christianmenatwork

[christianmenatwork]

Friends-Selah87-CMAW186

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  Prov 18:24 "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother"

  Prov 27:7 "As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."

  Luke 8:21 "But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”"

  Levels of relationships video

  https://youtu.be/hsYL1X9IUQ4

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And they did not ask for an accounting from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to pay out to the workmen, for they dealt honestly.

2 Kings 12:15 - ESV

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"How do you make 7 even?" "Take away the s."

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Milestone to Manhood with Steven Arms-CMAW185

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Be Dangerous Good with Kenny Luck-CMAW184

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Unity-Selah86-CMAW183

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Unity

John 17:20-26

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who [j]will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

24 “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”"

Eph 4

I, therefore, the prisoner [a]of the Lord, [b]beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in [c]you all.

Spiritual Gifts

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says:

“When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”

9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also [d]first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the [e]edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

The New Man

17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as [f]the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Do Not Grieve the Spirit

25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give [g]place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary [h]edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, [i]clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Both Jesus, Yeshua, and Paul are speaking to and about fellow believers in Yeshua.

This is not talking about the woke idea that everyone needs to tolerate every idea as equally valid and moral, and it's certainly not talking about the coming push for a One World Religion.

This is talking about unity within the body of The Way, the body of our Messiah Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach.

This issue of unity has been on my heart for many reasons.  One is because of recent conflict with a close family member relating to my Messianic beliefs and practices, but also a teaching I've been following from a Messianic teacher from a Youtube channel and ministry called MTOI, Messianic Torah Observant Israel called "Unity and Division in the Body of Messiah".

He makes several points in that teaching that I want to pass along.

We can and should pursue truth in various areas of our faith, but we can practice and believe in our convictions without feeling the need to push those on others.

Our goal should be to be selfless, where our focus is on our Creator and not on ourselves, and by doing so we'll be operating in the spirit and not in the flesh.

If we are selfless, we cannot be offended and we will not feel the need to be right, or for others to acknowledge that we're right.

Note that I'm talking about behavior within the body of believers.  We are told to make disciples and to share the good news of the Gospel, but these lessons also can inform how we go about talking to and dealing with unbelievers.  Remember we're told to always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us the reason for the hope that we have.  That's different than sharing something with someone who didn't ask for the information.

This teacher also talked about a mental exercise that's helpful for us to make.

Our Heavenly Father wants to spend eternity with us, but though He wants all to come to be saved, we know that not all will be saved.

He has given us free will and He has told us how He wants us to think and how to live.  To me , it's clear that it matters to Him the condition of our hearts and who He is going to spending eternity with.

What if you were able to choose who you were going to spend eternity with.  Who would it be and what would be your criteria?

A more eye opening is what is others were able to choose who they were going to spend eternity with, on whose list would you be included and would you be included on anyone's list?

 This exercise got me thinking about my impact on others in general, as well as in the workplace.

When God created Adam and Eve and He told them to be fruitful and multiply, and that same command applies to us.

That can mean we should bear children, but it can also refer to the fruits of the spirit described in Galatians 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."

Are you bearing this kidn of spiritual fruit at work, as well as at home, and within the larger body of Christ?

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Fred Abakah, Merchant Marine in Ep. 4.

Some of you may be in the military, or in jobs where you spend time with your co-workers for long periods of time away from home.  If so, you may benefit from listenig to that episode.

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  18 “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. - Deuteronomy 8:18 NKJV

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Dad Joke "Why can't a nose be 12 in long?" - then it would be a foot

  MTOI Teaching (7) Covenant Community 101 | Unity & Division in the Body of Messiah | Part 3 - YouTube

    Check out this episode!

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Your Purpose-Selah85-CMAW182

Deut 4:27-31

And the Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. 28 And there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. 29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in [i]distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice 31 (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.

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  In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.

Proverbs 15:6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Proverbs%2015:6&version=ESV

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Dad jokes from Country Living website:

  "If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?" "Pilgrims."

Check out this episode!

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Dream Job-Selah84-CMAW181

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Dream job - in my recent interveiw with Ron Johnson, he said that early in his career, he concluded that his job as a customer service rep wasn't the perfect job, but it was the perfect job for him to practice imitating Christ.

  I'm very thankful for my job right now for many reasons, some are natural and some are spiritual.   I feel that God has gifted me with my job. 

  I'm also at an age where I think about when I'll retire, if Yeshua tarries and we don't enter fairly soon into the tribulation.  When I think about retirement, I think about how I'll spend my time but I also think about what I won't have anymore.

  One thing I wont' have is the opportunity to be around and interact with dozens of different people everyday.  That is both a natural and a spritiual benefit of my job.

  If you question whether you're in the right job, or career, and feel discontent at times and a lack of purpose, I challenge you to think of all the natural things to be thankful for about your job, which can certainly include but not be limited to your paycheck, but to also think about your job in spirtual terms.  What is God doing with you in your job, and here's another cool question Ron raised in our interview, and that is what is God doing with everyone else in your workplace.  

That really hit me because it made me realize I am often selfish in this regard and just thinking about myself and how I'm impacted by events at my job, whether it's on a natural or a spiritual level.  The reality is that everyone I work with is a part of God's amazing plan, and I want to be more aware of that bigger picture and I am and can better fit into that larger plan.

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  For an example of faith at work, I want to hearken back to episode 3 where i interviewed Chris Patton.  He ran a car dealership and described several ways that his faith changed their mission and how they ran their dealership.  Check it out, it's a very cool interview.

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  13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow [h]we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

James 4:13-16

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Dad jokes from Country Living website:

  "What do a tick and the Eiffel Tower have in common?" "They're both Paris sites."

Check out this episode!

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HSE, ESG and YHWH-Selah83-CMAW180

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HSE, ESG, and YHWH

We're told, either directly or indirectly, that there's no place for religion or faith in the workplace, or another way of saying this is that we should be focused on our company's goals and not our own religion when we're working.  I actually heard an executive say in a Town Hall meeting with employees once "leave your religion at home."

I don't know if you've noticed, but there's an increasing focus in the workplace, particularly among larger corporations, on goals that seem to be outside of their primary mission or purpose, goals that seem to be about issues that are larger in scope and impact than simply the product or service that the company produces.

I'm thinking specifically in terms of the acronyms HSE and ESG.  HSE stands for Health, Safety and Environment.  I work on a lot of projects related to safety and I actually sat in on a 10 hr OSHA training this past week, but this topic has been on my mind for a while.  Safety is a huge deal in the manufacturing industry.  While you can argue there's a profit motive behind spending time and money toward a safe work environment as well as protecting the environment, I think the motive goes beyond profit in most cases and is about "doing the right thing".  ESG is a more recently used acronym and stands for Environmental, Social, Governance.  You'll hear different opinions on what ESG is about depending on the person's point of view or worldview.  Let me start with a definition from Wikipedia, which says that ESG is an approach to evaluating the extent to which a corporation works on behalf of social goals that go beyond the role of a corporation to maximize profits on behalf of the corporation's shareholders.  You may wonder, sometimes, why the company you work for devotes so much of their intracompany messaging towards issues like Climate Change and advocating for the LGBTQ community.  In a nutshell, it's because of ESG.  There are advocacy groups which pressure corporations to take a stand on these issues, but more and more stock market investment decisions are being based on what kind of ESG score a company has.

  While one issue worth considering is why companies are so focused on these issues, as well as whether they should be, I think the more important question to ask is what positions they are taking on these issues and how are they trying to influence how their employees think about these issues.

  While we could talk about the more controversial issues like how more and more companies throw their weight behind Pride Month and advocate for LGBTQ rights through the year, I think it's interesting to think about what seems to be a less controversial subject which is safety.  We can all agree it's important to be safe at work and that we want everyone to go home the same way they came to work, correct?

  On the one hand, I would agree that safety is important.  As believers, is safety our most important goal when we go to work?  I like the quote from C.S. Lewis's book the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  When someone asks at the end of the book if Aslan, who represents Jesus or Yeshua, is safe, someone responds that no, He's not safe, but He's good.

  As a Torah observant believer in Yeshua, I would say that my #1 goal at work is to be obedient to Torah, which can be summarized, as Yeshua did, to love God and to love others.

  My main point here is not to debate whether or not we should focus on safety in the workplace. I think we should focus on safety.  My main point is that the workplace is a place where people gather with a variety of goals and beliefs, some are held by each of us individually, and some are held, or at least advocated by, leaders or our employers.  To say there's no place for religion in the workplace is disengenious, because I see forms of religion, or you might say beliefs and values, expressed more and more in the workplace.

  We can honor and support various causes emphasized by our employers provided they do not go against what God has said in His Word.  Sometimes that line is blurred and hard to define.  I would encourage you take your religion to work, be close to God throughout your workday, honor God as you feel led to do so while at work.

  We are under our employer's authority and should not take that lightly, but we are also under a higher authority as believers.   When we signed those papers our first day at work, we entered into a form of covenant, but we have a greater and an eternal covenant with our Creator.

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  Examples of humbling statements:

I don’t know what I’m doing can you help me?-BM

I got All kinds of excuses why I

Didn’t return your call but none of them are any good-JT

  Can use past interviews

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  1 Thess 4:10a-11a "But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands"

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  Torah Talk on 7/30, good discussion on how to know when you're being led by God, and various aspects of getting good counsel

  https://youtu.be/P_1wQ50i5R4

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Dad jokes from the Country Living website:

  "Why do fathers take an extra pair of socks when they go golfing?" "In case they get a hole in one!"

        Check out this episode!

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Customer Service with Ron Johnson-CMAW179

By day, Ron Johnson works in a customer service call center soothing angry customers and helping them resolve issues with their accounts; by night, he teaches philosophy at a local college and writes books and articles inviting readers to consider their place in the Big Picture. 

  Q&A:

Give us a brief overview of your relationship with Christ from childhood until now.

You start the book acknowledging that many people think of CSR’s as the bad guys.  Why does that stereotype exist and what advice can you give to our listeners who likewise are in a job that has a negative label attached to it?

Being a CSR was not your original career of choice. What was your original training and desired career

You describe a moment early on where you saw your role as a holy calling rather than just a job and that while it wasn’t the perfect job it was the perfect job to practice imitating Christ.  Tell us about that moment and all the factors that brought you to that place 

How did Christ show the difference between serving and wanting to serve and how important is that distinction in our jobs?

“People ask me to perform customer service miracles every day. When that happens I can’t just shrug and say “I’m not a miracle worker. “ As a follower of Jesus I don’t have that luxury.  I may not be out to save this world but Jesus is and His plan includes me.”  You say that believing in and relying on miracles is the next step after wanting to help but this may sound like a huge leap of faith for those of us used to thinking of our work as just a job. How do we start with this big step of being in the miracle business (3 way conversation and having good relationships with those you need).

Why is it so important that we stay out of the judges seat when we are at work, and what tips can you offer on how to avoid this?

As a CSR you’re trained on how to deal with irate customers or you could call them “the customer from Hell”. I like the technique about pumpkins. Tell us about that technique and how as Christians we have better tools at our disposal.

What should do when we disagree with our employee’s policy on a matter and we are asked to go against what we believe is right?

It sounds kind the evaluation process for CSR’s is particularly brutal,  it this aspect of our jobs is often one of the most stressful. What encouragement can you give our listeners for how to think about and respond to the employee evaluation process?

Walk us through how we can apply Matthew 11:28-30 in our jobs

If someone wants to buy your book or learn more about your other books or even reach out to you directly, how would they do that?

Any final thoughts?

Check out this episode!

[christianmenatwork]

Faithfulness-Selah82-CMAW178

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  Faithfulness- admin 49 yes message spoke about not just time but how well she did her job. I had 5yr anniversary, longest since first full-time job with General Mills and Real estate investor, each about 7 years.

Celebrate value of sticking with someone or some organization. Also celebrated 16 yr anniversary big deal for me given had trouble committing in early years.

Reminder of how faithful God is, covenants and promises (see MTOI teaching on the difference), https://youtu.be/FRrHDnC8AsA

Hebrews 12:2 "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" 

So, celebrate your faithfullness, but most importantly realize that our Creator, YHVH, is the perfect example of faithfulness

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  Chett Levering from Episode 2.

Would always lose a small screw and he would say "well that's gonna be a God thing to find it" - and he always found it

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  Do not trust in oppression, Nor vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, Do not set your heart on them.

Psalm 62:10 - NKJV

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  And Damon’s evangelism teaching on 7th commandment

https://youtu.be/s25GckbH28g

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  Why does the Eskimo clean their clothes in Tide? -

Because it’s cold out-tide

      Check out this episode!

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Train, Serve, Teach-Selah81-CMAW177

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  1-29-train, 30-50-serve, 51+ teach

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  Walmart eruption, co-worker said to me that one was employee not supposed to be o cuss while wearing the blue vest 

Who do we represent, as an employee (as to the Lord), also thought about Proverbs 29:11 "A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back."

Fireproof scene, doesn’t just happen out of nothing whether marriage or any other relationship 

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  “So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.” 

Nehemiah 4:6

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  Latest Torah Talk https://youtu.be/AJy0s-7Ik_c

includes talk about rebellion

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  Why didn't the lifeguard save the hippie? - He was too far out, man

  Check out this episode!

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Fixing Everything-Selah80-CMAW176

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  Church sign

Duct tape works great but 3 nails fixed everything 

Bumper sticker phrases or nowadays could say Meme phrases have their place, capturing deeper meaning in simple phrase could say that about parables though that’s not truly accurate, Yahusha said was to hide a meaning

Engineering Sign can be modified 

Deeper than it seems

He fixed everything, He is fixing everything and He will fix everything 

Same yesterday, today and tomorrow 

Never changes

Outside time

He made everything perfect and will make everything perfect

Let's talk about work, creation work was perfect, after the Fall there was toil, then Yeshua died and redeemed us, what does than mean for our work, 

I don't know the complete answer to that, but I know that my work is different since I became a child of God, 

Our world is broken which means it needs fixing, and as part of the Kingdom of YHVW we are part of this restoration process, not with WD40, not with duct tape, not even with our strength, but by the power of the Ruach Hochodesh, the Holy Spirit

  Followup to last week:

Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

Proverbs 17:9 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Proverbs%2017:9&version=ESV

  The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.

Proverbs 17:14 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Proverbs%2017:14&version=ESV

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  Maybe Juan Carlos

  Can use past interviews

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  “After them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs in front of his own house.” - Nehemiah 3:29

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https://www.patreon.com/christianmenatwork

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  Why did the little boy cross the playground? - To get to the other slide

Check out this episode!

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Random Thoughts-Selah79-CMAW175

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  Some random unrelated thoughts today.

Links to last Torah Talk

https://youtu.be/BFcQiehLYwU

  Dress well, Goodwill

Treasure your wife, greatest asset next to your Heavenly Father, much more important than your work and your career.

Don't treat her the same way you do your co-workers.  What do I mean by that?  Well, I'm not saying you should treat your co-workers badly, of course.  As we've often said on this podcast, a huge part of our calling in the workplace is simply to love our co-workers.  I'm talking more about the common mission.  At work, you all share a common mission which is dictated by your employer, unless you run your own small business, but even then you should be setting a mission for your business.  There's an expectation for performance and mutual contribution in the workplace.  Marriage is a very different relationship and we need to learn to transition well between the two.  Our wife is not a partner in getting things done.  She's a treasure for us to love and support unconditionally.

As I've mentioned in the past, one of my favorite Youtube Channels is TruthUnedited, run by Ron Charles.  They're always good.  They come out every Friday night around 8pm and my wife and I look forward to them.

Two weeks ago he had a message about how more and more we are dividing up in our society into 2 groups and in greater and greater conflict with each other.  We should not participate in these conflicts or choose one of these 2 groups.  A big part of that is stepping out of the political debates.  There was a time not too long ago, as recent as 2 years ago, when I would not have been open to that message.  Now I realize that what he's saying is true and that jumping into one of these sides and engaging in these arguments and conflicts is a distraction and giving into the Devil's schemes.  We instead need to be focused on our heavenly Father, spending time with Him and in His word, and loving the people in our lives well, and as much as possible being at peace with everyone.  This does NOT mean compromising our beliefs.  It does mean stepping out the judge's seat and trusting God with changing the hearts of others.

https://youtu.be/jATg-6ev7ig

This past Friday's message was about the seven letters to the churches in Revelation and the lessons for the church today, which is all of us who claim to be believers in Yahusha, or Jesus.  It's important to assess where we are at and whether we are compromising, lost our love for Yahuah, luke-warm, or even dead, and if so to make it a priority to make changes in our lives.

https://youtu.be/-HDJre4ssvU

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  Started going to Rec center

Joe took time to show me new set of exercises, no pay 

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  As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 4:10-11 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=1%20Peter%204:10-11&version=ESV

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  What 10 letter word starts with G A S? - Automobile

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Humility or Boldness at Work-Selah 78-CMAW174

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  Ecclesiastes 3:1 says "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:"

I heard my pastor Cam Huxford about 17 years ago at Savannah Christian church now Compassion Church preach a series on the Paradox of the Kingdom of God, of how in so many ways the Kingdom is the opposite of what we would think on our own. For example you must die in order to live and if you give you will receive.  There is much more to this than what I just shared and I probably need to try and find the sermon again and listen, but the reason it has stuck with me is that time and again it rings true for me.  I used to really enjoy the Seinfeld Show and one of my favorite episodes was when George and Jerry came to the conclusion that George’s instincts were always wrong and so George began doing the opposite of what he thought he should do. In some way I think that applies to the Christian walk.  Proverbs 14:12 says “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” I know that we have the gift of the Holy Spirit but I can only speak for myself that I do not trust my own instincts on many matters and need to seek God and ask him to guide me all the time.  This creates tension but I think it’s a good tension.

There’s another aspect to the Kingdom journey and walk I want to talk about that is similar to that Paradoxical aspect and that is the tension of knowing when to be humble and when to be bold, specifically in the workplace.

I believe I shared about 6 months ago that I received some correction at work.  It was hard to take and it was humbling.  Things have gone much better since then.  I've received a lot of positive feedback, both in terms of WHAT I've been doing, meeting work metrics, and HOW I've been doing it, specifically that I had shown kindness to fellow workers.

I've heard it said that the Christian walk is a tension between grace and law, between humility and boldness, between strength and weakness, and our response and focus should vary depending on where we are at in our circumstances.

When we're at a low point in our circumstances at work, we should focus on God's grace, on His Promises, and on our inheritance and status as children of the living God.   Some verse that express that come to mind include: Eph 6;10 "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might", Hebrews 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.", Phil 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me", and Romans 8:37 "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."  

There was a season where my wife and I were very much following what is called "Word of Faith" doctrine, and attending a word of faith church.  Some of the preachers known for this are Kenneth Copeland, Andrew Womack, and Charles Capps among others.  This is often referred to as the Prosperity Gospel.  I agree there are errors in this part of the body. I have not thrown the baby out with the bath water and I believe God wants us to speak his word with power and confidence, particularly when we have been humbled and beaten down, whether it was a self-inflicted wound or not.

When we are at a high point at work, we just got a promotion or an attaboy, we're feeling like we're providing value to others and have refined our skillset, those are the times, I believe, when we need to focus on our weakness and be humble.  That doesn't mean we should not celebrate our blessings and good times, but we should give glory to God and not to ourselves.

We don't want to be like King Nebuchadnezzar who in Daniel 4:30 " was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. 30 The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?”

Immediately God made him to be like a wild beast eating grass in the wilderness for 7 years.

James 4:10 says " Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

As believers we are children of the most High God, but we are NOT God.  Like the old saying, we need to believe that there is a God and we are not Him.

We are never as bad as we think we are at work in our lowest moments, nor are we as great as we might think we are at our greatest moments.

  E

  For an example of Faith at Work, I want to use an example the very first person I interviewed on this Podcast, Dave Brown.  Similar to the story of Chuck Colson, Dave humbled himself and dedicated himself to God through in the middle of his long career in government.  He later went to Seminary and became a pastor and has lead a ministry to men.  For more on Dave, check out episode 1 as well as Episode 140 where Dave and I talked about Isolation, Passivity, and Political Idolatry.

  L

  As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=1%20Timothy%206:17-19&version=ESV

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  What did the ocean say to the shore? - Nothing, he just waved

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[christianmenatwork]

CMAW173

S

Update on Podcast.

I apologize for not consistently publishing weekly.

Don't like to use the excuse of being busy because I believe everyone's busy and we make time for what's important to us.

I think the biggest reason is I've been struggling a bit with the vision for the podcast.

I love doing interviews and I love the topic of faith at work, but haven't felt like the interview possibilities that have come my way were a good fit, and I personally have been spending my own learning time digging into topics related to my Messianic beliefs, end times prophecy as it relates to current events, and God's calendar, specifically learning about the Zadoc calendar.

I feel like I owe to you, my listeners, however, to be consistent with the content you've come to expect, and I know recently I've veared off topic from the faith at work topics and delved into some of these topics I'm personally passionate about.

I don't want to turn this podcast into whatever is on my mind and want to stay consistent to the theme.  I've thought about starting a 2nd podcast or maybe a Youtube channel to dig into some of these other topics I'm interested, but I'm don't have the time to do that right now.

My intent is to get back on track to publishing regularly and try to begin doing interviews again.

Been lavishly giving out CMAD cards.

Received a form of that from one manager who complimented me while copying on the email my boss.

Thought about the importance 1 Corinthians 13:7, talking about agape or God type of love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

It’s easy to find fault in others at work, and sometimes corrections are needed though if you’re an individual contributor like me and don’t have direct reports you probably don’t need to be correcting anybody.

When someone gives me an attaboy I find it very motivating and inspiring and helps me to enjoy my day and be more thankful.

It just so happens that a video popped up in my Youtube feed by John Gottman called Making Marriage Work.  He listed 4 what he called the 4 horseman of the Apocalypse when it comes to marriage, i.e. 4 behaviors that were strong predictors of divorce.  #3 on his list, which he said was the greatest predictor of divorce, was Feeling and showing disrespect and contempt for your spouse.  He said this was different than just being critical and involved feeling superior to your spouse.

The opposite of that, the behavior of people he called the Masters, who had successful marriages, had respect and were proud of the people they loved, creating a culture of appreciation, catching your partner doing something right, it was a reminder to me that while marriage may be our most important relationship on earth, because we spend of our time at work and because we can potentially interact with so many people at work, our work relationships are very important as well, and the lessons that we can learn from the Bible and good teachers about these relationships will often apply to both our family relationships and our work relationships.

Jesus is all about relationships.  It's why He created us and why He died for us.

If you want to be reminded about the heart of your Savior for You, read John 17 sometime.  What He called the 2 greatest commandments are to Love God and Love Others and the 10 commandments and all the laws in the Torah can be tied to those 2 commandments, which are both all about relationships.

  E

Decided against the essentials primarily because I didn’t have peace about the idea of selecting a few verses as being more important than others. I feel like as Christians we already do enough of what done have called Bible nuggets where we focus on a single verse and miss out on the context.

So I’m going back to using this “E” section for what is intended originally to give an example of faith at work, though with a twist.

If I don’t feel like I have a good positive example, but have a negative example, I’ll share that.

This week my family and I were on a mini-vacation and out to a restaurant.

The owner was making his rounds and talking to each table out on the deck.

There was a couple next to us. 

I overheard the owner talking to a man from the couple, I noticed he kind of ignored the man’s wife, and he was telling a fairly long story then said goodbye.

I wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping but since I was playing with my baby granddaughter I overheard the man say to his wife “he absolutely didn’t want to hear anything I had to say, when I talked he said “well anyways” and went on talking.

It occurred to me that from a business standpoint the owner would have been better off not talking to his customers because he made such a bad impression.

It reminded how important it is for all of us in our work, whether we deal in customer service or just deal with fellow employees, to listen intently to others and focus on them and not on getting our point across.

  L

  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

1 Timothy 6:9-11 - NKJV

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  Jokes

  Why do watermelons get married? - Because they Cantaloupe

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[christianmenatwork]

Counting the Omer-Selah75-CMAW172

S

  I want to talk about Safety in the workplace-I work in manufacturing and  it’s good to think about tactics and tools but it’s also good to think about the Why behind safety. I work in manufacturing and I’ve seen this Why of safety addressed in different ways and usually is a tug in our heart strings or playing in our sense of guilt but talking about how your family needs you to come home safe. I’d like to address the Why of Safety at a higher level, that safety is about maintaining and fostering Shalom which is the way God intended things to be in a fallen world. God doesn’t wants us injured. We can and should pray for supernatural intervention to keep us safe but we have a role play in this area of life as with all areas of life. So I try to think of acting safely similar to how I think of Gods law, not as something we have to do but something we want to do in order show our love to God and preserve Shalom.

  I also wanted to share that today is what is called Resurrection Sunday.  While I join all Christians who celebrate the resurrection, I don't agree with the use of the name Easter, the dating system that's used to select the date each year, or many of the traditions that are a part of the average Easter celebration.  The reason I don't agree and why I think this issue is important is that the name, the date and the traditions are all rooted in Pagan religions which are the same religions that God was so angry with in the Old Testament.  These pagan religions are ultimately worshipping Satan.  Rome merged aspects of the Christian beliefs with pagan beliefs and practices when they formed what became known as the Roman Catholic Church, and this included changing God's appointed Sabbath to day 1, Sunday, instead of day 7, abandoning most of the commandments and appointed times given by God, and creating man-made religious holidays rooted in paganism.

  If you'd like more information on the history of Easter, please check out the link in the show notes for a message from Ron at TruthUnedited.com

  Our church celebrated Passover this past Friday, April 15, which is Nissan 14 on the Hebrew Calendar.  Today, April 17th, which is the morrow after the Sabbath we will begin counting the omer and will do so for 50 days leading up to Shavuot also known as Pentecost.  We also began celebrating the Feast of Unleavened Bread on Nissan 15 beginning at Sunset this past Friday evening.  We got red of leavened products in our house and will be eating leavened bread for the next 7 days.  

We do this because God told us to do this, and didn't tell us to stop doing this.  There are commandments in the Torah which cannot be followed since there is no longer a temple, including the sacrificial system.  Jesus was the fulfillment of that sacrificial system since he was the perfect sinless lamb that was sacrificed for us.  However, I don't see a justification in the scripture for abandoning everything else God told us to do, his expectations for how we are to live and interact with Him, how we are to show that we love Him.

I don't have all this figured out, but I'm trying to simply follow the Bible and not traditions of men, both of which we were told to do by Jesus.

  https://youtu.be/tKyDhv7U8Dc

  E

  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Galatians 5:22-24 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Galatians%205:22-24&version=ESV

  L

  Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.

Titus 2:9-10 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Titus%202:9-10&version=ESV

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  Finland is closing its border, no one gets across the Finnish line

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[christianmenatwork]

Are You Clean-Selah74-CMAW171

S

I recently gave a talk at my church and I really enjoyed preparing for that and giving the talk and thought the topic would be a good one for us to discuss on this podcast.

  I'll provide a link to the entire talk which was streamed on Youtube and lasts over an hour. I encourage you to check it out since there's a lot more discussion in that than we'll have time for you on this podcast.

  My intent with this Selah episode is to hit the main points from that talk, and to make some application to the workplace.

  So let me start by giving some context on this talk.

  In our Messianic congregation, we have worship and teaching similar to most churches.  A few things that are different than what I was used to before attending this church include that we publically read a couple chapters before the Pastor gives his teaching, then we have what we call Oneg, which is basically a potluck meal, and then we have what we call Torah Talk, which is another teaching that normally involves a lot of participation from those attending and often allows to go a little deeper into certain topics from the reading that there wasn't time for in the main teaching.

  We call the readings the parashat.

  Wikipedia's definition of a parashat is "a section of the Torah (Five Books of Moses) used in Jewish liturgy during a particular week. There are 54 parshas, or parashiyot in Hebrew, and the full cycle is read over the course of one Jewish year."

  So we follow that Jewish tradition.  Every parashat has a traditional name which is normally a Hebrew word found in the parashat that kind of sums up the overall message from that Parashat.

  My talk was based on Lev 14-15 and the Parashat was called "T'zria".  These passages are primarily about T'zaraat which is often translated as leprosy but really refers to a skin disease. 

  This lesson had both physical and spiritual lessons.

  The first lesson was that Disease is usually contagious and therefore for the good of the whole, the infected person is quarantined. 

  The scriptures talk a lot about keeping ourselves unspotted from the world.

  Ps 1:1 says "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;”:

  In 1 Corinthians 15:33 NKJV Paul says “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

  James 1:27 NKJV says “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

There was a lot of discussion during this talk about how we should apply these in our lives.  It reminded me of how so often the Christian walk is filled with tension, in a good way.  In this case, we should not mingle and be spotted by unbelievers, but at the same time we are to be like Jesus and love on unbelievers and those who are entrapped by sinful lifestyles that we're not currently struggling with.

I think the key in working this out is to know where we are in our walk.  If we're spiritually weak, we need to be very guarded not to let the world impact us.  If we're spiritually strong, relatively speaking, we need to be salt and light and be about the Father's business while there is light during the day, sharing the Gospel, and blessing others.

This is certainly true in the workplace.  There can be a lot of temptations in the workplace and opportunities to sort of blend in and be worldly and sinful.  Our job is to be set apart, but to also always be ready give an answer to everyone who asks us the reason for the hope that we have.

  In  John 17:15 NKJV Jesus said “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”

  One of the great things about working in the marketplace and not in "full-time" ministry is that it's so easy to live out this prayer from our Savior.   Going to work each day, we are in the world, but our job is to keep ourselves from the evil one while at work.

That's just the first lesson I discussed and there were 6 lessons, but I'm going to keep this short so I can get to other parts I usually cover in my Selah episode, especially I didn't do that in the last episode.

Again, if you want to hear more check out the full teaching at the link in the shownotes.

https://youtu.be/ySVAHjI-hLI

  E

I want to use E portion of the Selah episode to stat a new series calling Essentials, scriptures we can all look to when we’re frustrated, confused in our world, asking ourselves “what do I do?”  These essentials will not be specific to the workplace, I’ll try to continue to reference those work specific passages in the L or Logos section. I guess you could say what's special about the passages I've selected is that they help us narrow in on what should our Christian walk look like, to serve as a guidepost for us to reflect, assess, and adjust as needed.

  I’m not going to teach or comment on these scriptures but will try to let them speak for themselves and ask you to spend time meditating on these each week and ask God to show you how He wants you to apply them to your life now.

I also ask you to look into the context for these passages, what comes before and after them and the mindset the original writer had.  I will intentionally keep these brief and leave it up to you to pursue and investigate the context of each.

  Titus 1

For an overseer,  as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

Titus 1:7-9 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Titus%201:7-9&version=ESV

  L

  Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

  You often this passage used at weddings, but I'd like to talk about teamwork in the workplace.  Do you value the members of your team at your work?  Are you a good team member?  You may be thinking, "I'm not part of a team" and my response to that is that you may be part of a team but aren't thinking about it and trying to do things on your own.

  I had the priviledge to attend my 2nd Nascar race yesterday with one of my daughters and her fiance at the Martinsville Speedway, sometimes referred to as the paperclip since it's one of the short tracks still regularly used.

  It was a lot of fun overall.  It rained a little when we got there but it stopped quickly and didn't delay the race very long.  One comment I have to make is that just about everyone there seemed like they were at some level of drunkeness.  The first time I went to a Nascar race I went with some people that chose to get drunk.  At the time I was still a tee-toteler and had been for a number of years, so that was awkward.  I now drink in moderation but I guess my comment was that for the most part the people I saw didn't seem very happy, and I was driving to the event and chose not to drink and it was a joy to not feel the need to include that in the event.  Just something I was thankful for in addition to having a good time with daughter.

  But the main reason I bring up the race was to make an application from the verse today from Ecclesiastes. I was rooting for Chase Elliott.  He was leading after the first 2 stages of the race, which made up over half the race.  Then in the beginning of the third stage, Chase's pit crew had a slower pit time than William Byron, #24 and so coming out of the pit William Byron took the lead and he never let it go and went on to win the race.  Unfortunately Chase Elliott got kind of lost in the pack and ended up, I believe in 10th place.

  This reminded me how important teamwork is.  Whether it's with our wife, or at our job, or other parts of our life, we should resist the temptation to be the Lone Ranger and take the time and effort to work well with others, which may include giving them credit or helping them to develop their skills.

It will pay off for them and for us, and it's biblical, meaning it's God's way. 

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Precision vs Accuracy-Selah73-CMAW170

Diff between precision and accuracy, precision is hitting the target every time and accuracy is hitting the right target.  Both important, but precision w'o accuracy is foolish and arguably legalism, diligently following a checklist or set of rules but following the wrong rules.  

God made the world based on laws and His way of doing things.  If you don't know His way of doing things, i.e. accuracy, you can be as precise as you want but what's the point if you're not following His rules.  If you think you're not following rules, I would ask you if you put on a mask against your better judgment at some point over the last 2 years.  Where there's a vacuum of rules, someone will fill that vacuum.  The Devil will gives us all sorts of rules if we don't follow God's rules, or he will tell us that we should make our own rules.

I'm concerned about the talk among conservative Christians who are still talking about Donald Trump like he's our savior and that there's going to be a great awakening around what?  Freedom?  Is that our ultimate goal, freedom?  It depends on what your definition is of freedom.

Romans 6:16 NKJV says "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?"

Romans 2:20 NKJV says "I have been crucified with Christ; "

is that freedom, being crucified?  it is if you understand the meaning of true freedom.

We talk about slavery as the ultimate evil or thing to avoid, but we should strive to be slave to Christ.  To me that's a big part of what being Torah observant is all about.  Being obedient to our Creator.

Jesus said if you love me keep my commandments in John 14:15.  

1 John 3:4 says "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness."

What law is that talking about?  It's certainly not talking about man-made laws but God's law.  The word Torah means "the law".

When we read about slaves in the Old Testament, it was a different situation than what we saw with African-Americans in the earlier part of the U.S. history.  People often became slaves, or what was called bondservants by choice, or sometimes because they needed to pay a debt.

Ex 21:2-6 says "If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. 3 If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. 5 But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever."

To me that picture of a man choosing to have an awl driven through his ear to declare being a slave to someone forever, is similar to our choice to be a slave to Christ forever, and give up the world's version of freedom, which can be summed up by the phrase do what you want. 

You may have heard the phrase "Do what thou wilt" which was a book written by occultist Alister Crowley.  That's always been the message of Satan, along with the questioning of what's God wants us to do.  Satan said to Eve "Has God indeed said you shall not eat of every tree in the garden" and he says similar things to us in various ways, questioning God's law.

Well, we should never be OK with not knowing what God expects from us.

What does this look like if we pursue what God's will is for us through His Word.

Well, for me one of the first implications of this was that me and my family could no longer justify doing celebrating a pagan holiday we call Christmas that God never told us to do. and in fact He said very clearly we should He did not want his people to worship as the pagans did but told us how He wanted us to worship him and gave us specific appointed times when he wanted to meet with us, in Hebrew these are called Moedim.

So we stopped participating in Christmas and then Easter and then realized were not obeying the 4th commandment, which in Ex 20:8-11 says "“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."

Here are some quotes from the Catholic church about this issue:

from the Catholic Record, Sept 1, 1923 ". The Bible still teaches that the Sabbath or Saturday should be kept holy. There is no authority in the New Testament for the substitution of Sunday for Saturday. Surely it is an important matter. It stands there in the Bible as one of the Ten Commandments of God. There is no authority in the Bible for abrogating this Commandment, or for transferring its observance to another day of the week.” “For Catholics it is not the slightest difficulty.”…“The Church is above the Bible; and this transference of Sabbath observance from Saturday to Sunday is proof positive of that fact. "

Chancellor Albert Smith for Cardinal of Baltimore Archdiocese, letter dated February 10, 1920: "If Protestants would follow the Bible, they should worship God on the Sabbath day [which] by God is Saturday. In keeping the Sunday, they are following a law of the Catholic Church."

Our Sunday Visitor (February 5, 1950): "Practically everything Protestants regard as essential or important they have received from the Catholic Church... The Protestant mind does not seem to realize that in accepting the Bible and observing the Sunday, in keeping Christmas and Easter, they are accepting the authority of the spokesman for the church, the Pope."

Catholic Priest T. Enright, CSSR, lecture at Hartford, KS, Feb 18, 1884: "I have repeatedly offered $1000 to any one who can furnish any proof from the Bible that Sunday is the day we are bound to keep...The Bible says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,” but the Catholic Church says, “No, keep the first day of the week,” and the whole world bows in obedience."

So if you consider yourself a Protestant and not a Catholic, I would encourage to ask yourself why you're worshipping on Sunday?  The reformation corrected many wrong doctrines of the Catholic church but left many unchanged and this is one of them.

And that's just one of the 10 commandments, which are just 10 among all of the Torah.

You may have heard phrases like "Jesus nailed the law to the cross" or that "Jesus did away with the law".

I won't take the time to counter those arguments here, but I will say that if you are hungry to know the truth about these matters you can start with a few of these youtube channels: The Parable of the Vineyard, ShemaYisrael, Zach Bauer at An American Homestead, or TruthUnedited.

But I'll leave you with this.  In Matthew 5:17 Jesus said "“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."  I've heard many quote this verse to suggest that when Jesus said fulfill He meant to do away with or destroy.  If that were true, Jesus would have been saying "I did not come to destroy but to destroy" which obviously makes no sense.

In John 14:15 Jesus said "“If you love Me, keep My commandments."

Hebrews 13:8 says "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

2 Kings 17:37 says "And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe forever; "

Another thing you may have heard is that Jesus blasted the Pharisees because they were following the law.  That's the opposite of the truth.  The Pharisees had made up all sorts of rules that they considered to be fences, extra rules to make sure that you never broke the Torah, which may have been well intentioned, but they got to a point where they weren't following the Torah they were just following their man-made rules and in so doing they missed the spirit of the law and they were out of relationship with their Creator, so much so that they didn't even recognize the prophesied messiah when He arrived.

In the same manner, if we don't follow God's law and meet Him in His appointed times, will we recognize Jesus when He returns?

So before I wrap this up let me make an application to our work so this isn't a total departure of the content you're used to receiving.

So I want to bring us back to this idea of precision and accuracy.  I recently received some correction at my work.  It wasn't because I wasn't working hard, but rather I wasn't working entirely on the right things.  I was busy being precise, but my accuracy was off, and ultimately I was doing things as I thought they should be done but not as my boss wanted them done, and that is not a sustainable situation because my boss ultimately has a say about whether I continue to work with him or not, and I do not.

It's the same with our heavenly father.  He gives us freedom to choose, but if we choose not to follow Him and His ways, and not to meet Him when He wants to meet with us, we will not end up spending eternity with Him.

  Check out this episode!