Author: Leah Jordan Meahl

A writer who hopes to inspire. An actor who loves to show out. A singer who has soul. A coffee drinker who's a little addicted. A Godgal who has faith, hope, and love.

The Feast of Trumpets: The Jewish ‘New Year, New Me’

Welcome to Fall Feast number 1 as seen through the eyes of a Christian!

 

What is The Feast of Trumpets?

The Feast of Trumpets, also known as Rosh Hashana or Yom Teruah, is widely known as the Jewish new year. It’s partially because this time of year is significant in terms of renewal, re-dedication, and rebirth.

There’s something about a trumpet, that when it blasts, it awakens something in your soul.

The Feast of Trumpets is the opening preparation for the coming of the Lord Jesus. For thousands of years, even before Jesus was born, Jewish people have been rehearsing and preparing for the moment the God of Israel would usher them into eternity with Him.

Why is it important?

The trumpet sound reminds us of the reality that Jesus is coming again. Knowing that eternity and judgement is real can be a sobering thought, because it reminds us that what we do in this life matters.

At the trumpet (shofar) blast, the people of God come together to worship and pray. The Feast of Trumpets first guides us in a time of repentance, or the Hebrew word teshuvah. This is a big season of introspection. It’s a time to look back on the year and inspect our hearts, our words, our actions, and our decisions and face them in all their glory and ugliness.

The good news is, when you repent, you can be washed of all the ugliness in your life through the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:9).

What can we do?

What in your life needs to be cleansed? Is your thought-life dark and getting darker? Are you treating people with kindness, compassion, and love, or are you treating them with disrespect, selfishness, and hate? Are there things in your life that you hold higher than God? Have you been drifting away from Him ever so slowly this year only to find yourself in a rut you can’t seem to get out of?

I know these are things I come up against in my heart, and if you do too, maybe now is the time to make a change.

Not only is this a time of introspection, but it’s also a time of settling debts, seeking forgiveness from the people you’ve wronged, and forgiving those who’ve wronged you. It’s a time of making the negative things in your life right, and that alone can be so freeing.

Is it based in Scripture?

To observe this feast, my family and a few others had a dinner to discuss the themes of this holy day and appreciate the importance of the customs. We take turns reading the Scripture associated with the feast.

Feel free to check out the verses listed below!

Leviticus 23:24-25

Isaiah 27:13

Zechariah 9:14

1 Kings 1:34

Nehemiah 8:2-3

1 Thessalonians 4:16

Numbers 10:9-10, 29:1

Matthew 6:14

Psalm 81

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My personal application

I collected a few stones with smooth and flat surfaces. I passed them out to the family and told them that it was a representation of their sin. We could use the stone to pray over our sins, or we could carry it to symbolize the unnecessary baggage we carry every day. I chose to paint symbols on my stone that represented my specific struggles. Every time I looked at it, I was reminded of the areas in my life that I needed to work on with God.

I really liked the physical representation of my sins so I could focus on repenting from them and look forward to Jesus taking them away. I’ll get into that more with my article on The Day of Atonement, Fall Feast number 2.

Not all holy days are meant for celebration, but know we’re always working toward the goal of forever celebrating our Lord in eternity. I do believe that these days are meant for our good, designed for us to practice being sanctified by Jesus and to live in that freedom and love by sharing it with others.

Reach out to the person you hurt, pray for the person who has damaged you, and pay back the money your friends lent. Make something right today. It’s never too late.

 

God bless!

LJM

Behold, the Coming of the Lord!

Do you ever wonder what it’ll be like when Jesus returns?

“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

-Revelation 22:12-13 (NASB)

Blowing trumpets, fasting, praying, camping, dancing, laughing, crying. If you want to understand about what these actions have in common, you must first understand the season. August to October is a busy time of the year for one group specifically.

Jews, Jewish people, or God’s people.

This time of year is more than just Autumn, with leaves turning and people donning warmer clothes. It is a time of preparation.

For what? The Fall feasts of the Lord!

  1. The Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah)
  2. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
  3. The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot)

Three separate feasts–one common theme: the final coming of the Lord, our Savior.

“These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.” -Leviticus 23:4 (KJV)

As Christ followers, I feel like these feasts are just as important to us as we await the second coming of Jesus (Yeshua). This season, my family got a little taste of the spiritual applications of these special days and I know I will never live the same.

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I want to take you along to discover why the God of the universe declared these holy days and how Jesus has a vital role in them. For the next few weeks, I’ll be going into more detail of the history, the culture, and the spiritual application of these feasts.

I’d love for you to join me!

By the end, I hope you’ll gain a better understanding of the holy days God personally gave to Moses to teach His people, and how we, as Christians, can still apply those truths today.

Shalom and God bless!

LJM

Tower of God

The name of the Lord is a strong and mighty tower where the righteous can run and be safe…but sometimes Life tries to shake that tower and we watch as brick after brick falls to the ground. Overcome with dread, you wonder how much longer this tower will stand.

Then the Wind stirs from within the walls and sends your face to the ground.

Suddenly, your voice isn’t tight with despair, and the tears streaming from your eyes aren’t heavy with sorrow, they are merely overflow from a well filled with joy.

And on your knees in humility, you can only look up to the sky in awe and cry “Yahweh! You are God! And though I’m not worth it, I am loved by you. And I will spend the rest of my days trying to return your love.”

Just for a moment, that tower stands tall and no amount of fear, doubt, or anger can pierce its walls.

∼Proverbs 18:10∼

 

Stand strong in the Lord. Run to Him and be safe.

God bless!

-LJM

Message in the Stars

I received a message from God in my driveway.

Let me back up. For those of you that may know me, you may know that I adore the night sky. Whenever the moon swells and the stars begin to fill-in their map of the universe, I get captivated. With my neck craned back, I gaze upward in silent admiration at God’s artistry.

Well one night, when evening had settled, I burst out the back door and laid down on the warm asphalt of the driveway. With the midnight curtain spread above me, I prayed and praised God for the vastness of His work. It was such a peaceful moment, but one that didn’t last long.

The tingling against my leg made me think of the bugs that could be crawling about on the driveway, heading toward my skin. The dog barking in the distance reminded me of the coyotes that may be lurking on their nightly prowl.

The seemingly rational fears disrupted my serenity and laying on the driveway was no longer comfortable for me. After a few minutes of trying to relax and focus on the hope of a shooting star, I had to stand up, looking around me with more paranoia than I’d like to admit.

But even while I checked my skin for bugs and shook the gravel out of my hair, God was speaking to me.

“Do you see what happen here?” I felt Him say.

“How I spooked myself?”

“And yet, no bugs under your feet and no coyotes hiding in the bushes.”

“But I am in the mountains, it’s not unheard-of to find coyotes in the area.”

“Don’t you know that I am with you? You were dwelling in so much peace. Quiet–meditating in my presence. Wasn’t it great? But you let your fear take over.”

“I’m sorry, Father, I couldn’t help it.”

“Fear is out to rob you of your peace and joy in Me. It doesn’t take long before its ideas capture your mind.”

“Barely five minutes.”

I chided myself for letting the “what-ifs” creep into my thoughts and not only ruin my prayer time, but also my star-gazing time. I realized just how quick and easy Satan can use something so little to disrupt our connection with God.

I learned that to continue inviting the thoughts of God into my life, I must train myself to push away the thoughts of the Devil: fear, doubt, pride. They will work to steal everything good God has been working in my heart and will stop at nothing until they succeed.

But I have the love of the God of the Universe. I have the hope of His promises. I have the peace of His plan. And I have the blessings of His favor.

So when Satan attacks next time, maybe I’ll be ready to stand firm in victory with my eyes pointed toward the stars.

God Bless!

LJM

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Honing Your Spiritual Craft

Two best friends grew up playing instruments. One did right by her craft and the other let it fall by the wayside.

Hannah has been playing the viola religiously for over ten years. She understands the importance of discipline when it comes to her instrument. For her undergrad and masters she spent endless hours in practice rooms, sitting in the middle of orchestras and quartets, and standing in front of a crowd performing with the skill God gave her.

Even on vacation she sets aside time to practice, because she knows how easy it is for the discipline to slip away. And when the discipline goes, the skill follows and everything she worked for falls apart.

Take me as an example.

I took piano lessons for nine years. After high-school I went to college, free from the drudgery of practicing. I kept telling myself I would keep up the skill, and every once in awhile I would find a piano to plink out some tunes.

But over the years my memory of the songs dwindled, my coordination faded, and the natural talent my teacher said I had felt more like a rusty piece of machinery.

Hannah’s dedication is inspiring to me. She is a picture of the drive every Christian should have in their walk with Christ. Following our loving Savior takes just as much discipline as any other trade.

Why do you think His followers were called disciples? They grew to understand the difficult training in their journey with Jesus. The moment they stepped away from their world, they entered a life of developing and practicing through their faith in Jesus and their knowledge of Scripture. And they strove to live life as an iron spear, in constant sharpening.

The Apostle Paul writes in Colossians that we “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.” Colossians 1:9-12

God has given us the power to be steadfast, to keep going on this journey with Him. Our faithfulness is evidence of the discipline that we walk in. The way of a disciple is guided by the promise of an eternal inheritance from our Father, our ultimate end goal.

If you want to hone your craft of discipleship, you must put in the time, fueling the dedication with the end goal in mind, just as you would with any talent or career. If you don’t, your spirituality will fray and become sparse just like my piano playing skills.

Don’t fret though, you can get it back, but it will take hours of hard work and true persistence. In the end, your perseverance will be evident as you shine with the glory and the love of God to the world.

Happy practicing!

-LJM

Not Worth the Sting

Who am I to you, O Lord?

I am but algae that covers the deepest part of the ocean.

A barnacle that clings to the earth like a ship.

I am the dust that dirties the earth,

Yet you choose to rub your face in it.

 

I am not worth the sting

Of the kiss from a lying friend.

I am not worth the pain

Of claws stripping through your skin.

I am not worth the spit dripping down your face,

Or the blood gushing from your side.

 

Why? Why don’t you get up?

Why don’t you rise on the wings of your angels?

I am not worth the trembling of your screams

As you cry out “My God!”—

 

My God! You have delivered me,

You have brought light to my shadowed face,

You have pierced my lying tongue,

And sprinkled love over my perverted heart.

 

I promise to bathe in your crimson glory,

And step out in the path before me,

For I was worth it in your story,

And you are worth it in mine.

 

 

Blessing to you

-LJM

Matthew 20:28

Copyright © 2018 Leah Jordan Meahl. All Rights Reserved.

 

Does Your Bible Belong at Goodwill?

When I was in high school, I hated reading the Bible. It was boring, wordy, and confusing. Nothing but my mother’s persuasion could make me flip through the pages of my little King James Bible, the one with my name engraved in rainbow lettering.

Growing up in church, I’ve had a Bible since birth. I knew the stories, I ran the drills, I could list the books in order. As a Christian, I understood its importance, I just couldn’t find the motivation or interest. If ever I did crack open my Bible, it was out of guilt or sadness.

Can you relate?

As college approached I felt God asking me if I would use the independence as an opportunity to grow with Him. “Are you going to follow Me or are you going to follow others who follow Me?” I felt Him say.

I challenged my desire and began reading the Bible for myself each night and each morning, hoping to work my way through the entire book. It took nearly three years, but I made it, learning a lot on the way. God opened up my need to experience more about Him and about His ways.

Like a series of padlocks dispersed through the words, each time through, another was chiec-cau-khoa3unlocked and a mystery was released into my heart. The more I discovered, the more I wanted to unlock until it finally became something I couldn’t live without.

Welcome to the turning point in my relationship with the God of the Universe. He didn’t have to bestow upon me a book that proves His existence or His power, or even foretells the future of the world. He didn’t have to offer a way for me to draw close to Him.

But He did.

Whether you’ve read the Bible as a kid, in high school, or last Sunday, the Bible should be treated as if it holds value in your life. What do I mean by that?

Do you let your trophies get dusty? Do you push a best friend aside until you need something? Do you love a movie so much but never watch it again?

If you have issues with motivation, don’t worry, I get it. But we can’t make excuses forever. How do you ever expect to make an ‘A’ on the test if you don’t study? Make the decision to do something good for your soul and relationship with Jesus.

Here are some ideas to help you rekindle your spiritual thirst.

  • Listen

Take a break from the favorite playlists and podcasts and turn on your Bible app and listen to a reading of the Bible. After all, faith does come through hearing the Word of God, right? (Romans 10:17)

  • Set goals

With each book of the Bible you finish, write it down and keep track of it until you’ve finished the whole Bible. Once you’re done, do it again. You’re never done reading the Word of God. (Is. 40:8)

  • Choose Daily

Set a few verses and chapters to read for your morning devotion and meditate on the passages that stick out to you. (Psalm 63:1)

  • Study

Research is the best way to help study the Bible. Discover the surrounding context, historical facts, original language, and culture. Many elements can help you understand it’s meaning if you take the time to look. (2 Tim. 3:16)

  • Search

If you constantly have questions about God, His works, His ways, His communication, its in the Bible. You want to figure out your purpose, your reason for living, your identity? Check the Bible. You CAN find answers in scripture, even if they’re answers you don’t necessarily like to hear.  (Is. 55:6)

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

∼John 8:31,32∼

If the Word is a map to the kingdom, a place where He’s prepared a home for us, we have no choice but to keep studying that map until we get to our destination. (Matt 6:33)

Take the chance to evaluate your time or lack of time in God’s Word. If I can be blunt, if you don’t spend any time in the Bible and you say you’re a follower of Christ, you may have to question if that’s really true.

Don’t wait until you feel like it–make the effort now to keep your Bible from getting lost in the clutter of your life. An unread Bible has more worth at Goodwill where someone else can get some use out of it.

Open your gift from God today; it may just change your life. It changed mine. (John 8:32)

God bless!

-LJM

 

Want to feel inspired? Click here to see a woman who’s read the Bible 342 times!  (page 16)

Follow me on twitter @leahjordanmeahl for encouraging Bible verses each week