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You may remember the essay
question that kids returning to school may receive in just a few short
months: "How did I spend my summer vacation?" For those who have trusted
in Messiah, we know that we will one day appear before Him and give
account for how we spent our summer. Let me explain. |
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| Messiah, and as such
they lay out a prophetic calendar. As is
considered in Messiah in the Feasts of Israel, Passover and
Pentecost, both in the Spring, picture the salvation work of
redemption in the Lamb of God, and our sanctification through God’s
giving of the Holy Spirit that already took place (Acts 2:1ff). The
Fall Feasts picture our glorification as Messiah gathers His
Harvest: with the Feast of Trumpets, the Body of Messiah is gathered
up to Him; with the Day of Atonement the people of Israel are
nationally gathered to Messiah Yeshua (Zechariah 12:10); finally,
the Feast of Booths pictures the gathering of all the nations to
Messiah.
If so, then currently we are living in the summertime - not just literally for the season, but until the Lord returns. So what does that mean for us? In Leviticus 23:22 we read: |
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This Scripture teaches that there comes a summer of service and labor in the fields following the Feast of Pentecost that directly leads to the fall harvesting and gathering festivals. This verse gives us insight and perspective on our lives as believers living for our blessed hope, the return of Messiah. Our
Primary Vision is for the Lost of the World Even as our Lord says in John 4:35, "the fields ... are white unto harvest." Since Pentecost our work is to do what we can only do here, this side of Heaven: share Messiah. Life in Him is to be used harvesting His fruit, and not fulfilling our own selfish ambitions! The Holy Spirit’s work in us leads to His work through us. The Lord provides us with the full resource of the Spirit so we may live fully in Him and for Him. He doesn’t put us to work without the resource to accomplish the task. He gives us the resources that are to be used for His purpose and glory. Reflecting God’s Heart
In Hebrew, the word for poor is ani, meaning "the afflicted, the oppressed, the humbled"; the word for "stranger" is ger, meaning "sojourner." Biblically, this was God’s biblical "welfare system," or, it was actually a workfare system, in that the disadvantaged would be given the opportunity to gather and eat as well. As we’ve noted, the Good News is our assumed priority of service. Why then are these Scriptures so focused on the poor? Remember, you were "poor in spirit," and Yeshua remembered and reached out to you. Considering even "the least of these My brethren" (even the Jewish people, in Matthew 25:40), we can be super productive, and still not communicate the heart of God and His concern for the hurting people of this world. The same Hebrew word from Leviticus 23:22 for poor ani is used by the Prophet Isaiah regarding Messiah’s affliction:
Yeshua was also a stranger:
"I am the Lord your God." Our work is by the direction of God. God will reward what you leave in the field. Why? He rewards what faithfully reveals His own heart. As we are concerned for the afflicted and strangers, even as we reach out to Yeshua’s physical brothers who have been estranged from the Good News, we show concern about the Lord and His love for people. In His humility He came that we all might be accepted in Him. Since we have been accepted, let us accept one another in His love, for in so doing we demonstrate the grace and love we have received in our Messiah. |
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