NEVER IGNORE

Never ignore someone who cares for you
because someday you'll realize you've lost
a diamond while you were busy collecting
stones.

ABOVE THE SUN

Scripture:

“‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly
meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’ What do people
gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?”
Ecclesiastes 1:2–3


Under the sun” refers to life on earth. The unwritten law of
the physical world we live in is “he who dies with the most
toys wins.” People dedicate their lives to acquiring the
nicest homes, the fanciest cars, and the latest technological
craze. However, at the end of life these things don’t matter at
all. You can’t enjoy your toys when you’re dead, and since
that is everyone’s destiny, what’s the point of working toward
all those useless things in the first place?

Solomon teaches that nothing we can accomplish
“under the sun” has real, lasting value. However, there is also
life “above the sun.”

Above the sun exists another world, the spiritual world. That
is the only place where anything we acquire has true worth.
And the types of things we can acquire that have real, lasting
value aren’t things at all. They are our good deeds and service
to God. Only these things will be with us forever, and only these
things have meaning.

As we sit in our flimsy huts with their insubstantial roofs, we
realize how fleeting and vulnerable anything we build in this world
truly is. Our vision isn’t clouded by a sturdy, secure roof which
blocks our view of the great expanse beyond the sun and moon.
We can see past all that and recognize that life “under the sun”
is only a corridor. Above the sun is where we will ultimately live,
and it is only there that life earns its meaning

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

(excerpts from Holy Land Moments)

NO PLACE TO RUN

Scripture:   

“Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”
— Psalm 139:7–8

Reflection:

God is always watching what we do – both the
good and the bad. There is nowhere to run, no
place to hide. Yet, God’s omnipresence is also
comforting. In this lonely world, we are never
alone. “If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”

We may stop running. There is no way to run
away from God; anywhere we go, He’ll be there.
And that’s a good thing: “even there your hand
will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast”
(v.10). Wherever we may go in this life, we are
with God, under His protective care. Truly, there
is nowhere else I’d rather be.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?

Scripture:

Their only suggestion was that we keep on helping
the poor, which I have always been eager to do.
Galatians 2:10, NLT

Reflection:

The apostles were referring to the poor of Jerusalem.
While many Gentile converts were financially
comfortable, the Jerusalem church had suffered from
the effects of a severe famine in Palestine and was
struggling. So on his journeys, Paul had gathered
funds for the Jewish Christians. The need for believers
to care for the poor is a constant theme in Scripture.
But often we do nothing, caught up in meeting our own
needs and desires.
Perhaps we don't see enough poverty to remember the
needs of the poor. The world is filled with poor people,
here and in other countries.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

NEVER BEYOND

Whenever we may be or whatever our
circumstances, we are never beyond
the reach of God's Care!

CONNECTING THE DOTS

“Pharaoh’s officials said to him, ‘How long will this
man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that
they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not
yet realize that Egypt is ruined?’” — Exodus 10:7

Like Pharaoh, sometimes even the smartest of us
aren’t able to think clearly. Maybe you’ve known a
friend who was so obviously in a hurtful relationship,
but he or she refused to get out of it. Your friend
couldn’t see the repeating pattern of hurt and
destruction. He or she was too close to the situation.
Or maybe you have experienced being unable to
make an important decision because you lost your
perspective on the situation. Sometimes, when we
are so close to a situation, we have difficulty seeing
it clearly and we don’t know what to do.

In those kinds of situations, we have to be wise
enough to do what Pharaoh didn’t: Listen to the advice
of others! Who are your trusted advisers? Keep them
close and turn to them in times of need. And don’t
forget to ask for guidance from the most trusted adviser
of all — God Almighty! He will help you connect the dots.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

(excerpts from Holy Land Moments)

THE ONLY WAY

The only way to be better rather than bitter
is to extend the same grace to others that
God extended to us through Jesus Christ

CHANGE

"I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven
over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine
virtuous men who have no need of repentance"
(Luke 15:7).

During the Vietnam War, the legendary pacifist
Pastor A.J. Muste stood in front of the White House
night after night with a lit candle, in persistent and
peaceful protest. A reporter asked him, "Do you
really think that standing here with a candle can
change the world?" He answered, "I don't stand
here with my candle to change the world. I stand
here to keep the world from changing me."

Lacordaire is the name of a very famous French
preacher who has gone down in the history of the
Church as one of its greatest. In many seminaries,
students are required to study his style in their
homiletics courses. He preached thrilling sermons.
Thousands of people would come to hear him. There
is a story about him in which he is seen attending a
worship service in a small rural parish. The sermon
was preached by a little-known Curate. When
Lacordaire was asked why he, a great preacher,
would go to a little Church to hear an unknown
preacher, he replied, "When I preach, people swarm
into the Church, and it becomes so crowded they
even climb atop the confession boxes in order to see
me. But when this humble man preaches, the people
go into the confession boxes -- and that is what the
world needs!"

REPENTANCE IS WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS----
REPENTANCE IS THE VERY FIRST STEP
INTO THE FULLNESS OF OUR HUMANITY.

(Excerpts from Sunday Sermons Online)

NEVER TOO GREAT

“He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.” — Psalm 136:25

A story is told about a prominent rabbi in
Jerusalem who was held in such high esteem by
his followers that wherever he walked, a large
number of followers accompanied him. One day,
as the rabbi walked home from prayers with the
usual entourage in tow, he heard the sound of
crying. The rabbi stopped and searched for the
source. He discovered a little girl wailing behind
a bush.

The rabbi’s followers watched speechlessly as the
elderly man sat himself on the ground, wiped
away the tears of the little girl, and asked what
was bothering her. “My friend told me that my
dress is ugly,” the girl cried. “You tell your friend
that I think your dress is beautiful,” replied the
rabbi. With that, the girl broke into a smile and
happily ran off to play.

Friends, let us remember that no job is beneath
us. Whether it is wiping away the tears of a child,
feeding the homeless, or even taking out the
garbage, it is our honor and privilege to help
other people. The great praise of God can be our
praise, too. When we humble ourselves before
others, we rise to great heights in the eyes of God.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

(excerpts from Holy Land Moments)

YOU DON'T!!!

If you don't want your tax dollars to help the poor,
then STOP saying you want a country based
on Christian values BECAUSE YOU DON'T...!!!!!
(Jimmy Carter)

LIFE AND DEATH

Steve Jobs, the famous founder of Apple who died
at age 56 from cancer, once said: “No one wants to
die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t
want to die to get there. And yet death is the
destination we all share … And that is as it should
be, because death is very likely the single best
invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears
out the old to make way for the new.”
Knowing we will die influences how we live.
KNOWING CHRIST DIED FOR ME INFLUENCES
HOW I LIVE!  DEATH INDEED BEGINS A NEW
AND ETERNAL LIFE!!!!!!

GRATITUDE

John F. Kennedy once said,
“As we express our gratitude,
we must never forget that the
highest appreciation is not to
utter words, but to live by them.”
Gratitude is not just what we
say; it’s a way of life.

HEARING HIS VOICE

How does God lead?

"My sheep recognize my voice; I know
them, and they follow me. I give them
eternal life, and they will never perish."
John 10:27-28 NLT

Hearing His voice

As our Good Shepherd, Jesus promises that
we can hear and know His voice. This does not,
however, have to be some mysterious, mystical
process. In fact, you may be surprised to learn
that God speaks to you quite often. I would
venture to say He has spoken to you lately and
may be speaking to you right now in some way.

God speaks to us through His Word. God will
never lead us contrary to His written Word. It is
our litmus test, our bedrock, our absolute.

God speaks to us through circumstances.
Those circumstances can include failure. Jonah
certainly heard God through his mistake. God
may even speak to us through tragedy or
hardship. C. S. Lewis wrote that, "God whispers
to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience,
but shouts in our pains. It is His megaphone to
arouse a deaf world."

God speaks to us through His peace. When we
live in God's will, we enjoy His peace. Do you
need God to make a crucial call in your life?
Then listen for His peace.

And once we have heard God's voice, what
should we do? We must follow. Jesus calls, we
respond. He whispers, we move. We follow —
and then we keep on listening.

Adapted from Breakfast with Jesus by Greg
Laurie (Tyndale House) pp 243-45

IT'S ALL ON YOU

"For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my
youth." - Psalm 71:5

Even when we are facing terrible loss and disappointment,
God is our hope. Trust in Him and let Him be your strength.
You don't always have to carry the weight of the world on
your shoulders. Let your heavenly Father help.

STOP, DROP, AND ROLL

 “Stop, Drop, and Roll.” Whenever there is a dangerous fire –
anger, desire, or passionate emotions – stop what you are
doing, drop the issue for a while, and roll on with your life.
You can revisit it later with a clearer head.

How many relationships could have been saved if a
conversation could have been put off for a day or two. How
many less regrets would we have if we took time to cool
down when things heated up? Angry? Try writing a letter to
the person you are angry with. Don’t send it, but revisit it
the next day. Tempted to eat something that is bad for
you? Go for a walk, take a drink of water, and then think
about what you really need at that moment.

God only gives us challenges that we can overcome –
sometimes we just need to level the battleground.

With prayers for shalom, peace,
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein

(excerpts from Holy Land Moments­)