an abundance of teaching recourses for children and adults. It's not to late to start teaching or learning!

I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

3John:4

The Master

 

The Master

There once was a little fish named Lucas the Lion Fish.  Lucas lived in a very cold lake called Lake Nemo, not far from Bust your Butt Falls. 

He was a curious fish, some might even say rambunctious.  Lucas had big plans for his life and wanted them to start now.  

He was always swimming about looking for adventure.  His favorite time of year was summer because this is when the local children and visitors from all over the world would come to the lake to swim and dive off the rocks into his underwater wonderland.

He so loved the humans because he believed they were powerful people who made very important decisions about life.  

In his small fish mind he thought of them as “The Master’s of the Universe.”

One day Lucas was trying to explain to his mom, Hannah, why he needed to be human and all the things he could master.  

He was swimming in circles around Hannah and talking just as fast as he thought she could listen.

Unfortunately the only thing SHE was trying to master was her chores for the day so she told Lucas he was going to have to find someone else to share his stories with.  

Lucas swam away a little disheartened that his biggest fin; I mean fan did not have time to listen to all his great  “Master” thoughts but he also knew if he stayed too long he would be doing chores himself, so off he swam.

 As Lucas was swimming he came upon an old Catfish named Ezra.

  

Now Ezra was known for his wisdom, he had been in that lake for a very long time, some say for as long as the lake had been there.  

Some fish even believed that Ezra had magical powers.  Ezra noticed Lucas was not his usual energetic self and asked what was wrong.  

“I want to be the Master” Lucas told him.  “Can you make me human for just one day so I can do that?”   

“What would you do if you were the Master” Ezra asked.  

“Well I’d tell the sun how long to shine and the moon when to glow.  I’d tell the rain when to come and the seasons when to change. 

 I would make summer all year so the human’s would be here to swim and last of all, I would be a human boy! 

I would  name myself Josiah just for a day so all would know that I was the Master of the Lake!”

Well that would be quite a job said Ezra.  Being the Master is quite a responsibility, many fish count on you to make wise decisions that will affect everyone.

You have to have a lot of wisdom.  “What’s wisdom?” Lucas asked.  

Wisdom, Ezra told him, is the ability to make a decision that even though it may not look right at the time in the end it will be best for everyone.  You would have to love all the earth and all the humans more than yourself.

What if you told the sun to shine and the sun decided to be Master and she stayed shining too long and it dried up all the lakes?  

What if you told the rain to come and it didn’t stop in time and the lakes flooded the land?  

What if you told the moon to glow and he decided it should be night all the time so he could master the sky? 

Or what if the seasons stopped at Winter because he wanted to be master and then the children would never be able to swim in your lake?  What would you do then Lucas?

 

Well these were things Lucas had never thought of.  He had no idea how much being Master really meant, how much was at stake in the lives of the fish and humans.  

He told Ezra that maybe he would like to change his wish. 

What would your wish be now Lucas or should I call you Master ?  

I should like to be a little boy named Josiah who lives in the lake but, I will need hands to praise the Real Master of the Universe.  

I guess God has been doing a good job with all the decisions He’s been making without me being the master.  

I should like God to know how much I appreciate His wisdom for giving me a friend like you Ezra.

Now I’m not sure this story is true but some say if you are at Lake Nemo at just the right time and you look real hard you can see Lucas' small hands reaching out from the water to give God praise.

Written by Gena Duran

Dedicated to my grandchildren

Anthony Jacob Pavek

Lucas Andrew Pavek

Ezra James Duran

Josiah David Duran

Nehemiah Matthew Duran

Hannah Elizabeth Duran

Coming Soon:

Baby Pavek

Baby Gulic

I hope you enjoyed this short story, God willing I will have it illustrated and printed one day.

Act Your Age

I had an odd thought this morning so who better to tell than you 😊 I was thinking about people my age.   To be honest I was thinking about how crazy our world is right now. The threat of "big brother" taking over our destinies. The internet being censored, freedom of speech being taken away, ya know all the things we take for granted.

Now before you stop reading, this IS NOT a political jewel, it's a gena's jewel.  Just letting you follow my thoughts so you can travel with me. OK so from here I thought about when I was growing up. We didn't have computers or google or even answering machines. I thought about TV and how at 12:00 pm it automatically shut 

off. We didn't assume the world was coming to an end we just figured we should be in bed by now. Everything would resume in the morning. Ignorant bliss, there is a beauty to it, however, perhaps things got this crazy because of our ignorance.

Moving on... From here I thought what if the "powers that be" made us separate and live in age categories. My first thought of course is I would be devastated not to be with my family but then I got to thinking about people I know, mostly women, no offense men, who are my age. This brought me immediate comfort because most women I know my age are the strongest, faith filled, wisest, thrifty (not cheap) creative people I know. We have raised children without google, apps or dare I say cellphones.

I remember going to the beach on Long Island with a friend, a toddler and infant in tow. I would pack my 4 wheel drive jeep with car seats, diaper bags, a blow up pool and playpen. Let air out of the tires when I got to the beach so I didn't sink in the sand, set up the umbrella and catch a tan by myself. 

I'm not dissing electronics. I am beyond blessed to have 2 more grandbabies in the wombs of their mommies. Because of apps I can watch these sweet babies grow!

I was thinking how women I know could figure out how to put things together using common sense. Now it may not be put together right but it would work. I have hung many a picture on a straight pin. I know how to use duct tape and am not afraid of crazy glue in place of stitches. We are very resourceful and our camp would run efficiently. We would laugh at ourselves and have no need for therapist because we are all about sharing our strengths and weaknesses with each other.

I remember one time when I was working at a publishing company, I had 4 kids at home, 2 of them teenagers 😠 I was going through a  divorce and my salary had a very small base and the rest was commission. I sold advertising on the phone that had a 95% rejection level, good times. Anyway one day a very dear friend of mine I affectionately call Tote, also a single mom, was going through a rough time had a breaking point at work. The two of us went into the bathroom and cried together, hugged it out (we have learned the importance of a 1 min. hug thank you Beverly) and got back on the phones. There is a resilience in this generation of women. Perhaps from desperation I don't know but I thank God for the extra dose. We are women, because of our age, who don't understand computers but we survived!

True story, I have been using this website for years, many years, and just today I realized I could add fonts.  I rest my case.

It's not always easy cohabitating with the younger generation. They speak a language I don't understand. They twitter and tweet which immediately bring images to my mind of blue birds. They have chat rooms instead of local bars which is probably better since apparently chat rooms don't serve alcohol. They don't smoke pot they have prescriptions for medical marijuana. Both of these activities don't require any interaction with other people.  How awful would the camp be where you don't actually talk to each other or get hugs??

I remember when I first got a job at a Title Company and they  gave me a laptop. I didn't have a computer at home, honestly I don't think I even used a personal computer yet. When I got home my son Kenny (not my son by birth) was at my house. He saw me walking up the driveway and said "what are you doing with that? You don't even know how to work it!"  I said "I know, but don't I Iook great carrying it."

As always it's all about perspective, how we see a situation. 

Well Gems I, like the internet, have given you a lot of useless information but I hope I at least brought a smile to your face. No matter what your age I pray you are kind to one another. Help us old gals out with your technology and we'll throw you some common sense when needed.  Together, no matter our age, would be a much better camp than separate.

the Miracle of Hanukkah

Messianic Bible info@biblesforisrael.com

A candle is lit each night of Hanukkah to remember the miracle

 

Shalom Gems,

 

"I will say to the prisoners, 'Come out in freedom,' and to those in darkness, 'Come into the light.'"  (Isaiah 49:9)

 

This coming Thursday night will be the first night, of the eight-day "Festival of Dedication," Hanukkah!

This wonderful holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the Jewish Temple by the Hasmoneans, also known as the Maccabee family, and the miraculous single-day supply of oil lasting a full eight days in the process of that re-dedication.

 

The first Hanukkah on the 25th of Kislev in 164 BC heralded freedom from Greek rule, the purification of Jerusalem from pagan influence, and the restoration of God's House — the Temple in Jerusalem.

 

With the Temple recaptured from the Greeks and newly restored, the family of Judah Maccabee re-established the seven-day autumn festival of Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles) and the extra day of Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the Torah, which concludes the annual cycle of Parashiot).

The Greek ruler Antiochus IV had forbidden its observance earlier in the year, so when the Temple was recaptured in December, they celebrated this eight-day festival.

 

And so, the keeping of Torah once again freely commenced.  Hanukkah, therefore, represents the renewed ability to study the Torah, which is compared to light.

 

 

Darkness Descends on Israel

 

"Do not gloat over me, my enemy!  Though I have fallen, I will rise.  Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light."  (Micah 7:8)

 

The Greek Empire had risen to power under Alexander the Great after Judah had served as a vassal state to Persia for two centuries.  After Alexander's death, the state of Judah was wrested back and forth by two of Alexander's generals seven times.

 

All the while, clashing starkly with "the purity of the Hebrew religion," the pagan culture of the Greeks was wildly offensive: naked wrestling, immodest dress and a preference for homosexuality, writes Richard Hooker in The Hebrews: A Learning Module.

 

However, while the Greeks influenced the language and culture of Jerusalem and the state of Judah (Judea), "they allowed the Jews to run their own country, declared that the law of Judah was the Torah and attempted to preserve Jewish religion,"  Such was the case, at first.

 

Two Greek monarchs, Ptolemy and Seleucus, battled for Judea until 198 BC, at which time Antiochus III, a Seleucid Greek, won the prize.  He allowed the Jews autonomy until defeat at the hands of the Romans began a program of Hellenization that pushed the Jews to abandon their monotheism for the Greeks' paganism,"

 

 

Image of Antiochus III on a gold coin

 

 After Antiochus III raised idols in the Jewish Temple, the Jews rebelled, forcing back the Greeks.  However, Antiochus IV took the throne in 176 BC and did not accommodate Jewish customs as his father had.  The son outlawed the keeping of Shabbat and the circumcision covenant, and carried out a cruel campaign against the people of God.

 

Antiochus IV gave himself the last name "Epiphanes" (meaning "the visible god") and destroyed every copy of the Scriptures he could find, selling thousands of Jewish families into slavery and murdering anyone who had a Scripture scroll in their possession.

 

Antiochus IV defiled the Jewish Temple by offering a pig on its altar, erected an altar to Jupiter and prohibited the Jews from Temple worship.

 

But the reach of that defilement was wider than the Temple.

 

"Women who insisted that their sons be circumcised were killed along with their babies.  Brides were forced to sleep with Greek officers before they could be with their husbands.  Jews were required to eat pork and sacrifice pigs to the Greek gods.  The teaching of Torah became a capital crime," writes Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf.

 

Although a great darkness had come over Judah and Jerusalem, "most Jews did anything and everything to remain Jewish," Apisdorf adds, including surreptitiously studying Scripture and even getting married in secret. 

 

  

The Rise of Righteousness

 

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place."  (Ephesians 6:14)

 

The Hasmoneans were a Jewish family with a seemingly impossible calling: to stand up for righteousness under the weight of an oppressor trying to eradicate their identity as well as empty the Temple of its holy purpose — and of its eternal light.

 

The head of the family, Mattisyahu (Mattathias), was serving as a priest in God's Temple in 167 BC when a Greek official tried to force him to sacrifice to a pagan god.  Mattisyahu resisted and killed the official, which triggered reprisals by Antiochus IV against the Jews.

 

Nevertheless, Mattisyahu — and after his death, Judah, one of his five sons — took charge of the fight against the pagan Greeks and earned the name "Maccabee" (possibly from "hammer" in Hebrew) because of their hammer-like blows against their enemies.

 

Three years after the Maccabee uprising, in 164 BC, the Hasmoneans had taken back Jerusalem and purified the Temple.

 

It took another 20 years before the Hasmoneans pushed the Seleucid Greeks out of the Land of Israel with the defeat of the Acra citadel, a stronghold that has recently been revealed after a decade of excavations just outside Jerusalem's Old City walls.

 

 

A fully lit Hanukkah menorah in Israel.  Each flask is filled with oil.  (Go Israel
photo by D. Friedlander)

 

That the many were defeated by the few is heralded as the main miracle of Hanukkah: that Judah and the Hasmoneans succeeded in defeating the pagan Greeks who had so offensively defiled the Temple of God, the Holy City of Jerusalem and the Holy Land given to Israel.

 

The Maccabees served as a light that pushed back the darkness; by faith, their "weakness was turned to strength; and [they] became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies."  (Hebrews 11:34)

 

While the Greeks devastated the Jewish community at the time, they would not succeed in destroying the Hasmonean conviction to worship the God of Israel alone.

 

And while the Greeks defiled the Jewish Temple, they would not succeed in eradicating its means for purification — oil.

 

Despite the pagan altars within her and impure animals that were offered to idols on the Temple's holy ground, a day's worth of purified oil remained concealed on the Temple grounds with its seal intact.

 

This jar of oil, sanctified to the God of Israel, would help push back the spiritual darkness that had overcome the Temple.

 

And while it was only enough for a single day, it miraculously burned for a full eight days.  By the last day, the Jews had prepared enough sanctified oil to keep the light shining perpetually.

 

 

A fully lit Hanukkah menorah glows in the darkness.

 

 

 Let Your Light So Shine

 

"Open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me."  (Acts 26:18)

 

During the years of His ministry, Yeshua (Jesus) walked the Temple Courts during Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication, and told those gathered around him: "The works I do in my Father's name testify about me." (John 10:25)

 

Yeshua pointed to His own deeds, which were all good, as a testimony of His identity and of His Father's character.

 

In the context of the Festival of Lights, another name for Hanukkah, Yeshua may have had in mind his Sermon on the Mount, where he said, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."  (Matthew 5:16)

 

The term "good works" is idiomatic for the commandments of Torah.

 

Yeshua told His disciples that if they kept the commandments of Torah according to His teaching, they would retain their saltiness and their light would shine before men and bring honor to God.

 

The half-brother of Yeshua, Yaacov (James), elaborated on this point, saying that "faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."  (James 2:17)

 

Good deeds done by those faithful to God allow His Spirit to shine from within them, illustrating "the light of the world" and giving glory to Adonai's Name.

 

 

 For the Festival of Lights, this image of God's light shining through His people is emphasized further by noting the basic components of fire — a spark and a source of fuel — as well as by contemplating that God Himself provides both our Spiritual Light and Oil.

 

Oil is understood to be a symbol of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit).  It has had an important role in Jewish life for millennia as a means of anointing.  In Judaism, anointing was performed for kingship, for the priesthood, for prophets, for the healing of the sick, and for purification.

 

Where the anointing sanctified the priests and treated the sick, "anointment conferred upon the king 'the Spirit of the Lord,’ [that is to say], His support (1 Samuel 16:13–14), strength (Psalm 89:21–25) and wisdom (Isaiah 11:1–4)," states the Encyclopedia Judaica.

 

Of the Messiah (Anointed One) to come, the prophet Isaiah announced, "The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord."  (Isaiah 11:1–2)

 

Messiah Yeshua announced His anointing in a synagogue in Nazareth when he read from the scroll of Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  (Luke 4:18–19; see also Isaiah 61:1–2)

 

 

The Messiah's light shone throughout His life and continued to burn brightly even when confronted with the darkness of death.  Death could not hold Him and extinguish His light. 

 

"In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."  (John 1:4–5)

 

With the oil of Adonai's Ruach upon and within Him, the Messiah is an Eternal Light.  By living out His anointing He brought "a crown of beauty," "the oil of joy" and "a garment of praise" to the mourners of Zion.

 

As Isaiah prophesied, the poor, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners in darkness, the mourners, and the grievers of Zion — having received the freedom and favor of the Lord — "will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated."  (Isaiah 61:1–4)

 

Just as promised, through the Messiah those covered in ashes and a spirit of despair would receive the oil of joy and "be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor."  (Isaiah 61:3)

 

Through Adonai's life-giving work, the once-devastated children of God would be re-activated to rebuild the ancient ruins and renew the ruined cities; His people would stand as oaks of righteousness for "the display of His splendor," a calling that radiates light.

 

 

Miraculous Oil for the Poor in Spirit

 

Having come "to bring good news to the poor," Yeshua said in the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."  (Matthew 5:3)

 

"Being poor in spirit is admitting that, because of your sin, you are completely destitute spiritually and can do nothing to deliver yourself from your dire situation," writes Got Questions, led by S. Michael Houdmann. "Jesus is saying that, no matter your status in life, you must recognize your spiritual poverty before you can come to God in faith to receive the salvation He offers."

 

This spiritual poverty is reflected in the single flask of oil found in the recaptured Temple.  While enduring the unspeakable darkness of Greek oppression, that flask did not hold enough oil to fulfill its purpose in the House of God to keep the Menorah lit while more oil was made.

 

Only with a miracle could this oil be multiplied, and it took the intervention of God Himself.

 

In the Temple, the Almighty intervened to make the flask of oil last for eight full days — as if adding the oil of His Spirit to sanctify and renew the devastated Temple.

 

Likewise, when we are poor in spirit, humbly acknowledging our reliance upon God, we can praise Him for sanctifying and renewing our spirit with His, as David did when He wrote, "You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."  (Psalm 23:5)

 

 

 

During this joyous eight-day season of Hanukkah, Gena, please help us reach out to the Jewish People here in Israel and around the world with the Good News that Yeshua is the Light of the World.

 

"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness."  (John 12:46)

 

May you be filled with oil of joy this upcoming Hanukkah and clothed with the garments of praise during this Holiday Season!

 

"Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."  (Matthew 5:16)

 

Down Hill From Here

Well it happened Gems, I turned 60 and  survived!

I thought of the phrase "it's all downhill from here" and of course it got me  thinking about a jewel.

I decided to take a positive view on the quote, so I'm going to share some sound downhill lessons I have learned.

Downhill is more leisurely than up because you're not fighting gravity right? So pick your battles, many of our journeys can be more easy going if you're not bickering over the non essentials. I have learned to ask myself "does this circumstance have eternal significance?"

Example:

My grandson wanted to sleep over but he doesn't yet wipe his own butt which I tell him is a must to sleep at Nana's. His rebuttal on the subject is "I can't wipe my own hiney!" I of course ask him why, and before responding, he gives me a look of disbelief, like what is wrong with you Nana clearly you know the answer to the dilemma!  

"I can't wipe my own hiney because I can't see it?"

Sometimes we are focusing on the wrong thing in our need to be right or heard or seen. We have to change our outlook on the situation so we can envision answers instead of obstacles.

Like many of you I have struggled with this pandemic for MANY reasons, one being loneliness. I definitely battled with depression.  There were days I just wanted to stay in bed, head covered, and be blue, dejected, dispirited downcast , just plain downhearted. Can you relate?

My downhill experience was to make sure the minute I woke up I got out of bed and immediately made it. It's not like this was a new concept as I make my bed every morning, I'm kind of OCD about it, OK I am OCD about  it. The point is, it was an intentional decision to get out of the bed! 

For me riding my bike became my therapy, unfortunately in Florida most roads are flat so there weren't many actual down hills other than passing over a speed bump. Take what you can get.

On the note of house cleaning I was also a freak about that. Just ask my kids I'm sure they would have 10 stories off the top of their heads of my obsession. My oldest son Anthony told me I could spot a piece of lint on a freshly vacuumed carpet, this was not a complement. On one of my "occasions" he told his younger brother Nathanael not to make eye contact with me .

I have learned that dirty dishes, laundry or even unmade beds have no eternal significance. They can't replace laying on a blanket on a mountain in TN with your oldest grandson looking for shooting stars, or watching your son with his own family playing in a waterfall. 

We read of sisters in the Bible, Mary and Martha who experienced this when Yeshua (Jesus) came to visit and Martha felt like Mary was leaving all the OCD to her.

Luke 10:38-42 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Yeshua’s feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

King David was a downhill guy. In 1 Samuel 30 he shares a time when the men in his army were so angry with him they talked about stoning him. I encourage you to read the story for yourself to get the full impact. 

"David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and daughters. BUT David strengthened himself in the Lord his God."   1 Samuel 30:6

When David wrote the 23rd Psalm he was definitely a man in conflict.

v4 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

David was choosing to focus on the "downhill" side of things. God would get him through it.

I am also directionally challenged! Seriously I can get lost if there are only 2 turns involved. I have no sense of direction, where the sun rises and sets is of no aid to me.

I keep this on my dashboard so if I start to freak out, I read it out loud. 

It's amazing how it can redirect my emotions. 

When I think back over the years and how many journeys I ruined for myself and my kids because we were lost. I would immediately shut off the radio so I could see the road signs, hit the steering wheel as if it was the cause of my hysteria, hit the brakes, threaten to go back home, not that I knew how to do that. Basically kill the chance of happiness for any of us.

My down hill decision to this, enjoy the ride. Pack a snack if you think you will be gone a while. Savor views you would have missed because chances are you will never find them again. Leave early so you're not stressing over being late in case your OCD about being late, just sayin.  We now have the beauty of GPS, I think it could have saved many family outings and possibly marriages.

I'm sure there are numerous lessons learned in 60 years, you could probably add many to the list. The bottom line is life is a journey at any age. I am beyond blessed with mine, the good and the bad. I consider myself the richest woman alive, I have an inheritance money can't buy!

My grandchildren from the top:

Lucas, Ezra, Anthony holding Hannah, Josiah

Nehemiah and me 😍

You don't have to have grandkids or even kids for that matter to be rich, you just have to find things that you choose to make you happy and let it be all downhill from there. Having a relationship with Yeshua (Jesus) that gives you access to our Father is the greatest downhill  experience you can have and share. It's the ride that last for eternity!

Well Gems, thanks for sharing my birthday takeaways. I pray you will transform your own "downhill" experiences into jewels. I applaud you for all the speed bumps you have overcome and all the journeys yet to come. Thank you for being the downhill to my experiences, getting to share them with you always makes my heart happy.

Just in case I missed yours, Happy Birthday!