Days of AWE

Recently I observed the annual celebration of Days of Atonement also known as Yom Kippur.  People around the world from sunset on Oct. 7 to after nightfall Oct. 8, 2011, spent times in deep reflective prayers and fastings to God. These days are considered to be a time for introspection and repentance, turning from sin and making restitution with God.

A quick historical lesson:

-Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year also known as the Day of Judgment and Day of Remembrance.  It is the first of the High Holy Days also called the Days of Awe which occur in the fall part of the year.

-Yom Kippur- also known as Day of Atonement follows 10 days after Rosh Hashanah.  Known as the Day of Atonement, it is considered the holiest and most solemn day of the year by the Jews. Its central themes include atonement and repentance.

Combining these two events, there is a period of ten days in between both holidays that is, known also as the Ten Days of Repentance.

Churches and synagogues around the world observe these days annually

Noticed my title above, I purposefully selected the words Days of Awe as well as the word celebration.  One might ask why you would celebrate a time of fasting, repentance and basic sadness.  Or one could wonder how can these times of reflections and meditation of shortcomings cause anyone to celebrate? 

True this historical time is a time of mourning but for many including myself, I rejoice!

I rejoice because my joy comes from Christ and what He did on the cross. 

These Days of Awe have left this servant in awe of a holy, just and merciful God!

Thank you God for sending Jesus!  It is because of Your great love and His obedient great work on the cross that sins have been atoned for, and I am forever grateful to Him, joining with the Psalmist in The Great Hallel

                        “What can I offer the LORD for all he has done for me?

                        I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.

I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.

O LORD, I am your servant; yes, I am your servant, born into your household; you have freed me from my chains. I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the LORD.”

Psalm 116: 12-14, 16-17 (NKJV & NLT translations)

 Likewise I rejoice in great praise over the power of God’s voice joining King David

“And in his temple all cry, "Glory!" declaring and praising His name forever.              Psalm 29 (ESV translation)

Will you join with me in The Great Hallel, taking the cup of salvation? Receive the work Jesus accomplished on the cross and all it has to offer by turning from your sins, agreeing with God and aligning yourself with Him.  Then your days will be filled in awe of the great holy and majestic God almighty and the great deeds He has done!

Praise His name!

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Wake Up!

Have you ever experienced the need to stay awake for a particular situation, urgent event, or some needed circumstance but your body will not cooperate? Your eyes become dreary, wanting to close and nod off. Your brain switches from alertness into a gradual floating into imagination land and your concentration becomes an invisible fight to keep yourself awake?

WAKE UP! Dear Friends, now is the hour, now is the time for us to expect and to see Jesus. To be persistent in prayer, steadfast in spiritual matters and focused with all of our being by preparing ourselves to meet the living Son of God, Jesus.

Jesus is coming!

Are you ready to meet the living Son of God, Jesus? He promises us that He will return. That since His resurrection, ascension and current seating on the right hand side of God He will leave His current holy abode. Come down to this earth for the last time and gather His own to Himself. How do we know this? Because He tells us in His word that is exactly what he will do. In the chapter 14, verse 3 of the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself and where I am there you may be also and where I go, you know and they way you know.”

Are you ready?

When a loved one comes to your home after being away for some time, wouldn’t you prepare for their arrival? Of course you would! If your son or daughter comes home from college, you would arrange your schedule with work to visit them; you may go to the store and purchase all kinds of things to prepare their favorite food. If your husband or wife came home after a long trip, you might purchase a homecoming gift; clean the house, plan to be together to catch up on lost time.

Are you ready to see and meet the Savior of the world face to face? In order to be prepared to see the risen Savior of God, your heart must be His to begin with.

This task is very simple yet must be sincere.

If you would like the holy triune God, in the person of His holy Son, to come and gather you upon His return, then all you need to do is ask Him.

1) Acknowledge that God is the Creator of heaven and earth and Creator of you.

2) Acknowledge that you are a sinner, that you have fallen short of the mark of perfection, then repent and turn from your shortcomings.

3) Believe and receive Jesus Christ as the Lord (boss overall) of your life and the only way out of a
dedestructive path of sin brought on by our human Adamic nature.

4) Make a decision to serve Him as your Lord and Savior. This day and forever until He comes back

agagain to receive you.

Wake Up! Jesus is coming! Get Ready!

Scripture readings :

Matthew 22

Matthew 24: 27-51

Matthew 25

Joel 3

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FOLLOW

Growing up, one of my favorite games was Follow the Leader. Looking back it was a flash of time that was mysterious yet amusing all at once. Mysterious because it was beyond the "followers" power to know what came next and it was amusing because none of us could think of a better place we would rather be. We loved not knowing where the leader would take us but tried to figure it out anyway. We loved taking a turn at being the leader as much as we did being the follower. And we loved trying our best to succeed at whatever obstacles and challenges we would tackle whether we were the leader or the follower

I remember moments and hours of anticipation at every obstacle with small giggles that turned into full bursts of laughter, completely enjoying every aspect of the game whether it was played inside or outside. The game became more intense when our group of cousins and childhood friends would "triple dog dare" everyone to play in the dark house with all the lights turned off. Groping around trying to guess by sounds and slight, very slight vision what the leader's next step would be. What were we thinking!?! Well, we all survived that game without any injuries thank the good Lord!

The Webster dictionary definition of the word follow includes descriptions such as:

-To carry through (as a process) to completion

-To come after in time

- To go after or on the track of

- To act according to the commands of

Andrew and Peter were quite fond of Follow the Leader also. They were just hanging out,

doing their own thing when the great Leader of all walked by. They heard Him speak and began to follow Him.

"Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciple and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. John 1:35-37

This began their three year long journey of Follow the Leader. They clung to Jesus, learning the details of following as they listened to Him.

In the Greek, the original language of the New Testament, the definition of follow or following is the word ä-ko-lü-the'-ō, which means:

-To follow one who proceeds, join him as his attendant, accompany him

-To join one as a disciple, become or be his disciple

"Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?" He said to them, "Come, and you will see." So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour." John 1:38-39

The Greek definition for the word come is e'r-kho-mī, which means:

-To come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence

-Be established, become known, to come (fall) into or unto

-To go, to follow one

You see, Jesus was quite found of Follow the Leader also. He being Leader and supreme authority of all, desires that all will follow Him.

What will be your choice? Will you Follow the great Leader of all time?

Accept His invitation when He says Come.

And when you do come, you will see and not be disappointed.

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