Command: Have No Other gods before Me, Says YHWH

Passages from Isaiah on Yahwah's jealous love and devotion towards His own people, whom he has chosen:

---Bring out the blind people who have eyes and the deaf who have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled.

Who among them can declare this, and show us former things? Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them hear and say, 'It is truth.'

You are my witnesses, Says YHWH, and My Servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I AM HE.

Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me I, even I, am YHWH your God, and besides me there is NO other savior.

I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, and there was no foreign god among you; therefore you are my witnesses," says YHWH, that I am God. Indeed before the day was, I am he; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it? [that is to say, what god can reverse the work of YHWH? *my addition]
Isa. 43:8-13


v18-19 Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

v22-24
But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob; and you have been weary of Me, O Israel. You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings, Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices. I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings, Nor wearied you with incense.
YOu have bought Me no sweet cane with money, Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices; But you have burdened Me with your sins, You have wearied Me with your iniquities.--

[What sin is this? but the worship of other gods before Him. The bringing of sweet cane and incense to foreign gods... How sad when they had everything they ever needed from Him. How sad when we look elsewhere to be satisfied??? WE have an ABUNDANCE and an OVERFLOW from our YHWH, yet when have we taken matters to lesser beings who can do NOTHING for us? what saint, actually lives? what idol or god has breath? what friendship can deliver you from any trial? what relationship can bring true love or healing to your heart? WHO IS HE WHO DELIVERS>>> THERE IS NO ONE BUT YHWH, THE ONE AND ONLY...who provided for our deliverance... look]

44:6-8
Thus says YHWH, the King of Israel, And his REDEEMER, the LORD of hosts; 'I AM THE FIRST and I AM THE LAST; Besides Me there is no God. and who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, ... Since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, Let them show these to them. Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed, there is no other ROCK; I KNOW NOT ONE.

The beauty of Isaiah is in these chapters magnified in the urgency of YHWH's call to His chosen people. He calls the ears to life, that they might hear and understand that HE IS ALL AND THE ONLY GOD AND SAVIOR... He continues on for several chapters concluding with his plan that He will Redeem them through His Servant Yeshua Mashiach, whom the Gentile church recognizes as Jesus Christ, in a beautiful monologue as he refers to His Servant. The longing is evident and the love and passion also.

Idolatry is still evident in many religions, but there is only ONE RELATIONSHIP THAT SAVES... Religion is stifling, arrogant, haughty, baffling, choking, legalistic, requiring too little, requiring too much, dependent upon man, divisive, a headache, binding, among many other things. Although I do not say there is not good to be found in religion, religion alone is idolatry.

My relationship with Yahshua, known also as Jesus Christ, is the relationship that has made me EVERYTHING that I am today. It is the most precious and valuable treasure that I have, and I would lay down EVERYTHING to obtain it. It is like a parable of old, written in Matt. which speaks of a man who found a pearl of great worth. In his excitement he goes quickly and hides the pearl in a plot of land. Then he goes and sells EVERYTHING HE HAS, to purchase that plot of land.

The Holy Bible teaches us to "hide God's Word in our hearts, that we might not sin against God."

He is the ONLY ONE. HalleluYAH.

What about child labor?

My appetite has been insatiable in these past few days. Just as happens to me every once in a while, I cannot seem to be satisfied. (I'm pretty sure its a hormone thing.)

As I sat enjoying some chocolate that my roommate brought from valentines day, my mind began to spin over about what I recently learned about the Hershey's and Nestle's company. I do not know how many others engage in this. It became newsworthy that these companies were exploiting young children, using their little nimble fingers to collect a greater crop of cacao and employing them in their cocoa factories, making quite a living, and paying unfair wages.

Then on the flip side of this unfair work, I remember fondly stories from my father about the days that he worked on his uncle and aunts farm in fifth grade. After school, he would go out into the fields and drove a tractor mowing the fields and caring for the incoming harvest. He got up at 4 am to milk cows and was up sometimes until midnight finishing schoolwork. Was he a victim of child labor?? NO. He remembers fondly those days, and it was a year that had great impression upon him. It was hard work, yes, but enjoyable, and although he may not have enjoyed every day's work, he got the great pleasure of freshly baked bread from his auntie, speaks of drinking ice cold lemonade after a hot afternoon, and enjoyed driving the tractor around the land.

The questions I have been pondering include but are not limited to:
1. When do children chores become child labor or when is it part of the development and maturity of that child?

UNICEF says of child labor that it is "when a child is required to work Full Time for minimum pay" and it effects their ability to do well in school.

2. What happens if I take away that child's job by trying to protect him, instead suffering his family those 3 extra dollars he would have brought in per day?

3. How does the child feel about it? Is he being forced to work, does he enjoy other things children enjoy? Is he being OPRESSED?

4. How much is society willing to sacrifice? Do we make exceptions and give conditions to children working? What are people doing about it?

5. How does Fair Trade certification actually diminish the problem? Can we impact the world through Fair Trade development and working with local farmers?

6. How should we be praying? What kind of impact can we have on these children?

7. What kind of mission can I have that will cause children to move from merely surviving to thriving?

I have many more questions, and as many of you know, have a stirring passion in my heart towards the suffering children whose voices have yet to be heard.

I'm interested in hearing from you about this.

Yours.

Systems: We are a unit.

There are many different kinds of systems that are put in place for various purposes. A water system is intended to hold the water into place and send it to one specific reservoir, but imagine if that system began to unravel when corrosion ate away at one of the pipes. The guardian of the system is at this point extremely important because this guardian must identify the corrosion, and correct it before it gets further down the pipe and the corrosion spreads. It is important that the said “guardian” remove the corroded area and replace it with good new pipe so that the entire system could work properly. It only took that one piece of pipe or that one area to corrode the otherwise good and functional system.

We in the body of Christ are a system. God created us to work that way, together as a system. It is a system that intends to love Yahweh, to worship and be a reservoir of His glory. Together we are to be glorious and beautiful in a way that is not worldly. It is through the power and working of the atonement of the Messiah (Yahshua) the One and Only, through whom we are created, rejuvenated, washed, beautified, purified, sanctified, glorified.  He calls this system, this unit, you could say, “Beloved,” “Jerusalem,” “Redeemed,” “Chosen one,” “His Bride,” “His Follower,” “The Apple of His eye,” “Elect,” “Sheep,”  “the Clay,” and “the Church.”

Yet as a whole unit, ... have we have traded our beauty, which is His glory, for a much lesser garment? The garment of praise for garments of pride, division, self importance, and other lusts?

How do we go about being the Called and Chosen and doing all that He has sent us to do? Becoming a unified body and working as a regenerated and reborn people who have been born into a family much greater than what we had been born into on earth? Do we live as a reborn family, or are we sickly and false, only putting on the show of rebirth, while truly an imposter of earth struggling to belong in a society that is full of reborn and sincere children of God?

Self consciousness a form of pride

"Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness.  And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; let my head not refuse it."  Psalm 141:5

What was David really saying here?  He is giving up self so much, that he would prefer rebuke to keep him on the right path, rather than stay where he is in sin. 

Would you do the same?


The Word says in Proverbs  that "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."   This is a great truth teaching us not to rely on what people say good to us about ourselves, but to be established in truth, seek out friendships who will correct you when necessary.  Be in good company.  "Bad company corrupts good character."    (Prov 26:6, 1 Corinth 15:33)


If we are so focused on ourselves that we are always worried about what someone thinks of us, or putting forth the best image, looking our best, dressing the best, making an impression in various circles, this can inhibit us from giving our all to God.  We may "appear" to give all and be a "good Christian leader" but in our hearts we are wanting for more.

A true leader and Christ follower is someone who denies their own gain, this includes the over awareness of our own selves, picks up our cross and follows in His way.  His way was to bring a call to repentance to Israel.  He proclaimed that His kingdom was coming and signs followed him.  Captives were set free, people were healed, even raised from the dead, and delivered from demons as well as all kinds of infirmities. 

Our focus being out ward will encourage and demand change from ourselves as well as others.  It will not be afraid to lay hands on people and pray for them, because we do truly know who our redeemer is, and who cares what the family sitting two tables down thinks of us??  It is more focused and concerned about the eternal welfare of others than  it is about present personal welfare. 

This should tranform our giving. 
Transform our ideals.

If more "Christians" would focus less on self, even if it is focusing on our lack, there would be more true Christ followers, and it would cause many to follow in our footsteps.

I challenge you, reader, and I challenge myself also, to "Let your light shine"  Shine where? on you??? NO!  Shine on the Messiah and His soon coming return.  We shall proclaim that He is truly coming soon and cause many to glorify our Father in heaven through "good works" according to Matthew 5, it is our good works that bring glory to His name when we do them with His name.