Haderekh Messianic Devotional

'For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do' Romans 7:15 (NKJV) This is such a vivid description of the fight against sin in the life of the believer. Paul goes on to say, 'If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good' (v.16). This person has a good heart; he agrees with the law of Yehovah. But this good-hearted believer has a behaviour problem. He knows what he should be doing but, for some reason, he can't do it. He agrees with Yehovah but ends up doing the very things he hates. Verse 17...

'In honour give preference to one another' Romans 12:10 (NKJV) Everything about living for Yeshua is about preferring others. Imagine the impact a fellowship would have if they decided they were going to devote themselves to preferring others: starting with each other, then letting it spill out onto this self-oriented world. Now that would really cause a stir! Paul tells us: "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love." (Romans 12:9-10). This is one of the 'where the rubber hits the road' type of verses....

'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' But Yeshua said to him, 'Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.' Matthew 8:21-22 (NKJV) This is a hard teaching! Yeshua is saying that following Him should take priority even over burying your own father! Commitment and dedication are the issues at stake here; in fact, these principles are two of the key priorities for any believer. It is easy to say, 'I believe in Yeshua', but are you prepared to pay the cost of following Him? Sadly, often the real answer is 'no'. Changing a sinful lifestyle for a righteous one is a challenge in itself,...

'Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another.' Romans 12:10 (NJKV) Love must be real. Brotherly love, filial love; means looking to bless those around you, and being devoted to your friends and family in Yeshua. Honoring others above yourself in giving others preference, value and respect. You are called to share what you have, physically, spiritually, and in every other way, with those who have less. You are called to reach out and embrace others, to serve them with kindness and hospitality. Sincere love requires concentration and...

[Being] 'a real credit to this Yeshua-faith' 1 Timothy 3:13 (MSG) When the apostle Paul writes to Timothy, one of his young pastors, he wants him to get a clear understanding of how important being part of the Body is. This knowledge would then determine how people conducted themselves. Paul describes the Body in four different ways. 1) As a household: the Body should not be like an organisation, but rather like a family, where each member is loved and valued, and has a place of belonging. 2) As an assembly of the living Yehovah (1 Timothy 3:14), as The Message Bible puts it. The Body is to...

"Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race" Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT) There is a theory that time is like a piece of string; if you cut it in half you will have two pieces - one is the past and one is the future. So where is the present? Nowhere - it doesn't exist! The Bible however, paints a different picture of time. In the life of a human, there is the past, the present, and the future. Now the past is in the past. It has informed your identity and character to a certain extent, and may have been good, bad, or have elements of...