“Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” Exo.33:11. Can you imagine having God as a friend? It is interesting, however, that a friend is qualified as someone who speaks “face to face” with you. The pandemic has made this challenging, but thanks to technology, not impossible.

So, here are my top five tips for friendship:

1. Reliable, loyal, trustworthy, & honest.

2. Not coveting as competitors but cheering each other on by being kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving (Eph.4:32).

3. Low-maintenance – that is, not negative but fun to be around.

4. Non-judgmental and accepting.

5. A good listener with whom you can “let your guard down”.

Also, consider the following from the book of Proverbs (ESV): 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity; 18:24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother; 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

Friend, if you want to have a good friend, you must be a good friend. Are you a good friend to God the Son who has called you His friend (John 15:15)?

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;  my soul knows it very well.Psalm 139:14

There is a habit that my family loves to tease me about.  When it comes to furniture, quality is at the top of my list.  The way I gauge the quality of a piece of furniture is by opening a drawer and pushing on the bottom.  If it is flimsy, I know the overall quality is lacking.  If it is firm, I have confidence that the quality is good.  Furniture with solid drawer bottoms lasts a long time.

When it comes to making people, God is the master craftsman.  He not only uses the best materials with the finest workmanship, but he custom designs each one of us for unique purposes; and, he gives both an eternal guarantee and a lifetime service plan.  We were made to be thoroughly used in God’s eternal plan to redeem all of mankind.  We are not museum pieces, but useful masterpieces of everyday life.

Only two things can go wrong with us: 

1. We doubt how unique and wonderful we are because of societies hang ups about what is beautiful and precious. So, we don’t live out our purpose. 

2. We discard the purpose God designed us for in order to follow a path of ease and self-fulfillment. 

You are God’s wonderful creation, made to reflect his love into a dark world.  Embrace your gifts and purpose, and your life will be more than you can imagine or plan!

At my college (Hebrew Union), all the rabbinical students have been growing more stressed as the Passover holiday approaches. While the graduate students get a break for a week, the rabbinical students will be fully engaged with their synagogues by giving sermons and leading Passover seders. While most Christians do not celebrate Passover (or any other Jewish holidays), I believe that it is a holiday worth reflecting on in our own tradition. There are two spiritual aspects of the Passover in Exodus 12 that can help us understand our own atonement and freedom from sin.

The first aspect is the Passover sacrifice and the ritual of the blood on the doorposts. God commanded Moses and the Israelites to put blood on the doorposts in order that the Angel of Darkness might pass over their firstborn. This ritual, like that of Zipporah casting the foreskin of her son on Moses’ feet (Exodus 4:24–26), was meant to ward off evil spirits. This protection came at a cost, and, in this case, the cost was the life of an unblemished lamb. Today, we recognize that our unblemished lamb is Jesus. His blood saves us and protects us from the evil one. As we drink his blood every Sunday, it is worthwhile to meditate on how putting his blood inside of us guards our hearts from Satan and his schemes.

The second aspect is how the Passover led to freedom. While the Egyptians were grieving over the death of their firstborn children, the Israelites were freed from their bondage at Passover. They crossed through the Red Sea and were rid of Pharaoh and his oppression. They were now God’s chosen and redeemed people. We also have passed through our own Red Sea at baptism (1 Cor. 10:1–2) and are now freed from a much more insidious type of oppression. Let us forever be thankful for our Savior and our Passover Lamb who takes away the sin of the whole world (John 1:29)!

Last week was just one of those weeks. Every day was almost a 12-hour workday. One day I found myself leaving the office (yes, we have returned) around 8:30 pm. I got into my truck and followed the same path home I usually take. To get on the interstate from the office, one must navigate through a traffic light. I reached this light, only to be stopped by a red light. There were no cars in any direction, and I found myself complaining.

Why am I just sitting here? Do I run this light? Can it change to green already? Have you ever been in a situation such as this? The more and more I complained, I found myself getting angrier. Once the light was green, I put the pedal to the medal and was calm.

This occurrence got me thinking, why did I complain so much? Complaining is not healthy. We see that this was common to the Israelites in their journey through the wilderness. God was not pleased with their complaining.  God is not happy about our complaining either. As Christians, complaining allows us to spread evil. It is the devil’s way of luring us in.

In Philippians 2, ¹⁴ Do all things without grumbling or disputing, ¹⁵ that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Paul says we must do everything without grumbling. As hard as it may seem, it is possible with the grace of the Lord. When we realize this, there is no reason for us to complain. When his grace reaches us, we become more humble and thankful.

When we are born again, by the water and the Spirit, we are given a brand-new spiritual heart. Initially this spiritual heart is healthy, and so we experience some wonderful fruit. Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV) — ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Did you know that if you were to have a heart attack part of your heart could die? Similarly, Satan is constantly seeking to cause a “spiritual heart attack” that aims to take us captive to do his will. If we allow these onslaughts to go unchecked, we might find ourselves with a spiritual heart that is barely functioning or dead.

It is of great comfort to know that if we “submit to God” and “resist the devil” he will flee from us (Js.4:7). But what should cause us concern is that after losing all three onslaughts against The Christ, Satan said “I’ll be back” – or to be more precise … “And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time” Luke 4: 13.

There is only one way to end up victorious against Satan. We must be all in. It is only when you are fighting the good fight with 100% of your heart that you can ever hope to have victory.

So, friend, are you all in? The committed servant of God must, begin every day by prioritizing God’s Word. Secondly, find something in your morning reading to obey and follow through with action. Thirdly, measure all you do through the day using His Word (ideas, feelings, circumstances, and communication). Fourth, choose to represent Jesus Christ in every aspect of your life. And finally, let your confidence rest in Christ – knowing that He (who began a good work in you) will carry it on to
completion until His Day (Phil.1:6).

In last week’s article, I explained why fasting is important for Christian discipleship. While it is not commanded (and thus not required), fasting can be a helpful tool for overcoming temptation and recognizing one’s own frailty and dependency on God. In this article, I hope to present you with some guidance in order to help you begin this spiritual
discipline.

First, some people should not fast due to health concerns. Some medical conditions require you to eat frequently, especially if you struggle with low blood sugar. If you have health concerns about fasting, you should consult your doctor before trying to skip meals.

Secondly, fasting does not guarantee instantaneous success. Most of the time, it takes much practice before gaining the spiritual benefits of fasting. Fasting is, after all, a discipline that requires consistency and training. Therefore, when you fast, you will probably not feel any more spiritual. If anything, you will likely become irritable and tired.

This leads to my third tip, namely, that there are different lengths of fasts. One does not have to fast forty days in the wilderness like Jesus to benefit from fasting. In fact, I would not recommend doing this your first time fasting! Rather, I recommend starting small by skipping one meal that you normally eat. If this is easy, then you can move on to two meals, then a 24-hour fast, and so on.

Fourth, fasting is a principle that can be applied to many things or just a few things. For instance, instead of abstaining from all food, try only abstaining from sweets or soda or things that you normally treat yourself with. Likewise, you can refrain from things other than food, such as TV, video games, or social media. Many of the benefits will be the same and it can function as a good substitute for food if you find yourself gravitating to these commodities on a daily basis.

Finally, the hunger pangs you feel should prompt your mind to think about spiritual realities. Fasting helps us to be more mindful of our behavior and our actions. It is up to us whether these pangs will goad us toward better behavior, or whether we will consciously choose to give in to what our body desires. Thus, every time you feel a hunger pang, you should pray or read/memorize scripture or meditate. On particular occasions, you may want to dedicate a fast to praying about a particular decision (e.g., when choosing new elders) or a particular outcome (e.g., that your wife will make it through surgery).

I hope that as you practice fasting over a period of time, you will find yourself growing closer to God and gaining more self-awareness and self-control in the process.

Philippians 1:9-10 (NIV) “⁹And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.”

As parents, we all want what is best for our children, so that they can be prepared for their future and that they may have the ability make “good choices”. As their “spiritual parent”, Paul’s prayer for the Philippians was that they would be unified in love. Paul did not pray that the Philippians would have more love for him, or that they would listen to him more, but instead that they would be unified in growing their love, which would result in a greater knowledge of Christ and deeper insight.

Paul also prayed that the Philippian believers would have the ability to “discern what is best”, or differentiate between right and wrong, good and bad, vital versus trivial. Again, Paul prayed this not because he wanted recognition as a “good parent”, but instead so the Philippians would be “pure and blameless for the day of Christ.”

Often one of the best ways to influence someone is to pray for him or her. As parents, we ought to pray for moral discernment, so we can maintain our Christian morals and values. As Christians, our capacity to develop a deeper knowledge of Christ is determined by our spiritual growth. As you grow in the Lord and put into practice what you have learned, your capacity to understand and to “discern what is best” will also grow.

Have you had something traumatic happen to you – something that deeply damaged your usual cheery disposition? What follows is the best advice I could give you.

At 3 years of age, children start to experience their “inner voice” as they learn to integrate thought with language. However, when we are baptized into Christ, we start the process of exchanging our inner thoughts for His thoughts.

Psalm 139:17-18 teach us that God was always on David’s mind. “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you” (ESV). Can we say the same?

Additionally, Paul the Apostle instructed the church at Colossae to “set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col.3:2 ESV).

When we exchange the negative inner script for the awesome mind of God, we will see His will being done, on earth as it is in heaven and our lives overflowing with blessings too numerous to contemplate.

As it is, however, many Christians walk around bitterly fixated on deep hurts of their past or extremely anxious about a presumed treacherous future.

Friend, might I suggest that you stop being “conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2 ESV).

Last week, I mentioned how we need to be disciplined in order to grow as disciples of Christ. One of the ways we can become more disciplined in our walk with Christ is by fasting. Thankfully, intermittent fasting is one of the more recent dieting trends, so many people are becoming more aware of fasting and its physical benefits. However, this article is not focused on the physical benefits of fasting. Rather, this brief introduction will focus on the spiritual benefits.

Why fast? How can being physically hungry benefit you spiritually? One reason is because the New Testament shows us that Jesus and the early church fasted. While Jesus never explicitly commands his disciples to fast, he refers to that it will be a part of their lives (Matt 17:21; Mark 2:20). Paul and the apostles fasted on important occasions, such as before the first missionary journey (Acts 13:2, 3) and at the appointment of elders (Acts 14:23). Therefore, by fasting, we are restoring New Testament Christianity in the 21^st century.

Another reason we ought to fast is to protect ourselves from the consumerist culture in which we live. Most of American culture hates being hungry. We love to feast on delicious foods and stuff ourselves full of delectable meals. We hardly know what it feels like to go without eating for 12 hours. While eating delicious food is not a sin, we often lack restraint when it comes to eating (myself included!). Therefore, taking a break from eating can help us to practice self-control and experience that fruit of the spirit.

A final reason for fasting is that when we fast, we recognize our dependence on God and our own frailty. Whenever you go without eating and the hunger pangs kick in, you recognize in that moment how much you depend upon food for your own happiness. These pangs can serve as a reminder to you of how much you need to hunger and thirst for God, how you need to live by his word rather than by food alone (Deut. 8:3), and how frail our happiness really is. After practicing fasting for a consistent amount of time, your commitment to God will grow along with your discipline and self-control when you are tempted.

While there are several more spiritual advantages, these are the major ones that I have discovered. Next week, I will discuss a few practical ways you can start practicing fasting in an effective and spiritual manner. Thus, I will leave you with this final question: Are you hungering for a fast?

What do you prize more than anything in this world?  Is it a job? You finally got the job of your dreams.  Is it a son or daughter, or maybe, is it a grand baby?  (I may be guilty in that example!) Is it the money you have saved for retirement?  We all need to make wise choices with what God has blessed us with. Is it our education? Do you still have your letter sweater, trophies, and medals that you earned in high school? We all have our treasures, but we should never put them in front of our God.  They are blessings from God.  Do you realize just how special you are to God?

The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all of your heart and with all of your soul. You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in His ways, that you will keep His decrees, commands, and laws, and that you will obey Him. And the Lord has declared this day that you are His people, His PRIZED POSSESSION.   He has declared that He will set you in praise, fame, and honor high above all the nations He has made that you will be a people Holy to the Lord your God, as He promised. Deut. 26: 16-19

Brothers and Sisters, we serve a Great God; we are His prized possession!  The God who made the heaven and the earth; the God who made everything, including sunrises, sunsets, the oceans, flora, and fauna calls all those things “good”, but WE are His prized possession.  God sends flowers and songs to you each day through nature. If he had a refrigerator your picture would be on it.  Many times, we want to put our own accomplishments in front of our God.  We soon find out, most of these things we think are important, are just temporary pleasures. Put your trust in the Lord and use his blessings to his glory.