Judgment comes...

Isaiah was called to prophesy to Jerusalem 740 years before Christ.  In the first five chapters, the overriding theme is impending judgment. “Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field…Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks…Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit and wickedness as with cart ropes…Woe to those who call evil good and good evil…Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight…Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and champions at mixing drinks…”


Does that sound like a message to the world today? 

 But then something happens to Isaiah as he sees his own life reflected in God’s magnificent glory.

Isaiah had a vision.

I saw the Lord seated on a throne high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.  Above him were seraphs, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.  And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and threshold shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

“Woe to me!” I cried.  “I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:1-5)

What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’…The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean’ (Matthew 15:11,18, NIV).


We must remember that judgement is coming, to us all. How God looks on all of us will depend on what we have done and what we have repented of; are you covered by the blood of Christ?

Speaking Truth with Boldness

It is not how long you live, or what you have that makes the statement of your life's value.  It is what you said and did to change the world, whether it be your family or the world.


"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute" ~  Proverbs 31:8


"Go and preach the gospel.  Use words, if necessary." ~ ST. Francis of Assisi


"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."  Edmund Burke


"If you're doing nothing, you're doing wrong." ~ Lord Mountbatten


"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." ~ Will Rogers


So tell me.  What do you believe in enough to make a difference in what is happening in the world?

Mark Twain: "Courage is not the lack of fear. It is acting in spite of it."

Aish HaTorah             
SHABBAT SHALOM WEEKLY          
Insights into life, personal growth and Torah 

BS"D

Over 300,000 Readers Worldwide!

Torah Portion:     Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9)

4 Elul 5771
September 3, 2011

Shabbat Shalom Weekly

Rabbi Kalman Packouz  (thank you Rabbi for this message)

20 IDEAS FOR CHOOSING COURAGE

   1. It's great to have courage, and courage
makes you great.  Courage is a decision to
transcend your fears. When you speak and act
in a situation that is challenging for you,
that is courage.  Decide to transcend fears
that needlessly limit you.
   2. Courage is in your mind.  Courage comes
from the thoughts you think in your mind. 
You choose your thoughts.  Choose courage
now.
   3. Courage doesn't mean that you don't have
fears.  It means that you are willing to
speak and act even with fearful feelings.  At
times you might melt those fears.  Even if
not, say what needs to be said and do what
needs to be done.
   4. Ask your loving Father, and powerful King,
Creator and Sustainer of the universe to give
you inner strength and courage.  Receive it
when He gives it to you.
   5. Every word and act of courage is stored in
your brain.  Your brain is always with you so
you can always access courage.
   6. If you have said or done something that
took courage, you have been courageous
already.  Identify yourself as a person who
has courage.
   7. This moment is the only moment that
exists.  To speak and act courageously, you
only need to speak and act courageously this
very moment.
   8. Be aware of any inner self-talk that
prevents your courage.  Mentally upgrade the
recording you play in your mind.  Listen to
courageous self-talk.  Reread this list
frequently.  It becomes your self-talk.
   9. When you need a boost of courage, say to
yourself with enthusiasm and intensity, "I
have tremendous and intense courage right
now."  Repeat this with more and more
intensity until you actually experience it.
  10. Fear and lack of courage is created with
your imagination.  Therefore, your imagination
can create great courage.  Imagine having all
the courage you would wish for.
  11. Learn from every person who speaks and
acts with courage.  On the screen of your mind
see yourself talking and acting with that same
courage.  Repeat until internalized.
  12. Remember your most courageous moments. 
Take that courageous energy and double it. 
Now double it again.  Double it again.  Keep
on doubling this until you feel yourself
radiating courage.
  13. If it is difficult to say something to
someone, ask yourself, "Do I have a right to
say this?"  If yes, just say it!
  14. Have the courage to bounce back from
mistakes and adversity.
  15. Have courage to do what's right even if
others make fun of you.  The more difficult it
is, the greater you are.
  16. Have courage to respectfully tell people
to refrain from speaking negatively against
others.  Feel joy for acting.
  17. Visualize a great crowd cheering for your
courage.  Hear the cheers.  See them waving
for their hero: You!
  18. Drink an imaginary drink that gives you
magnificent courage.
  19. Don't take needless foolish risks.
Differentiate between intelligent and wise
risks and those that are rash.
  20. Each and every day do something courageous.

Children of the Most High God!

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’ children.   Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16, 17).

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1).

We are so blessed to be God's children, He honors us with His love and devotion. But where do we place our love and devotion?  Do we return His love through praise and worship?

Are you willing to turn your life around and praise Him by your words and actions.

His blessings abound when we give Him the glory through the life we live.

Have you checked your heart lately?

Isaiah 29:13-14

New International Version (NIV)

 ¹³ The Lord says:

   “These people come near to me with their mouth
   and honor me with their lips,
   but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
   is based on merely human rules they have been taught.^[a]
14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
   with wonder upon wonder;
the wisdom of the wise will perish,
   the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish.”

How do you worship the Lord?  In word only, or in deed, through the works of your hands and heart?

Contemplation:

This morning I sat on the deck, looking at the sky and the animals we have, giving God praise for everything. Then I thought, do I really give God the praise due Him, or do I just praise him with my words?  I began to worry about this, am I like those people in the scripture that only praise with the mouth and not the heart?

Response:

No.  I praise Him from the depths of my heart.

Question:

How about you?

Love to all...

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV)


I pray that all my family and friends, close and extended find their Salvation through Our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. For there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved.

our sins are forgiven..

"He (God) is so rich in kindness that He purchased our freedom through the blood of His Son, and our sins are forgiven." Ephesians 1:7 (NLT)
Are your sins forgiven?  Have you truly repented of (turned away from) your sins?  Or are you still sinning? Some say that when we continue to sin we are crucifying Christ all over again.  I don't know about that, but I do know it must hurt Our Father and The Lord every time we return to our old sins and commit them again and again.
Being a sinner is like being a drunk, you always will be one, you can only recover by walking away from sin and refuse to do it again.
So what are you going to do now?