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Our Spiritual Journey Inside the Tabernacle – Part 6: The Table of Showbread

Inside the Tabernacle

Inside the Tent of Meeting

So far in this series, we’ve seen that through the functions of the tabernacle’s fence, the bronze altar, the bronze basin and the menorah behind the veil of the Holy Place, God has provided us with faith to believe, the payment for our sin, cleansing with the blood of His righteous Son and a transformed mind, illuminated with a spiritual perspective.

Once we get to this point and begin seeing the world around us from our new spiritual perspective, we realize all that’s available to us in the Spirit.  We realize God is much bigger than we thought.  The world and life in general is not what we thought.  It’s a whole new paradigm.  Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  July 20, 2012 | Categories: God's Presence, Tabernacle | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Our Spiritual Journey Inside the Tabernacle – Part 5: The Menorah

Inside the Tabernacle

Inside the Tent of Meeting

So far we’ve seen that God has given us faith to enter through the fence of the tabernacle courtyard into His glorious kingdom.  We’ve found forgiveness through God’s own Son offered on the Bronze Altar.  We’ve taken a good look at ourselves in the Bronze Basin and committed to a new life with God.  And now we want more. Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  July 13, 2012 | Categories: Holy Spirit, Tabernacle | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Our Spiritual Journey Inside the Tabernacle – Part 4: The Bronze Basin

Inside the Tabernacle

Inside the Tabernacle

In Parts 2 and 3, we’ve looked at God’s gift of faith that enables us to enter through the fence enclosing the tabernacle, representing His kingdom.  We’ve been forgiven because He offered His own Son at the Bronze Altar.

Saved and forgiven – this is a great place to be.  Some people stay at this place for years, maybe forever.  But God has so many other gifts He wants to provide us to bring us into deeper intimacy with Himself.  Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  July 6, 2012 | Categories: Forgiveness, Jesus, Repentence, Salvation, Sin, Tabernacle, Yeshua | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Our Spiritual Journey Inside the Tabernacle – Part 3: The Bronze Altar

Inside the Tabernacle

Inside the Tabernacle

In Part 2 of this blog series, we looked at the first obstacle that separates mankind from a holy God – represented by the fence enclosing the courtyard of the tabernacle.  The fence reminds us of how Yehovah gives us the faith to believe in Yeshua as the only entrance into His kingdom, so that we can accept His invitation of communion with Him.

But our sin keeps us from dwelling in his kingdom, keeps us from living in full relationship with Him.  Once we’ve entered into relationship with Him through faith, we become aware of our sinfulness as compared to His righteousness.  Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  June 29, 2012 | Categories: Atonement, Forgiveness, Jesus, Sacrifices, Salvation, Sin, Tabernacle, Yeshua | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Our Spiritual Journey Inside the Tabernacle – Part 2: The Fence

Inside the Tabernacle

Inside the Tabernacle

As I stated in Part 1 of this blog series, the tabernacle is a physical representation of the spiritual process that Yehovah has created for mankind to draw near to Him and for Him to dwell with us. However, there are several things that separate mankind from a holy God.  The first thing that comes between Yehovah and man is faith.  Until we have faith, we cannot know Yehovah.  However, what we see as a barrier, Yehovah sees as an opportunity for blessing. Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  June 22, 2012 | Categories: Faith, God's Presence, Jesus, Salvation, Tabernacle, Yeshua | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Our Spiritual Journey Inside the Tabernacle – Part 1: Yehovah’s Invitation to Intimacy

Inside the Tabernacle

Inside the Tabernacle

I find that the more I study Yehovah’s character, the better He gets.  He is awesome, holy and righteous, yet loving and patient with us at the same time.  He never stops pursuing us; He desires for us to be in His presence continuously, so that He can reveal more and more of Himself to us.  The tabernacle in the wilderness described in Exodus is a place where we see this character in Yehovah.

Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  June 15, 2012 | Categories: Blessing, God the Father, God's Character, Tabernacle, Walking with God | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Receiving God’s Gifts

3I had always received things from God in terms of their value for others, not fully embracing their value for myself.  There had to be a practical reason for everything, including the talents and desires God gave me. As an example, although I wanted to take voice lessons, I found it difficult to get motivated, because I didn’t know what I would do with the singing once I learned how. It wasn’t enough that I just wanted to learn to sing.

One day in casual conversation, I found that a friend of mine spent a lot of time growing bamboo. My first question was, “What’s the commercial market for bamboo?” Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  June 8, 2012 | Categories: Giving, God’s Love, Jesus, Ministry, Receiving, Yeshua | Tags: , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Power of Yeshua’s Sacrifice

Whenever I heard, “Jesus died for your sins,” I often thought, “What sin did I commit that would deserve death?”  I’m a good person; I keep the 10 commandments; I try to love God and love my neighbors as myself.  Then I heard, “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23).  So I asked, “Which sins can I die from?”

For a long time I understood this to mean that if I live sinfully, I will live separate from God, not enjoy His abundant life, and maybe eventually die from a destructive lifestyle.  All of those are true, but later I asked, “What did it mean to those who first heard it shortly after Yeshua’s death?”  Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  June 1, 2012 | Categories: Atonement, Forgiveness, God's Character, God's Presence, Grace, Holiness, Jesus, Messianic, Sacrifices, Salvation, Sin, Torah, Yeshua | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pentecost: 2000 Years Ago or 2026?

3The Day of Pentecost – we remember the supernatural flames appearing in the room where Yeshua’s followers were gathered.  Inside the room, there was the sound of a “mighty rushing wind” and the speaking of other languages they’d never learned.  It’s the pouring out of God’s very spirit into mere humans (Acts 2). That’s plenty to celebrate and remember right there.  But what’s the purpose in our noting it every year? Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  May 25, 2012 | Categories: Feasts, Holy Days, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Mo'edim, Pentecost, Shavuot, Spring Feasts, Supernatural, Yeshua | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Surprising Results of Submission

Submission.  It’s not a very popular word in our society.  Normally we think of someone giving up their will in deference to one with more power.  More recently it seems it’s come to mean someone giving in against their will.  Webster’s defines it as “humbly obedient, ceasing to offer resistance, to defer to another’s wishes.”  Even those definitions don’t sound as bad as the word itself – “submission.”  At least that’s how I felt. Then I began to learn a simple saying, but a difficult lesson:  “The way we submit to our leaders on earth is the way we submit to God.” (Rabbi Kirt Schneider)  Hmm, how am I at submission?  Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  May 18, 2012 | Categories: Authority, Following God, Humility, Obedience, Peace, Submission, Trust, Walking with God, Workplace | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

If MY People

Image271“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  2 Chronicles 7:14

I found this verse repeating in my head, so I posted it in a place where I’d see it every day, a place where I typically pray for my friends and family as I’m starting my day.  I continued my routine of praying for various people, and the verse stayed on my wall for probably three weeks.

I came to understand the power of this statement:  Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  May 11, 2012 | Categories: Evil, Forgiveness, Healing, Humility, Obedience, Power, Prayer, Promises, Repentence, Sin, Supernatural | Tags: , , , | 1 Comment

Taking the Next Difficult Step is Easier Than I Thought

On a recent vacation, I decided to try rock climbing on the simulated rock wall.  I had never done it, but watched several people in front of me, some succeeding to the top and some quitting part way up.  With each one I could, I asked how they did it or what stopped them from finishing, trying to learn whatever might help me make it high enough to ring the little bell at the top, announcing my success.

When it was my turn, the attendant, Alex, roped me up and gave me climbing shoes to help me hold on.  I took my first few steps on the holds and knobs.  “This is pretty easy,” I thought.  But like anything else physical, it got harder as I went along.  Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  May 4, 2012 | Categories: Faith, Following God, Obedience, Submission, Supernatural, Support, Trust, Walking with God, Weakness | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Faith is the Answer

Remember the story in Mark 5 of the woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years?  She touched Yeshua’s clothing and was not only healed, but captured the attention of Yeshua despite the throng of people crowding Him.  While obviously a great account of Yeshua’s compassion and supernatural power, this story leaves me with a few questions:

  • Why did the woman think if she touched Yeshua’s clothes she would be healed?
  • Why did Yeshua feel the power go out from Him when she touched Him and not everyone else who was crowding around?
  • And after a wonderful miracle, why was the woman fearful of Him?  Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  April 27, 2012 | Categories: Faith, Healing, Jesus, Prophecy, Supernatural, Torah, Trust, Yeshua | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Holocaust – Wasn’t that more than 60 years ago?

Precisely the point!  This year, by Holocaust Remembrance Day on April 19, the youngest Holocaust survivors will be more than 80 years old.  For us who were born after the Holocaust and aren’t Jewish, the holocaust may seem like a long time ago.  But for the survivors and the families of victims and survivors, the Holocaust is still an open wound.

The youngest survivor today would have been 13 years old at the time.  (The Nazis considered children younger than that too young for work and sent them to the gas chambers.)  Thirteen is a pivotal age in anyone’s life, but imagine growing up having the Holocaust as your coming of age introduction.  Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  April 19, 2012 | Categories: Holocaust | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Abiding in Yeshua

Orcas Cruising Puget SoundNot long ago I saw a documentary featuring the gray whale migration from Mexico to Alaska.  A mother and her new calf, born just a few months earlier, were passing off the coast of Monterey, California, when they were attacked by a pod of killer whales.  The story showed the hunting strategies of the six killer whales and the rare escape of the two grays.

Since an adult gray is far too large for a killer whale to overtake, the baby calf was the prey.  The main strategy of the killer whales was to separate the calf from its mother.  A brutal struggle went on for hours.  With the two grays becoming weaker and weaker, I couldn’t imagine how the two whales would ever rid themselves of the strong and determined predators.  Read the rest of this page »

Posted by  |  April 13, 2012 | Categories: Abide in Me, Following God, Guidance, Nature, Protection, Submission, Trust | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment