January
Probable Holy Days for 2023
And You Shall Know by Cynthia Saladin
February
Waiting by Cynthia Saladin
Know How to Wait by Charles H. Spurgeon
March
If You’re Still Alive and Breathing by Cynthia Saladin
April
Pain, Suffering, and Death by Cynthia Saladin
May
Change by Cynthia Saladin
June
Bearing Fruit by Cynthia Saladin
January
Holy Days for 2023 (Probable)
🗓️ Tues, April 4th - Communion Service after sunset
🗓️ Wednesday, April 5th - Passover Day
🗓️ Thursday, April 6th - First Day of Unleavened Bread
🗓️ Wed, April 12th - Last Day of Unleavened Bread
🗓️ Sunday, May 28th - Pentecost
🗓️ Sunday, September 17th - Trumpets
🗓️ Tuesday, September 26th - Atonement
🗓️ Sunday, October 1st - Sabbath, October 7th - Feast of Tabernacles
🗓️ Sunday, October 8th - Eighth Day
And You Shall Know
by Cynthia Saladin
We’ve talked about repetition in the Bible. The phrase “verily, verily” is an assertion of truth. When God says something two or three times, we know that He’s emphasizing it for a reason. So have you ever counted how many times the phrase, “And you shall know that I am the LORD,” is found in the book of Ezekiel? Some form of it is found 50 times! That’s amazing. In Ezekiel chapters 6-7 alone, it’s found seven times!
These are chapters delineating the unrighteousness of the various nations (including God’s people) and the consequences incurred by their violence, disobedience, pride, arrogance, and overall iniquity. After God states the judgement which will come upon them, He says, “And you shall know that I am the LORD.” He is God; the idols are nothing. God’s laws are to be obeyed; He is the omnipotent Judge; He will be recognized as the only God.
But there is also an intimation that they didn’t know God; if they had truly known God, they wouldn’t have been doing the things they were doing. This same idea is in Hebrews 3:12, Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. An unbelieving heart causes disobedience of, and rebellion toward, God.
Unbelief, furthermore, caused a lack of miracles. Look at Matthew 13:58, And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Mark 6:6 records Jesus’ response: And he marveled because of their unbelief.
To say that this is not good is an understatement! That Jesus would marvel at the unbelief of the people is striking. He is, after all, the One who created mankind. You wouldn’t think that we could do anything that would surprise Him. But the unbelief of the people of His hometown amazed Him.
But we, the people of God today, we wouldn’t be guilty of unbelief. Would we? Take a look at this scripture:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1)
It is not an accident that those witnesses are found in the preceding chapter - the Hall of Faith. These are the true believers who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. (Hebrews 11:33-38)
These believers, this great cloud of witnesses, showed their faith through their deeds - regardless of whether it meant great victories over fire and lions and war or whether it meant suffering, pain, imprisonment, or death. They ran their race with endurance - because of their belief in our Great God, because of the hope set before them.
In a word, they knew God. Do you know the Lord your God like that? But really, more than us knowing God, we must be known of God (Galatians 4:9). We know how very important that is (Matthew 7:23)! So what do your actions say? Do you know God? Are you known of Him? Or do you have an evil heart of unbelief?
Final Thought:
A priest, a rabbit, and a minister walk into a bar.
The bartender asks the rabbit, "What'll you have?"
The rabbit says, "I don't know. I'm only here because of autocorrect."
February
👞 👠 🥾 👢 👟 🥿
Waiting . . .
by Cynthia Saladin
How much of your life do you spend waiting? We can hardly wait for spring . . . or for the Feast . . . or for the baby to be old enough to sleep through the night . . . or for the house to sell . . . or for Daddy to get home from work. We even have rooms especially designated for . . . waiting. Phrases about waiting pepper our lives: Wait for it! Wait! But wait! Wait for the beep! Money is waiting for you. Wait your turn. Wait just a minute. Wait until this ingredient is sautéed, blended, melted, transparent, charred (?) before adding this other ingredient to [the mess]. Even - waiting for the other shoe to drop. But there’s a problem.
We don’t like to wait.
So God has to teach us how to patiently wait. Psalm 37:7 says, Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! It’s hard to wait when we want to see justice carried out against someone who is doing wrong!! Unless we’re the wrong-doer! But even then, Isaiah 25:8-9 says, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
So we have to learn to completely trust that God’s got it sorted. Psalm 130:5 says, I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I like how the NIV puts it: my whole being waits. That’s the goal. It’s not 90% of my thoughts. It’s not mostly I wait and hope with a few occasional lapses. It’s full, complete waiting on God with all of my being.
How can you get to that place, that place where you not only patiently wait, but you quietly wait?
Habakkuk knew that Judah was going to be conquered and taken captive. He was dismayed and fearful, but he knew it wasn’t the end of the story. Habakkuk 3:16 says, I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us.
It’s trust - complete, unwavering, soul-comforting trust - that God is good, that God loves me, that God has my best interest at heart, that no matter what happens, God’s will is best. It’s the trust that Jehoshaphat exhibited in 2 Chronicles 20:12, when things looked dire: We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. God fought that battle for Jehoshaphat. He only had to stand still and see the deliverance of the LORD (2 Chronicles 20:17).
Our trust is experiential. The more we draw near to God, the more we seek Him, the more that we learn to love Him, trust Him, and wait upon Him. Eventually we want to get to the place where we can say, like David did in Psalm 34:8 (NKJV), Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
But I think there’s one more level. Once we’ve learned to patiently wait and quietly wait, God expects us to productively wait. What should we be doing while we’re waiting for His coming Kingdom? Occupy ’til I come. Luke 19:13. We’re supposed to be about God’s business, not just sitting around, waiting. So what then? Seeking His face (Psalm 27:8). Immersing ourselves in the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15). Praying (1 Thes. 5:17). Singing hymns of praise and thanksgiving (Psalm 1147:7). Producing fruit (John 15:2). Preaching the gospel in our actions (1 Peter 2:12). Encouraging one another (1 Thes. 5:11). Living a life of righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17).
Maybe, it’s a growth process of learning to trust God because we’ve sought His righteousness - and now we’re at peace. Isaiah 32:17 (NIV) says, The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).
I’m not there yet. I’m not always still and peaceful. I’m still waiting. . .
👞 👠 🥾 👢 👟 🥿
Know How to Wait
by Charles H. Spurgeon
He that believeth shall not make haste ( Isaiah 28:16)
He shall make haste to keep the Lord's commandments; but he shall not make haste in any impatient or improper sense.
He shall not haste to run away, for he shall not be overcome with the fear which causes panic. When others are flying hither and thither as if their wits had failed them, the believer shall be quiet, calm, and deliberate, and so shall be able to act wisely in the hour of trial.
He shall not haste in his expectations, craving his good things at once and on the spot; but he will wait God's time. Some are in a desperate hurry to have the bird in the hand; for they regard the Lord's promise as a bird in the bush, not likely to be theirs. Believers know how to wait.
He shall not haste by plunging into wrong or questionable action. Unbelief must be doing something, and thus it works its own undoing; but faith makes no more haste than good speed, and thus it is not forced to go back sorrowfully by the way which it followed heedlessly.
How is it with me? Am I believing, and am I therefore keeping to the believer's pace, which is walking with God? Peace, fluttering spirit! Oh, rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him! Heart, see that thou do this at once!
~reprinted from Blue Letter Bible: Faith's Checkbook, 11.29.22
Final Thoughts:
I've just written a song about tortillas; actually, it's more of a rap.
March
If You’re Still Alive and Breathing by Cynthia Saladin
After Ron and I concreted the potholes in our road, he set out cones so no one would drive through the wet concrete. A couple days later, I took Pepper in the pickup to retrieve the cones. Our next door neighbor was fixing fence right at that spot, so we visited for a while. Pepper was busy inspecting our work and other interesting smells while we were talking. After several minutes, I collected the cones, said good-bye to Dan, and called the dog. I didn’t see Pepper anywhere! But then I glanced down and he was standing quietly by my side. Dan laughed at me, calling for a dog who was close enough to touch. I just shook my head, thinking about how often we are surprised - because we are totally expecting something else. We fail to observe what is right in front of us.
Passover is coming. In fact, this is the preparation month for the New Year. When I saw the first quarter moon last night, I thought about how we’re seven weeks out from the spring holy days. Now, I don’t know about you, but I find it really hard to read the gospel accounts of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. To realize that He suffered the betrayal, mocking, torture, and abandonment on my behalf grieves me deeply - even while I know it was the only way that I could be redeemed and reconciled to the Father, the only way I could be adopted into the family of God and have the hope of eternal life.
Over the past twelve weeks, I’ve read through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus four times (as I’ve been working on sabbath school materials for CEM). Each time, the lessons on betrayal by Judas and denial by Peter, the rejection, mocking, and crucifixion bring me to tears.
So as I was reading Matthew 28, I was caught by surprise. Kind of like Pepper standing right next to me, I wasn’t expecting to be hit so powerfully by the words of verse 8. The angel had just told the women that Jesus had risen from the dead. So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
I could envision the women’s fear, having just seen the angel. What stopped me in my tracks was the phrase “great joy.” It’s not surprising, after all, because with what they had all just experienced, to be told that Jesus was alive? Oh their joy must have been extreme. I imagine the women carrying the spices and the burden of Jesus’ death - and all that falls away like shackles to lend wings to their feet as they run to tell the disciples the good news. Joy? Undeniably! Joy unspeakable!
Thinking of their joy, I thought of Jesus’ joy. Hebrews 12:2 says, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.” Similarly, it’s the mindset of the apostle Paul who, after having been stoned, scourged, left for dead, said (2 Cor. 4:17), “For these light and momentary troubles” - wow, really? These are light and momentary? He says, “For these light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them all.” In comparison to the joy and the glory set before Paul, all of his troubles and sufferings were just “light and momentary troubles.”
I needed this perspective this morning. The cattlemen of western Nebraska have had such a hard winter that they’re almost out of hay. They think they can make it until April 1st, but there’s no hay to be had within 500 miles. They don’t know what they’re going to do. . . . A seventeen year-old just lost both legs in a horrific tragedy because justice is not swift and so there’s no deterrent to criminals. . . . Death, cancer, pain, suffering. . . . war, persecution, godlessness, government corruption. And it just keeps getting worse.
Jesus said we would have trouble in this world (John 16:33). Paul characterized his trouble as light and momentary. The passage in Hebrews exhorts us to run with endurance, to not grow weary or fainthearted, that in our struggle against sin we have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. (Hebrews 12:1-4)
We have the same joy set before us - a place where there is no more death, no more mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4). We just need to persevere, fight the good fight, to overcome. It’s not just a matter of endurance, either, because as we persevere, we are lights in an ever-increasingly dark world - a world that doesn’t have the hope we have. If we are gloomy and downcast, they won’t want our hope. If we exhibit the peace and joy of knowing that God’s kingdom is waiting for us, that will speak volumes louder than any words could.
The funny thing about my whole thought process this morning is the song that I realized was playing in my head. It’s Matt Maher’s “Alive and Breathing:”
Joy still comes in the morning
Hope still walks with the hurting
If you're still alive and breathing
Praise the Lord
Don't stop dancing and dreaming
There's still Good News worth repeating
So lift your head and keep singing
Praise the Lord
Kinda like Pepper standing right by my side, here were the words I needed to hear today - almost taking me by surprise because I wasn’t focusing on them; I was thinking of all the trouble and pain and suffering. But really! This life is just temporary. In the light of eternity, these are light and momentary troubles. They are nothing compared with the eternal weight of glory that is ours in Jesus Christ.
I was left with this thought: Appropriate the words from Matthew 28:8 in your own life. Jesus is alive! Go spread the news with fear and great joy.
April
Pain, Suffering, and Death
by Cynthia Saladin
We don’t like death - unless it’s spiders and mosquitoes. We hate suffering. We avoid pain, like, well, the plague. We don’t even particularly like uncomfortable situations. So it’s no wonder the topic of the death of Jesus Christ is something we tend to keep at arm’s length. We grieve, I grieve, that it was my sin that caused his suffering and death. So the tendency is to consider Jesus’ death with our head, dispassionately, rather than our heart. It hurts less.
Because we want to avoid that pain, I wonder if that’s part of the reason God allows pain in our lives. We intensely miss family members who are no longer with us. We dread the passing of the ones we know are getting older and more frail. But a person usually lives 70+ years . . . until their warranty expires, as one septuagenarian quipped. But it’s the death of our pets (horses, cats, dogs, fish, chickens, bearded dragons) that hits us almost unexpectedly. When we take home a puppy, we don’t think about how quickly the next 10 - 15 years is going to fly by; we don’t want to consider how soon we’ll be dealing with the end stages of the life of a pet who shared so much joy and companionship with us.
But God allows it for our good. How do I know this? Consider the Passover lamb. It was chosen from the flock on the tenth day of the first month (Exodus 12:3). Once chosen, Ron Dart once opined that it was probably adopted into the family for the next 3-4 days - until the beginning of the 14th day of the month. Then they killed the lamb.
That lamb that they’d had their heart softened towards, developed a bond with, had a relationship with (if you will) would die at their hand - and not because of anything the lamb had done wrong. It was so that the blood would prevent the death of the firstborn - at least in the original Old Testament passover. Subsequent years, the lamb was killed as a reminder of being saved from the Death Angel. Regardless, the death of the Passover lamb pointed to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for each one of us.
We can’t bring Jesus into our homes as if He were a lamb. But in these days leading up to the Passover, we should be spending more time considering all of the symbolism - allowing our hearts to be softened towards Jesus and the work He is doing in our lives; developing and deepening the bond that we have with our Messiah; strengthening that relationship. Jesus died for us - not because He’d done anything wrong. He was innocent! But He died that our sins might be forgiven, that we might be reconciled to the Father, and have the assurance of Eternal Life.
We know this. We talk about it. But do we truly know it enough, deeply in our hearts, to the point that it changes how we live our lives? Put in other words, does the suffering and death of Jesus Christ impact us enough that sin becomes anathema to us?! Do we strive with everything we are to make Godly choices, to avoid transgressing God’s law, and to show by these actions that we value deeply what Jesus did for us?
We can’t just let the Passover come and go each year as a theoretical, theological construct! It has to move us deeply. It has to resonate enough to create a change - a change in our heart and mind and lives, where we focus our attention and goals and desires.
Our family is suffering the death of our 15 year-old black lab. How I hate death! I long for the day when the last enemy, death, is thrown into the Lake of Fire! But I can’t help thinking that it’s no coincidence that she was nearing the end (and died) just as we are approaching Passover. And I am impressed again with the fact that Jesus’ death needs to be more painful to me than Velvet’s death is. He’s my Savior! I daren’t become so complacent (because I face it every year) that I fail to recognize its importance and pertinence and value.
So why does God allow suffering and death? I believe there are several answers to that. The short answer is that death is a consequence of sin. But God can use something bad for our good, even as Jesus learned obedience through the things that He suffered.
And, it’s all part of the examination process that we must go through prior to taking the bread and the wine each year. We must recognize the enormity anew each year of what Jesus has done on our behalf. We must apprehend its significance to our lives and allow God to change us more and more into the image of Jesus Christ because of that understanding.
I hate death. I don’t eagerly embrace pain and suffering. But I am humbly grateful for the redemption Jesus achieved for me because of His suffering and death. It’s a good, if sobering, place to be as we go into the spring holy days . . because we observe Passover to proclaim the Lord’s death ’til He comes.
1 Peter 1:13-21 13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,18knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
🌷🌷🌷May
Change
by Cynthia Saladin
You would think that “change” is a 4-letter word by the way that we react to it. To say that we don’t like change is akin to me saying that I don’t like heights. As my family well knows, heights immobilize me. I’m fine when I’m away from them, and I may even think that I’ll do fine the “next” time. But when we went to the Grand Canyon, I was petrified. Now granted, not all change affects us this way - just as not all heights bother me. I was absolutely fine in a hot air balloon. I am okay on lookout towers. But, put me in a position where I could easily envision myself falling and I’m a basket case. And that’s the crux of my fear.
So what is there about change which repels most people? We don’t like changing to something new because it’s unfamiliar and we have to work harder to adjust and become productive again. Think about getting a new computer or starting a new job. Until we regain our footing, we are uncomfortable, stressed, and perhaps fearful of the outcome. Nothing is guaranteed; the change may not prove to be beneficial in the end.
Some change comes whether we like it or not. Getting married is a big change. Thankfully, God has programmed us to want to be married because the learning curve is fairly steep; change and compromise is almost certainly a daily occurrence for a while after a wedding. Having a baby is another life event which necessitates changes that young parents likely never saw coming - like the eventual empty nest some two decades down the road. Getting older, with its associated aches and pains, is a change we all dislike and dread - especially when we see it happening to our loved ones. And amazingly, the age-associated changes almost catch us by surprise at times, although we rationally know it’s a part of life at this time.
Yes, we resist change. We prefer to be stuck in our rut. Look up photos of the Oregon Trail (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail_Ruts). You can see what being stuck in your rut entails! There are still tracks across Wyoming, where the wagon wheels transversing over the rock eventually wore grooves. That wasn’t a bad thing up to a point, because they knew the trail led somewhere, they weren’t lost, there was water up ahead, there wasn’t an insurmountable obstacle if they stayed on this path. Obviously it was a good way to go: so many others had taken it that it’d worn a rut into the rock. But the problem became this: the ruts wore so deeply that once started onto that path, they couldn’t get out!
Hmmm! That sounds a whole lot like our carnal human nature. We are stuck in our rut with no way out. Even if we wanted to change, which we don’t like to do anyway, we couldn’t. It takes an act of God.
We like to sing, “Change my heart, O God,” but Psalm 51:10 indicates a more radical change when he says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God . . .” The change from a carnal nature to a godly nature is the metamorphosis spoken of in Romans 12:1-2. We are new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), not just an improved version of our old selves. The change, then, must be drastic and total. There are no half caterpillar/half monarch butterflies running/crawling/flying around.
But perhaps there’s another aspect of change to consider. Henry Lyte wrote in “Abide With Me” these lyrics: “Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou who changest not, abide with me.” There is no shadow of turning (James 1:17) within our God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Because He does not change, we are not consumed (Malachi 3:6). That’s very good!! He is patient and kind and long-suffering, wholly holy and righteous and just. And the more we spent time seeking Him and fellowshipping with Him, the more we experience His love and goodness - and the more we desire to be like Him.
God, in His goodness and love, has gifted us with His Son to start that process of being changed. But He has also gifted us with the Holy Spirit, which will lead us into all truth (John 16:13), which testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God (Romans 8:16), and empowers us to do God’s will (Acts 1:8).
“What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart!” I love the opening line of this hymn! How true it is that godly change, although not easy or comfortable, is the very best thing for every individual! So as we’re counting down the days to Pentecost (and experiencing a myriad of changes in our physical lives along the way), may we embrace the spiritual change that God has designed for us in Jesus Christ. May we rejoice in being freed from slavery to sin and shame. May we change our perceptions of “change” to differentiate between change and decay that is part of our fallen world and the godly change which ensures eternal life with God beyond the vanishing point.
June
Bearing Fruit
by Cynthia Saladin
In John 15:16, Jesus told His disciples, You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
There’s something absolutely wonderful about fruit!! I don’t know that asparagus is fruit, but it is the first thing I harvest every spring. And it’s delicious! It also provides that little bit of encouragement I need to put in the work to eventually have more to harvest.
Planting, weeding, watering, and even harvesting is work. My strawberry and blueberry harvests are overlapping this year. Usually when the strawberries are done, I know that the blueberries will start. This year, we are picking cherries as well. I am loving having three different types of fruit to harvest all at the same time!
I have tomatoes set on and a green pepper that is almost ready to harvest. It’s fun and exciting and, as I said, it provides the encouragement I need to keep working.
But that’s not really the fruit Jesus was talking about in John 15:16.
Ron and I are experiencing the fruit of our labor in another area. All three of our children are married, or soon will be, to Godly spouses. Just as I put the work into the garden, Ron and I diligently worked as parents. But, in both cases (the garden and our kids), God gave the increase. We feel incredibly grateful to God for His goodness in providing the mates He did for our children.
But that’s not exactly the fruit Jesus was talking about in John 15:16.
The fruit that God wants us to produce comes from being connected to the vine. It is the natural outflowing when our lives are not only dedicated to His service, but are truly functioning within His will. (It has to be both because Jesus warned that there would be people who seek to kill His followers and think they do God a service. You can be dedicated and still be wrong.) So then, how do you know that you’re acting in His will?
Romans 12:1-2 says, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be 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.
We want to discern the will of God. So first we have to be all in - present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. Whatever He wants us to do, we will do. We may not get that right all the time, but we understand the concept. And we understand the next requirement too: do not be conformed to the world. I don’t know about you, but as I watch this world decay into more and more godlessness, I don’t want to be conformed to the world. It’s the next section which is the crux of the matter. We must be transformed. This is the Greek word from which we get metamorphosis. Paul gives us a vivid object lesson in using this word! Metamorphosis is the process by which a Monarch caterpillar goes into the cocoon and dissolves into a glob of muck, then reforms into a beautiful butterfly. We, who have been chosen by God, who have accepted Jesus as our Savior, and who have been baptized, are in that process now of being reformed into new creatures in Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Metamorphosis is a crucial part of knowing what God’s will is in our lives.
So look at this next phrase: that by testing you may discern what is the will of God. Ah! Here’s where our work begins. It’s not a good test if it’s not based on the very best information. That means you have to study God’s word, searching out guiding principles and eternal truths. Bible study, prayer, meditation - all of these vital components to testing, they all require time and careful attention. It’s work! Oh, but the reward is great! The fruit of devoting your life to diligently seeking God and His ways is finding what is good and acceptable and perfect.
There’s one other very vital component to this whole process of seeking God’s will in order to produce fruit: fellowship. We need one another! We need the encouragement of sharing God’s word and our hearts. We need the iron sharpening iron. We need the hugs and smiles. We, as social creatures, designed this way by God, need each other for our spiritual, mental, and physical health. This being so, the best way for a predator to take out one of the flock is to separate the victim from the rest. Don’t let the enemy separate you from your church family.
It’s like a line of dominoes. Fellowship is a vital component (as is prayer, fasting, and meditation) in testing and discerning God’s will for our lives. Being in God’s will is paramount in producing fruit that will last. And man, oh man, harvesting that fruit will be sweet!! It’s time to get to work.
Probable Holy Days for 2023
And You Shall Know by Cynthia Saladin
February
Waiting by Cynthia Saladin
Know How to Wait by Charles H. Spurgeon
March
If You’re Still Alive and Breathing by Cynthia Saladin
April
Pain, Suffering, and Death by Cynthia Saladin
May
Change by Cynthia Saladin
June
Bearing Fruit by Cynthia Saladin
January
Holy Days for 2023 (Probable)
🗓️ Tues, April 4th - Communion Service after sunset
🗓️ Wednesday, April 5th - Passover Day
🗓️ Thursday, April 6th - First Day of Unleavened Bread
🗓️ Wed, April 12th - Last Day of Unleavened Bread
🗓️ Sunday, May 28th - Pentecost
🗓️ Sunday, September 17th - Trumpets
🗓️ Tuesday, September 26th - Atonement
🗓️ Sunday, October 1st - Sabbath, October 7th - Feast of Tabernacles
🗓️ Sunday, October 8th - Eighth Day
And You Shall Know
by Cynthia Saladin
We’ve talked about repetition in the Bible. The phrase “verily, verily” is an assertion of truth. When God says something two or three times, we know that He’s emphasizing it for a reason. So have you ever counted how many times the phrase, “And you shall know that I am the LORD,” is found in the book of Ezekiel? Some form of it is found 50 times! That’s amazing. In Ezekiel chapters 6-7 alone, it’s found seven times!
These are chapters delineating the unrighteousness of the various nations (including God’s people) and the consequences incurred by their violence, disobedience, pride, arrogance, and overall iniquity. After God states the judgement which will come upon them, He says, “And you shall know that I am the LORD.” He is God; the idols are nothing. God’s laws are to be obeyed; He is the omnipotent Judge; He will be recognized as the only God.
But there is also an intimation that they didn’t know God; if they had truly known God, they wouldn’t have been doing the things they were doing. This same idea is in Hebrews 3:12, Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. An unbelieving heart causes disobedience of, and rebellion toward, God.
Unbelief, furthermore, caused a lack of miracles. Look at Matthew 13:58, And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Mark 6:6 records Jesus’ response: And he marveled because of their unbelief.
To say that this is not good is an understatement! That Jesus would marvel at the unbelief of the people is striking. He is, after all, the One who created mankind. You wouldn’t think that we could do anything that would surprise Him. But the unbelief of the people of His hometown amazed Him.
But we, the people of God today, we wouldn’t be guilty of unbelief. Would we? Take a look at this scripture:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1)
It is not an accident that those witnesses are found in the preceding chapter - the Hall of Faith. These are the true believers who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. (Hebrews 11:33-38)
These believers, this great cloud of witnesses, showed their faith through their deeds - regardless of whether it meant great victories over fire and lions and war or whether it meant suffering, pain, imprisonment, or death. They ran their race with endurance - because of their belief in our Great God, because of the hope set before them.
In a word, they knew God. Do you know the Lord your God like that? But really, more than us knowing God, we must be known of God (Galatians 4:9). We know how very important that is (Matthew 7:23)! So what do your actions say? Do you know God? Are you known of Him? Or do you have an evil heart of unbelief?
Final Thought:
A priest, a rabbit, and a minister walk into a bar.
The bartender asks the rabbit, "What'll you have?"
The rabbit says, "I don't know. I'm only here because of autocorrect."
February
👞 👠 🥾 👢 👟 🥿
Waiting . . .
by Cynthia Saladin
How much of your life do you spend waiting? We can hardly wait for spring . . . or for the Feast . . . or for the baby to be old enough to sleep through the night . . . or for the house to sell . . . or for Daddy to get home from work. We even have rooms especially designated for . . . waiting. Phrases about waiting pepper our lives: Wait for it! Wait! But wait! Wait for the beep! Money is waiting for you. Wait your turn. Wait just a minute. Wait until this ingredient is sautéed, blended, melted, transparent, charred (?) before adding this other ingredient to [the mess]. Even - waiting for the other shoe to drop. But there’s a problem.
We don’t like to wait.
So God has to teach us how to patiently wait. Psalm 37:7 says, Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! It’s hard to wait when we want to see justice carried out against someone who is doing wrong!! Unless we’re the wrong-doer! But even then, Isaiah 25:8-9 says, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
So we have to learn to completely trust that God’s got it sorted. Psalm 130:5 says, I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I like how the NIV puts it: my whole being waits. That’s the goal. It’s not 90% of my thoughts. It’s not mostly I wait and hope with a few occasional lapses. It’s full, complete waiting on God with all of my being.
How can you get to that place, that place where you not only patiently wait, but you quietly wait?
Habakkuk knew that Judah was going to be conquered and taken captive. He was dismayed and fearful, but he knew it wasn’t the end of the story. Habakkuk 3:16 says, I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us.
It’s trust - complete, unwavering, soul-comforting trust - that God is good, that God loves me, that God has my best interest at heart, that no matter what happens, God’s will is best. It’s the trust that Jehoshaphat exhibited in 2 Chronicles 20:12, when things looked dire: We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. God fought that battle for Jehoshaphat. He only had to stand still and see the deliverance of the LORD (2 Chronicles 20:17).
Our trust is experiential. The more we draw near to God, the more we seek Him, the more that we learn to love Him, trust Him, and wait upon Him. Eventually we want to get to the place where we can say, like David did in Psalm 34:8 (NKJV), Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
But I think there’s one more level. Once we’ve learned to patiently wait and quietly wait, God expects us to productively wait. What should we be doing while we’re waiting for His coming Kingdom? Occupy ’til I come. Luke 19:13. We’re supposed to be about God’s business, not just sitting around, waiting. So what then? Seeking His face (Psalm 27:8). Immersing ourselves in the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15). Praying (1 Thes. 5:17). Singing hymns of praise and thanksgiving (Psalm 1147:7). Producing fruit (John 15:2). Preaching the gospel in our actions (1 Peter 2:12). Encouraging one another (1 Thes. 5:11). Living a life of righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17).
Maybe, it’s a growth process of learning to trust God because we’ve sought His righteousness - and now we’re at peace. Isaiah 32:17 (NIV) says, The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).
I’m not there yet. I’m not always still and peaceful. I’m still waiting. . .
👞 👠 🥾 👢 👟 🥿
Know How to Wait
by Charles H. Spurgeon
He that believeth shall not make haste ( Isaiah 28:16)
He shall make haste to keep the Lord's commandments; but he shall not make haste in any impatient or improper sense.
He shall not haste to run away, for he shall not be overcome with the fear which causes panic. When others are flying hither and thither as if their wits had failed them, the believer shall be quiet, calm, and deliberate, and so shall be able to act wisely in the hour of trial.
He shall not haste in his expectations, craving his good things at once and on the spot; but he will wait God's time. Some are in a desperate hurry to have the bird in the hand; for they regard the Lord's promise as a bird in the bush, not likely to be theirs. Believers know how to wait.
He shall not haste by plunging into wrong or questionable action. Unbelief must be doing something, and thus it works its own undoing; but faith makes no more haste than good speed, and thus it is not forced to go back sorrowfully by the way which it followed heedlessly.
How is it with me? Am I believing, and am I therefore keeping to the believer's pace, which is walking with God? Peace, fluttering spirit! Oh, rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him! Heart, see that thou do this at once!
~reprinted from Blue Letter Bible: Faith's Checkbook, 11.29.22
Final Thoughts:
I've just written a song about tortillas; actually, it's more of a rap.
March
If You’re Still Alive and Breathing by Cynthia Saladin
After Ron and I concreted the potholes in our road, he set out cones so no one would drive through the wet concrete. A couple days later, I took Pepper in the pickup to retrieve the cones. Our next door neighbor was fixing fence right at that spot, so we visited for a while. Pepper was busy inspecting our work and other interesting smells while we were talking. After several minutes, I collected the cones, said good-bye to Dan, and called the dog. I didn’t see Pepper anywhere! But then I glanced down and he was standing quietly by my side. Dan laughed at me, calling for a dog who was close enough to touch. I just shook my head, thinking about how often we are surprised - because we are totally expecting something else. We fail to observe what is right in front of us.
Passover is coming. In fact, this is the preparation month for the New Year. When I saw the first quarter moon last night, I thought about how we’re seven weeks out from the spring holy days. Now, I don’t know about you, but I find it really hard to read the gospel accounts of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. To realize that He suffered the betrayal, mocking, torture, and abandonment on my behalf grieves me deeply - even while I know it was the only way that I could be redeemed and reconciled to the Father, the only way I could be adopted into the family of God and have the hope of eternal life.
Over the past twelve weeks, I’ve read through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus four times (as I’ve been working on sabbath school materials for CEM). Each time, the lessons on betrayal by Judas and denial by Peter, the rejection, mocking, and crucifixion bring me to tears.
So as I was reading Matthew 28, I was caught by surprise. Kind of like Pepper standing right next to me, I wasn’t expecting to be hit so powerfully by the words of verse 8. The angel had just told the women that Jesus had risen from the dead. So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
I could envision the women’s fear, having just seen the angel. What stopped me in my tracks was the phrase “great joy.” It’s not surprising, after all, because with what they had all just experienced, to be told that Jesus was alive? Oh their joy must have been extreme. I imagine the women carrying the spices and the burden of Jesus’ death - and all that falls away like shackles to lend wings to their feet as they run to tell the disciples the good news. Joy? Undeniably! Joy unspeakable!
Thinking of their joy, I thought of Jesus’ joy. Hebrews 12:2 says, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.” Similarly, it’s the mindset of the apostle Paul who, after having been stoned, scourged, left for dead, said (2 Cor. 4:17), “For these light and momentary troubles” - wow, really? These are light and momentary? He says, “For these light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them all.” In comparison to the joy and the glory set before Paul, all of his troubles and sufferings were just “light and momentary troubles.”
I needed this perspective this morning. The cattlemen of western Nebraska have had such a hard winter that they’re almost out of hay. They think they can make it until April 1st, but there’s no hay to be had within 500 miles. They don’t know what they’re going to do. . . . A seventeen year-old just lost both legs in a horrific tragedy because justice is not swift and so there’s no deterrent to criminals. . . . Death, cancer, pain, suffering. . . . war, persecution, godlessness, government corruption. And it just keeps getting worse.
Jesus said we would have trouble in this world (John 16:33). Paul characterized his trouble as light and momentary. The passage in Hebrews exhorts us to run with endurance, to not grow weary or fainthearted, that in our struggle against sin we have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. (Hebrews 12:1-4)
We have the same joy set before us - a place where there is no more death, no more mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4). We just need to persevere, fight the good fight, to overcome. It’s not just a matter of endurance, either, because as we persevere, we are lights in an ever-increasingly dark world - a world that doesn’t have the hope we have. If we are gloomy and downcast, they won’t want our hope. If we exhibit the peace and joy of knowing that God’s kingdom is waiting for us, that will speak volumes louder than any words could.
The funny thing about my whole thought process this morning is the song that I realized was playing in my head. It’s Matt Maher’s “Alive and Breathing:”
Joy still comes in the morning
Hope still walks with the hurting
If you're still alive and breathing
Praise the Lord
Don't stop dancing and dreaming
There's still Good News worth repeating
So lift your head and keep singing
Praise the Lord
Kinda like Pepper standing right by my side, here were the words I needed to hear today - almost taking me by surprise because I wasn’t focusing on them; I was thinking of all the trouble and pain and suffering. But really! This life is just temporary. In the light of eternity, these are light and momentary troubles. They are nothing compared with the eternal weight of glory that is ours in Jesus Christ.
I was left with this thought: Appropriate the words from Matthew 28:8 in your own life. Jesus is alive! Go spread the news with fear and great joy.
April
Pain, Suffering, and Death
by Cynthia Saladin
We don’t like death - unless it’s spiders and mosquitoes. We hate suffering. We avoid pain, like, well, the plague. We don’t even particularly like uncomfortable situations. So it’s no wonder the topic of the death of Jesus Christ is something we tend to keep at arm’s length. We grieve, I grieve, that it was my sin that caused his suffering and death. So the tendency is to consider Jesus’ death with our head, dispassionately, rather than our heart. It hurts less.
Because we want to avoid that pain, I wonder if that’s part of the reason God allows pain in our lives. We intensely miss family members who are no longer with us. We dread the passing of the ones we know are getting older and more frail. But a person usually lives 70+ years . . . until their warranty expires, as one septuagenarian quipped. But it’s the death of our pets (horses, cats, dogs, fish, chickens, bearded dragons) that hits us almost unexpectedly. When we take home a puppy, we don’t think about how quickly the next 10 - 15 years is going to fly by; we don’t want to consider how soon we’ll be dealing with the end stages of the life of a pet who shared so much joy and companionship with us.
But God allows it for our good. How do I know this? Consider the Passover lamb. It was chosen from the flock on the tenth day of the first month (Exodus 12:3). Once chosen, Ron Dart once opined that it was probably adopted into the family for the next 3-4 days - until the beginning of the 14th day of the month. Then they killed the lamb.
That lamb that they’d had their heart softened towards, developed a bond with, had a relationship with (if you will) would die at their hand - and not because of anything the lamb had done wrong. It was so that the blood would prevent the death of the firstborn - at least in the original Old Testament passover. Subsequent years, the lamb was killed as a reminder of being saved from the Death Angel. Regardless, the death of the Passover lamb pointed to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for each one of us.
We can’t bring Jesus into our homes as if He were a lamb. But in these days leading up to the Passover, we should be spending more time considering all of the symbolism - allowing our hearts to be softened towards Jesus and the work He is doing in our lives; developing and deepening the bond that we have with our Messiah; strengthening that relationship. Jesus died for us - not because He’d done anything wrong. He was innocent! But He died that our sins might be forgiven, that we might be reconciled to the Father, and have the assurance of Eternal Life.
We know this. We talk about it. But do we truly know it enough, deeply in our hearts, to the point that it changes how we live our lives? Put in other words, does the suffering and death of Jesus Christ impact us enough that sin becomes anathema to us?! Do we strive with everything we are to make Godly choices, to avoid transgressing God’s law, and to show by these actions that we value deeply what Jesus did for us?
We can’t just let the Passover come and go each year as a theoretical, theological construct! It has to move us deeply. It has to resonate enough to create a change - a change in our heart and mind and lives, where we focus our attention and goals and desires.
Our family is suffering the death of our 15 year-old black lab. How I hate death! I long for the day when the last enemy, death, is thrown into the Lake of Fire! But I can’t help thinking that it’s no coincidence that she was nearing the end (and died) just as we are approaching Passover. And I am impressed again with the fact that Jesus’ death needs to be more painful to me than Velvet’s death is. He’s my Savior! I daren’t become so complacent (because I face it every year) that I fail to recognize its importance and pertinence and value.
So why does God allow suffering and death? I believe there are several answers to that. The short answer is that death is a consequence of sin. But God can use something bad for our good, even as Jesus learned obedience through the things that He suffered.
And, it’s all part of the examination process that we must go through prior to taking the bread and the wine each year. We must recognize the enormity anew each year of what Jesus has done on our behalf. We must apprehend its significance to our lives and allow God to change us more and more into the image of Jesus Christ because of that understanding.
I hate death. I don’t eagerly embrace pain and suffering. But I am humbly grateful for the redemption Jesus achieved for me because of His suffering and death. It’s a good, if sobering, place to be as we go into the spring holy days . . because we observe Passover to proclaim the Lord’s death ’til He comes.
1 Peter 1:13-21 13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,18knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
🌷🌷🌷May
Change
by Cynthia Saladin
You would think that “change” is a 4-letter word by the way that we react to it. To say that we don’t like change is akin to me saying that I don’t like heights. As my family well knows, heights immobilize me. I’m fine when I’m away from them, and I may even think that I’ll do fine the “next” time. But when we went to the Grand Canyon, I was petrified. Now granted, not all change affects us this way - just as not all heights bother me. I was absolutely fine in a hot air balloon. I am okay on lookout towers. But, put me in a position where I could easily envision myself falling and I’m a basket case. And that’s the crux of my fear.
So what is there about change which repels most people? We don’t like changing to something new because it’s unfamiliar and we have to work harder to adjust and become productive again. Think about getting a new computer or starting a new job. Until we regain our footing, we are uncomfortable, stressed, and perhaps fearful of the outcome. Nothing is guaranteed; the change may not prove to be beneficial in the end.
Some change comes whether we like it or not. Getting married is a big change. Thankfully, God has programmed us to want to be married because the learning curve is fairly steep; change and compromise is almost certainly a daily occurrence for a while after a wedding. Having a baby is another life event which necessitates changes that young parents likely never saw coming - like the eventual empty nest some two decades down the road. Getting older, with its associated aches and pains, is a change we all dislike and dread - especially when we see it happening to our loved ones. And amazingly, the age-associated changes almost catch us by surprise at times, although we rationally know it’s a part of life at this time.
Yes, we resist change. We prefer to be stuck in our rut. Look up photos of the Oregon Trail (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_Trail_Ruts). You can see what being stuck in your rut entails! There are still tracks across Wyoming, where the wagon wheels transversing over the rock eventually wore grooves. That wasn’t a bad thing up to a point, because they knew the trail led somewhere, they weren’t lost, there was water up ahead, there wasn’t an insurmountable obstacle if they stayed on this path. Obviously it was a good way to go: so many others had taken it that it’d worn a rut into the rock. But the problem became this: the ruts wore so deeply that once started onto that path, they couldn’t get out!
Hmmm! That sounds a whole lot like our carnal human nature. We are stuck in our rut with no way out. Even if we wanted to change, which we don’t like to do anyway, we couldn’t. It takes an act of God.
We like to sing, “Change my heart, O God,” but Psalm 51:10 indicates a more radical change when he says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God . . .” The change from a carnal nature to a godly nature is the metamorphosis spoken of in Romans 12:1-2. We are new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), not just an improved version of our old selves. The change, then, must be drastic and total. There are no half caterpillar/half monarch butterflies running/crawling/flying around.
But perhaps there’s another aspect of change to consider. Henry Lyte wrote in “Abide With Me” these lyrics: “Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou who changest not, abide with me.” There is no shadow of turning (James 1:17) within our God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Because He does not change, we are not consumed (Malachi 3:6). That’s very good!! He is patient and kind and long-suffering, wholly holy and righteous and just. And the more we spent time seeking Him and fellowshipping with Him, the more we experience His love and goodness - and the more we desire to be like Him.
God, in His goodness and love, has gifted us with His Son to start that process of being changed. But He has also gifted us with the Holy Spirit, which will lead us into all truth (John 16:13), which testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God (Romans 8:16), and empowers us to do God’s will (Acts 1:8).
“What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart!” I love the opening line of this hymn! How true it is that godly change, although not easy or comfortable, is the very best thing for every individual! So as we’re counting down the days to Pentecost (and experiencing a myriad of changes in our physical lives along the way), may we embrace the spiritual change that God has designed for us in Jesus Christ. May we rejoice in being freed from slavery to sin and shame. May we change our perceptions of “change” to differentiate between change and decay that is part of our fallen world and the godly change which ensures eternal life with God beyond the vanishing point.
June
Bearing Fruit
by Cynthia Saladin
In John 15:16, Jesus told His disciples, You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
There’s something absolutely wonderful about fruit!! I don’t know that asparagus is fruit, but it is the first thing I harvest every spring. And it’s delicious! It also provides that little bit of encouragement I need to put in the work to eventually have more to harvest.
Planting, weeding, watering, and even harvesting is work. My strawberry and blueberry harvests are overlapping this year. Usually when the strawberries are done, I know that the blueberries will start. This year, we are picking cherries as well. I am loving having three different types of fruit to harvest all at the same time!
I have tomatoes set on and a green pepper that is almost ready to harvest. It’s fun and exciting and, as I said, it provides the encouragement I need to keep working.
But that’s not really the fruit Jesus was talking about in John 15:16.
Ron and I are experiencing the fruit of our labor in another area. All three of our children are married, or soon will be, to Godly spouses. Just as I put the work into the garden, Ron and I diligently worked as parents. But, in both cases (the garden and our kids), God gave the increase. We feel incredibly grateful to God for His goodness in providing the mates He did for our children.
But that’s not exactly the fruit Jesus was talking about in John 15:16.
The fruit that God wants us to produce comes from being connected to the vine. It is the natural outflowing when our lives are not only dedicated to His service, but are truly functioning within His will. (It has to be both because Jesus warned that there would be people who seek to kill His followers and think they do God a service. You can be dedicated and still be wrong.) So then, how do you know that you’re acting in His will?
Romans 12:1-2 says, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be 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.
We want to discern the will of God. So first we have to be all in - present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. Whatever He wants us to do, we will do. We may not get that right all the time, but we understand the concept. And we understand the next requirement too: do not be conformed to the world. I don’t know about you, but as I watch this world decay into more and more godlessness, I don’t want to be conformed to the world. It’s the next section which is the crux of the matter. We must be transformed. This is the Greek word from which we get metamorphosis. Paul gives us a vivid object lesson in using this word! Metamorphosis is the process by which a Monarch caterpillar goes into the cocoon and dissolves into a glob of muck, then reforms into a beautiful butterfly. We, who have been chosen by God, who have accepted Jesus as our Savior, and who have been baptized, are in that process now of being reformed into new creatures in Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Metamorphosis is a crucial part of knowing what God’s will is in our lives.
So look at this next phrase: that by testing you may discern what is the will of God. Ah! Here’s where our work begins. It’s not a good test if it’s not based on the very best information. That means you have to study God’s word, searching out guiding principles and eternal truths. Bible study, prayer, meditation - all of these vital components to testing, they all require time and careful attention. It’s work! Oh, but the reward is great! The fruit of devoting your life to diligently seeking God and His ways is finding what is good and acceptable and perfect.
There’s one other very vital component to this whole process of seeking God’s will in order to produce fruit: fellowship. We need one another! We need the encouragement of sharing God’s word and our hearts. We need the iron sharpening iron. We need the hugs and smiles. We, as social creatures, designed this way by God, need each other for our spiritual, mental, and physical health. This being so, the best way for a predator to take out one of the flock is to separate the victim from the rest. Don’t let the enemy separate you from your church family.
It’s like a line of dominoes. Fellowship is a vital component (as is prayer, fasting, and meditation) in testing and discerning God’s will for our lives. Being in God’s will is paramount in producing fruit that will last. And man, oh man, harvesting that fruit will be sweet!! It’s time to get to work.
