"The Scene and Herd"

Ahhhhh. The “sheeple”. All the lovely folks who find something to cling to in this world and follow it with a blind devotion that can only be shattered by the realization of how completely full of crap it really is. For years I clung to anything that would “set me apart” from the status quo. I wanted to do everything in my power to not be like the preppy kids or the mainstream. I loved punk rock music. If it wasn’t punk rock I wouldn’t listen to it. I would call other people posers because they weren’t living up to what my expectations of what punk really was, all the while I was ignoring that image of a mirror in my head when I said it. I dressed the way I thought my heroes dressed. I wanted so badly to fit in with the people who were non-conformist. I wanted to flaunt my individuality. And THAT, my friends, is really where the contradictions start to pile up.

Thinking back on it now, it all seems so ridiculous. I mean, seriously? In order to not be like everyone else, all I had to do was dress, act, and like all the same things as everyone else? Hmmmm. Even when I became a Christian, it only got worse. Now I felt I was truly unique, and in a sense, I was. The problem was I wasn’t focusing on the right reasons for being unique. I didn’t do what everyone else did and I took a sense of pride in that. Not because it was pleasing to Abba, but because I found pride in not being like everyone else. I was a dumb kid.

For years I would shy away from things because I deemed them part of a specific group or scene that I didn’t want to be affiliated with. I wanted people to see me and think that I “was” whatever scene I was into that week. Be it a punk, or a skater dude, whatever. I wouldn’t listen to music that I now love simply because I didn’t think people who were *insert genre here* would listen to it. I never listened to reggae, which I now LOVE, because I didn’t want to be a hippie. I didn’t listen to country because I hated rednecks (Johnny Cash is now a personal hero of mine). I missed out on SO much simply because I wanted to fit in by not fitting in.

Then came the removal of the scales. The sweet, beautiful freedom of Torah. Yah laid into my heart hardcore. He taught me about love, about how to live a life that is pleasing to Him. He taught me that in order to be free, I had to first become a slave.

² In other words, do not let yourselves be conformed to the standards of the ‘olam hazeh (this world). Instead, keep letting yourselves be transformed by the renewing of your minds; so that you will know what God wants and will agree that what he wants is good, satisfying and able to succeed.

Romans 12:2

So there it is, plain as the nose on my face, this, if you haven’t noticed, is rather large. Conformity is inevitable. In the body, and in obedience, we all still have our individuality. Yah doesn’t want robots. He wants us to love Him willingly, on His terms. Those terms will set you apart from this world. Trust me. The best part? The best part is that I don’t care how I seem to people any more. I care how I seem to YHVH. That is what is most important. I will gladly tie myself down to conformity to His will. His burden is light. It’s not hard. All you need to do is seek Him with all your heart. He told you how. It’s all laid out in Scripture for you.

Every day I hear someone spouting the mantra “do what makes you happy”. Well, what about what makes Yah happy? Why is no one focusing on that? Trying to do what makes you happy only serves to conforming you more to this world. I would much rather do what I can to live a life that pleases my Abba. It seems so much more worthwhile to seek out Abba’s will for my life than to try to please myself. After all, with everything He has done for me, not the least of which sending His son to atone for my sins and make reconciliation between us, it seems only fitting that I would want to spend the rest of my days according to Him. And don’t even get me started on how seeking and walking out His will for my life brings MUCH MORE Joy than anything I was ever doing on my own. It’s a literal win-win situation. I make myself happy by doing what pleases Him. It is the single most gratifying thing in my entire.

The bottom line is, when I was trying so hard to be different, I was nothing but bitter. I hated anyone who didn’t see things the way I did.  I was so judgmental of anything that didn’t fit my scene. Now, I have peace. I am not living up to the standards of Man. I love people and want them to be a part of this “scene”. I want nothing more than to please my Abba, and I take every joy in Him. My heart is full to the point of overflowing. I love the things of Him. I wish I could articulate fully the burden that has been lifted through Him. I honestly believe the words don’t exist to truly express the peace of mind that comes from trying to live in His will. That is something I can get behind.

One love,

Albert C. Coble

Halleluyah!

Praise Adonai from the heavens!
Praise him in the heights!
² Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all his armies!

³ Praise him, sun and moon!
Praise him, all shining stars!
⁴ Praise him, highest heaven,
and waters above the heavens!

⁵ Let them praise the name of Adonai;
for he commanded, and they were created.
⁶ He established them forever and ever;
he has given a law to which they must conform.

⁷ Praise Adonai from the earth,
sea monsters and watery depths,
⁸ fire and hail, snow and mist,
storm-winds that obey his word,
⁹ mountains and every hill,
fruit trees and all cedars,
¹⁰ wild animals and all livestock,
creeping reptiles, flying birds,
¹¹ kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers on earth,
¹² young men and women alike,
old men and children.

¹³ Let them praise the name of Adonai,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above both earth and heaven.

¹⁴ He has increased the power of his people,
granted praise to all his faithful,
to the descendants of Isra’el,
a people close to him.

Halleluyah!

Psalm 148

Where is the Love, the Love, the Love?

I have been fighting with this one for a few days now. I know what I want to say, rather, what I feel Abba is leading me to say, but I can’t find the right words to articulate it. I have been going back and forth and back and forth, starting over and over and over again, trying to make it work. Finally, the revelation hit me, just pour it out, say what Yah is speaking to your heart and don’t try to force it. Nothing will interfere with His plan if it is what He wants. So, here it goes.

Torah Observant, Hebrew Roots Movement, Messianic Jews, whatever you prefer-- the reason you ended up where you are in your faith is because Abba removed the scales from your eyes. He revealed to you the truth of His word and His law. Because of His divine grace, we now have a greater understanding of who we are called to be in Him; instructions on how we can live in a way that honors our Elohim; how we can “…love ADONAI your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’ (Matthew 22:37).

How great is that? I mean, truly? Yah is unlike any other.

I mean, He gave us commandments so He could dwell close to us. What other nation can say this of their god?

“7 For what great nation is there that has God as close to them as ADONAI our God is, whenever we call on him? 8 What great nation is there that has laws and rulings as just as this entire Torah which I am setting before you today? 9 Only be careful, and watch yourselves diligently as long as you live, so that you won’t forget what you saw with your own eyes, so that these things won’t vanish from your hearts. Rather, make them known to your children and grandchildren — 10 the day you stood before ADONAI your God at Horev, when ADONAI said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, and I will make them hear my very words, so that they will learn to hold me in awe as long as they live on earth, and so that they will teach their children.’ –Deuteronomy 4:7-10

So, now we have an instruction manual, if you will, on how to live our lives in a manner pleasing to Yah handed down by Yah Himself. That fact alone should be all the reason we need to rejoice! The Creator of all things thinks we are important enough that He should desire to be close to us!

I have to wonder, though, from a lot of the things I’ve seen lately, where is the love? Where is the joy? I mean, why is everyone seemingly up in arms? Have so many of us gotten lost in the writings that we have forgotten their author or their purpose?

Seriously, where did it go? Lately there has been so much in fighting, finger pointing, and all around lack of enthusiasm over our faith. SO many of us have “Lost the Plot” to the greatest story. What I am seeing is so many of us who are so consumed with the letter of the law, that we have lost the words of the law and, more importantly, the One who gave it to us and His purpose in it.

So many of us started out on this journey diligently seeking His will for us and the way we can honor and glorify Him by being a set apart people. Somewhere along the line, we forgot that the reason that our eyes were opened is because He loves us. So many of us seem to be becoming slaves to the law in a way that it was never intended for it to be for us. Please don’t misunderstand me; I am NOT saying that Torah is bondage. I am saying that when we start worrying about the law, the law, the law and lose focus of its Author and the joy we are supposed to take from it, we are not following Yah anymore, but the law alone.

Psalm 119 had this to say:
47 I will delight myself in your mitzvot,
which I have loved.
48 I will lift my hands to your mitzvot, which I love;
and I will meditate on your laws.

I love this verse. It spells out Yah’s purpose for His law so completely to me in just a few simple words. We are to delight in His law. To love it, meditate on it, and lift our hands in praise to our Creator for it. Yah has given us His own instructions on how we can lead a life that is in His will! How great is that?! Our Elohim has handed down His instructions for our life so that we can not only have a clear understanding of what He sees as righteous, but also so that we can delight in His wisdom!



Did you catch that? Key words in these verses are “delight,” “loved,” “lift my hands,” “love,” (again), and “meditate”. At what point do we read the Psalmist saying that he will worry and fret or chastise others? I didn’t see it, did you?

Torah wasn’t meant to cause division amongst those who honor it. When we fight and nitpick with anyone who doesn't meet our standards or interpretation of Torah, we begin to turn into the same kind of Pharisees who chastised the lame man Yeshua healed (John 5). We focus less on the work of our Messiah, and more on ourselves. The Scripture gives us specific instructions. We should ALWAYS be meditating on them, but an issue arises when we put implied meaning on them. When we add to them, we start to make them our rules and not the rules that Abba gave.

I’m not pointing fingers and I won’t name names, but I have seen so much hatefulness towards fellow believers and towards those who don’t yet understand that the Law isn’t done away with. Yes, Yah has called many of us to be warriors of the faith, and ALL of us should be ready at any instant to give reason for our faith (1 Peter 3:15). But when we go out picking a fight so we can prove how superior we are or with the intent to cast stones and belittle people, we become no better than those we should be seeking to correct, not chastise hatefully. I don’t see the point in running out to look for a fight. If you are really walking in the Word of Yah, the fight will undoubtedly come to you. If we trust Abba, and keep His word close to our hearts, He will provide you with all you need to say. If we start relying on our own understanding, we will invariably spit venom and make other children of Yah and Yeshua Himself look like pious jerks.
 

There is a time for war, there is a time for all things, but we are called to carry out all tasks in LOVE. Love was the reason for the law. Why are we always so somber and furrow browed when we meditate or even discuss it? We should be dancing like David danced! Singing and shouting and rejoicing that the One and only true Elohim wants us to be pleasing to Him! If we are not careful, we will become nothing more than the Bible-thumping, crotchety old men who have no joy in their lives. 

I love my Abba. I am eternally grateful for every gift He has bestowed on me. Everything we have is a gift. I don’t want to get so wrapped up in the words that I stop being wrapped up in loving Him. I don’t want to lose sight of the forest because of the trees.

4 Rejoice in union with the Lord always! I will say it again: rejoice!
-Philippians 4:4

Think on this, what is it that people see in you? Is it something that they want? Do they see a happiness or peace that they desire for themselves? Or do they see a heavy burden? Do they see rules and restrictions that make you miserable? What should they see? Yeshua said His yoke was light and His burden was easy (Mathew 11:30). Torah was designed to be something that brought us true freedom, not to be restricting and confine us to joyless lives. It’s time we started acting in love. To be the servant that Yeshua called us to be.

What Did These Stones Ever Do To Us?

I remember very little of the time I lived in New Jersey. I remember we had a pool. I remember the food was awesome. I remember getting my first black eye courtesy of my older brother. One of the things I remember most was watching my favorite shows. Thundercats, The A-Team, Dukes of Hazzard, He-Man, Popeye, etcetera, etcetera… One of my absolute favorites was a show called "Voltron". For those of you who may not know, Voltron was a giant robot made out of smaller robots that were piloted by kids. Voltron was pretty swicked. I mean, how cool is that? Piloting a giant mech of total awesomeness. That would be pretty sweet, right?

Well, a few years back I was reading a book by C.S. Lewis and I came across a quote that YHVW used to speak volumes to me.

“You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.”

Wow! What a thought! We are souls inside of bodies. Our flesh is what contains us, not what makes us! Immediately I thought of Yeshua's words in Matthew 7:

Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

So, we are pilots of our bodies, in a sense. We are driving this “machine” in other words. We sit behind our eyes and see and experience things in a way that is unique to all of us. Think about Voltron, each one of the bots had a different pilot. I would be willing to bet that each robot had to be piloted in a different way. None of them maneuvered or react exactly the same as the other.
I believe that this is the reason Yeshua tells us not to judge each other. We all live behind our own eyes. Beyond that, we don’t have a clue where anyone is coming from. We can judge the actions of the wicked because we can see their fruits, but the hearts, the souls, are beyond us. We have absolutely no way of knowing what situations have occurred in their lives or how their “machine” handles. We are called to be patient and loving with each other. Only Yeshua has been there, and only He can cast the kind of judgment that condemns.

I knew a guy in high school who was very rude, almost automatically so, to everyone. Even his closest friends. Well, this guy had a weight problem and, come to find out, he was teased severely over it his whole life. This helped him to create an automatic response that he used to hurt others before they could hurt him. I’m not saying that it was right, just saying that too often we write people off without really taking the time to understand where they’re coming from. Like the girl you called a whore that one time. Well, did you know that she was sexually abused as a child and her response to any tense situation was to react sexually? No, how could you?

That’s why Yeshua said “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” –John 8:7
We are responsible for piloting our vessels because we know where we have been and what we are coming from, we have no room to condemn someone else.

We are called a new body in Yeshua. He is the head, we are the body. In Voltron, each individual robot was pretty hardcore on its own, but when they came together, they were unstoppable. If the pilots of the individual pieces were concerned on how the other pilots were handling their bots, Voltron would have never worked. One arm would be too busy trying to cut off the other. We as believers need to find the common ground to work together and move in the same direction. Rebuking in love and moving forward. Otherwise, we will be no good when the time comes for real battle.

Am I saying that we should just excuse wicked behavior? Heavens no! We need to address it at EVERY turn! Nor am I promoting some sort of “we just all need to love each other and hug” kind of existence. We do have every right to judge something as unrighteous, we just need to learn to rebuke in love because we don’t know the whole story. I am also not saying we need to yoke ourselves with unbelievers. We have the truth that they need to learn, but there is no way we can move in the same direction when we “suit up”.

The Law provides the proper punishment for those who live in sin. The problem is that the people carrying out the punishments had to be spotless to carry them out. All of us know who we were and what we came out of. I’m just thinking it’s time to apply that to our understanding of other people. When we reach out to those who have messed up in love and true concern, it oils the gears and helps the machine reach its full potential. All of us, together as one, can do more than the impossible. Remember Yah is the head, all we need to do is follow His lead. So whatta ya say? Let’s suit up.
One Love,
Albert C. Coble

 

No Touchy!

Ephesians 5:25 "25 As for husbands, love your wives, just as the Messiah loved the Messianic Community, indeed, gave himself up on its behalf."

This one is for all you married fellows out there. That's right guys, I'm talking to you. All you grizzly, bearded, mini-van driving, grocery store-errand running, manly men of manliness out there. I have some amazing advice for you—especially for those that have children. This is life-changing advice that will not only help your relationship with your spouse, but it will give you children a great example of what it truly means to be a man. You ready for it? Here it is.

Kiss your wife. Kiss her and hug her every chance you get. Hold her hand, get the door, and buy her a gift for no reason. Show affection.

How often do we see this today, really? I mean, other than the really gross encounters at the supermarket where we get to see the twenty-something’s making out like there's no tomorrow, how many times do we see adult men showing affection to their wives? I mean real spirit-filled affection that doesn’t involve things that should only happen behind closed doors?

Think about when you first started to court your lovely bride. How many times did you go out of the way to impress her? To make her feel like she was above everything else in your world?

Let's be honest with each other, you know you took every opportunity to hold her hand or put your arm around her. You know at that point you would've taken on a honey badger with nothing but your bare hands to get another second in her presence.

You old softy, you.

Let's be honest with each other. After you were married the fire died a little, right? I'm not blaming anyone; I know that it just does. And if you have children, well, I'm sure that brings a whole new level of stress.

Think on this, though. Marriages are crumbling at an alarming rate. Children are thrown in the middle of divorces faster than you can snap your finger. We are living in a society where you can choose to be a divorce lawyer—as a career!

Marriage is mocked by every single show on network television. Children are growing up in a society where sex is being sold to them every second of their day. Men are measured in their worth by how many women they've slept with. Everything in this world is telling YOUR children that casual sex is just dandy. They see marriage as dull and bland. There is no intimacy in marriage from what they've seen and what they've been told.

How do we fix that? Start in your home. Kiss your wife whenever possible. Hug her. Hold her hand. Make sure your children see you! I'm not talking full on make out sessions with your kids in the room. I'm talking a quick peck; a good three or four second hug. The younger your kids are and the more they see this, it will instill in them a sense that marriage is not an empty, joyless existence. It will teach them healthy expectations for intimacy. Not the pornographic image of “love” our society sells. You are showing them that Yah's design for a man and a woman is indeed a blessing and not the curse that it has been made out to be.

Men, let's talk about your sons. What are you teaching your son by all of this? You're teaching him that a real man doesn't need to sleep around. That he cherishes the wife of his home. That it is better for a man to love one woman his whole life than to never know what real love is at all. You are teaching him, even without words, the emphasis of Yah's plan. And your daughters? Well, much the same. You teach them not to settle for anything less than a man who treats them exactly the way you treat their mama. Children aside, how much would your wife noticed if you started being more attentive to her? Hmm? I can't see any way that this would hurt your relationship with her, either.

Now, take it out of the home.

GASP! "Did he just say we should kiss and hold hands in public?"

You're darn right I did. Again, I'm not talking about full on, PG-13 cuddles, but if your kids see you treating your wife in public the way you do at home, it solidifies your honesty. It solidifies the image of how a man of Yah should love his wife. Get the door for her, hold her hand. Just take a little time out to do a little something extra. Your relationship will grow, and you will set a Yah-like example of what a man should be. I know it's not easy. I know life gets in the way. But you married her for a reason. Try to remember that. 

Happy is the man who finds a true friend, 

and far happier is he who finds that true friend in his wife. 

-Franz Schubert-

 

She was the woman Yah broke your heart for. She deserves your best. Your children deserve your best so that they can, in turn, be their best and hopefully, receive the best. It's no coincidence that we are called the "Bride of Yeshua". He loves us unfailingly. That is what we are called to be as husbands. Our society has put such emphasis on the physical outside of marriage. It's time we put it back inside where it belongs. Men, this is our responsibility. We have to step up or it's over. There is no other choice. 

Ephesians 5:28-30  ²⁸ This is how husbands ought to love their wives — like their own bodies; for the man who loves his wife is loving himself. ²⁹ Why, no one ever hated his own flesh! On the contrary, he feeds it well and takes care of it, just as the Messiah does the Messianic Community, ³⁰ because we are parts of his Body.

One Love, 

Albert C. Coble