I met a minister with whom I had an acquaintance.  I started to share my joy at discovering the wonderful truths for Israel and all Believers contained in Isaiah chapter 60.  He interrupted me saying, “Did you read my book.”  “Yes,” I replied, “It was very good.”  “Well”, he said, “I had a whole chapter in it on Isaiah 60.”  Either, he was bored with anything I had to say about the passage about which he had written and/or he was offended that I did not credit him and his book for my recent enlightenment.

In a similar circumstance, I met an Israeli who shared with me how he miraculously received a book of the New Testament. He was the son of a rabbi, and had been asking questions about the sacrifice and atonement for which there seemed to be no clear answers in the Torah.  At just that time a stranger appeared and placed a copy of the New Testament in his hand and disappeared without a trace.  He was bewildered, but decided to read it for himself, even though he had a general overview of Christianity from his schooling.  As he read, he suddenly realized that it answered all the questions he had been asking.  He continued reading and understood the connection between the Lamb of God, the Torah, and the Messiah.  Soon afterwards he became a believer in the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua.  About ten minutes after I heard this amazing personal testimony, I came upon the former pastor of my church, and began recounting this amazing story.  He cut me off very shortly saying, “Didn’t you read my book, I found that testimony and included it in my book and sermons.” He was very agitated, so I replied, “Oh, perhaps some of it did sound a little familiar.”  We parted abruptly and I wondered at being scorned as though he owned this man’s testimony.  Was this scorn due to my stupidity in failing to acknowledge his preceding discovery or that I had not given him, nor his book any credit.

With deference to these two fine men, I have concluded that my dullness was the source of their disdain.  However, these events remind me why Yeshua had no where to lay his head nor any possessions besides the clothes he wore.  He was a perfect example and perfection demands total surrender and submission to Father God.  We on the other hand are not perfect and we pile up possessions whether we need them or not.  Some of us can prize our intangible possessions more than gold.

The Bible teaches that our affections are to be toward God.  Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5).

Lord, Yeshua, save us from pride, greed, and the love of things, both tangible and intangible.  Deliver us from anything that would block or inhibit the flow of your love.