Real Life

Real Life

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,

by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

Deuteronomy 30: 19 & 20 NASB 

It was so obvious to me when I read these verses that the life spoken of was actually referring to the Messiah. True life comes when we receive what Jesus, Yeshua, did upon the cross for us.

The Father has given us physical life, but our spiritual life comes only by accepting the great sacrifice of the Lamb. 

“neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things;”

Acts 17: 25 NASB 

And verse 28 says, “for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His offspring.’”

I chose LIFE and I am holding fast to the truth that my Messiah is the only way to fullness of days, but much more than that it is a journey of walking side by side with my Lord.

I would have it no other way. 

Vida real

“Llamo hoy al cielo ya la tierra para que testifiquen contra ti, que he puesto delante de ti la vida y la muerte, la bendición y la maldición. Así que elige la vida para que puedas vivir, tú y tus descendientes,

al amar al Señor tu Dios, al obedecer su voz y aferrarte a él; porque esta es tu vida y la duración de tus días, para que vivas en la tierra que el Señor juró a tus padres, a Abraham, Isaac y Jacob, para darles ".

Deuteronomio 30: 19 y 20 NASB

Fue tan obvio para mí cuando leí estos versos que la vida de la que se hablaba en realidad se refería al Mesías. La verdadera vida viene cuando recibimos lo que Jesús, Yeshua, hizo en la cruz por nosotros.

El Padre nos ha dado vida física, pero nuestra vida espiritual viene solo al aceptar el gran sacrificio del Cordero.

"Tampoco lo sirven las manos humanas, como si necesitara algo, ya que Él mismo da toda la vida y el aliento y todas las cosas".

Hechos 17: 25 NASB

Y el versículo 28 dice: "porque en Él vivimos, nos movemos y existimos, como incluso algunos de tus propios poetas han dicho: 'Porque nosotros también somos su descendencia'".

Escogí la VIDA y me aferro a la verdad de que mi Mesías es el único camino a la plenitud de los días, pero mucho más que eso es un viaje de caminar lado a lado con mi Señor.

No lo tendría de otra manera.

 

Thanksgiving Time

Thanksgiving Time

I am so aware that at this time of year, how we gather together with family and friends, to enjoy the festivities and camaraderie with one another. I just wonder do any of us actually stop to truly remember why we gather? Do we truly give thanks for what God has given us? Do we give thanks for the abundance before us? Do we give thanks for one another? Most importantly do we give thanks for these things through out the year and not just this one day? It is wonderful to enjoy the meal and stuff ourselves faster than we can cook it. But let us just sit back this one time and look around and see what it is all about. Look with your heart. See the beauty of what God made and provided for us. Look with your hearts and see what God sees about each and everyone of you. Then look and see how much God loves you too. His love is unconditional and this Thanksgiving my prayer is that we see Him. Amen!

Tiempo de Acción de Gracias

Soy muy consciente de que en esta época del año, cómo nos reunimos con familiares y amigos, para disfrutar de las festividades y la camaradería entre nosotros. Me pregunto si alguno de nosotros realmente se detiene a recordar realmente por qué nos reunimos. ¿Realmente damos gracias por lo que Dios nos ha dado? ¿Damos gracias por la abundancia que tenemos ante nosotros? ¿Damos gracias unos por otros? ¿Lo más importante es que damos gracias por estas cosas a lo largo del año y no solo por un día? Es maravilloso disfrutar de la comida y prepararnos más rápido de lo que podemos cocinar. Pero permítanos sentarnos esta vez y mirar alrededor y ver de qué se trata. Mira con tu corazón. Vea la belleza de lo que Dios hizo y proveyó para nosotros. Mire con sus corazones y vea lo que Dios ve acerca de cada uno de ustedes. Luego mira y ve cuánto te ama Dios también. Su amor es incondicional y este día de Acción de Gracias mi oración es que lo veamos. ¡Amén!

Heaven Awaits

Heaven awaits for those who have placed their trust in the Son of God, the Messiah. Jesus, Yeshua, waits for you just to call out to Him and speak His name.

He loves you just the way you are! It does not matter what you have done in the past or even what you are contemplating on doing. He loves you! Yes you! No ‘ifs’ or ‘buts’ He loves you!

He bravely went to the cross at Calvary and took upon Himself all of our sins and infirmities. He didn’t deserve to die that way, but that is how much He loves each and everyone of us. You see we cannot work our way into heaven. It doesn’t matter how many good deeds/works we do. It is a free gift. A gift called Grace.

All we can do is to admit that we have sinned and acknowledge that we have fallen short of the glory of God. Recognize that we need something more in our lives, that being the saving power of Jesus Christ. Then just ask him to come into your heart it is that simple.

He hasn’t made it complicated. He loves you and his arms are outstretched awaiting your cry.  

He LOVES you!!

What Does God Tell Us To Do?

1— Seek those things above:

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2 NASB)

2— Resist the flesh:

“But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.” (Colossians 3:8 NASB)

3— Let your spirit rule:

“... put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience...” (Colossians 3:12 NASB)

We are to magnify Christ in all that we do. We are to be examples to those in a dark and dying world. Once we know who we are in Christ we are to portray His characteristics. As we grow in Christ then His light shines through us.

We can be ‘just what the doctor called for’ to a person in need. A word, a hug, or just a listening ear. We have no idea what a person may need, but God does. We need to be ready to show the love of Jesus when the opportunity presents itself. 

Amen!

In Christ,

Shifra

 

February 12, 2018

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

2 Colossians 2: 6 & 7 NASB 

Paul is reminding us not to allow what we received to fall by the wayside. We have received life and should let His ‘light’ shine through us to those of the world. 

The next verse warns us not to get swept away with deception and empty words. Not to fall prey to worldly things that only satisfy the flesh.

We are one with Christ and the fullness of the Deity dwells in Him. We need nothing else. 

We are alive together with Him! Dead to our transgressions!

Forgiven of our sins!

Everything has been nailed to the cross!

Hallelujah!

"Por lo tanto, como ustedes han recibido a Cristo Jesús el Señor, así anden en Él, habiendo sido firmemente enraizados y ahora edificados en Él y establecidos en su fe, tal como fueron instruidos, y rebosantes de gratitud".

2 Colosenses 2: 6 y 7 NASB

Pablo nos está recordando que no permitamos que lo que recibimos se quede en el camino. Hemos recibido vida y debemos dejar que su 'luz' brille a través de nosotros a los del mundo.

El siguiente versículo nos advierte que no nos dejemos arrastrar por el engaño y las palabras vacías. No caer presa de las cosas mundanas que solo satisfacen la carne.

Somos uno con Cristo y la plenitud de la Deidad mora en él. No necesitamos nada más.

¡Estamos vivos junto con él! ¡Muertos a nuestras transgresiones!

¡Perdonado de nuestros pecados!

¡Todo ha sido clavado en la cruz!

¡Aleluya!

Portrait of Christ

Jesus was around from the beginning of creation. Proverbs 8 is a good source of proof for this. Here are some verses to show just that:

VS 6: “I shall speak noble things; And the opening of my lips will produce right things.”

VS 7a: “For my mouth will utter truth;”

VS 7a: “All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness;”

VS 14: “ Council is mine and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine.”

VS 22: “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of  His way, before his works of old.”

VS 23a: “from everlasting I was established,”

VS 30a: “Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;”

VS 35: “for he who finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord.“

This one proverb alone gives us so much proof and yet the whole Bible speaks of Christ from Genesis to Revelation. 

What a wonderful and awesome God we serve!

O, Christmas Time

O, Christmas time,

O, Christmas time,

O, what a joy that

Christ has come.

Our King of Kings

was born this day;

To bring us love 

and peace this day.

O, Christmas time,

O, Christmas time,

O, what a joy that

Christ has come.

A time of wonder 

and of awe;

A time of splendor

with the Lord.

O, Christmas time,

O, Christmas time,

O, what a joy that

Christ has come.

Rejoice, rejoice 

and believe with your hearts

that, Christ the Son, came on this day.

O, Christmas time,

O, Christmas time,

O, what a joy that

Christ has come.

O, Christmas time,

O, Christmas time,

O, what a joy that

Christ has come.

Breaking Through

Since I have been having problems sleeping I decided to look up Scriptures on sleep. Most of my problems come with falling asleep or staying asleep. There are times I have no problems, but those days that I do are the pits.

There are not that many verses that I could find that specifically pertain to my situation. I did find three that I chose for myself.

Proverbs 3:24 

"When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet."

(NASB)

Psalm 4:8

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep, 

For Thou alone, O Lord, dost make me to dwell in safety."

(NASB)

Jeremiah 31:25-26
"For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes.

At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant to me."

(NASB)

I'm not actually afraid when I lie down, but as I said I do have sleep issues. God says differently. My physical being and mind do not control me. By consistently reading these Scriptures I believe they will go from my head and into my spirit. I also know my Lord will honor my efforts.

I know there are those of you out there with similar issues or another issue. I truly believe we need to be transparent with those we know we can trust because God places them in our lives for a reason. They may have the exact word, at the exact time, that we need it. Proverbs 11:14 from the ESV says, "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety."

Our God is faithful and His Word our blueprint for life.

Blessings my friends,

Shifra

Instruction Done with Correct Attitude

"But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."

1 Timothy 1:5 NASB

This is how we all should instruct someone whether it be from the youngest child to the oldest elder. The word RESPECT comes to mind. 

If we want our words to ring true then we must do it in such a fashion that we don't cause division or lead someone to retaliate. Not everyone will agree with what we say and that is okay. We are more likely to have more listeners when we do it according to God's plan then if we try to do it in our own flesh. 

When we get caught up in trying to bring forth instruction in our own way, we ourselves can then be led astray, and as a result we will lead others astray. It becomes like a tangled web.

Christ Jesus needs to be and remain our focal point in every situation for therein lies love, purity of heart, good conscience and faith. Jesus encompasses it all. 

Amen.

Independence Day

The Fourth of July is upon us, but I truly wonder how many people celebrate it for the right reasons. 

I think just too many of us look forward to partying with friends and sounding off the loudest and most beautiful displays of fireworks.

Do we take into account what our forefathers labored over all those years ago? Some maybe? Most, probably not.

I think we should make this year different and put it at the forefront of our gatherings. 

The Declaration of Independence in Congress, July 4, 1776. 

The unanimous Declaration of the 13 united States of America,

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes

which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. "…

Obviously, I could not type out the whole Declaration, but I'm sure I have opened some eyes. 

So my friends I hope that this Fourth of July that we at least remember why we celebrate and why it even exists. Our children and children's children need to know what it is all about and so truth will prevail. Amen.