I Hate My Life And That's Okay...I Think?!?!

I love the book of Ecclesiastes.  It is such a heart searching, practical, REAL way that Solomon looks at our days on the Earth; especially in the 2^nd chapter.  I so understand his pain and worry.  I have felt like this many a time in my walk with Adonai.

Granted, I could never afford to live like Solomon did nor was I granted the wisdom he was or at least I am not aware of it to date.  But I get how a heavenly mindset can make this world’s toils look foolish and pointless.  As if you are free and yet imprisoned by this life.  It is a life replete with the mundane and repeating.  As he says in chapter 1, there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 2

1 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test myself with pleasure and enjoying good things”; but this too was pointless.

2 Of laughter I said, “This is stupid,” and of pleasure, “What’s the use of it?”

3 I searched my mind for how to gratify my body with wine and, with my mind still guiding me with wisdom, how to pursue foolishness; my object was to find out what was the best thing for people to do during the short time they have under heaven to live.

4 I worked on a grand scale — I built myself palaces, planted myself vineyards, 5 and made myself gardens and parks; in them I planted all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I made myself pools from which to water the trees springing up in the forest. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and I had my home-born slaves as well. I also had growing herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, more than anyone before me in Yerushalayim.

8 I amassed silver and gold, the wealth of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, things that provide sensual delight, and a good many concubines. 9 So I grew great, surpassing all who preceded me in Yerushalayim; my wisdom, too, stayed with me.

10 I denied my eyes nothing they wanted. I withheld no pleasure from myself; for I took pleasure in all my work, and this was my reward for all my work.

11 Then I looked at all that my hands had accomplished and at the work I had toiled at; and I saw that it was all meaningless and feeding on wind, and that there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

12 So I decided to look more carefully at wisdom, stupidity and foolishness; for what can the man who succeeds the king do, except what has already been done? 13 I saw that wisdom is more useful than foolishness, just as light is more useful than darkness.

14 

The wise man has eyes in his head,
but the fool walks in darkness.
Yet the same fate awaits them all.

15 So I said to myself, “If the same thing happens to the fool as to me, then what did I gain by being wise?” and I thought to myself, “This too is pointless. 16 For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered, inasmuch as in the times to come, everything will long ago have been forgotten. The wise man, no less than the fool, must die.”

17 So I came to hate life, because the activities done under the sun were loathesome to me, since everything is meaningless and feeding on wind.

18 I hated all the things for which I had worked under the sun, because I saw that I would have to leave them to the man who will come after me.

19 Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the things I worked for and which demonstrated how wise I am under the sun. This too is pointless.

20 Thus I came to despair over all the things I had worked for under the sun. 21 Here is a man whose work is done with wisdom, knowledge and skill; yet he has to leave it to someone who has put no work into it. This is not only pointless, but a great evil.

22 For what does a person get from all his efforts and ambitions permeating the work he does under the sun?

23 His whole life is one of pain, and his work is full of stress; even at night his mind gets no rest. This too is pointless.

24 So there is nothing better for a man to do than eat, drink and and let himself enjoy the good that results from his work. I also realized that this is from God’s hand.

25 For who will eat and who will enjoy except me?

26 For to the man who is good from [God’s] viewpoint he gives wisdom, knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of collecting and accumulating things to leave to him who is good from God’s viewpoint. This too is pointless and feeding on wind.

Now where I depart from Solomon is about verse 18.  I have no worries about those that come after me for tomorrow has enough to worry about.  I am like verse 17 because I have to toil instead of commune and steward the things of Elohim (think going back to the garden).  I have to run in the rat wheel for cheese that someone else already owns and needs to pay somebody else.  Not that all the money in the world would suffice; it won’t (Hebrews 13:5).

Contentment is not found in this life and the things we do here.  It will only be found in the next life when our hearts are filled with that which can satisfy our desires eternally.  I know that sounds ethereal and not something easily grasped, but that is the best I have to describe it.  Other descriptions sound clichéd and cheesy and frankly just give us false expectations that lead to false paths we walk on.

Never think that having a bunch of money or stuff will ever satisfy.  It won’t and just like all things in this visible world, it will let you down.  We were never meant to stay here or this be our end satisfaction.  It is okay to not be satisfied with this life (John 12:24-26).  This life is a means to the end: Yeshua our Messiah.

Being the Cheerful Receiver

2 Corinthians 9:6-8

6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;

He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  When a farmer plants a field, if he is sparing with the seed, he will yield a small crop or none at all, but most farmers overseed knowing that not all of the seed will be fruitful.  I grew up in a culture where you argued over the check and everyone tended to himself or herself and if they made more in life, it was because they worked harder…rubbish I say.

When someone gives to others they must give what they have purposed in their heart.  And those on the receiving end need to receive it with cheer.  This will do two things: 1) Allow joy to flow to the cheerful giver or 2) Reveal the true nature of a person’s heart and cause them to face it.  I must admit that I used to fall into the trap of not letting others care for me.  It was chivalrous or whatever they call it.  You’re not a man unless you take care of your end of it.  Pure nonsense. 

If you want to see what a real man is then read the Scriptures.  He looks quite different than an American man.

Acts 20:33-35

33 “I have not wanted for myself anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.

34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have provided not only for my own needs, but for the needs of my co-workers as well.

35 In everything I have given you an example of how, by working hard like this, you must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Yeshua himself, ‘There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.’”

Paul says that he provided not only for his own needs but to the needs of his co-workers as well.  We are supposed to work so that we may provide for our families as well as our brothers and sisters in Yeshua.  It is “happiness” to those who give to the weak (those in hard financial times).

Deuteronomy 26:10-13

10 Therefore, as you see, I have now brought the firstfruits of the land which you, Adonai, have given me.’ You are then to put the basket down before Adonai your God, prostrate yourself before Adonai your God,

11 and take joy in all the good that Adonai your God has given you, your household, the Levi and the foreigner living with you.

12 “After you have separated a tenth of the crops yielded in the third year, the year of separating a tenth, and have given it to the Levi, the foreigner, the orphan and the widow, so that they can have enough food to satisfy them while staying with you; 13 you are to say, in the presence of Adonai your God, ‘I have rid my house of the things set aside for God and given them to the Levi, the foreigner, the orphan and the widow, in keeping with every one of the mitzvot you gave me. I haven’t disobeyed any of your mitzvot or forgotten them.

We are even commanded to use our tithe for the foreigner, orphan, and the widow.  Next time you go to tithe ask yourself the question: Do I know someone in need who could use this tithe?  If you do, give it to them.  That is the biblical way of tithing.  Not giving it to a congregation and absolving yourself of your responsibility to take care of those in need.

Be cheerful when giving and receiving.  Be a part of the blessing, not a hindrance.  Know that when someone gives you something they have purposed to do it in their heart.  If they have done it half-heartedly, Adonai will deal with them.  Your part is to receive because nothing happens by chance in life.  Elohim is in complete control and that moment was meant to be.

Shalom!

True Leadership: Have We Gotten It Backwards

It amazes me today how little authority those in leadership positions actually have.  Not because they weren't initially endowed with it, but because they give it away by the way they lead.  Bosses have become a joke and instead of employees seeking to follow and please them, they in turn seek new ways to dupe them and shirk their part of the boss/underling relationship.  Why is this?  Could it be that they don't feel that their bosses are qualified to be leading them?

I think the answer is a resounding: Yes!  If you look through not so ancient history you can find true leaders who were feared yet respected.  I remember growing up as a boy I always respected my granddad's authority.  Was he a perfect man?  By no means.  But what he had was authority and he wielded in a way that only increased that authority; at least in my eyes.  He was stern, yet soft at times.  He didn't intervene too much when he set you off on a task.  It was your job so naturally he expected you to be able to figure out how to do your job.

Employees today are robbed of the opportunity to do their jobs.  The robber is "micro management".  When you set a person to a task and then intervene prematurely two things happen: 1) You undermine the person tasked's authority in that task and 2) You are now doing more work than an authoritative leader should.  It's called delegation and it means you absolve yourself of involvement to a certain degree because you have delegated it to someone else.

So naturally employees don't respect their bosses when the boss is constantly making himself a regular employee.  By micro managing , you diminish your status in the eyes of your employees.  Now let's be clear. I am not talking about a boss helping or being involved in the process.  I respect that and believe it is good to practice what you preach. But there is a line that needs to remain firmly established.  Equip and facilitate your people and they will achieve greatness.

And so it is in the spiritual as well.  Yeshua did not do the tasks for the disciples.  He equipped and facilitated it.  His authority was recognized by all that came in contact with Him.  That is why you see such strong reactions of either gnashing of teeth or falling prostrated to the ground when He came in contact with people.  His authority flowed out of Him and words were not always necessary to determine who was running things when He showed up.

The people of YHVH need leaders that equip and facilitate their growth in Messiah.  They do not need specifically spelled out instructions that short circuit how they have been wired by the Creator.  I have heard it said and agree with. "Your calling determines how you serve, not where you serve."  Torah and the Scripture are the only guides they truly need.  Worldly wisdom and history has some value in determining how people have behaved in the past and are likely to behave in the future.

Eat the fish and spit out the bones.  Guide the sheep.  Don't carry them all the time lest you become too weary to protect them when the need arises.

We need more "authoritative" leaders in this age of mediocrity.

We need more "true" leaders that trust in the power of the Spirit in this age of the spiritless.

Chasing Lions and Rescuing the Flock

1 Samuel 17:33-35

³³ Then Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.” ³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock,
³⁵ I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him.

So my coworker and I were talking about this verse earlier and he starts telling me about how weak Lions really are if they get tired out.  And then we discussed that this was probably the reason David could go after the Lions,, maybe even Bears, and be successful at rescuing the sheep.  I thought, I should write about that and then it hit me:  We have a lot of “lion” preachers today devouring the sheep, but if we, like David, will continue the pursuit of righteousness and the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they will tire.

They will become weary and just maybe we can rescue the sheep from their mouths.  We need Adonai’s courage to pursue, His word to sustain us, and His patience to wear them out.  We will need His kindness to care for the wounded ones and His wisdom to know how we approach them.  This was an amazingly simple insight and it came in the most unspectacular fashion.  Sometimes it just happens that way if we are willing to listen.

Chrisitans or Hebrew Roots? Or Both?

As my bride and I were sitting at the dinner table last night, a thought hit me:  What would someone who has no biases and having read the Bible completely think about those who call themselves men and women of faith?  I mean someone who wasn't shaped by church or teachings...I know…pretty much impossible.  But I asked this question in a vacuum of course. 

 

Think about it.  When someone says they are a firefighter and they never fight a fire or perform some kind of paramedic activity, we would realistically start to wonder about their claim. Another example might be a police officer who hates justice but fights crime and claims to be part of the justice system.   Today we have essentially two groups of  believers that claim the One True God YHVH; Christians and Hebrew Roots (not a good label but that is a whole other post).

 

Christians are all about helping the poor, the widow, the orphan, and being good according to their church definition of what is good (i.e. go to church every Sunday, pray regularly, read the Bible every day, etc.).  But they ignore the commandments of the King who has asked them to do these things for others.  So is there really any difference between them and a non-believer doing good for others other than the Christians are hypocrites?

 

Hebrew Roots are about all the Torah, Feasts, Festivals, being pleasing in YHVH’s sight and have lost touch with the words of Yeshua in the Gospels.  Sometimes there is really not much difference between Hebrew Roots and Christians.  The liturgy is there.  The tests for spirituality are there; they are just more of a tradition in Jewish life (Tallits, Kippahs, Kiddish, etc.).  They have forgotten their first love and have become stoic in their striving to follow Torah mechanically. 

 

As a follower of YHVH and brought into His Kingdom by Yeshua, we are now part of a Kingdom.  We walk this Earth as representatives of a King.  When we act, we act on His behalf and in His name.  Being a hypocrite or coarse and stoic is no way to represent our King with gentleness and kindness.  We must keep the laws of the Kingdom (or we forfeit His blessings and suffer the natural curses) and we must help the widow, orphan, and the poor with a cheerful spirit and right heart.

 

There are two books that comprise the Scriptures.  They both work together and are both necessary to understanding Elohim’s plan for our lives and the world.  It’s again all about balance.  Staying in balance ensures that we remain in faith and walking in His will.

Re-centering and Finding my Balance

Been a long time since I touched this blog.  I guess I needed some time to re-center and figure out why I was doing it.  Learning is a process and sometimes we get down a path and realize we have forgotten why we are where we are.  I took some time to just live; no studying, no theology or whatever that is, no feeling of a neatly packaged belief system.  More listening and less teaching.

Just living and observing.  Not teaching. but being taught by others and life.  Watching how others make life decisions and handle the daily grind.  What obsesses them.  Wondering what they are hiding under the misleading smile they wear.  Just being a fly on the wall of faith to see what others are doing with belief.

Not much has changed as far as what I believe.  Torah is life and the key to being in Elohim's will.  It must be balanced with the accounts of the New Testament and it all gels just fine to get us where YHVH wants us to head toward.

Balance.  Balance.  Balance.

If I could be better at one thing, that would be it.  Be a worshipper in balance.  Be a father in balance.  Be a husband in balance.  Our Elohim is in the middle, not on the fringes per say.  We are extreme beings by nature because the fringes have lots of definition spots for us to land.  Definition is comfort. The middle water is deep and uncertain.  Faith is deep and uncertain.  It requires daily trust and throws curve balls.  Faith is scary and exciting rolled into one.  If you recite what you believe concisely and repetitively, you might not really know what you believe or who you believe in.  You may just be holding up what you believe because if it falls, your whole world goes with it.  If it is easy, it may not be faith.  Who knows?  It might...sometimes.

YHVH cannot be contained or measured or limited by our definitions.  He has already defined Himself in His word.  He has already told you who He is and why you are here and what He requires of you.  He keeps me from having to just guess in life.  I have eternal truth.  The rest is measured up against that.  His rules of life are mine.  I don't just exist on feelings and likes and dislikes anymore.  My Elohim has showed me that I am much more than that and He has much greater plans for me than I ever could have dreamed of.

The people I see day to day make decisions based on what feels good or what you are taught to do as an American.  Decisions that don't really get you to the truth of things.  They work sometimes, but they are not the best you could have.

Isn't that what it is really about?  Living the best life you could before you die.  Living in such a way to leave a legacy of love and compassion to others.  You give and give until there is nothing left.  Man, I want that!  Not good at it but still want it with all my soul.  Adonai pour me out into others.

How will you know what the best life is if you don't know the One who created you?  How will you know what you should do with your life?  Why live a mundane, average life when you can live a fulfilling and meaningful one?  Why live only for yourself?  Sure live for your wife, husband, children, family, but I would expect you to do that.

What would amaze me is if you poured a little bit of your soul out into a complete stranger because you took the time to see what they needed and you had so you gave.  Now that is amazing love.  That is giving it all till there is nothing left.  Being willing to give your cloak to those in need because you know Yeshua is your covering and you shall want for nothing.

Yeah...that would be amazing.

Against the Grain (Choosing truth versus tradition)

Changing to follow the truth can be the hardest thing anyone ever faces in their life.  We don't choose when we are born, where we are born, and how we are raised.  We are ingrained with a lot of things as children that quite simply aren't true.  At some point, we grow up.  It's different for everyone, but you come to point where you have to ask, have I built a life on truth or is it all built on lies covered with fig leaves like Adam did in the garden.  YHVH could see His nakedness and sin, but Adam believed by covering it, he would be safe.
 
I have tired my best over the past ten years to be a man of the word of Adonai.  This means I have had to make the hard choices that cost me friends, family blessings, acceptance by those who think they know things (e.g. Seminary professors, pastors. etc.)  What this means is that I order my life and the raising of my family to fit what Elohim's word says, not what I have been taught about what it says or grew up practicing.  I could never escape the questions in my head of whether what I was doing was what YHVH really desired me to be doing with my life.

And frankly I have lost nothing because of my choices,  What I have gained is Shalom (look it up to understand the depths of it) and a love from a Father that will never fail me.  I know that what I practice is done in His Spirit and in His truth.  He has condoned ways for us to live and He has told us ways we should not and things we should have nothing to do with.  He does not force His will on us just as I do not force my will on my children.  Sure I discipline them just as the Father disciplines me.  Any "good" father steers his children in the way that is for their good.

I see so much compromise in this world because let's face it you don't receive any immediate consequences for attributing profane things to the Creator of the world; for changing His feast days to suit your whims and desires.....but is it righteous????
Is it the right way of doing things???  Do you care???  Maybe you don't and you have that right.  When we choose to follow our ways and not Adonai's, we lose.  We miss out.  Adonai never changes.

This is why I celebrate the birth of the Messiah at Sukkot when He truly was born and reject the ways of the world and that which is not true.