Rabbi’s Reflections – Saturday, March 12, 2022
Shabbat Shalom,
Growing in Love for God 7 by David Harwood
Allow me to share a simple suggestion that may enhance your relationship with the God you love. Please follow through with this. If patiently employed it opens the door to God who desires to strengthen your fellowship with Him. It will help your revelatory love-relationship with God. Let’s do it together. It’s easy. Here’s the suggestion:
Ask for help. Ask for illumination.
Here’s a method I use. I speak to the Messiah. I inquire:
Lord Yeshua, what is it that You love about Father?
What do You see that You want me to see?
What can You show me that will resonate with me?
Please reveal to me that which would refresh my love for our Father.
There is so much that is wonderful about God. His ways are past finding out.
Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how incomprehensible His ways! (Romans 11:33 TLV)
Yet, there are specific things about Him that may make our souls respond more than others which are equally true. The Messiah knows what they are and He will curate divine truth and cause specific things He loves about Father to come alive to us. It becomes living, resonating, personal truth that we end up sharing in common with Yeshua. He makes the timeless timely. He knows what we need to sustain and inspire us in our fellowship with Himself.
who has known the mind of Adonai, that he will instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Messiah. (1 Corinthians 2:16 TLV)
The Lord Yeshua wants to do this because we’ve been created to have the capacity to love God in a way that is meaningful to God. However, we need help. Therefore ask:
Yeshua, what is it about Father that You love, that we can love together?
Include me!
I’ve found that He answers, and I believe He will answer you.
We are called to fellowship with God in a shared love. We, in fellowship with His Ruach, love God together. We share in the Living God’s appreciation of Himself as we participate in the Trinity’s interactive love. We are called to be included in God’s fellowship with Himself.
When the already Real becomes more Real
God may shine light on things we already know. He often makes things more real to us. Here’s an example of something I believe I’ve been shown afresh about God that refreshes and inspires me.
Now we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)
This was already real to me. I think He made it more real to me in answer to my prayer for illumination. It sort of went like this:
To the Lord: Yeshua, what is something about Father that You really love that will resonate with me?
To my soul: Romans 8:28
Looking for more insight I inquired, “Why do they work together for good?”
Here’s the simple thing I think I saw: They work out for good because that is the goal of the God who is good. He’s not working against His nature. Also, Romans 8:28 should not be limited to the purpose of consoling our souls. Personally, I rejoice in Romans 8:28.
Here’s a rhyme that portrays my attitude.
To encapsulate:
When things are great
I celebrate
Romans 8:28
And… when I’m in a protracted season of struggle I praise the God who makes all things work together for those who love Him. And in times of crushing disappointment, when my hope has been deferred and my heart is sick, Romans 8:28 becomes an antidote.
I know that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18) Meanwhile, until that glory is revealed, Romans 8:28 is a window.
Look through that window. See His goodness, His love, His wisdom, His power, His patience, His determination, His good will towards us and all creation.
Paul wrote, Now We KNOW…
Certainly, this is something Messiah loves about the Father. I think that He made this remarkable reality, that seems so commonplace, more real to me. Perhaps He’ll make this real to you, too.
Ask Him for your own illumination. It doesn’t have to be remarkable, it just has to be immediately real. It becomes remarkable when He reveals it.
Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat 12-Mar-2022 9th of Adar II, 5782 Parashat Vayikra Shabbat Zachor
Le 5:11-26 1 Sa 15:2-34 Rev 18:1-24
De 25:17-25