"Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."1 Corinthians 5:7-8

Thousands of people all over the world will celebrate Passover this weekend, commemorating the day the Angel of Death passed over the Israelite slaves in Egypt, sparing their firstborn because the blood of a lamb was applied on their doorposts. Many believers in Jesus also recognize this as the day that Messiah was crucified, offering Himself as the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, which reconciled man to His Maker, and restored them to close relationship. The word for sacrifice in Hebrew is "korban"; its root coming from the word "karov" which means closeness, or relative. So the word itself is an expression of what it produces; closeness...between man and God. Since the fall of mankind, sacrifice has been a way in which God expresses love for man and man expresses love for God, bringing the two closer in relationship. Brothers & Sisters, Passover is a yearly reminder of the sacrifice of Messiah, provided for every person who desires to be close to God. He longs for intimate relationship with us. His Korban is our way of approach to be near to Him...as near as we choose to be. We who love Him might take the time this Passover season for offering spiritual sacrifices and drawing near to our Lord Jesus. He opened the way as our "korban" because He loves it when we do. GET CLOSE FOR PASSOVER!

"This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:"Exodus 12:2-3

This past Tuesday marked the beginning of the season of Passover on the Hebrew calendar as it was the 10th of Nisan and also the day that Jesus would have entered Jerusalem 2000 years ago. Every 10th of Nisan, four days before Pesach, the children of Israel would choose a lamb for the Passover sacrifice. Each man would take a lamb for his household. Four days were required to inspect the animal to make sure it was perfect and without blemish. Can you imagine having a lamb at home for four days -- the children feeding it, petting it, perhaps even naming it -- only to know that it would have to die soon? We also have a Lamb to choose today. Jesus, our perfect Passover Lamb who is without blemish. Some of us reading this today have already chosen Him. Some may have forgotten of our choice, others may be undecided. Brothers & Sisters, as the scripture says, today is the day of salvation; those who have chosen Jesus remember His great work of atonement which brought us out of bondage from sin. This was a supernatural deliverance just as it was for the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt. The Passover lamb, brought into the houses of the Israelites, became dear to them because of its precious innocence and because its death invoked the memory of the first Passover when the lamb's blood literally saved their lives from the Angel of Death. Our perfect Lamb, so dear to us, will do the same for all who receive Him; since the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through our Lord Jesus the Messiah. Amen,(Happy Holiday). CHOOSE THIS DAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE!

"But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand."Isaiah 64:8

God is envisioning what we are to become in Him! But in order for the Him to make a beautiful monument of us, we must allow ourselves to be mold-able. He wants to mold us into the image He desires -- His own! He wants to chip away at our rough edges and make us into a fine work of art, that all who see us will be awed and enriched. In the hands of a great artist, we can be created into incredible works of art that survive the ages, even after we have passed through this life into the next! Brothers & Sisters, let's become mold-able in the Father's hands and make Him proud to show off what He's created! HE IS THE POTTER, WE ARE THE CLAY!

"For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him."Isaiah 64:4

I want to share the following illustration a friend sent me. I believe it will truly bless you. A sick man turned to his doctor one evening, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die -- tell me what lies on the other side, will you?" "I’m really not sure,” said the doctor. "You don't know? You, a Christian man, don’t know what’s on the other side?" Suddenly, there came a sound of scratching and whining at the door. As the doctor turned the handle, a dog sprang into the room and leapt on him with an eager show of gladness. Lovingly bending down and holding the cute pup, the doctor turned to his patient and said “Have you met my dog? I do apologize; He usually comes and sits with me in my office when I work late. After a short pause, he continued. “He’s actually never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear… I know little of what is on the other side of death, my friend, but I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that’s I all I need." Brothers & Sisters, we may not know exactly what we will find in that glorious home that awaits us, but those of us who know Jesus, know He’s there! Be encouraged today! Our long journey here will end in our loving master’s arms. IT'S GOOD TO BE HOME!

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."Romans 8:28

I suppose one of the hardest questions to answer is: "Why do I have to deal with so much adversity?!" Quite honestly, one of the best answers I've ever come across was written by C.S. Lewis in his book, Mere Christianity. Lewis likened God's use of adversity to walking a dog. If the dog gets its leash wrapped around a pole and tries to continue running forward, he will only tighten the leash more. Both the dog and the owner are after the same end: forward motion. But the owner must resist the dog by pulling him opposite of the direction that he wants to go. The master, sharing the same intention, but understanding better than the dog where he really wants to go, takes an action precisely opposite to that of the dog's will. It is in this way that God uses adversity! We really don't like being pulled and corrected by the Lord -- but when we understand there's a greater purpose involved, then we can pass through adversity with hope, expectation and steadfastness knowing these events are for our greater good! Brothers & Sisters, let's learn from the trials and tribulations we go through because God has a purpose in them. We may not enjoy it, but when all's said and done, enduring trials faithfully will produce perseverance, character, and hope. And hope will not disappoint us for the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit...[Romans 5:4-5] We truly can trust in the God who loves us with an everlasting love because He knows the direction we need to go, AND He knows exactly how to get us there! SOMETIMES ITS HARD TO UNDERSTAND ADVERSITY -- BUT THERE'S A PURPOSE!

"and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."Matthew 18:3

Hebrew is the only language in the world that was completely dead as an everyday tongue and then resurrected to become a living language after thousands of years. The "Father" of modern Hebrew, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, was devoted to restoring Hebrew for the Jewish people of our time, when for centuries it was strictly a written language. Ben-Yehuda knew that language fluency is best acquired in childhood, and thus raised his first-born son exclusively speaking Hebrew, convinced that he would become a living sign for its future revival as a living language. He believed by raising his child exclusively in Hebrew, that a national linguistic revival was possible! Ben-Yehuda's conviction and hard work inspired the usage and training of Israeli children in Hebrew at schools throughout Israel. So it was that the children who were born in Israel and went to school, learned Hebrew first -- and since, of course, the adults didn't know Hebrew, it was the children who taught their parents. There is a profound example in Ben-Yehuda's inspiring act of faith -- for as Jesus said, "Unless you are changed and become like little children you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven." If you want to speak the language of Heaven, you must learn it as a child would learn! Little children are open, receptive, hungry to learn, believing, humble,and lighthearted. According to Jesus, these qualities are necessary for entry into our Lord's realm. Brothers & Sisters, they are also the qualities of mature saints, who, even as they grow in Him, never lose a childlike relationship with their Heavenly Father. ENTER THE KINGDOM AS A CHILD!

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."1 John 2:15

Have you ever noticed that when people are in love, they tend to forget everything else? Everything becomes secondary -- cars, houses, money -- nothing matters -- it is all secondary to love. Then, when they fall out of love, as in a divorce, all of a sudden those things mean everything! They argue about all the little meaningless things they ever owned together. Each wants it all for himself. The same is true with the Lord. Before we know Him, all we really have are possessions. But when we come to know God -- truly know Him -- those things mean very little -- we're in love! We're willing to give up everything. Those people who are most in love with God and filled with His love are the least possessive and the least materialistic. Brothers & Sisters, if we have been wrapped up in our possessions, we've lost sight of our greatest treasure! All that stuff means nothing. Let go of it. Return to your first love. Lighten your heart and fall in love again with the love of God! ARE YOU IN LOVE?