Parasha Sukkot Chol Moed

From Rabbi Jack...

Luke {5:4} "When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down your nets for a catch. {5:5} Simon answered, "We have worked hard all night long, Rabbi, and have not caught a thing! But if You say so, I'll let down the nets. {5:6} They did this and took in so many fish that their nets began to tear."

Simon was a man whose life was the sea; now comes a carpenter and He is telling him how to fish! Yeshua was telling a fisherman with years of experience to do something which he knew, from experience, was hopeless and futile. What Yeshua was asking him to do was totally against all that he normally did. No wonder Simon's first reaction was to question what Yeshua was requesting of him.

This story about Simon is an example of how we can limit possibilities in our lives by limiting God. This is also an example of trust and faith taking over where logic and our earthly experience leave off; where we are pushed beyond the natural and into the spiritual.

What happens when we are confronted with a situation where we have nothing even remotely similar to compare it to? In this Scripture, Yeshua speaks to exactly that situation and the first reaction of the fishermen was hesitation. We are the same! When we feel the Holy Spirit's influence steering us toward uncharted territory in our spiritual lives it is common for us to hesitate. The disciples hesitated as they weighed what Yeshua was asking them to do against their past experience.

Has the Holy Spirit been nudging you to step out in faith into uncharted territory in your spiritual life? Are you going to hesitate and perhaps miss out on something big?

Hi Ellen here…

I want to send you all some encouragement.  Sometimes when we pray or even just sit and talk with the Lord, it may feel as though He does not hear, like He is taking care of someone else somewhere else.  But our God is omnipresent and can hear you in Kenya and me in Israel and everyone wherever they may be all at the same time. 

 

I remember, on one of our earlier trips to Kenya, we were leaving the airport in Nairobi and heading to where we would be staying.  I was not feeling well but did not tell anyone.  We were arriving from Toronto so it was a long trip and all I wanted was some Kefir.  Our host stopped at one of the supermarkets so we could pick up a few things.  In that same mall was a little fresh veggie market with items that were hard to find…they even had some Israeli products…anyway I started to talk to a young lady and found out she was teaching English there but was also from Toronto. Wow, not a coincidence but a God incident!  We then went into the supermarket dairy department and began searching for Kefir.  Kefir is a fermented milk that is a bit tart to the taste but so good for you and I knew that I would feel better if I had some.  Lo and behold the girl from Toronto came over and pointed out where the Kefir was; thank You Lord. Kefir is called Mala in Kenya and it is so good.  You see how the Holy Spirit lined everything up for us!  Our God is so faithful in all things…even in finding me fermented milk so I could feel better.

 

Just a note…pray with us concerning the planning of our next trip to Kenya, very soon!

Yours in Messiah Yeshua, "…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua." (Titus 2:13)

 

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

Read Parasha

Sermon "Tabernacles Brings Joy" 

Parasha Commentary

Sermon of the week "Lesson in humility"

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