Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent,
to be well pleasing to Him.
2 Corinthians 5:9.
Another translation reads:
Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
Paul declares that the aim of the Christian life is to please Jesus Christ/Yeshua HaMashiach, who in turn, is well-pleased with His followers.
Messiah’s heart fills with joy when He sees us walking in the paths in which He would have us go because as the scripture says:
John 4 :34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to completely finish His work.
And we are to do likewise:
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus in good works, which God hath prepared that we should walk in them.
We are to be like David who said in Ps 40:8 I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law/teaching is within my heart.
Some translations use the word accepted in this verse, which is also correct. The use of the word pleasing or well pleasing, suggests a more intimate relationship between ourselves and our Heavenly Father and Messiah. One that, as we are obedient to His will for our lives with a willing, humble heart of love and adoration; His response would be a loving joyful one which pleases Himgreatly.
Ps 37:4
Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the L ORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
Taking delight in the Lord means that our hearts truly find peace/shalom and fulfillment in His plans for us.
Ps 147:10,11. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy. ESV
His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love.
The pleasure Messiah has in them that fear Him/reverently respect Him, and in them that hope in His mercy’ and do His will; is what fills His heart as He looks at those who are following His instructions as His disciples. This well pleased demeanor will be clearly revealed in the day of final judgment.
Matt. 25:23. His lord said unto him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things; I will make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joy of your Lord.
The word pleasing and pleasure are related, and we read in Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
In this kind of pleasure that is spoken of in verse 11 “and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created”, lies the key to finding our purpose in life. We were created to provide our Heavenly Creator Father with the pleasure of being involved in our lives, of providing for us, of interacting with us and communicating with us; and when are in harmony with Him, flowing together with His plans, we are pleasing to Him.
So many people struggle with feelings of insecurity, a poor self image and low self-worth, and question just what is our purpose in life; and many spend much time, effort and resources trying to find answers to their questions.
Truthfully, the key to finding our purpose is found in this verse:
“For you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.” Rev. 4:11.
This is our ultimate purpose, we were created for His pleasure! However this doesn’t this mean we are simply playthings in His hands.
Looking at the word “pleasure” from a worldly perspective, we may be inclined to think that we are just one of His hobbies. Nothing could be further from the truth, because the Bible describes the God of Creations’ relationship with us as that of a Father:
Psalm 103:13 is clear on that.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him, and the same theme runs through the whole Bible, leading to the free and wonderful gift of Salvation.
God, is the perfect Father and is actively involved in our affairs and because He is, the concept of being created for God’s pleasure can perhaps be better understood from the position of a parent.
Being a parent is not meaning that parents should “play” with those placed in their care, or that they should use them for their own selfish reasons.
Instead, loving parents will take pleasure and find fulfillment in being connected to and involved with their children, by acting on their behalf for what is in their best interest, in communicating with them, in giving them guidance and in being actively involved in their lives. There is a subtle difference, but any caring parent will understand that the idea of, taking pleasure in our children is completely unselfish.
This is the kind of pleasure that is spoken of in Revelation 4:11 “and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created”, and again, herein lies the key to finding our purpose in life. We were created to provide God with the pleasure of being involved in our lives, of providing for us, of interacting with us and communicating with us.
When we do the following things, we are bringing pleasure to our Heavenly Father and fulfilling His purpose for us.
When we actively pursue a relationship with God;
allow Him to be our provision, our Rock, our help in time of trouble;
make the effort to spend time with Him;
and
seek His will for our lives,
It is not important where we are in our walk in life, or if we have even discovered His direction for our lives. It is more important that in our search for purpose, we can be certain that when we make an effort to spend time with, and put our trust in Him, allowing Him to be our provision and our strength, we are fulfilling our purpose in life.
The best part being that, when we make it our first priority to bring pleasure to our Heavenly Father, we are opening the door for Him to provide us with guidance and knowledge of His will.
It is this decision of the individuals will, to place Messiah and His will for us above all other choices in life.
For each individual believer we should be able to say we live
that I may please Him-
It is not doctrines, denominations, creeds, opinions, professions, or even a faith that simply trusts in Him for salvation, that makes a true believer in Messiah Jesus/Yeshua..
We are believers/Christians/disciples in the exact measure in which Messiah’s will is positioned and important in our lives; and without a doubt, the common characteristic of all real believers/Christians/disciples, is summed up in this verse,
‘We labour that whether present or absent we may be well-pleasing to Him.’
We are to make it our goal, and it requires a conscious decision and a sustained effort to keep this goal always in front of us. It means we are to hold ourselves to the highest standard, moment by moment, day in and day out.
This is a commitment which is not making our first priority to win souls, or to plant churches, or to have revivals, but seeking only to be well pleasing to Him. A lack of spiritual experience is not what leads to failure, it is a lack of working to keep our eyes focused on the right goal.
We should examine ourselves before the Father at least once a week, to check if our lives are measuring up to the standard He has set for us. We think nothing of weekly putting out our trash, rubbish and garbage for collection. Things we no longer need, want or require. Items that are dirty, broken, unclean and no longer a part of our lives needs. This has a spiritual significance as we can expel any spiritual trash that has accumulated during the week, keeping this house/our physical house and all our spiritual aspects cleansed with the Blood of Messiah by not giving place to anything we would not want Him to see we have.
Anything we take on, that distracts us even to the smallest degree from the main goal of being approved to God 2 Tim. 2:15; may have an impact on how we are used in His service going forward. When we discern where the goal is leading us, we will understand why it is so necessary to keep, looking unto Yeshua/Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Hebrews 12:2. Paul spoke of the importance of controlling his own body so that it would not take him in the wrong direction. He said: I discipline my body and bring it into subjection lest I myself should become disqualified. 1 Cor. 9:27
We must learn to do the same, and relate everything to the primary goal, maintaining it without interruption.
Our public worth to our Heavenly Father is measured by what we really are in our private life. Is our primary goal in life to please and to be acceptable to Him, or is it something less, no matter how spiritual it may sound to ourselves and others?
In Phil. 4:10 Paul said
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection.
This is a very serious statement and should not be prayed or declared lightly, because the next few words hold immense sobriety for the individual…
the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
The Amplified Bible reads: And this, so that I may know Him [experientially, becoming more thoroughly acquainted with Him, understanding the remarkable wonders of His Person more completely] and [in that same way experience] the power of His resurrection [which overflows and is active in believers], and [that I may share] the fellowship of His sufferings, by being continually conformed [inwardly into His likeness even] to His death [dying as He did];
In the Aramaic Bible in Plain English: That by it I may know Yeshua and the power of his resurrection, and that I may share in his sufferings and be conformed with his death,
And the power of his resurrection, this was a glorious manifestation of Divine powerRomans 1:4. That resurrection power is now the power in the believers spiritual life: it stimulates the spiritual resurrection from the death caused by sin unto the life of righteousness. Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12.
And the fellowship of His sufferings.
According to the best manuscripts, there is a very close connection between these words and the previous ones,
Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy 2:11, 12.
To know the quickening power of His resurrection, we must share His sufferings.
As we meditate on the sufferings of our Savior we begin to feel a deeper, a more real understanding of what He experienced. This in turn will help to prepare us if, when we are called to suffer, we are to take it patiently, looking unto Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, then our sufferings will become united with His sufferings, “we suffer with him.” And he who hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows feels for us having been touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
This fellowship in suffering leads us through by His grace, to fellowship with Him in glory.
2 Corinthians 4:10; Romans 6:5.
Being made conformable unto his death; rather, becoming conformed. The means it is now, in the present: it implies a continual progress. It is taken from the word μορφή, meaning: form, used in Philippians2:6, and indicates, not just an external resemblance, but a deep, inner conformity. The reference here is not to a death by martyrdom, but to that daily dying to the world and to self, which Paul declared when he said that he was “crucified with Christ” Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:31.
The true servant and disciple of Messiah is committed to Him first before anything or anyone else; and to the Fathers will, plan and purpose.
Today we should ask ourselves…Is it our primary goal as His servant, to be well pleasing to Him?
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
Psalms 103:15-17: “As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the LORD [is] from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;”
Flower – Tsits – צוצ Sade Yod Sade
Flower: tsits
Strong’s 6731
Root: צִיץ.
Sounds like: tseets.
Flowers are mentioned all through the Bible.
Roses – Song of Solomon 2:1,
lilies – 1 Kings 7:19,22,
myrtle – Isaiah 55:12-13,
lily of the valley – Song of Solomon 2:1,
hyssop – Leviticus 14:51-52,
and all manner of fruit trees, apples, almonds, pomegranates.
Used of artificial flowers in candlesticks – Exodus 25:31.
(5) tsits, “flower” Isaiah 40:6;
plural tsitstsim,flowers as
architectural ornaments –1 Kings 6:18;
tsitsah,“the fading flower of his glorious beauty” Isaiah 28:1,4; also Numbers 17:8; Job 14:2.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.
blossom, flower, plate, wing.
Or tsits {tseets}; from tsuwts; properly, glistening, i.e.
A burnished plate; also a flower (as bright-colored);
a wing (as gleaming in the air) ––
blossom, flower, plate, wing.
Strong’s Hebrew: 6733. צִיצָה tsitsah — flower
Original Word: צִיצָה.
Transliteration: tsitsah.
Phonetic Spelling: see-tsaw’
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon:
6731b. tsits –– a blossom, flower, shining thing
tsı̂yts / tsits
1) flower, bloom
1b) shining thing (of gold plate on high priest’ s mitre) (metaphorically)
It seems as if this scripture is saying that life is just here today and gone tomorrow? Many years from today no one will even know we were alive and does it really matter?
The root word for
grass is chatsar
however in its Semitic root, it has the idea of
something that quickly perishes; which is very interesting.
As already noted above the word for
flower is tsits or zits,
which is a word used in ancient
Canaanite cultures for
colorful wings and feathers.
It’s not a standard word for flower, however, we can find some further meaning from this word. There is a focus on
its bright colors and
the transient wonder that it brings.
At the time this was written there was a lack of variety in colors because there was so much sand and desert, everything was monotone and looked the same until there was a rare sighting of some wildflowers or perhaps a colorful bird flew overhead.
It is similar image if we look back to the 1950’s, when television first became available to the general public; everything on the screen was only in black and white. Some years later the first color models were produced and only those with a good income could afford them. Today of course everything is available in full HD and the difference is profound. Back when color TV became available, the first people to view them were mesmerized by the life like images, that is what tsits – flower– means and is giving us the picture of. However after some time, just like most new things in life, we become accustomed to the colors and the fascination fades.
In Hebraic tradition it is taught and understood, that this imagery is not about life, but about the gifts and opportunities that our Heavenly Father gives us throughout this life. We are to seize these opportunities and use the gifts He has placed within us when they are manifested; because all too soon, these opportunities will be gone and we will outgrow many of those imparted gifts.
However inverse 17we are told that our Heavenly Father’s mercy endures forever. Is it possible that somewhere in the word mercy or chasad – goodness, kindness, and faithfulness – is the meaning of life? It is indeed in His mercy – chasad,- His goodness, kindness, and faithfulness – that we’ll experience new opportunities and with them, come the appropriate giftings to fulfill His purposes, not ours. This indicates that as we grow older and mature, we are still able to receive new gifts from our Heavenly Father, this can be in the form of other gifts that we were not initially born with; and as long as Father gives us life, we have opportunities to minister to others as and how He leads us.
The Hebrew Rabbis teach that the meaning to life is to discover the Father’s purpose, to find out the reason He created us, and then to discover the gifts He has given us to carry out that purpose.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 affirms this concept:
When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man. Berean Standard Bible.
When all has been heard, the end of the matter is: fear God [worship Him with awe-filled reverence, knowing that He is almighty God] and keep His commandments, for this applies to every person. Amplified Bible.
The end of the matter in its sum: listen to everything and be in awe before LORD JEHOVAH, and keep his commandments, for this is of One Craftsman which is given to every person. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear the LORD and keep his commandments; this is given by one Master to every man. Lamsa Bible.
These verses inform and remind us that in the end, the only point to anything is our Heavenly Father and that we are created for His pleasure to give Him glory and honor, by obeying His commands, and accepting that His Way is always the best and perfect plan; and understanding that as humans created by Him, we are beings with limited, finite power. It is a journey that takes a lifetime, whatever our age, we continue to learn His purposes and to discover the talents both old and new that He has gifted us with and the opportunities to use those gifts.
It’s our Heavenly Father Who reveals to each of us the gifts He has given, and they are revealed in His time, just when they are needed; not simply so we can use them to promote ourselves as being super- spiritual. So sometimes they are revealed later in life, when we are mature in the faith; however, every time that happens it’s like a tsits, the discovery of bright, beautiful colors. We need therefore to be ready when that opportunity arises, to take hold of it it with both hands, and use it for our Heavenly Father’s glory, for it will soon fade and pass away.
Numbers 17:4-11records one of the first mentions of a flower, and it was as a result of the Lord God performing a miracle; when He showed the people which of the 12 tribes of Israel would be the priests for His Holy nation.
“Place the staffs in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testimony, where I meet with you. The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid Myself of the constant grumbling of the Israelites against you.”
Moses spoke to the Israelites, and each of their 12 leaders gave him a staff and Aaron’s staff was among them as his staff was to stand for the tribe of Levi. Moses placed the staffs before the Lord God in the Tent of Meeting and the next day when Moses entered the Tent he saw that Aaron’s staff had not only sprouted, but had put forth buds, flowered – wey-ya-tsits, and produced almonds!
Moses brought out all the staffs and each man took his own staff. Then the Lord God said to Moses, “Put Aaron’s staff back in front of the Testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebellious, so that you may put an end to their grumbling against Me, lest they die.” So Moses did as YHWH/God had commanded him.
He also instructed that the flowering branch be left in the Tabernacle, no doubt this is why when Solomon built the 1st Temple, replacing the wilderness Tabernacle, he decorated it with carved open flowers according to:
1 Kings 6:31-35
For the entrance of the inner sanctuary, Solomon constructed doors of olive wood with five-sided doorposts. The double doors were made of olive wood, and he carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers (tsits-im) and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.
In the same way, he made four-sided doorposts of olive wood for the sanctuary entrance. The two doors were made of cypress wood, and each had two folding panels. And he carved into them cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers (tsits-im) and overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.
As well as decoration the word flower is often used to describe the mortal life of men.
Job 14:1-2
Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble.
Like a flower – k’tsits, he comes forth, then withers away;
like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.
Isaiah 40:6-8 encourages us that there is hope:
A voice says, “Cry out!”
And I asked, “What should I cry out?”
“All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower – k’tsits of the field.
The grass withers, the flower – tsits fades when the breath of YHWH blows on them;
indeed, the people are grass.
The grass withers and the flower – tsits fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”
Like flowers and grass, flesh can be glorious especially when we are young, however it does not last; the words of our Heavenly Father and the covenant He has made with us are the only things that last forever.
Our physical bodies are like grasses and flowers, remarkable, handsome, beautiful and pretty, but they are mortal and they will eventually die. It is our spirit that will live forever and immortality is for those whose faith and trust is in our Fathers written word.
In quoting Isaiah in 1 Peter 1:22-25 he said:
Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For,
“All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like a flower of the field;
the grass withers and the flower falls away, but the word of the Lord stands forever.”
And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.
The image of a flower is used to make the same point in
Psalm 103:13-19
As a father has compassion on his children,
so YHWH has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass— he blooms like a flower – k’tsits of the field;
when the wind has passed over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting the loving devotion of YHWH extends to those who fear Him, and His righteousness to their children’s children— to those who keep His Covenant and remember to obey His precepts. YHWH has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.
Even though the days of our lives are like a breeze blowing by, or a flower that blooms and then is gone; there is hope – because our Heavenly Father provides salvation for those who keep and obey the Covenant He has made with His children. Sadly the modern day focus on physical beauty, strength and prosperity is based solely in the world and is a distraction from our true godly purpose, which is to focus on, love and live for our Heavenly Father.
Isaiah 28:1-2 has this to say about those who live only for themselves, those who rely only on outward physical beauty and the ‘splendour’ of their bodies:
Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower – w’tsits of his glorious splendour, set on the summit above the fertile valley, the pride of those overcome by wine. Behold, the Lord has a strong and mighty one. Like a hailstorm or destructive tempest, like a driving rain or flooding downpour, He will smash it to the ground.
Our bodies are simply containers, vessels that we as spirit beings occupy while here on the earth; and when we fill them with drugs and strong liquor, it’s equal to filling them with nothing of any value or that will bear any good and lasting fruit. Our Heavenly Father does not pay any attention to our physical beauty, strength or splendor; and the scripture says that those who do rely only on themselves will be destroyed. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit of our Heavenly Father.
Paul told us in Ephesians 5:18
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Being filled with the Spirit means living beyond what our physical bodies are able to do; it’s by the Spirit of the Lord God that we flourish not through human strength.
As Zechariah 4:6 reminds us, it’s:
Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.
James wrote in 1:9-12 that
The brother in humble circumstances should exult in his high position. But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
This crown of life, is our Father’s promise to those who love Him and the symbol of a crown is also associated with a flower. In Exodus 39:30 there is a description of the crown designed for the priestly garments as a pure gold engraved flower:
They also made the flower – tsits, (often translated as plate]) of the Holy crown of pure gold, and they engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal:
Holy to the Lord/YHWH.
Kodesh YHWH – yud hey vav hey.
The Priests wore a crown like a flower as a reminder that Aaron and the Levites were chosen to be the Priestly tribe, mentioned earlier. Just as our Father took Aaron’s staff and made it bloom, He does the same thing with peoples lives.
Sadly we often ignore Gods Holiness, focusing only on our basic human desires and what we want; which includes fashion, food, beauty, strength, and wealth. However our attempts to pursue these things only end up causing us worry, stress and anxiety and we are left with a feeling of emptiness.
In Matthew 6:25-30 Jesus/Yeshua uses flowers to highlight this human condition:
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns—and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to his lifespan?
And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Our Heavenly Father created the
tsits – flowers of the fields,
and the beauty we see all around us in nature, is there to be for us a constant reminder that life is short on this planet; and we all have an expiry date. In contrast, life with our Heavenly Father is eternal, it’s forever, for all those who desire to follow Him, trust Him, love Him, and place their lives in His hands. He is faithful and true and unlike a flower -tsits, that fades and dies, He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
23 And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).
We are to be as He was in the earth…
As He is, so are we in this world. 1 John 4:17.
Do we really know what that is, and what it means?
When we pray asking the Father to sanctify us, are we prepared to measure up to what that really means? We take the word sanctification much too lightly and in not understanding what it means, how can we be serious about it in our lives?
Are we prepared to pay the price of sanctification? The cost will be a deep restriction of all our earthly concerns and an extensive cultivation of all our Godly concerns.
Sanctification means to be intensely focused on our Heavenly Fathers point of view and the only way to know what that viewpoint is, is to get to know Him intimately.
It means to secure and keep all the strength of our body, soul and spirit for His purpose alone. To be completely dedicated to Him. It is the action of making or declaring something holy, separating us from sin..
Sanctification is the state of proper functioning of something or someone which is set apart for God’s use. It is the work of God in grace, who sanctifies human beings and creation by His presence.
Sanctificationis the Holy Spirit ‘s work of making us Holy. When the Fathers’ Holy Spirit creates faith in us, He renews in us the image of Himself, so that through His power we produce good works.
Now, may the God of peace himself cause you to be completely dedicated to him; and may your spirit, soul, and body be kept intact and blameless at our Lord Jesus Christ’s coming. 2 Thess. 3:16.
Initially God does a work in us, then we are to not only maintain that position by our freewill, choosing daily to walk as called apart children; but we are to press in to maturity, growing in grace and becoming more and more like Messiah.
Are we truly prepared for our Heavenly Father to perform in us everything for which He separated us?
Sanctification is an act of sanctifying or
the state of being sanctified,
which means growing in divine grace after being born again from above by His Spirit and water immersion.
By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time. Hebrews 10:10
Sanctification is the work of God’s grace that makes believers holy in their whole person by virtue of their union with Messiah, and has both definitive and progressive qualities.
And after He has done His work in us, are we then prepared to separate ourselves to Him just as Jesus/Yeshua did? This is how we follow Him.
As He said in John 17:19 for their sakes I sanctified Myself.
From qadash; a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity — consecrated (thing), dedicated (thing), hallowed (thing), holiness, (X most) holy (X day, portion, thing), saint, sanctuary.
The Hebrew word kiddush
translates as
“sanctification” or “separation.”
It’s a mitzvah to verbally declare Shabbat, the seventh day of the week, sanctified, separate and holy.
Mitzvah
מִצְוָה
The simple meaning of the wordmitzvah is command.
Mitzvot are commandments.
They are traditionally understood to come from God and to be intended for the Jewish people to observe. Understood as the state of being connected to the Father. It is usually referring to a charitable, beneficial act or good deed performed by another person.
הַקְדָּשָׁה
hakdasha
consecration sanctification.
The term “sanctification” here is from the Greek word
Original Word: ἁγιάζω Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: hagiazó Phonetic Spelling: (hag-ee-ad’-zo) Definition: to make holy, consecrate, sanctify Usage: I make holy, treat as holy, set apart as holy, sanctify, hallow, purify.;
which is also translated as “made holy.”
The reason some of us haven’t entered into the experience of sanctification, is that we haven’t realized the meaning of sanctification from our Father’s perspective. We have not understood how He sees it. Sanctification means being made one with Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, so that the nature that controlled Him will control us.
It is literally Him in us.
Being, or calling oneself a Christian, or a believer in Jesus/Yeshua, is not an end in itself; nor is it a ticket to heaven so a person can continue to live their preferred lifestyle. It only truly begins at the point of repentance for sin and being born again from above by the Holy Spirit of the Heavenly Father. It is a 180 degree turn around in the direction of our lives. A freewill choice to live according to the ways of the Holy Creator God of the universe.
Are we really prepared for what that will cost? Because it will cost absolutely everything in us which is not of God.
Every bit of the old man/woman we hold on to, will hinder the fullness of the provision Messiah Jesus/Yeshua paid the price on Calvary for us to receive. We are to no longer live after the flesh but after the spirit.
For if you liveafter the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8:13
We are no longer to be led around by our carnal nature and desires, cravings and comfortable choices of a preferred lifestyle with self at its center. We are to crucify, literally kill the flesh life and die to self and all that means. Are we prepared to be immersed into the full meaning of Pauls prayer here; and are we willing to say, Lord make me, a sinner saved by grace as holy as you can? Messiah prayed that we might be one with Him, just as He is One with the Father. John 17:21-23.
The obvious evidence of His Holy Spirit in the life of any individual, is the undeniable likeness to Jesus/Yeshua, as in family resemblance; and the freedom through deliverance from everything which is not like Him.
I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world comes, and he has nothing in me. John 14:30
The devil comes and finds nothing in Me He said, He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me .… can we say the same?
Is there anything in our lives that the devil can identify as his attributes? Is there any darkness in us, hidden deep away, buried that the light of Messiahs truth has not yet reached?
At this time of the year many people do their spring cleaning and call it a deep clean for their homes. Our bodies are our physical homes for our spirit and sou while here in the earth. Maybe its time to do a deep clean there also?
Are we truly prepared to set ourselves apart for the Holy Spirits work in and through us?
There is a serious reason for His calling to us.
Are we willing to trust our whole life and being to Him, to the point of physical death and through suffering?
Job 13:15
is a verse where Job expresses his trust in God despite his suffering and his intention to defend his ways before God. We are not supposed to be defending our ways to the Lord but to be humbly submitted to Him and trust His process.
1Pet. 4:13 we are to be a partaker of His sufferings
because the divine nature is revealed in those times.
But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
A true child of God is no stranger to affliction, grief and death are common to every single one of us. Darkness falls on both saint and sinner alike, just as the rain does.
Matt. 5:45.
The difference is, those with an intimate relationship with the Lord will find joy, and peace in the midst of life’s bitter experiences. The indwelling, abiding presence of His Holy Spirit sustains us, providing spiritual stamina, fortitude and endurance in the face of hardship; which tests our faith and tries our patience. The Way we travel is not so smooth for us that there are not obstacles and pitfalls along the way. If they were not there how could we ever testify of His provision and deliverance? It is better for us to keep our mouths closed and our lips forever sealed in silence, rather than deny Him in the times of calamity and devastation.
The reason for our preparation is not for our progress and spiritual maturity alone, it is so that He can use us in the hour of crisis and for the needs of others.
When we find ourselves in the crises of life, these are not the times to cry out for deliverance and help, saying, save me from this situation; but instead we should already be prepared and able to cry out instead, ‘Lord use me where you can.’
We need to stop being so self aware, so self centered and selfish, that our life is all about us. It is not only about us. The only part that is about us, is how we as individuals respond to His usage of us; and deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Him. We are to lay down our life for Him and our brothers and sisters. We are to be selfless, that’s the only acceptable place for the word self to be, is in the word, selflessness.
Greater love has no man than he lay down his life…
John 15:13
We need to stop complaining how hard our life has been and how much we have given up, and all we have sacrificed for the Lord. Why are we keeping count of what we think we have had to forego?
2 Cor. 4:17.
Most of us especially in the west have never, and will never, know or experience real fiery trails that so many martyrs have gone through. We need to stop murmuring and complaining, or we are no better than the children of Israel in the wilderness; and it didn’t end well for them.
They never entered the promised land!
Our promised land is eternal life with our Heavenly Father when we leave this world, and there are several lists in scripture of those who will not enter in. Let us make certain we are not among them.
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [a]homosexuals, nor [b]sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were [c]sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
Sanctification is the process of becoming more like Messiah and being set apart for God’s purposes. It is our free will choice.
In everything that our Heavenly Father does, there is His part and our part; that is the essence of covenant, it takes two parties to agree. Here the Blood of Messiah offers us the cleansing sanctification and then our part is to sanctify ourselves with the help of His Holy Spirit.
Joshua 3:5; And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.
God is telling the people to hithekadashu or to sanctify themselves. This comes from the root word
קָדַשׁ
קֹדֶשׁ
kodesh – to make holy.
Here it is in a Hithpael form which makes it reflexive, in other words, the people are to make themselves holy.
How do we make ourselves holy?
6944 qodesh: apartness, sacredness
Original Word: קֹדֶשׁ Part of Speech: Noun Masculine Transliteration: qodesh Phonetic Spelling: (ko’-desh) Definition: apartness, sacredness
holy One, saint . Or qadosh {kaw-doshe’}; from qadash; sacred (ceremonially or morally); (as noun) God (by eminence), an angel, a saint, a sanctuary
There is further insight to be gained from the meaning of the letters of the Hebrew Alefbet.
Qop, Daleth and Shin which spell out
Qodesh/Kodesh = Holy, sanctification.
קֹ Qop represents holiness and sanctification.
דֶ Daleth represents a doorway through to the next letter, the
שׁ Shin which represents the power and wonders of the Lord God.
We all understand that:
holiness is the doorway to God’s power.
Qop, Daleth and Shin.
קַדָּ֑שׁ
The numerical value of each of these three letters taken together help us to know how we can become holy.
First the Qop, is the number 100 which represents a new beginning. This new beginning involved leaving behind the old and making peace with the changes that need to take place for our new beginning.
Next Is the letter Daleth, with a numerical value of 4, which represents creation; as we become a new creation in Messiah.
Lastly, the Shin has the numerical value of 300 which represents our separation from sins.
Together, the total value of Kodesh/Qodesh is 404 and we could interpret these values as helping us to understand that:
to make ourselves holy, we need to
Qop – קֹ
make peace with the changes our Heavenly Father
has brought into our lives;
we need to
Daleth – דֶ
allow God to create something new in our lives;
and then we are to
Shin – שׁ
allow this new change and new creation in our lives to separate us from the cares and sins of this world.
The bottom line is that, we need to make ourselves holy by allowing Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, complete His work in us and let Him do what He wants to do in our lives; even if it means going through many trials that will remove all the trust we place in ourselves. We need to realize that all these trials in our lives are making us holy. We simply need to allow God to continue this work within us, so He can complete the miracle of bringing us, like the children of Israel into His promise land.
What does the number 404 have to do with any of this?
Recall from previous posts, that the Hebrew teachers/rabbis say that, Hebrew words with the same numerical value are connected in their meanings, and have a further message from the Lord God.
Two other words with the numerical value of 404 are, the words vabahanasim, which means: to carry me
and hafashim which means: to strip away.
Is this a key to being made holy?
Could we read this as saying it this way?
We must allow our Heavenly Father to strip away – hafashim – all that extra heavy burden weight of guilt and sin, so He can carry us – vaahanasim – into His promise land.
Today is the day of salvation!
Luke 19:44 They will not leave in you one stone on another, all because you did not [come progressively to] recognize [from observation and personal experience] the time of your visitation [when God was gracious toward you and offered you salvation].”
Don’t miss the day of our visitation and the opportunity to clean house so that nothing will prevent us from entering in.
2 Corinthians 6:2says, “For God says, ‘At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.’” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”
By living a sanctified life, we can walk in harmony externally with our Heavenly Fathers’ plans and purposes and be intensely focused on His point of view; and internally we can live a life submitted to, and controlled by, the Holy Spirit of Messiah.
Then all the strength of our body, soul and spirit are
sanctified –
set apart for Gods purpose alone.
In Psalm 119:33-40The psalmist doesn’t ask for help in a situation or for material blessing, but for a transformation that leads to a greater submission to the Lord God. He asks for the Father to teach him, to grant him understanding, to change the direction of his heart and his gaze, to confirm the promise to him and to turn away reproach.
It is a prayer of holiness.
Let this be our prayer today…
33. Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
36Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
37 Turn away mine eyes from beholdingvanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.
38Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.
39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.
40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts:quicken me in thy righteousness.
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
Amos lists a lot of place names in his book and it was for a very specific reason.
Every name of a nation or town/city in the Bible, has some very significant meaning.
In verse 4 Amos mentions Bethel and Gilgal.
Amos 4:4 HEB:בֹּ֤אוּ בֵֽית־ אֵל֙ וּפִשְׁע֔וּ הַגִּלְגָּ֖ל NAS: Enter Bethel and transgress; Gilgal KJV: Come to Bethel, and transgress; Gilgal INT: Enter Bethel and transgress Gilgal
Bethel in Hebrew אֵֽל
means:
House of God
Beth = house and El = God
Strongs 1008 Betheel: “house of God,”
a city in Ephraim, also a place in S. Judah
Original Word: בֵּית־אֵל Transliteration: Betheel Phonetic Spelling: (bayth-ale’) Definition: “house of God”
Bethel was located about 11 miles north of Jerusalem near Ai. It was a major trading center, Bethel stood at a crossroads, with its north-south road passing through the central hill country from Hebron in the south to Shechem in the north, and its main east-west route leading from Jericho to the Mediterranean Sea.
Only Jerusalem is mentioned more frequently than Bethel in the Old Testament.
Bethel is first mentioned in the Bible in connection with Abram, who built an altar to God there: “From there [Abram] went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD” Genesis 12:8. After visiting Egypt, Abraham returned to Bethel and offered a sacrifice to God Genesis 13:3–4.
Originally namedLuzGenesis 28:19; Judges 1:23, the city was renamed Bethel by Jacob after the patriarch experienced a remarkable dream there. While traveling from Beersheba to Haran to escape his brother Esau, Jacob stopped for the night in Luz. As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway or ladder that stretched up from earth to heaven. The angels were climbing up and down the ladder as God stood at the topGenesis 28:10–13. The Lord spoke and revealed Himself to Jacob as the God of his fathers. When Jacob awoke, he declared, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven” Genesis 28:17.Then Jacob set up a sacred pillar, named the place Bethel verses 18–19, and consecrated the site as a place to worship God verse 21.
Many years later, Jacob returned toBethel,built an altar to God there, and called the place El-Bethel, which means“God of Bethel.”
Bethel remained one of the main worship centers of Israel.
The ark of the covenant was kept at Bethel for a time, and the people often went there to seek God during times of trouble. Judges 20:18–28.
The Bible says Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, was buried under an oak tree nearBethel, Genesis 35:8;and the better-known Deborah, judge of Israel, held court at a site between Ramah andBethel.Judges 4:5.
During the time of the divided kingdoms, King Jeroboam of Israel established two temples for the northern kingdom, one atBetheland the other at Dan. In these temples, he set up golden calves.1 Kings 12:26–33.
The Lord God often sent prophets to preach atBethel.
1 Kings 13:1–10.
Many of these prophets pronounced judgment and condemnation on Bethel as a center of idolatry.
Amos 3:14; 5:5–6; Hosea 10:15.
On Elijah’s last day of ministry on earth, he and Elisha encountered a company of prophets atBethel. These prophets confirmed Elijah’s soon departure:
“Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel. The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, ‘Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?’ ‘Yes, I know,’ Elisha replied, ‘so be quiet’” 2 Kings 2:2–3).
Elisha refused to leave Elijah. He was committed to receiving the older prophet’s mantle and did not want to miss the blessing.
The Gilgal near Jericho is the Gilgal most frequently mentioned in Scripture.
According toJoshua 4:19
after he and the Israelites crossed the river,
Gilgal
was the first place that the Israelites camped in the Holy Land.
Joshua 4:19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho.
It was here 12 memorial stones taken from the bed of the river, were set up by Joshua, after the miraculous crossing of the Jordan.
One stone to represent each of the twelve tribes.
When the entire nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,2 “Pick twelve men from the people, one man per tribe.3 Command them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from right here in the middle of the Jordan, where the feet of the priests had been firmly planted. Bring them across with you and put them down in the camp where you are staying tonight.’” Joshua 4:1-3
Joshua 4:19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, on the east border of Jericho.
Joshua 4:20 Joshua set up those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, in Gilgal.
Joshua 5:9 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.” Therefore the name of that place was called Gilgal, to this day.
Joshua 5:10
The children of Israel encamped in Gilgal. They kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho.
Gilgal means:
circle, rolling together or
uniting with God.
Where Gilgal means ‘a rolling’; it is indicating that something is rolled off you which actually oppressed you. We need not let our past failures hang over us, we need to let the past go and move forward into the future.
Both of the names express the picture of a place of worship, a memorial place where Gods presence was; and a place to praise Him.
In that time when Amos was called by the Lord God to prophesy His message to the Israelites, both of these places were locations where people travelled to experience the presence of God. From historical references it would seem that these were equal to the venues for convention/conference centers or places for retreats today.
Bethel and Gilgal were popular destinations as a gathering place for good teaching, prophesies and miracle services/meetings and 1000’s of people travelled there from miles away, to join in worship to God and to have a time of fellowship.
Why did Amos focus on Bethel and Gilgal? What was wrong with these places?
What did Amos mean to come to Bethel and transgress/sin and Gilgal multiply your transgressions/sins?
The word transgress is Pasha
which means: to Rebel or offend.
Strongs 6586 – pasha: to rebel, transgress
Original Word: פָשַׁע Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: pasha Phonetic Spelling:paw-shah’ Definition: to rebel, transgress
This transgression is an offense in the speaking of divine power and spiritual insight.
Amos then says go to gilgal and multiply your transgressions.
A word for multiply is ravah – רָוָה
This is the idea of: abundance, increasing or making great, to be saturated, drink one’s fill – but interestingly, in its semitic root, it has the idea of wearing something around your neck as a necklace as a symbol of pride.
These days many gang leaders and popular worldly music stars and celebrities often wear thick, heavy, gold or silver chains around their necks. Pridefully displaying the popularity, wealth and social standing they have achieved.
In Amos day what was taking place at Bethel and Gilgal turned into what we would call a ‘spiritual county fair’ or ‘amusement theme park’. It had become a place where all the prophets, rabbis/teachers gathered together with the, ‘teacher-prophet wannabees,’ all displaying their assumed spirituality and giftings for everyone to admire. It had become a place to show off how spiritually mature one was, replete with spiritual charisma and ‘anointings’ designed to impress others and to give astounding testimonies to back up their claims. This became an opportunity for people to try and ‘out-do’ one another as spiritual giants; and by this, it became a place where people wore their spiritual pride like a necklace for all to see and admire. They had descended into idolatry and spiritual adultery and another aspect of this idolatry showed in the early mornings where sacrifices could be seen by everyone and the unnecessary tithes that were offered were publicly displayed.
The bitter ironic words the prophet uses seemingly calling Israel to the calf-worship of Bethel, and to the similar rites of illegitimate Jehovah-worship at Gilgal are clear in these verses. Both of these locations were full of sacred associations and Holy encounters with the Most High God. In the english version of the scripture the words for “three years” read every three days. The Torah/law only required a tithe every third year(Deuteronomy 26:12); but here Amos is admonishing the people, pointing out the irony in their overwhelming generosity to the priests and false sanctuaries; and because of the translation, the sarcastic force of the passage is diminished.
Amos was not condemning the places themselves, but rather what was happening in those locations.
It was about people who spent so much time and energy trying to have ‘a new thrill’ or ‘experience’ or ‘a new revelation’, that they devoted little to no time in seeking after Gods heart. He was making a point to remind them that in times past, these two cities were known as being places where Gods’ Holy presence was. However, in the days when Amos was called to prophesy, many of the people who made the pilgrimage to both places had a personal motive and agenda, wanting to promote themselves by drawing attention away from the One True God. This was what Amos was required to speak out about, a call to repent from spiritual idolatry, false worship, faithlessness and adultery.
May we all check ourselves carefully, and identify the real reason we are attending conferences and retreats the next time we are planning to visit a Bethel or a Gilgal. Let’s be sure that our motive is to seek our Heavenly Fathers face, and not the popular speaker; but to be in His presence seeking His heart. We need to be drawing near to the altars of repentance, humility and selfless service, not man made altars with false idols and other gods of self aggrandizement. Let’s make sure we are not doing what Amos called going to Bethel and transgressing or going to Gilgal and wearing displaying those sins around our necks.
Shalom aleikhem
chaverim and mishpachah!
Peace to friends and family.
Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.
Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.
It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.
You are very precious in His sight.
Not sure ..you can be…
SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,
SAY IT RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.
Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, 
Psalms 103:15-17: “As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the LORD [is] from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;”
The nature of sanctification and its cost.
What is the significance of the place names 
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