And a Christian! Praises to God that we live in a country that was founded on freedom and Biblical principles!
Sadly, Biblical principles and the truth of the freedoms that steeped deep within our country's forefathers and founders isn't readily understood by the majority of our culture...
But we have each been strategically positioned to influence the people and the culture around us.
Yes! YOU! Even you!
But how you might ask?
As this graphic post today states:
Sow righteousness for yourselves,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up your unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until he comes
and showers his righteousness on you.
The NIV puts the emphasis on looking to your own heart first, and that is what you can do today...
1. Sow to righteousness (righteousness is right standing before God - seeking Him, growing in Godliness, putting away the things He tells you to and walking by faith are all ways we can 'sow to righteousness for ourselves')
2. Reap the fruit of unfailing love (the love that comes through dependence on Jesus and the Holy Spirit to produce).
3. Break up your fallow ground - this is a farming reference. Before a seed can be planted and expected to grow, the ground has to be broken up, softened and prepared, sometime amendments to fuel the growth of the seed is added. Fallow ground in particular is ground that may have been prepared at one time, but now is overgrown with weeds and thorns. It needs to be turned again to be good for seed growing. Soil is turned upside down and broken apart when the plow blade furrows through it. You may have been living through difficult circumstances, where you feel everything in your life is being broken apart. This is plowing. Where might you have strayed from the Lord? This is where your heart, your 'land', is fallow.
4. The final instruction is to seek the Lord until He comes. This means to seek Him and keep on seeking Him until you have the evidence of being in step with Him once again...the evidence is the "rain of His righteousness"...you might think of this as a fresh outpouring of His Spirit.
When you experience the fresh outpouring of His Spirit...that is when you know you are equipped to be an agent of change for the your world and your culture!
Spend time with Jesus. Let the Spirit of Truth flow through your heart and mind today, allowing yourself to be open to what He reveals...
(And comment below to share it with all of us - we can encourage one another!)
I am forever enthralled with the depth of meaning in the Hebrew language and in the Feasts of the Lord - especially how the appointed Feasts point to the Lord Jesus! As Christians, we are not under the Law, of course. But the principles God reveals through the Law are important to understand and incorporate into our lives today. I am (re)posting a highly edited older entry about the shofar blow during Rosh Hashaha - the Feast of Trumpets! There are so many ways to view the blowing of the Shofar - I want these words to reflect the desire for relationship that our Jesus has, and that relationship rests on the truth that He has provided all that is necessary for life and godliness - the foundation of salvation through Him...
I am just captured by the depth and layers of symbolism in the Jewish Feasts of the Lord and how they apply to our Christian walk! Read on to find out more about the shofar...
(image found on Google)
The Feast of Trumpets features 4 different blasts of the ram's horn trumpets; each actual blast and the spiritual meaning of the blast is described below.1 1. TEKIAH - Pronounced tuh-KEE-ah, the tekiah blast is one long note that acts as a kind of summons. Others have suggested that it is the sound of a king’s coronation. On Rosh Hashanah, we are traditionally called to reaffirm God’s sovereignty. A pure unbroken sound that calls man to search his heart, forsake his wrong ways, and seek forgiveness through repentance. The tekiah called the people to attention and to gather unto Moses. It is the calling note, calling your attention and holding you. It would be in general the summons to listen to God, to receive from Him the orders for the day.
2. SHEVARIM - Pronounced shih-vah-REEM, this word literally means “breaks” or “fractures.” The shevarim blast is three medium-length notes that have been compared to the sound of weeping.A wave-like sound of alarm calling upon man to stand by the banner of God. Teruah in Hebrew means not only a certain unique sound. It also connotes "to break", denoting breaking something and/or causing damage. It is the note for bustling, speedy activity, the signal for breaking up, for striking tents and breaking up camp.
3. TERUAH- Pronounced tih-ROO-ahh, the t’ruah blast is a series of very short, staccato sounds that have been compared to an urgent alarm, calling us to rouse from our spiritual slumber. A broken, staccato, trembling sound. It typifies the sorrow that comes to man when he realizes his misconduct and desires to change his ways. It must be at least 8 notes, most make 9 blasts so as not to accidentally do too few.
4. TEKIAH GEDOLAH - The prolonged, longer version of the first Tekiah, unbroken sound typifying a final appeal to sincere repentance and atonement.
These four sounds form a set, called a Tekiyot of shofar blasts. In the sounding of the Shofar the Tekiah is 1 blast, the Shevarim is 3 wavering continuous blasts, and the Teruah is 9 staccato blasts, finishing with the longer final Tekiah.
See if you can pick out the different blasts in this video:
The meaning of the Shofar blowing is:
1. The Tekiah is sounded first to call man's heart to give attention and hear the following 'sound' of the Shofar message.
2. It is then followed by the Shevarim which would then give His order to break off and away from every attachment that estranges us from God, and from our own purposes and present mode of life which is displeasing to God, and leave behind every worthless activity. The broken sound reminds us that we have a job of "breaking" to do as well - the breaking of our evil inclination.
3. The Teruah 'speaks' for the heart of man initiating the call to repentance and godly sorrow of heart.
4. The tekiah which then follows, calls one to a new standpoint, a new attitude, of faithfully following God's way of life. It is to rally us to come to a new place in Yahweh God.
The repetition of these sounds is for the purposed of penetrating deep into the recesses of man's being to bring a complete change of heart and complete reconciliation with our heavenly Father.
Here is a longer video of Shofar blowing that shows the variety and beauty that can be achieved using these 4 blasts:
My "quick notes" take away for the meaning of the Shofar blasts is as follows:
1. AWAKE: The blast called "teru'ah," nine staccato blasts, is the "alarm" sound meant to wake us up! This idea was stated in the New Testament writing: "Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Messiah will shine on you" (Eph. 5:13-14). This theme of "awakening from sleep" is used elsewhere in the Scriptures (e.g., John 11:11, Rom. 13:11, 1 Thess. 5:6, Dan. 12:1-2, Psalm 78:65, etc.).
2. RETURN: Because the shofar is curved in appearance, we are reminded that this is the preferred posture of God's people. We are not to arrogantly rely on our own wisdom or to think we can correct our spirit to align with our Father. Instead, we are to take the humble stance of the shofar; that is, to be curved or bowed in submission to what God would tell us. 3. SEEK: Rosh HaShanah is a time to take an honest look into our hearts and spirits to make sure we are aligned with our Father's plan for us. The curve of the shofar tells us that the only way to find God's best is to bend our will to his will. The sound of the shofar calls us to return to the LORD and seek His face. This blast of the shofar is "the joyful sound" spoken of in the Psalms ... and since finding God is our greatest joy, King David rightly wrote:
One of the drawbacks of online work is the inability to actually have you come to me in person, but with technology’s innovations, we can work "face to face" in a manner of speaking at least! Another benefit of technology is the ability to work at one’s own pace, or even work during the middle of the night instead of the normal 9 to 5 office hours!
So, if you were going to come see me on a professional basis, there is a little paper work you need to fill out first. One of the most important questions in my intake form is this:
“When was the last time you saw a doctor?”
More than the answer, this question serves as a “trigger” to get a client thinking about the possible organic roots of the problems they are having. I am serious about getting a medical evaluation though, and will work with a client to get them a check up if one is due. Many problems have organic roots, and relationships between the mind and the body aren't always understood. Sometimes medical doctors don't understand these relationships either, so I also seek to provide valid information to educate my clients. What am I talking about? Habits of our daily lives may be contributing to organic issues, which in turn affect our minds and emotions.
You see, we live in an industrialized nation. We know that air pollution and water pollution are issues that we need to be concerned about. But we may not be as well educated about the toxins or chemicals that we come in contact with or absorb due to our laundry soap, our cleaning products, our cosmetics, our soaps, our fabrics, our furniture, our convenience foods, our processed foods, or even food that is marketed as healthy. Chemicals added to our water supply to make it safer for consumption can cause their own problems in our bodies.
I was glad when the Lord began to open my eyes to the need to eat clean and be aware of physical toxins that are common in the environment (not just toxic people and relationships!), yet it is overwhelming for me to keep up with it all! What I have found are several bloggers and business people whose passion is to educate others about how to live and eat “clean”. Today I am sharing my favorites, the ones that I subscribe to so I can have access to good research, handy tips, and great recipes for living "clean", whole foods and natural remedies!
I am NOT getting any revenue from sharing these businesses - these are simply the ones I love and choose to follow.
“25 Day Grace Filled Journey to Real Food”. Her recipes are fantastic and her approach is truly grace-laden. She shares her somewhat recent struggles after being exposed to mold in the home they were renting, and how that struggle has refined her health journey. You will love reading her encouraging words.
They cover healthy living in all of its facets, including home making, cooking (healthy whole food of course), natural remedies and natural products, essential oils, child rearing, and on and on…If you only had time to read one blog, this is the one I would recommend.
There you have it, my top 5 healthy living blogs. I hope these recommendations help you on your journey towards health and peace!
