Go Up to Zion

Anyone who’s worked with me in ministry knows that I don’t like asking for help.  That’s right; I am that stubborn, Italian, ‘I can do it all’ kind of person.  And God loves me too much to leave me that way! 

Back in April, I attended Temple Aron HaKodesh’s School of Prayer.  There I learned to let go of past hurts and mistakes and failures.  I learned how to forgive others and to forgive myself.  

One Saturday about this same time, Rabbi Joe Vitkus taught on surrender – surrendering the big ‘I’ and becoming a little ‘i’ like in iPod.  Rabbi Neil Lash came up at the end and shared a word from God which called for letting go of the past and called for those ready to do that to come forward.  The Spirit nudged me to move.

Being the strong willed child that I am, I asked, “Why? We’ve already done this.”

Again, He nudged me to go.  So I went, not knowing why; and in typical ‘Ro’ fashion, pestered my Dad with questions the whole way. 

As much as a pain in the buns as I can be, I really did want to let go of whatever He knew needed to go.  I may be strong-willed, but not a complete idiot.  God speaks, you do.

So as prayers were lifted, and I was anointed by Rabbi Joe, it came to me:

It is now time to let go of past victories and accomplishments. It is time to become a completely empty vessel – to let go of everything from the past – not only the bad, but the good as well.

Why let go of positive things?  Part of it is spiritual pride creeping in. “Look what God did for me” or “Look how God used me” where me is the central focus and not God and His doing.

The other part is to be a completely empty vessel – empty and cleaned out – ready to receive a new revelation, a fresh word for the soul.  

Also about this time, I received the monthly newsletter from Jewish Jewels, entitled D’var Adonai.  (If you don’t receive their newsletter, you should.)  There is no way to do their wonderful teaching any justice, so I will simply say that d’var Adonai is translated ‘The Word of the Lord’ and one scripture they quoted was “out of Zion will go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Is 2:3)

On April 30^th I wrote in my journal:

God is ready to do something new in me and through me (Big God, little me).

It’s time to go up to Zion to receive that revelation.  And to bring back a fresh d’var Adonai – not only for me, but for my brothers and sisters who are struggling in their life and/or in their faith; who are seeking to hear from the Lord.

It’s time to let go of everything and come up to Jerusalem an empty vessel to receive a new word from the Lord.

Without going into all the gory details, I will tell you that I once more argued with God.  I told him that I didn’t have the money anymore, that I spent it on the Seder (as if He didn’t know.)  By arguing, I was avoiding Him reminding me that I was supposed to ask for help from my brothers and sisters.

As I said in the beginning, I don’t like to ask for help.  But God pointed out something in 1 John 4:20, “he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”  He told me that if I cannot ask the brethren for help, how can I truly ask God, with the faith that He will help?  

I could almost hear Him asking me, “Did you think I was just going to drop money from the sky?”

To which his smarty-pants daughter replied, “You could, you know.”  Of course, God didn’t respond to this insolence.

So I put together a fundraising campaign and as of the writing of this article, am 2/3 of the way to raising the money to go Isreal.  

God has taught me a lot in this situation, and I am so glad He did.  I am looking forward to going up to Zion for a d’var Adonai.  But even more, I am looking forward to bringing it back to my family in Christ and seeing the mighty work God is about to do for us all.

Keeping the Sabbath God's Way

I hear a lot of talk about taking a Sabbath rest and how important it is to rest one day a week.  While it is true that we must rest, there is a lot more to keeping the Sabbath than what we Gentiles understand. 

Jesus did say in Mark 2:27, ‘man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for man.’  As Gentiles, we tend to think this means we should be taking a day off work, resting, having fun, doing whatever makes us happy. 

But take a look at what God says in Isaiah 58:13-14:

“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; and I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.  The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

So, which is it?  By reading this passage in Isaiah, it sounds like God is calling for us to do even more work on the Sabbath, not less.  

For our example, we must look to Jesus to see what He did on the Sabbath.  Peter tells us in Acts 10:38 Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.  In Matthew 12 we see that He did this on the Sabbath!  Then look at verse 1 where Jesus’ disciples plucked grain so they could eat. When He was accused by the religious leaders of the day for defiling the Sabbath, Jesus defended their actions.  That same story is found in Mark 2:23 - 3:5 where Jesus makes the statement the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.  Notice in the two accounts that Jesus was not just hanging around getting rest, but He was out doing the work of the Lord.

These are just a few of the examples where Jesus was doing exactly what God commended the eunuchs for in Isaiah 56:6.  The eunuchs who chose what pleased God on the Sabbath were promised a better place in God’s house than sons and daughters!  In Isaiah 56:4 He calls the man blessed who keeps from defiling the Sabbath by keeping justice and doing righteousness.  This is what I see Jesus doing on the Sabbath, rather than lollygagging around, doing our own thing, chillin’ and calling it the Sabbath. 

I hear some asking, “When am I supposed to rest? I’m tired!”  

Let me ask you something: have you ever been involved in ministry and though you may have put in a lot of hours, you came away energized rather than wiped out?  THAT is a Sabbath rest.  Now, I’m not talking about merely ‘doing’ ministry, but when you get to a place where you are doing exactly what God has called you to do, it is no longer a chore or work, but a labor of love that energizes you to do even more!  It is the power of God flowing through you to others, to minister to their needs in precisely the way God designed you to function.   

I must note, however, that Jesus spent time alone with God every day.  And He made His disciples get away for a time of rest as well.  We need to remember to follow His lead in that area as well.  

Looking back to Isaiah 58: 14 we find a promise for those who do God’s pleasure instead of their own on the Sabbath – you will delight yourself in the Lord and He will bless you.  My life verse is Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desire of your heart.”  Long ago I realized that it is His desire planted in my heart as I delight in Him - as I get to know Him, as I die to self and live for Him.  THAT is a delight.

So how do we delight in the Lord? How do we keep from defiling the Sabbath?  He tells us in Is 58:13 that we are to do His pleasure, His work, His way, speaking His words.  Then in Is 58:6-7 we see a list of what His pleasure is:

-          To loose the bonds

-          Undo heavy burdens

-          Let the oppressed go free

-          Break every yoke

-          Take in the poor who are cast out

-          Cover the naked

The Sabbath God’s way is the power to change lives!

Reaching out to the Jews

I know a lot of Christians who have a heart for the Jewish people.  They pray and long to see them come to know Jesus as Messiah.  Recently, with the direction of teaching the Lord has been taking me on, I often wonder two things:

1. They know Jesus as Lord, but do they know him as the Jewish Messiah?
2. Do they want the Jewish people to accept him as Savior? Or to convert to Christianity?

The more I read books and articles by Messianic Jews, the more I study the history between the Jews and the church, the more I realize we Gentiles have a lot to learn about who Jesus really is, and how to convey the message of salvation to his chosen people.

What do you think?

Three Kinds of Cats in the World

I have three cats that I kept praying would all get along.  God basically said, “No.”  Now I understand why – there was a lesson to be learned in how they behave.

Two of the cats – Nick and Milshean – are extremely faithful, loving kitties.  But they don’t get along with each other.

Milshean is an old calico who was gone from me for a long time, and Nick is a young orange tabby who enjoyed being my only cat for three years. 



Both cats have wonderful personalities.  Both are sweet.  Both want to be near me all the time.  Both want my attention all the time.  I love them both. And they don’t get along.

Then there’s Bruno.  He so desperately wants love and attention but is so afraid all the time.  I put food down, he starts to eat, then bolts at the slightest noise.  I call him to come for petting and he takes off, then turns and comes for a quick pet, then takes off again.

Bruno, Mishean’s son, lived with her all his life.  Now that he and Milshean moved in with me (from my mother’s house), he no longer gets along with her, but is just fine with Nick.  And he sides with Nick when it comes to picking on Milshean.

As I prayed about this mess going on in my home, God revealed an important lesson to me about Jews, believing Gentiles and the people of the world.

Milshean represents the Jews. She was the oldest one, the one who knew me the longest. Nick represents the Gentile believers.  He gladly celebrates being with me, is happy being part of my home, but despises Milshean – who was part of my family first.  Why?  No reason. It’s just that way.  And Bruno – he represents the people of the world, the people who are desperate for a relationship with God, but see how the two who are in fellowship with God fight all the time.  And given that Nick is the younger, stronger one, he chooses to side with Nick in beating up on Mishean.  

And doesn’t history teach that this is exactly what we Gentile believers have done to the Jewish people?  So my prayer to God now is not that the cats would get along, but how he can use me to be an instrument of reconciliation between Jew and Gentile believer, and how together we can witness to the world of God’s great love for us all.