GENTLENESS – PART 1

Do any of you remember those advertisements for the [Charles Atlas Body Building Course] that used to be in comic books? The ad had a picture of the 97-pound weakling on the beach and while he is sitting there with a girl, along comes a big muscular bully. The bully pushes the weakling around, kicks sand in his face and then walks off down the beach with the weakling's girlfriend and the weakling cannot do a thing about it. The caption on the ad reads: [Are you tired of being pushed around? Are you tired of having sand kicked in your face? Just write to me.] And so, you could write to Charles Atlas and in 90 days you could learn to become a big bully yourself. Charles Atlas made a fortune on those ads because of [the male ego.] Believe it or not, I considered buying the Charles Atlas kit myself when I was much younger. I never was a picture of machismo. Now I wonder how much money we could make if we were to place an ad that said something like: [In 90 days we will teach you to be a meek person. Are you tired of pushing people around? Are you tired of always winning the fights? Well just write to me and in 90 days you can become meek.] I doubt we would make enough money to pay for the ad. Yeshua said: Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. -- Matthew 5:5. Yeshua is talking about the art of learning gentleness. There are three basic areas of involvement we need to be aware of and adopt if we are going to be the meek people Yeshua describes:

1 – Involves Insight:

We really need to get a grip on what meekness is before we can go any further. Out of all of the Beatitudes this is probably the most misunderstood. Let us consider some definitions:

A – Meekness Is Not Weakness:
It takes strength and power to be meek as we will see in a minute; Yeshua is not calling on us to be wimps.

B – Meekness Is Strength Under Control:
The word translated Meek here is the same word that was used in New Testament times to describe a wild animal that had been tamed or domesticated. Imagine for a moment a wild stallion that has never been ridden by anyone. He has never worn a bridle and bit, he is as wild as they come and he is full of energy, strength and spirit. Now you take that horse and over time you tame him, you domesticate him. He becomes meek. You can put a saddle on him, his master can ride him you can put a bit in his mouth and reins over his neck and he is meek. Now what have you done to that horse? Have you taken away any of that horse's strength? Have you taken away any of that horse's spirit or his power? Have you taken away any of that horse's energy? No you Have not! The only difference between the domesticated horse and the wild one is that now, that horse's strength and energy are being controlled by his master and channelled for a useful purpose. While the stallion is wild he is controlled by himself, his wants and his passions. But the domesticated, saddled horse is controlled by his master and he has learned to obey his master's touch on his reins. When Yeshua says: Blessed are the meek, He's not saying: Blessed is the person that has no strength; that has no spirit; that has no personality and that has no energy. He is not saying: Blessed is the wimp, the timid or the coward. He is saying: Blessed is the person who has all of his strength and all of his spirit or all of his personality or energy, but they have allowed someone else to control them. And of course, for Moshiach follower this means we have placed ourselves under the control of YHVH.

C – Meekness Brings Blessings:
Why does Yeshua promise we will be blessed if we are meek? He promises the blessing because we are no longer at the mercy of our own passion, at the mercy of our emotions, our anger or our temper. We can take an insult without giving one back; we can turn the other cheek, not because we are weak, but because we are stable and strong in Adonai. We are blessed because we are free; free from bitterness, free from the need to seek revenge when we are wronged. We become YHVH controlled; we have allowed Ruach HaKodesh to direct our spirit.

D —Meekness Biblically Described:
There only two men specifically described as [Meek] in the Bible although there are others who would fit this label; the two are Moses and Yeshua:

Moses:

Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. -- Numbers 12:3. No one who has studied the life of Moses would consider him a weak person. Do you remember when Moses came down from the mountain with the 10 Commandments and he saw that the people were worshipping a golden calf? Moses was hot, he was fuming and he was angry at the right time. He was angry because the people had insulted YHVH. But in -- Numbers 12:1, it says that Miriam and Aaron were speaking against Moses and personally attacked him with their words, but Moses did not respond. In fact, that is the context of the Bible saying Moses was the meekest man on earth. When YHVH was insulted, Moses was righteously angry, but when he was personally insulted, he was completely under control.

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There is yet another chiasm on blessing and protection for obedience to God's #torah in #deuteronomy 28:8-11.

.God blesses all you do in the land.
...He will establish you for himself.
.....If you obey.
...People will see you are God's.
.God blesses all you do in the land.

You don't have to be perfect to be blessed by God, but can't ignore your sins either. Keep working it out. Keep striving for perfection. See also Deuteronomy 28:13-14.
#kitavo #biblepatterns

On this date in history, 09/13/1971: After four days of a hostage standoff, New York State Police raid Attica prison, sparking a riot that kills 48 staff and prisoners. #otd #tdih #newyorkhistory

Defining words directly from the Bible doesn't allow for interpretation. 1 John 3;4, "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: FOR SIN IS the transgression of the law."

Blow the Shofar daily until Yom T'ruah ( Day of Trumpets)

PUSH
=========
A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room
filled with light and God appeared. The Lord told the man He
had work for him to do and showed him a large rock in front of
his cabin.

The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock
with all his might. So, this the man did, day after day.
For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders
set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving
rock, pushing with all of his might.

Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out,
feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan),
decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary
mind:

"You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it
hasn't moved."

Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was
impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts
discouraged and disheartened the man.

Satan said, "Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your
time, giving just the minimum effort, and that will be good
enough. That's what the weary man planned to do, but decided to
make it a matter of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to
the Lord.

“Lord,” he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service,
putting all my strength to do that which you have asked.
Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by
half a millimeter.

What is wrong?

Why am I failing?”

The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you
to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to
push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have
done.

Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it.

Your task was to push.

And now you come to Me with your strength spent,
thinking that you have failed.

Is that really so?

Look at yourself.

Your arms are strong and muscled,
your back sinewy and brown;
your hands are callused from constant pressure,
your legs have become massive and hard.
Through opposition you have grown much,
and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have.

True, you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be
obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My
wisdom. That you have done.

Now I, my friend, will move the rock."

At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own
intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God
wants is just a simple obedience and faith in Him.

By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains,
but know that it is still God who moves mountains.

When everything seems to go wrong...just

P.U.S.H.!

When the job gets you down... just P.U.S.H.!

When people don't react the way you think
they should... just P.U.S.H.

When your money is "gone" and the bills are due... just P.U.S.H!

When people just don't understand you... just P.U.S.H.

P= Pray
U= Until
S= Something
H= Happens

~Author Unknown~

Here we go~/:
O יהוה, strive with those who strive with me; Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and armour, And rise for my help. And draw out spear and lance, To meet those who pursue me. Say to my life, “I am your deliverance.” Let those be ashamed and blush Who seek my life; Let those be turned back and abashed Who plot evil to me. Let them be as chaff before the wind, With a messenger of יהוה driving on. Let their way be dark and slippery, With a messenger of יהוה pursuing them. For without cause they hid their net for me; Without cause they dug a pit for my life. Let ruin come upon him unawares, And let his net that he hid catch himself; Let him fall in it, into ruin. But let my own being exult in יהוה; Let it rejoice in His deliverance. Let all my bones say, “יהוה, who is like You, Delivering the poor from one stronger than he, And the poor and the needy from him who robs him?” Ruthless witnesses rise up; They ask me that which I knew not. They reward me evil for good, bereaving my life.
Tehillim (Psalms) 35:1‭-‬12 TS2009
https://bible.com/bible/316/psa.35.1-12.TS2009

Thought for Today: Tuesday September 13:

May Yeshua bring clarity to His future plans for you. May you suddenly be assured on a much greater level of His deep Love for you and of His intimate attention to detail. As He bids you to come, may you let go of what feels safe to lay hold of the new place He has for you. He is doing a new thing; do not hang on to the old just because you know it so well. Do not miss out on this invitation. Take the next faith step in front of you and have a blessed, beautiful and joyful day!