The Light of a Dream Fulfilled (Diet for Dreamers)

Share

Many of us dream of achieving great things in life, of seeing our fondest hopes and wishes come true, but often, of simply making it through the various storms of adversity that sometimes blow in our direction. And there are still many places in our world where people dream of just being free: to live, unhindered, according to their customs; and to worship, without persecution, in the way they choose.

History is filled with accounts of men and women who longed for civil and religious freedoms. One such piece of history dates back to the second century B.C., and is distinguished by a miraculous event that took place in Ancient Judea. It occurred in 164 B.C., when God fulfilled a long-held dream of the Jewish people: of reclaiming their Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and of once again being able to worship their Lord in peace.

The Jews had lost their religious freedom when Judea came under the control of Antiochus III, the King of Syria, whose Seleucid Empire then encompassed all the Middle Eastern provinces. Antiochus was both vicious and intolerant of anything he felt hindered his own personal agenda, the social “modernization” of the world. Antiochus planned to accomplish his goals by imposing the Greek culture and religion upon all his subjects, and in the process, to systematically destroy Judaism.

Antiochus ordered every known copy of the Torah, the Holy Word of God, to be burned. Anyone found in possession of the Scriptures — or observing the Sabbath, or honoring the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel in any way — was put to death. And as evidence of his thoroughness and the extent of his cruelty, whenever Antiochus learned of a woman who’d had her child circumcised in accordance with her Jewish faith, he’d have the mother and ALL of her children put to death!

But even these atrocities didn’t appease Antiochus. He ordered that the Temple in Jerusalem, the nexus of the Jewish faith, be desecrated. This he accomplished by sending Syrian soldiers into the Temple to sacrifice pigs and other ritualistically-unclean animals upon the alter of God. Afterwards, a statue of the Greek god Jupiter was placed in the “heart” of the Temple, the Holy of Holies.


Despite religious persecution to the point of death, despite the defilement of their most sacred place, the “home” of their God, the Jews kept their faith. But historians believe that, had Antiochus succeeded in his agenda to wipe out Judaism, he would have transformed the face of modern civilization into something totally unrecognizable today; had Judaism been eradicated, Christianity and Islam never would have come into existence.

God’s people, however, had rebelled against the Syrians beginning in 167 B.C. What followed were three desperate years of guerrilla warfare waged by a Jewish resistance group under the leadership of an elderly priest and his sons, the Maccabees. The resistance fighters eventually became such a thorn in the side of the empire that the Syrian government ultimately sued for peace! The Jews regained their religious freedom and the control of their Temple, now defiled and in ruins.

Following several days of mourning, the Jews started the work necessary to repair and restore the Temple. Once the work was completed, the Temple needed to be ceremonially cleansed and rededicated. Crowds of Jewish worshippers flooded into Jerusalem to celebrate the rededication, bringing sacrifices to honor God. There was just one problem: the Temple menorah, a lamp stand with six branches and seven flames, had to be kept lit, but there was only enough oil to keep the wicks burning for a single day. The Jews had dreamed of worshipping in the Temple for years, but only a single sealed cruse of consecrated olive oil was available; the seals on the other cruses had been broken by the Syrians and the oil “contaminated”! So what happened? Nothing short of a miracle: God multiplied the oil in that tiny cruse, which was used to replenished the menorah and kept the flames burning for eight days! Why eight days? Because that was how much time the Jews needed to prepare and purify additional oil.

Each year since, to commemorate God’s fulfillment of their dream to see the Temple restored, as well as His miraculous provision demonstrated by those eight days of illumination, the Jewish people celebrate the holiday known as Chanukah, the Festival of Lights! They light a special menorah with eight branches and nine wicks — the ninth wick (elevated at the center) represents God — and they pray and eat delicious oil-based foods. In the U.S. and other countries where Christmas is celebrated, Hanukkah is often an occasion to exchange gifts and play traditional games, too. Hence, Jewish children enjoy Yule-time festivities similar to those experienced by families observing the Christian holiday.

Do you have a special dream? If so, “…The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your Glory.” (Isaiah 60:19 NIV) Do you need a miracle? Remember: “I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27 NLT) The God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel is still in the miracle-making business. For “Jesus Christ (Yeshua) is the same yesterday, today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Hanukkah begins today, so… HAPPY HANUKKAH, DEAR FRIENDS!!!

Share

Grounds for Offense? (Angel in the Kitchen)

Share

For some time now, we’ve faithfully related all of the wit and wisdom we’ve gleaned from the eccentric collection of kitchen tools and appliances inhabiting our humble home. Each of these “kitchen angels” has a unique message to announce — about life, love and relationships! We’ve only to “listen” for it. For instance, while dicing onions, Mack the Knife taught us the importance of knowing what you’re cut out for in this wonderful world; and the onion … as we tearfully chopped the poor guy to pieces … gave us new insights into human relationships. No, really!

Mr. Keurig, who daily brews delicious mugs of coffee while shooshing, sighing, and flashing friendly little messages, shared with us the benefits of finding your own unique voice, and … well, the list goes on. Speaking of Mr. Keurig, a relative newcomer to our kitchen, it’s high time we introduced another, older member of the family — one who’s been with us for many years, a veteran of countless culinary campaigns, who’s valiantly served us … coffee by the potful!

He’s generally unassuming and soft-spoken, the strong silent type. You know, more a gadget of deeds than words. But now he wants his “say”! Not to worry, however, because given the very nature of this guy, he’ll never blurt out anything inappropriate. Of this we’re certain, and we’ll explain why. But first, heeeere’s Mister Coffee!

Hey, tough guy. Take a bow, while we discuss your sterling character!

Mister Coffee is in the Kitchen Angel Reserves. We only call upon his services for those really big jobs that Mr. Keurig can’t handle all by himself. Now, we’re not minimizing the efforts of Komrade Keurig; after all, he’s the fastest java brewer on the block. (Shh! Please don’t let him know that we live in the woods and our nearest neighbor is a five-minute walk down the lane!) And he can brew a cup of hazelnut coffee in one minute, and a cup of mocha the very next! But sometimes, when we’re hosting guests, we need VOLUME more than variety.

Never fear, Mister Coffee’s here! He can produce up to 12 cups of joe faster than we can ask our numerous guests, “Cream and sugar?” And his potent brew is always delicious — except for one occasion when we forgot to insert his special paper filter. Because Mister Coffee’s filter wasn’t in place, we got a nasty-looking sludge that was part coffee and part disgusting grounds! True, there was a form of coffee present in this thick black liquid; but no one would be able to benefit from it, because of the nasty, bitter grounds that were present. Anyone attempting to drink this noxious brew would have choked on it!

Mister Coffee gazed up at us from his spot on the kitchen counter, and sighed in exasperation. We knew exactly what he was trying to communicate: his filter absolutely must be in place, or what comes through will not be palatable! No matter how fresh the blend, no matter how stimulating the brew, if the stuff isn’t properly filtered, then no one will benefit from it. In fact, anyone consuming it will probably get sick!

This truth applies not just to Mister Coffee, but also to each and every one of us.

In life, we often hear statements like “She has no filter to her brain” or “He’d do well to filter his mouth”! We usually get such pronouncements right after someone makes a comment that is hurtful or embarrassing. Young children, for instance, don’t seem to develop a filter until much later, and are prone to say things which would make their parents blush. Quite forgivable, though, because they don’t know any better. (But we do.) So parents should teach their children that some questions are too personal, and some observations are too embarrassing — or just plain inappropriate. Learning to develop a “filter” is part of the maturing process.

In a spiritual sense, our Heavenly Father desires that we, too, “grow up” and develop a “filter.” He wants us to apply a Godly characteristic that will filter our words and deeds, while blocking the wrongful attitudes and actions that can leave people with a bitter taste. What is this filter? The Apostle Paul states,  “…Speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ….” (Ephesians 4:15 NLT).

Having the filter of love properly in place will keep us from blurting out the first thing that pops into our heads, which is usually the wrong thing
to say. The filter of love will ensure that our conversation is always refreshing to those who hear it — that our words are potent but palatable, beneficial and not bitter, invigorating and not insulting. In fact, without the filter of love, our speech is a lot like what Mister Coffee brewed up the day we forgot his filter: a noxious and obnoxious blend of nastiness that benefits no one.

But don’t take our word for it! The Bible states, “[If I] could speak in every language there is in all of heaven and earth, but didn’t love others, I would only be making noise.” (1 Corinthians 13:1 TLB) Noise is defined as harsh, unpleasant, and unwanted sounds; and the term comes from the same Latin root word for NAUSEA. Yes, without love to remove the bitter “grounds,” we can indeed sicken people with our speech.

So, when conversing with your spouse, or a child, or a friend, or a coworker, make sure your love filter is in place! And whenever you’re about to confront anyone regarding an issue or a problem that’s affecting you or someone you care about — whether in the area of human relationships, a job, a faith community, or life in general — please pray first! Ask God to help you speak the truth in love; to remove any feelings of resentment, self-righteousness or selfish motives; and to filter out any hateful, arrogant, or demeaning words. Don’t give the world “grounds” for offense: more bitterness, more discontentment, more prejudice, more division (including separation and divorce); or an easy excuse to neglect the truth.

“Love is patient [and] kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. …It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails….” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV)

Share