2 days ago8 min read

FROM THE DAY I WAS BORN .....

Why is a BIRTHDAY important?

For the Jew :-

Be GRATEFUL -

First and foremost, a birthday is a day to feel GRATEFUL.

It's a day for parents to be grateful to G‑d for the precious gift He granted them.

PSALMS 127:3-4 TPT

Children are God’s love-gift; they are heaven’s generous reward.

Children born to a young couple will one day rise to protect and provide for their parents.

For YOU in CHRIST:-

BE GRATEFUL, THANK GOD

2 CORINTHIANS 9:15 EASY

Yes, we should all thank God for his very great gift.

That gift is too great to describe it with words!

JOHN 1:11-13 NIV

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

Yet to ALL who DID RECEIVE HIM, to THOSE who BELIEVED in HIS NAME,

- HE gave the RIGHT to BECOME CHILDREN of GOD —

- children born not of natural descent,

- nor of human decision or a husband’s will,

- BUT BORN of GOD.

JOHN 3:5-7 EASY

Jesus explained, ‘I tell you this: Unless a person is born by water and BY GOD'S SPIRIT, he cannot come into the kingdom of God.

People give birth to what is human.

But GOD'S SPIRIT gives birth to SPIRIT.

I said to you, “You must be born from above.”

What I said should not surprise you.

ROMANS 8:15 NIV

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.

And by him we cry, “ABBA, FATHER.”

For the Jew :-

A day for the Jewish nation to be GRATEFUL for the ADDITION of a NEW member of the NATION—FAMILY.

And, of course, it is a day for the birthday celebrant to EXPRESS GRATITUDE to G‑d for the GIFT of LIFE.

For YOU in CHRIST :-

You are born again into GOD'S FAMILY!

LUKE 15:7 EASY

When one person stops doing wrong things, it is like that.

It makes those that live with God in heaven very happy.

They will be happier about that one person, than about 99 people who already obey God.’

LUKE 15:10 TPT

That’s the way God responds every time one lost sinner repents and turns to him.

He says to all his angels, ‘Let’s have a joyous celebration, for the one who was lost, I have found!’ ”

LUKE 15:20-21 MSG

“That brought him to his senses.

He said, ‘All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death.

I’m going back to my father.

I’ll say to him, Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son.

Take me on as a hired hand.’

He got right up and went home to his FATHER.

“When he was still a long way off, his father saw him.

His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him.

The son started his speech: ‘Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again.’

LUKE 15:22-24 MSG

“But the father wasn’t listening.

He was calling to the servants, ‘Quick.

Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him.

Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

Then get a prize-winning heifer and roast it.

We’re going to feast!

We’re going to have a wonderful time!

My son is here—given up for dead and now alive!

Given up for lost and now found!’

And they began to have a wonderful time.

LUKE 15:25-27 MSG

“All this time his OLDER SON was out in the field.

When the day’s work was done he came in.

As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing.

Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on.

He told him, ‘YOUR BROTHER came home.

YOUR FATHER has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.’

LUKE 15:28-30 MSG

“The OLDER BROTHER stomped off in an angry sulk and refused to join in.

His FATHER came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen.

The son said, ‘Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends?

Then THIS SON of YOURS who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!’

For the Jew :-

This is the day when you were given the MANDATE to CHANGE the WORLD.

The day when G‑D ENTRUSTED you with the MISSION to challenge a world that is hostile to spirituality and transform it into G‑d's private sanctum.

For YOU in CHRIST :-

MATTHEW 28:18-20 EASY

Jesus went near to them and he said to them,

‘God has given me authority over everyone and everything.

I HAVE ALL AUTHORITY in heaven and in this world.

- So YOU must GO to PEOPLE in EVERY COUNTRY of the WORLD.

- TEACH THEM how to become my DISCIPLES.

- BAPTIZE them by the authority of God the Father, his Son and the Holy Spirit.

- TEACH them to OBEY EVERYTHING that I have taught you.

You can be sure that I will be with you always.

I will be with you until the end of time.’

For the Jew :-

And in accomplishing this goal, you, too, were given the ABILITY to ACHIEVE incredible SPIRITUAL HEIGHTS

— heights UNIMAGINABLE to the soul before it was dispatched from its lofty heavenly abode to inhabit a physical body.

For YOU in CHRIST :-

EPHESIANS 3:16-17 NKJV

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory,

- to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the INNER MAN,

- that CHRIST may dwell in your HEARTS through FAITH;

- that YOU, being ROOTED and GROUNDED in LOVE,

EPHESIANS 3:18-19 NKJV

may be able to comprehend with all the saints WHAT is the WIDTH and LENGTH and DEPTH and HEIGHT

— to know the LOVE of CHRIST which PASSES KNOWLEDGE; that you may be FILLED with ALL the FULLNESS of GOD.

EPHESIANS 3:20-21 NKJV

Now to HIM who is ABLE to DO EXCEEDINGLY ABUNDANTLY ABOVE

- ALL that we ask or think,

- according to the POWER that WORKS in US,

to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

For the Jew :-

Celebrating a birthday is also a DEMONSTRATION of CONFIDENCE.

Confidence that you are and will continue to be WORTHY of G‑d's TRUST.

No matter the obstacles, you will persevere and live up to G‑d's expectations of you.

For YOU in CHRIST :-

2 THESSALONIANS 1:11-12 TPT

With this in mind, we constantly pray that our GOD will EMPOWER you to LIVE WORTHY of all that he has invited you to experience.

And we pray that by HIS POWER all the pleasures of goodness and all WORKS inspired by FAITH would fill you completely.

By doing this the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you will be glorified in him, by the marvelous grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

For the Jew :-

This day takes on additional significance if you are ABOVE the AGE of BAR or BAT MITZVAH.

The word "mitzvah" means commandments, but is also related to the word "tzaveta," which means "connection."

Fulfilling G‑d's commandments is the vehicle through which we connect to G‑d.

For YOU in CHRIST :-

HEBREWS 5:8-10 AMP

Although He was a Son [who had never been disobedient to the Father],

- He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered.

And having been made PERFECT [uniquely equipped and prepared as Savior and retaining His integrity amid opposition], He became the source of eternal salvation [an eternal inheritance] to all those who OBEY HIM,

being designated by God as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

HEBREWS 5:11-12 AMP

Concerning this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull and sluggish in [your spiritual] hearing and disinclined to listen.

For though by this time YOU OUGHT to be TEACHERS [because of the time you have had to learn these truths],

- you actually need someone to teach you again the elementary principles of God’s word [from the beginning],

- and you have come to be continually in need of milk, not solid food.

HEBREWS 5:13 AMP

For everyone who lives on milk is [doctrinally inexperienced and] unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a SPIRITUAL INFANT.

HEBREWS 5:14 AMP

But solid food is for the [SPIRITUALLY] MATURE, whose senses are TRAINED by PRACTICE

- to distinguish between what is morally good and what is evil.

For the Jew :-

Until bar and bat mitzvah, mitzvot are primarily an EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE—the COMMANDMENT ELEMENT kicking in upon ADULTHOOD.

That means GREATER RESPONSIBILITY, but an infinitely GREATER CONNECTION, too.

Your birthday is also the anniversary of that momentous occasion.

Another reason to be GRATEFUL ...

For YOU in CHRIST :-

1 JOHN 2:3 AMP

And this is how we know [DAILY, by EXPERIENCE] that we have come to know Him [to understand Him and be more deeply acquainted with Him]:

- if we HABITUALLY KEEP [FOCUSED on His PRECEPTS and OBEY]

- HIS COMMANDMENTS (TEACHINGS).

1 JOHN 2:3 TPT

Here’s how we can be sure that we’ve truly come to know God:

if we keep his commands.

1 JOHN 2:4 AMP

Whoever says, “I have come to know Him,” but does not habitually keep [focused on His precepts and obey] His commandments (teachings), is a liar, and the truth [of the divine word] is not in him.

1 JOHN 2:4 TPT

If someone claims, “I have come to know God by experience,” yet doesn’t keep GOD’S COMMANDS, he is a phony and the TRUTH finds no place in him.

1 JOHN 2:5 AMP

But WHOEVER habitually

- KEEPS HIS WORD and

- OBEYS His PRECEPTS [and treasures His message in its entirety],

- in HIM the LOVE of GOD has truly been PERFECTED [it is COMPLETED and has reached MATURITY].

- BY THIS we know [for certain] that we are in Him:

1 JOHN 2:5 TPT

But the love of God will be perfected within the one who OBEYS God’s Word.

We can be sure that we’ve truly come to live in INTIMACY with GOD,

1 JOHN 2:6 AMP

whoever says he lives in Christ [that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior] ought [as a moral obligation]

- to WALK and CONDUCT himself JUST AS He walked and conducted Himself.

1 JOHN 2:6 TPT

NOT JUST by SAYING, “I am intimate with God,”

BUT by WALKING in the FOOTSTEPS of JESUS.

1 JOHN 2:2-6 MSG

Here’s how we can be sure that we know God in the right way:

Keep his commandments.

If someone claims, “I know him well!” but doesn’t keep his commandments,

he’s obviously a liar.

His life doesn’t match his words.

But the one who KEEPS GOD’S WORD is the person in whom we see GOD’S MATURE LOVE.

This is the only way to be sure we’re in God.

Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to LIVE the SAME KIND of LIFE JESUS LIVED.

For the Jew :-

Time is like a spiral.

Annually, on the anniversary of any momentous event, we have the ability to tap into the same SPIRITUAL ENERGY that originally caused that event (hence the concept of Jewish holidays).

When YOU were BORN, G‑D INVESTED within YOU a soul

BOUNDING with talents and qualities.

Your mazel was shining and at full strength.

That SAME ENERGY is present once again every year on the anniversary of that date.

ON THIS DAY you have the ABILITY to ACCOMPLISH that which would perhaps be very difficult on another day.

For YOU in CHRIST :-

JEREMIAH 1:5 ICB

“Before I made you in your mother’s womb,

I CHOSE YOU.

Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.

I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”