Musing – How to walk as “Leaders of God’s Children”

Hebraic Musing – How to walk as “Leaders of God’s Children”

Trivia question: What is the first action God commanded Moses to do the very first time that they spoke?   The answer is in Exod. 3:5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

This is the first encounter between God and the great prophet, so “Take off your sandals.” seems like a rather mundane instruction given the holiness of the moment.  Since that is not the answer we might have expected; there must be more to the command.

Consider how our shoes provide us with protection and a sense of security. Nothing puts a spring in our step like a pair of brand-new shoes! Shoes give us a cushion between the hard ground and our vulnerable feet.  Yes, I know why the Indians called us “Tenderfeet”.  Shoes are what make us invincible to elements like snow, rain, rocks, or thorns. With the right pair of shoes, you can walk just about anywhere without feeling discomfort.

Believe it or not, God wanted Moses to be uncomfortable. God wanted Moses to feel every rock, pebble, and grain of sand. Did you know that our feet contain nerve endings from our entire body? Our feet are an extremely sensitive part of our body.  And at that moment, God wanted Moses to be sensitive – super-sensitive.  Why?

“For the place you are standing on is holy ground.”  Moses was about to become the leader of the children of Israel.  This was and still is holy work, and indeed, he was standing on “holy ground.”  God wanted to teach Moses at the outset that in order to do His holy work, Moses must remain extremely sensitive.  Do we also want to do His holy work?

Leaders can easily fall into the trap of being out of touch with the people.  Most leaders of nations enjoy luxuries that the general public does not.  It’s easy to become insensitive to the needs of the common man or unsympathetic to a poor man’s plight.  God, on the other hand, says “Don’t you dare! My people are my precious children.”  Moses was commanded to remain as sensitive as he was at that moment until the day that he died.

Insensitivity is a trap we all can fall into. It’s hard to empathize with the hungry if your stomach is always full, or to feel for the homeless when we are enjoying the comfort and warmth of our own homes. We in these blessed United States are not confronted with living conditions being experienced by the other 95% of the world.  But, we who serve the Lord are on “holy ground.”  We must remain acutely sensitive to the needs of all His children and do our best to meet them, whenever and however we can.

Point to ponder

Are we “leaders of God’s children”?

How can we become sensitive to the needs of those around us?

Is God telling you to “take off your shoes”?

“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people,
      but love your neighbor as yourself.” Lev 19:18

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                   January 31, 2016

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage” “Musings - A Victorious Life”  “Musings - The Torah and New Testament”
Weekly “Hebraic Musings”      www.InsightsByYosef.com

Inspired and partly copied from Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein’s “Take Off Your Shoes” Jan.19,2017  IFCJ

Musing – When will it all make “Perfect Sense”?

Hebraic Musing – When will it all make “Perfect Sense”?

In the Genesis saga of Joseph and adventures of his wayward brothers and of Jacob’s worrying, we get to see the moment when it all makes “Perfect Sense”.  After all Jacob’s family went through, finally the brothers hear this awesome dude, Egypt’s Prime Minister, say to them “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" Gen 45:3    Finally the angst they had been suffering started to make sense.  The hand of Almighty God was finally being revealed.

I like Rabbi Eckstein’s perspective:

This scene (Joseph’s revelation of his identity) will be re-enacted again at the End of Days when God reveals Himself to the world and says, “I am God.” Suddenly, everything will make sense to us and we will understand how everything—even those things that don’t seem to make sense now – are all for a good purpose.  When God reveals Himself to the world, we won’t have any more questions.

No matter how bad things may seem at the moment, one day it will all make “Perfect Sense”.  And as for those who are choosing to ignore God, will they too find that their final judgement verdict makes “Perfect Sense”.

Does it seem possible for you today to imagine that all the bad things – losses, trials, tribulations, persecutions, etc. – will all make sense?  Have you ever looked back at a time of trouble or a loss and realized that there was a reason for it?  And that you grew and matured from the experience?

Maybe this has something to do with having faith.  Do we want Cast Iron Faith, or are we better off with Forged Steel Faith?    The forging process requires heat, pounding, sparks, noise and time.  Ask any mechanic if he would rather lean on a cast iron wrench or a forged steel wrench?  

Points to ponder

Can we trust Almighty God today
that what is happening makes “Perfect Sense” to Him?

“But I trust in your unfailing love;” Ps 13:5

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                   January 24, 2017

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage” “Musings - A Victorious Life”  “Musings - The Torah and New Testament”
Weekly “Hebraic Musings”      www.InsightsByYosef.com

Inspired by “Perfect Sense”  Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein  Jan. 3, 2017

Musing – What will we be doing in Heaven?

Hebraic Musing – What will we be doing in Heaven?

In a recent study of the book of Revelation, we asked “What will there be for us to do in this Perfect Heaven described in Chapter 21’s description of the “New Jerusalem”?  Eternal time on our hands!  What will we be doing? 

Before discussing what we will not be doing, we did decide it may take eternity to understand the Almighty-ness of Almighty God.  I was reminded of my favorite line in “Fiddler on the Roof”.  Tevye was singing ♫“If I were a Rich Man” ♫ and after many dreamy things he wanted to do, he concludes contemplatively “If I were rich, I'd have the time that I lack …To sit in the synagogue and pray… And maybe have a seat by the Eastern wall….And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men, several hours every day….That would be the sweetest thing of all.”  So that is what we could be doing in Heaven.  I like it!

What would we not have to do?

In Genesis we have God’s first commandment to us, or to Adam and Eve.  He commanded them to “Be fruitful and multiply” Gen.1:28   That is all God wanted them to do.  In the last verse in Gen.1 God explains to Adam that the garden and the beasts are all provided.  The self-sustaining Garden of Eden was provided by God, no work required of us.  Can this be the state we will be restored to in Heaven?

What went wrong?  Man sinned.  We did not obey God’s second command – “Do not eat of the tree of Good and Evil.”  Thus the curse in Gen 3:17-19 "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.  It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." NIV   And so here on earth to this day we are focused on the need to ‘work’ or to be working.

We have just discussed two views on what we will be doing in Heaven:

1.      Studying to gain all the knowledge and understanding from Almighty God.

2.      Obeying God’s first commandment.  But how?  “No marriage in heaven”; and no need to evangelize in heaven.

Point to ponder

Are we breaking God’s first commandment – “To be fruitful and multiply”?

What do you think we will we be doing in Heaven for eternity?

Lord, how can we get more souls to enjoy heaven with us?

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                                   January 17, 2016

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage” “Musings - A Victorious Life”  “Musings - The Torah and New Testament”
Weekly “Hebraic Musings”      www.InsightsByYosef.com

Musing – How is your prayer life? Really?

Hebraic Musing – How is your prayer life?  Really?

Let’s start with God’s phone number.  Do you know it?   Do you have it as a favorite on “Speed Dial”?  God’s phone number is “Jeremiah 33:3”  Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.  NIV

BTW – “Prayer” is mentioned 106 times and “Pray” 121 times in the NIV so let’s look at five sequential steps to consider when developing an everyday prayer life habit:

1.   Give Thanks –  Ps. 100:4  “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”  _______

2.   Surrender to Him – Did you give your life to him as your LORD? 
        What does that mean to you today?  ________

3.   Forgiveness – Asking Him for forgiveness for things you (a) did, (b) didn’t do and (c) should have done.  And have you forgiven others!  Matt. 6:12-13  “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”   _________

4.   Talk to Him – Conversationally express your needs, recognize His presence and talk to Him as you would a friend.   Ps. 23:4 “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.”     _______

5.   Worship Him – Not only in formal “Prayer” but also in Praise and Song during your daily walk and encounters, remember –  Ps. 29:2  “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”    ________

With a strong and ready prayer in our hearts, we are preparing ourselves for “Divine Encounters” – opportunities to minister the Good News to those in need..

Now that you have thought about these five elements of prayer, are you ready to be challenged?  Go back through and evaluate your prayer life in each of the above steps.  Put a number in the blank at the end of each step ranking your frequency according to the following scale: 
     1 – Never; 2 – Once; 3 – Occasionally; 4 – Frequently; 5 – Used Today.

Points to ponder

Are you satisfied with your score(s)?

What do you need to do about it?

“Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks:
     for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”    1 Thess. 5:17-18  KJV.

Yosef   a.k.a.  Joe Brusherd                       January 10, 2017

Author: “Hebraic Insights – Messages exploring the Hebrew roots of our faith” 
“Biblical Marriage” “Musings - A Victorious Life”  “Musings - The Torah and New Testament”
Weekly “Hebraic Musings”      www.InsightsByYosef.com

Inspired by –Jerry Falwell’s “Building Dynamic Faith” Chapter 7