“Israel”

2 Samuel 7:22-24 Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemed to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee forever: and thou, Lord, art become their God.

My day starts with a Bible reading and today, Jerusalem day, this was a part of my reading and I find it so very marvelous that this awesome God has called me to live in the capital city of His people, a people whom He has reserved for Himself and to show His great power and ability. As Yeshua pointed out to this people when He walked among them, ‘with God, nothing, absolutely nothing, is impossible.’ I have to feel compassion for all the world that is fighting and demeaning the Jewish people as they do not realize that in truth, they fight against this God of Creation and all that He has chosen to do. Anyone who is not on the side of this God is on the losing side forever.

©2020 Sherwood A. Burton – All Rights Reserved

“Wheat and Weeds”

 Matthew 13:24b-25 “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares (weeds) among the wheat and went his way.

It seems that today we have this very scenario taking place all over the world. The word of God is being driven out nearly everywhere except in the hearts of true followers of the Messiah, Yeshua. In effect, men and women all over the world are demanding their rights to be the center of the world. It has been happening since man was banished from the Garden. The idea that man will make a name for himself and become the center of his own world. One can see this happening everywhere, take Islam for just one example, if one does not follow their understanding, off with his head.
The minute one takes the God of Creation out of the picture, one also banishes true peace and joy and mercy and love for one another. There is never any true peace as long as the “I” is in control. There is only one thing that can fulfill the empty heart and mind and that is the Creator God. And even at that, here is another mystery; the Bible, Gods wise instructions as to how to make life work successfully is the best seller of all time and yet look around and most want to throw God out of the picture for that ‘me first’ attitude…..weeds. The biggest reason for this is that the Book is a book of parables which can only be understood if one discusses with the author for the understanding. As Yeshua told a ruler once, “you must be born from above” in order to make sense of that heavenly dialogue written down.
The world that is trying to market socialism (communism is another name for it) is that enemy that is doing nothing more than sowing weeds among the wheat in order to become the new ‘boss’ of the garden. Face the facts, they are selling a garden full of weeds and in the end only the ones who are selling this garbage will end up with the money which will then have nothing to buy with it, everyone loses. That is the bottom line, without God, you lose.

©Sherwood A. Burton – all rights reserved

“Bearing Good Fruit”

Matthew 3:10b every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

It does not matter what your day has been like or how you have been treated, what really matters is the fruit that you produce according to the tree you are. An apple tree does not produce grapes nor do grape vines produce apples. Oranges come from orange trees regardless of what you want. Thus, the question becomes, what has the God of the universe designed you to produce? Have we truly looked at the book of instructions to find out what our role is in the grand scheme of things?

There is a path laid out for all of us (Psalm 139) and if we can find that path, then we can bear the kind of fruit that the Creator designed us to bear. And it also gives us the ultimate reward of peace of mind and heart within ourselves. The Creator wants all of us to be fulfilled and happy and that can only happen when we follow His instructions. It all boils down to giving Him control and listening to His advice or instructions otherwise we might end up bearing bad fruit. The problem with that is, the whole tree gets cut down and thrown into the fire, not just the bad fruit of our own doings.

©Sherwood A. Burton – all rights reserved