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Ancient Paths - Relationship with God

THE HEBREW WORD FOR LOVE IS "AHAV(A)"…IT COMES FROM A WORD ROOT THAT MEANS: "TO GIVE"…LOVE IS AN ACTION, NOT JUST AN EMOTION OR THOUGHT OR WORDS…GOD SHOWED HIS GREAT LOVE FOR ALL MANKIND BY GIVING HIMSELF! THIS IS THE BASIS OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD…WE LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US…AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR US (I JOHN 4:19)!

You may access the Power point slides for this study at: https://www.dropbox.com/s/aiismb9xdvzeodo/Our%20Relationship%20with%20God.pptx

Acts 15:14

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁴Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. A REFERENCE TO THE CLOSE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP YHWH OUR GOD WANTS TO HAVE WITH US...A WIFE (NORMALLY) TAKES ON THE NAME OF HER HUSBAND!

THIS IS THE FOUNDATION OF DISCIPLESHIP…NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT TO ANYONE OF US THAN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. IF WE LOVE HIM, WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS (John 15:10). IF WE LOVE HIM, AND WE UNDERSTAND HIS LOVE FOR US, NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US…NEITHER DEATH, NOR LIFE, NOR PRINCIPALITIES OR POWERS, OR THINGS PRESENT….ROMANS 8:38-39

SO MANY PEOPLE GET DISCOURAGED OR LOSE INTEREST IN THEIR JOURNEY WITH GOD BECAUSE THEY NEVER GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO JESUS (YESHUA)…OUR HEAVENLY BRIDEGROOM.

THE SONG OF SOLOMON IS A WONDERFUL ALLEGORY THAT SPEAKS OF THE MUTUAL LOVE BETWEEN OUR HEAVENLY BRIDEGROOM AND THE BRIDE (THE CHURCH)...SEE THE "WEDDING CUSTOMS" STUDY FOR ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY ON THIS BOOK.

IT’S THE GREATEST ROMANCE, THE GREATEST LOVE STORY OF ALL TIME; IT’S GOT ROMEO AND JULIET BEAT BY A LONG SHOT. THE BIBLE (FROM COVER TO COVER) IS ALL ABOUT GOD’S QUEST FOR A BRIDE…A COMPANION!...AN ETERNAL COMPANION…TO RULE AND REIGN WITH HIM FOREVER, AND EVER…JUST MEDITATE UPON THAT THOUGHT FOR A WHILE!

THE SCRIPTURE EXHORTS US TO SEEK THE LORD AND LOVE THE LORD WITH ALL OUR HEARTS…BUT REALLY THE BIBLE IS ALL ABOUT HIS LOVE AND PASSION OF US! WE SHOULD BE NO LESS PASSIONATE FOR HIM…FOR HIS PRESENCE!!

Ephesians 5:30 - NKJV

³⁰For we are members of His body,^[a] of His flesh and of His bones.

As the first woman came out of man, so the church (the Bride) is born from the shed blood of Jesus (Yeshua). John 3 - we are born again of water and the Spirit. Galatians 3:17 ²⁷For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

HE MADE A WAY WHEN THERE WAS NO WAY…WE WERE LOST, WITHOUT HOPE, FOR WHEN WE WERE WITHOUT STRENGTH, MESSIAH DIED FOR SINNERS THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR, HE WANTS TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH US!

TOTALLY OPPOSITE OF WHAT THE WORLD IS ESPOUSING…THE WORLD’S VALUES ARE TOTALLY OPPOSITE OF THE PRINCIPLES OF THE WORD OF GOD!

THE WORLD SAYS BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, BE CONFIDENT IN YOUR OWN ABILITIES, SUCCESS IS MEASURED BY HOW MUCH YOU MAKE, THE NUMBER OF CAREER PROMOTIONS, EMPHASIS IS ON CAREER, INDEPENDENCE, SELF-RELIANCE, MASTER DEGREES, DOCTRATE DEGREES, THE FOCUS IS WHAT WE CAN GET, BEING THE FASTEST, THE STRONGEST, THE SMARTEST – NOTHING WRONG WITH STRIVING TO BE THE BEST WE CAN BE AS LONG AS THE GOAL IS TO GLORIFY GOD…NOT JUST TO FURTHER OUR OWN CAREERS ETC.

THE BIBLE SAYS: ROMANS 12:1-2

LIKE THE MOON REFLECTS THE LIGHT OF THE SUN – GOD CREATED US SO HIS HOLINESS, HIS PRAISE, HIS LIGHT (TRUTH) WOULD BE MANIFESTED THRU THE CHURCH, HIS BRIDE

–THE NEW MOON IS DARK BUT ONCE IT BEGINS TO TURN MORE AND MORE TOWARD THE SUN (OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, MALACHI 4:2)…IT GETS BRIGHTER AND BRIGHTER AS IT REFLECTS MORE AND MORE OF THE SUN’S LIGHT -PS 19:5

–SO IT IS WITH A NEW BELIEVER

OUR LIVES SHOULD REFLECT MORE AND MORE OF GOD’S GLORY AND RIGHTEOUSNESS, HIS CHARACTER AS WE GROW AND MATURE IN THE HOLY GHOST….AS OUR LIVES TURN MORE AND MORE TOWARD HIM

AGAIN, THE BIBLE IS OUR MARRIAGE CONTRACT WITH YHWH...IT IS A LEGALLY BINDING DOCUMENT – IT IS A BRIDE’S RIGHT TO HAVE IT COMPLETED AND GIVEN TO HER DURING THE BETROTHAL PERIOD, BEFORE THE MARRIAGE IS COMPLETED

NOTE: ONE OF THE REASONS IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE "JEWISHNESS" OF THE SCRIPTURE IS THAT JESUS (YESHUA) WAS JEWISH AND WHEN HE SPOKE HE SPOKE IN TERMS THE JEWS UNDERSTOOD BY CUSTOM...HE IDENTIFIED HIMSELF AS THE BRIDEGROOM OF ISRAEL IN MULTIPLE PLACES IN THE SCRIPTURE...EX JOHN 14!