As our season of Teshuvah is drawing to an end I am excited, and relieved, and somewhat melancholy. I love this get away time with our Lord for some serious one on one. I truly have enjoyed the challenge that Teshuvah brings each year. I can honestly say I have labored this year with my writings. However today a time of laboring is not a bad thing for me. I now see it as a birthing or a bringing forth time. If we labor it is to birth something or bring something to pass. Teshuvah is a time for me to do soul introspection. I am a deep thinker so maybe this is why I love the idea and this season.
Searching for More Of You-
As I draw near, my heart begins to ponder
How can I have more of You, oh Lord, I wonder
How I can I grow to know You more
Like the ocean knows the shore
Sure as sand that does not harden
Or like flowers multiply in a garden
To watch our relationship grow and flourish
Your word like water, my soul it doth nourish
By Your Spirit seasoned with grace
As I draw nearer to seek Your face
How I long for more of Your presence
It is for You oh Lord in all Your excellence
I will seek and I will knock
Dig deep, secured upon “The Rock”
I will ask and I will find
With all of my heart and all of my mind
Poem written by Laurette Laster © 2017
I remember the first time I cried out, “Oh God how did I get here?” I had wanted to do well and to be good but that sure wasn’t enough to make it happen. Wanting to good without having a renewed mind and heart led me to and through a lot of guilt and shame. I was one who could cope with whatever life threw at me. The only problem was I wall allowing things in my life that God was not a part of. I love this season of introspection or fruit inspecting to be sure that there is no reside from my past trying to crepe in. I only desire to grow in the grace and favor of our Lord Jesus Christ. I do not want to become lethargic or complacent in my walk or calling. Teshuvah is a time to grow and become more mature and know our Lord in a more intimate deeper level. In the scriptures when describing covenant relations it is said, “and he knew her”, outside of God’s covenant often it is said, “and he lay with her.” I want to know Him more and so this time of renewing our vows is special to me. I ask this year for new revelation and illumination concerning Teshuvah. Our Lord showed me just like trees must go thorough seasons if they are healthy and alive and productive, so we as His people should expect seasons of maturing. I feel His nearness as I type these words. Why must we be fruitful? We are to become fruitful to produce and grow and nourish His kingdom.
The fruit we are to produce is to nourish His kingdom and to feed those who are new and growing in the ways of our Lord. We must go through some pruning and hard winter seasons before becoming mature enough to support and feed the babes in Christ. Only mature trees produce fruit that is sweet and edible.
I think about Moses coming down the first time with the commandments of The Lord
God instructed to Moses to go down because the people he had brought out of Egypt had corrupted themselves. Upon seeing the camp and the people Moses was immediately called to become a judge, and jury and an intercessor for the survivors who were willing to follow God’s commands. Moses had to address the actions of the people and appoint people to carry out the verdict.
When we are saved we become ministers. The scripture explains that we are called with a holy calling. Then we are told we are given the ministry of reconciliation.
When we have had an encounter with the Living Holy God it changes everything about us. We become a new creation. Repentance from this place is deeper and more meaningful than anything we have ever experienced.
We not only repent for ourselves but are grieved to the heart for the result and the consequences sin has had on our people and on our Nation.
Moses returned to the people after his second encounter with God on Mount Sinai. He came back down and shared with the children of Israel the commandments of God. Only this time the commandments were written on the stones Moses had carved out and taken with him to meet God. In doing so Moses asks God to show him His glory. When Moses came down the second time his face did glow. Moses had seen the glory of God. Is this perhaps what Moses saw? For he is The Brilliance of his glory, The Image of his Being, and upholds all things by the power of his word; and he in his Essential Being has accomplished the purification of our sins, and he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3)
We must do the work of presenting our hearts and minds to God when we return. We do not want the judgment we deserve, we beg for the mercy and the grace of God and the atoning work of Jesus Christ our High Priest. And God is all powerful and all merciful, gracious, kind and loving to thousands. He is everything He says He is and so much more.
This is the time of new beginnings and a renewal of covenant. Teshuvah is a time of renewing our vows with our Lord, our first and true love.
It is now a new year and the books are about to be sealed. God is making decisions for upcoming seasons. This is a season and a beginning for us to be more fruitful and take more ground. The season of repentance has drawn to an end. I pray we continue the work of repentance as a life style. But for now we must go to work and plant. My desire is to have more fruit and bear much fruit this year.
We prepare for the Festival of Tabernacles or The Feast of Ingathering.
After having gathered in the fruit of this season it is time for the Festival of Ingathering.
We must now build our Sukkot and prepare for the Feast of Tabernacles.
We have been found worthy by “The Blood” to Tabernacle with our Lord.
During Sukkot many of our Jewish brothers and sisters eat their meals in the Sukkah, remembering how God led us through the wildness but now we have come into the Promised Land. We are given a promised land flowing with milk and honey.
The jubilee year can only be announced on Yom Kippur. Think about it.
Luke 4:16-21
Jesus took and unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Teshuvah will always be my favorite time of the year.
God bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you and give you Shalom.
Until next time, thank you for listening with me. Laurette
Through All Seasons 
Beautiful
LikeLike