Musing – Do you feel accepted?

Hebraic Musing – Do you feel accepted?

Being accepted is empowering. God accepted Abraham, or Abram, and he became the Father of Nations with confidence to leave Ur and become a leader. Likewise, Moses experienced God’s acceptance and became a great leader. Most important, God accepted us and calls us His children. Remember, He accepted us before we accepted Him!  My favorite verse is 1 Peter 2:9-10 which I take as God’s acceptance and faith in me – But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;…   NIV   God accepted me, and you, to fulfill His plan of salvation by assigning us the critical role of priests, intercessors between Him and the unsaved.

My wife Irene penned a poem in 1992, and when I read it, it opened my eyes to the importance of acceptance:

Your acceptance refreshes me…

            And helps me take the next step;

            Then with eyes newly opened

            I find that we are walking together.

Your acceptance frees me…

            From old chains and fears

            Which have no substance—only pain;

            And I can think and create again.

Your acceptance helps me…

            Feel safe and cared for,

            So I can soar where eagles go—

            Floating on sure currents of your strength.

Your acceptance bonds me…

            To you, and brings healing to old wounds;

            It’s love suspended in time,

            And I in turn must give it again.

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”  Romans 15:7

Points to ponder

How do you feel when you are accepted by someone?

Who have you told recently that you accept them?

I accept you as my friend                                                       January 29, 2013

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd            

Musing - How to balance two incompatibles?

Hebraic Musing - How to balance two incompatibles?

Successful living often involves blending two incompatibles.  For instance, raising great children means parenting with the perfect mix of tough, firm discipline and gentle, yielding compassion.  In running a business, entrepreneurs must blend ‘the customer is always right’ with ‘some customers are not worth having.’ And we try to understand God who is known for Love and Mercy, as well as for His Justice. We find ourselves immersed in a physical world, while we need to learn about and respect the Spiritual world. 

Jewish wisdom views ‘Greek’ culture as a materialistic view of reality, and thus, only those things that can be seen and touched have value. And Madonna tries to convince us in her song “It’s a material world.”  Meanwhile, I’m sure you have met some super-spiritual people who feel that only spirituality matters – ‘so heavenly minded; no earthly good.’  Yet we know that either extreme is not correct.

We often need the ability to blend two seemingly incompatible views in order to be successful in life.   God gave us the answer to one of the great secrets of life – the importance of striking a balance between physical and spiritual and between body and soul. Unfortunately we receive teachings trying to divide soul, body and spirit, but Jewish view is that they are all part of the man, inseparable.  This sounds similar to our propensity to separate God into three persons and still call Him one God.  Three or more times a day, the Jew will recite Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad. Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. How one feels about whether we live only in a materialistic world or whether we live in a world of both physical and spiritual will greatly influence the decisions we make in running our lives. Understanding the tension in contrasting Greek and Jewish thought is vital for successful living.

The Torah term for Greece is Yavan.  It appears many times throughout Scripture and always hints at a mistaken materialistic view of reality. It is first found early in the tenth chapter of Genesis.  The word looks like this:   Yud Vav Nunsofeit /wy  (Hebrew reads right to left.) which looks like three vertical columns of different lengths, reminiscent of the columns of a familiar relic of ancient Greece.  If you slightly vary the pronunciation of the three letters that comprise the Hebrew word YaVaN, we hear ION, the origin of Ionia, the ancient name for Greece.

The word Zion, which is another reference to Jerusalem, captures the idealistic vision of God’s plan and purpose for us. …for from Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:3.   The word Zion looks like this:  Tzaddi Yud Vav Nunsofeit  /wyx. (Hebrew reads right to left.)   It has the letter Tsadi in front of the Hebrew word for Greece,YaVaN. All Hebrew letters have symbolic meanings and the Tsadi symbolizes a man kneeling.  So together this reveals the idealistic vision of Zion depends upon blending the spiritual saintliness of the Tsadi with the worldliness of Yavan.  

In the afterlife we shall be involved only in the spiritual, however in this world, God intends for us to live successful lives blending together the physical and the spiritual.  

(God must have enjoyed designing the Hebrew language and writing the Torah with all the subtle symbolisms!)

Points to ponder

Am I the only one struggling to balance my physical world with my Spiritual world?

Shalom                                                                                    January 22, 2013

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd            

Musing – Why did the LORD commend Josiah?

Hebraic Musing – Why did the LORD commend Josiah?

He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the Lord.   Jer. 22:16   Caring for the needy flows out of knowing God, and draws us closer to Him.

Church-goers have heard many messages on the topic of ‘giving’ and all too often our ears, and the messenger’s message, are tainted with self-serve-ness. On the other hand, we all know that “God loves a cheerful giver” 2 Cor.9:7.  And James said “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” James 1:27  

When there is an accident on the highway, why do the folks passing by jump out of their cars to help?  It is our nature to help; we enjoy being useful to friends, family and especially to the family of God.

The people I’ve met in life that seem most fulfilled are missionaries. Why?  They are giving their lives to help the less fortunate in this world. And you may describe ‘less fortunate’ many ways.

Did you hear about the guy who complained to his pastor about the constant messages about tithing and giving? “Give, give, give is all you talk about”.  Pastor met the guy later in the week and said “Thank you for giving me the most succinct way to describe a Christian’s walk – Give, Give, Give.”

The Hebrew word “Tzedakah” is frequently translated as “Charity” – giving aid, assistance and money to the poor and needy. The Tzedakah box in our house has become a blessing. Loose change goes into the ‘jar’ and I say a little prayer – “Thank you Lord that I can help the less fortunate”.  The last time the jar filled, we sent the $300+ to my grandchildren in Honduras as God’s money to distribute to the less fortunate that they encounter.  And I remember a church collection of loose change for a worthwhile cause and the pastor said it was okay to put paper in the collection plate to cushion the clank of the coins.

Can you recall when you experienced joy after giving to someone less fortunate?  Aside from ‘leading people to the Lord’, a personal and profoundly memorable experience occurred a few years ago at Christmas time. The woman in front of me at the cashier was counting her money carefully and it was obvious she was struggling financially. I handed the cashier a wad of money to cover the woman’s grocery purchases, wished her a Merry Christmas and we went our separate ways (with no way to be repaid). My feet never touched the ground as I left that store. Wow! That felt good!

Point to ponder

How might a ‘Tzedakah’ box/jar become a blessing in your home?

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                 January 15, 2013

From Judaism 101:

The Obligation of Tzedakah -- Giving to the poor is an obligation in Judaism, a duty that cannot be forsaken even by those who are themselves in need. Some sages have said that tzedakah is the highest of all commandments, equal to all of them combined, and that a person who does not perform tzedakah is equivalent to an idol worshipper. This is probably hyperbole, but it illustrates the importance of tzedakah in Jewish thought.

The Meaning of "Tzedakah"   "Tzedakah" is the Hebrew word for the acts that we call "charity" in English: giving aid, assistance and money to the poor and needy. However, the nature of tzedakah is very different from the idea of charity.  "Charity" suggests benevolence and generosity, a magnanimous act by the wealthy and powerful for the benefit of the poor and needy. The word "tzedakah" is derived from the Hebrew root Tzadei-Dalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice or fairness. In Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act; it is simply an act of justice and righteousness, the performance of a duty, giving the poor their due.

Musing – Do you have Enough? Or Everything?

Hebraic Musing – Do you have Enough? Or Everything?

Key verse “Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.” — Genesis: 33:11    The setting for this verse begins in Genesis 32:3:

When Jacob sent his brother Esau extremely generous gifts in hopes of winning his friendship, Esau reacted positively to the gesture. Here are their responses to each other:

 - Esau: “I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself”

 - Jacob insisted: “Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.”

Are the brothers saying the same thing? They both seem to be saying “You keep the gifts – I don’t need them!”  Yet, there is something profoundly different in what each one said. Esau said, “I have enough”; but Jacob said, “I have everything.”   What is the difference?

- Having enough implies that while I can make do with what I have in life, there is always room for more. I probably would prefer to have more.

- Having everything means that I have exactly what I need. I don’t need less and I don’t need more. God has given me exactly what I need to succeed in the place I am in my life right now. My cup is already full and I feel truly blessed.

Sages point out that what we have doesn’t determine how wealthy we are; it is how we perceive what we have that determines our wealth.

Today we live in a society where the average person enjoys a standard of living that exceeds what the wealthiest people enjoyed just a century ago. But does the average man feel exceedingly blessed? Unfortunately not!  We are constantly reminded by billboards and infomercials of how much we still lack. Thus, few people feel that they have enough, or all they want.

So…look around you and notice your many blessings. We have freedom. We have abundance. We have each other.  We have everything!

Point to ponder

When was the last time you sang the old hymn? …

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

[And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.]

Do you have Enough?   Or Everything?

                                                                       

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                                             January 8, 2013