March 14, 2023

Let us today be mindful of Yahweh’s marvelous works, foreordained, purposely, because He loves us.

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” eph 2:1-3 nkjv

It always gives me pause to stop and ponder the words Paul uses: “among whom also we ALL once conducted ourselves…” Then I pray, “Thank you Yahweh for all you have done for us, in and through our Savior Yeshua, because of your great love for us. Consider these words of the Old Testament Prophet Jeremiah:

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” jer 29:11 nkjv

If you will remember, these words were spoken to the war plundered, and sin devastated captives of Judah/Jerusalem, that Nebuchadnezzar had taken to Babylon; their homeland was wiped out, and I think in their minds, only the darkest of days loomed on the horizon for these people Jeremiah wrote these profound words to.

The “future and a hope,” of the Prophet’s words (about 550 years before Yeshua’s first coming), was in fact the “Messiah Yeshua.” It [He] is yet still our “future and a hope,” in our times… with all the accelerating moral, political, cultural, and spiritual deprivation we now witness… more each day, we see old things becoming new again. Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun.

“That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.” ecc 1:9 nkjv

As we are only a few weeks away from Yahweh’s Spring Biblical feast of Passover, it is the time of “inner-soul searching” so we can have our hearts purged of our old carnal ways and flesh contaminated thoughts and carelessness, in order to “judge ourselves, that we be not judged.”

“For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.” 1 cor 11:30-32 nkjv Paul speaking these words to the believers at Corinth… concerning the “LORD’s Passover,” in context.

Let us remember our origins, from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians:

“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— 12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. eph 2:11-13 nkjv

If you are like me, there is no greater reason to rejoice and give thanks than to understand these things. It is only by the divine work of the Holy Spirit that the “truth” of the meaning of acceptable worthiness before a Holy God [Yahweh] can be understood... Yeshua, our Passover Lamb.

“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” 1 cor 5:7 nkjv

Shalom, John