Resolutions and Commitments

if we plant the seed , the Lord will see to it that it flourishes, if He so willsWell here we are in the early months of a new year, and many of us will wonder where this year of our Lord, the year 2015, will lead us, and what is in store for us in the near future. Like most of us, we made some resolutions of one sort or another, of what we want to do differently this year and if you are like me, you said to yourself, “I intend to keep them this year.” Many of us do that, and many of us soon forget our pledges, for often times the goals we set are too hard and simply not attainable.

For example, some of us might want to quit smoking, but the idea of that cup of coffee with a cigarette in the morning is very enticing. Or, the “lose weight” resolution, that’s hard too. And it just seems that if we succumb to one or two of our New Year’s resolutions, it seems easier to accept when most of our well intentioned goals end up in the dust bin.

Still, there is one resolution that all Christian Israelites should consider and try our best to keep and this is to become more active and assertive in furthering the knowledge of our Israelite roots and news of the Kingdom of our Lord here on earth.

This will not be a small task, for at every point we will be challenged, often obstructed, sometimes ridiculed, mainly from the antichrist forces, but often as well, by the Christian community. Yet, it is a task that is so important these days as the antichrist forces are doing their utmost to eradicate all and every vestige of our Christian heritage, including the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

I made this statement to one of our brothers one day and he reacted by telling me not to lay a burden of guilt on him because he supported this and other publications. And this is great, because where would we be without being part of a reader’s tithe. But, what I really mean is that, if age and health permits, we cannot simply sit on the bleaches, so to speak, watching others at work but we must seize those opportunities that enable us to be true “watchmen” and “fishers”. I recall one well known leader in our movement telling me he had a fear of repercussions from anti-Christ forces, so much so, that he was a sideline sitter watching others promote our all important message. Then, one day, a passage in the Bible, Mark 8:38, came to him quite by accident, “Whosoever, therefore, shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the Holy Angels.” He began to do his own prospecting from then on.

So, if the opportunity presents itself, grab it, don’t let it go to waste. Here’s what one man does. After he reads his magazine, or any other Israelite publication, he leaves them somewhere, in the doctor’s office, a laundromat, a shopping centre or elsewhere, thinking that someone will pick them up and he will have perhaps sown a seed. Another man told me he wasn’t going to be burdened with the Jeremiah syndrome, that is, like the experience of the prophet of old, who preached and preached, yet none would listen. Well, we often times talk until we’re blue in the face, all without any outward results. But we can’t let that deter us, because if we plant the seed, the Lord will see to it that it flourishes, if He so wills.

A relative few have been blessed by God Almighty through this knowledge of the Israel Truth. Perhaps He thinks us strong enough to withstand the great power of the adversary at this particular moment in time. This adversary knows his own time is short, so he is using all the weapons in his arsenal to persecute us, mainly the powers of political correctness and thought control. Ridicule is another of these weapons, being shunned and avoided is a tactic, sometimes even by our best friends and family. But we have Jesus and His wisdom on our side. Remember, He said, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. In this is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples….Remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you….” (John 25:7,8,20).

Christ is telling us that through prayerful consideration we will be able to do even the difficult tasks, and by doing so we glorify God in the process. Still, He also points out that it will not be an easy task, and that we will experience much opposition. In Luke 9:23-24, Jesus explains the cost of discipleship when He says, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever would save his life shall lose it; but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”

St. Paul, in Phil 4 tells us, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengtheneth me.” (Phil. 4:13).

Well, dear friends, we have the same assurance. With the help of the Lord we can move mountains. So with all this said, let us all make a firm commitment to do all in our power to further the work of our Lord’s Kingdom in this year of our Lord 2015.