A Crucified Life - - Has A Heart For Israel

 

    2 Corinthians 10:1

Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 2107

Desire: good pleasure

From the Greek word 'eudokia' (pronounced yoo-dok-ee'-ah): what seems good or beneficial to someone.

    2 Thessalonians 1:11,12

Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,

that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

    Colossians 1:9-12, specifically verse 9, which brings us to why we pray for the salvation of others.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

    (v13,14) He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

    Isaiah 45:22

Look unto Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth: for I Am God, and there is none else.

    We pray for your salvation through Jesus Christ. We pray for Israel to know the salvation of God through His Lamb who paid the penalty for sin, once and for all (Hebrews 7:25).

    Isaiah 59:16

He saw that there was no man; He was amazed that there was no one to intercede. So His own arm brought salvation, and His own righteousness sustained Him.

    Romans 5:10

For if, when we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!

    Romans 8:34

Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God--and He is interceding for us.

    1 Corinthians 1:21

For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

    Hebrews 2:9

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. 

    It is not enough to have the 'heart's desire' for someone's salvation. We can have hopes, wishes, and dreams all day long. But unless we're willing and obedient to put in the effort and time to pray for that person's salvation, hope is rendered useless on our part. 

    And so we pray, as Paul prayed for the people in his Israelite heritage. He knew they were zealous for God (2 Corinthians 10:2), but their knowledge of God's plan of salvation was lacking. Having believed the Lord for his own personal salvation, Paul now seeks that all Israel may know this joy which he himself has found in Christ Jesus. 

    As, too, we should have an urgency in our spirit to pray for Israel's salvation. For they are God's elect, the people God set apart for Himself, taken out of all the tribes of earth because they had a heart to worship Him. 

    You may ask, 'What does it mean to be God's elect'? Simply put, elect means chosen. God called Abram (Genesis 12:1), gave him promises (Genesis 12:2-3) and Abram acknowledged God as Lord (Genesis 12:4). 

    When God calls and we respond to His call, acknowledging Him as our Lord, we become His people. Genesis 28:10-22 tells us of Jacob's first meeting with God, where God called him, gave him promises and Jacob acknowledged God as Lord (v21). 

    God Changes Jacob's Name to Israel

Genesis 32:24-32 gives us the history of how Israel got its name. They are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But only the seed receives the blessing of salvation, not the descendants. So we pray for the descendants (the bloodline of Israel) to become the seed (the bloodline of Christ). 

   

RISE UP by CAIN

LIFE AFTER DEATH by TobyMac

    

The Color of Worship ~ Beryl

We hear and see reasons why we, as a united earth, should "Go Green". Save the planet for future generations. Save the whales, the dolphins, the owls. Save, save, save; ignore, ignore, ignore.

What about save the people? The reason Christ was born was to save the people. He didn't die on the cross and rise from the grave to save the polar bears. He died for me and for you and for him and for her.

You want to "Go Green"? Okay. Let's "Go Light Green". In science, the color light green is associated with new growth, spring, new life. Flowers blossoming, trees budding and the first little blades of grass rising through the wet black dirt.

Zechariah 8:12 For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.

2 Chronicles 31:21 And in every service work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.

Let's "Go Light Green"! This isn't about $$. This isn't about "Earth Day". This prosperity is prosperity of our soul: My Soul Prospers before the LORD. God wants us to be blessed with "every good and perfect gift from above." Money is not perfect. 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some have coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many arrows. You want true prosperity as outlined in the Word of God? Seek God. Seek His face, His will, His way. Read His Word, Believe His Word, Obey His Word.

Growth requires the four seasons: spring (seed time), summer (sunshine, rainy days), autumn (harvest time) and winter (dormancy, rest). In order for the seed to grow, it needs to take root. The seed requires sunlight and rain. Once the seed has budded and blossomed, new seeds are released. And then they are harvested. And the root of the seed rests until the next season arrives and begins the cycle again.

Psalm 1:3 "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper."

You and I are the seeds. Our roots reach deep into the Word of God, where we are grounded. Our hearts and minds and souls push forward through the darkness of this world into the Light of God's Love and Mercy. We stretch forth our hands and wave our arms in the breeze of His Holy Spirit. We receive and embrace the reign (rain) of Authority over us. Our thirst for the presence of God is satisfied when we open our hearts to Him. And when we share the Love of Christ, then more seeds are released to dig into the Word and take root. And so, the garden grows. We grow. We prosper.

While light green is not mentioned as such in Scripture, beryl is. Beryl is a mineral 'with gemstone varieties'. Aquamarine, Morganite, Heliodor and Emerald are all forms of Beryl. It is the darker green shades of Beryl that we associate with emeralds, but it is the lighter green, the pale, translucent greens that we associate with Beryl. A lighter shade of green.

It is the 8th gemstone layer in the wall around the new Jerusalem. While Beryl takes on many shades and colors, the color intimated here is sea-green: Revelation 21:19,20 "The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone: The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst."

Beryl is on the Breastplate of Judgment worn by the high priest (Exodus 28:20), signifying one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This beryl, though, is thought to be yellow jasper in color, which can also be construed as being a lighter shade of green, depending on the hue of such a stone.
Ezekiel 1:16 states that 'the appearance of the wheel was like unto beryl'.

When the bride describes her bridegroom, in Song of Solomon 5:14, she says, "His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires."

I love the many colors mentioned in The Holy Bible. It is hard to choose a favorite, but I like that this pale green, this beryl, tells me that 'my soul prospers'.  My spirit is transformed and my soul is uplifted.