Back in October of 2018, the IN SEASON Lifestyle Thursday Bible Study called COME AS A CHILD was studying the concept of Shemita.
I have made the review of that first lesson easy for you by clicking this link: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/shemitah-the-annual-sabbath/. It is my personal opinion that God wishes for his people of today to study and learn the concept of Shemita.
A LEGAL REQUIREMENT FOR JEWS; A LOVE OFFERING FROM CHRISTIANS
We are all so much like the people of Israel as they were being held captive by the Egyptians. The world’s systems hold us back and try to prevent us from keeping this way of God in our lives. We have seven new years in which to think of a way to avoid the systems of this world by the time we reach our next Shemita (Sabbatical) Year.
For a Christian family to observe Shemita in America today, it just seems impossible; but is it really?
If you have been keeping the seventh day Sabbath; do you remember how hard it seemed in the beginning?
Did God not show you a way; and has that way not been worth any effort on your part over the last few years?
Can you imagine not doing it now?
I cannot; and I think keeping Shemita years would turn out to be a similar blessing for Christian believers.
CONSIDERING THE CONCEPT TOGETHER
Can we think this through some more?
One word of prophesy I’ve heard from a trusted source this week says we are entering a time when we will be required to “jump through all of the hoops” in order to get to the place of destiny that God desires from us.
Keeping the Shemita may seem at first glance like an impossible feat; if you have never considered such a concept before.
Would you rather just sit back and let the blessings pass you by?
Getting through the curses of disobedience from this past year due to the results of not preparing for keeping Shemita in our hearts (though it isn’t technically required in the natural of anyone not living in The Holy Land,) will seem very hard, and we will have to fight through the curses that this neglect on our part may have brought upon our nation for this new year.
OUR WATCHMEN NEED TO BE ON THE WALL
So many of us have not been watching, anticipating, preparing and looking ahead. Many of us have marveled at the dire warnings now coming from worldly sources; but most have totally ignored any direction from scriptural sources.
Most Christians in our nation today will enter this Shemita year unprepared.
That is a scary thought when it comes to living through end-time situations. To not know is one thing; and God is always merciful in such cases; but to know and not to act is quite another thing.
It seems to be a time for paying better attention and becoming more obedient to do what is important to God.
THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL
Much of those curses for disobedience are already before us, and they are being predicted to increase by the news media, and all of the outspoken groups of the world that keep up with so many quickly changing events. If even the voices of the world knows this; why do we sit still and do nothing to change our ways over the next seven year cycle?
Word on the street is that there are supposed to be great shortages of many items coming, as well as a lack of ways and means to ship them if we can find them. It will probably become harder and harder in this next year to conduct the proper business we all need to conduct in order to survive as we have in the past.
A very hard year may be coming our way.
MANKIND’S WAY OR GOD’S WAY?
The world has a million ideas, thoughts and suggestions for how to combat this falling apart of our economy due to the lack of godliness of our current government’s practices; but we should have learned long ago that our government isn’t the source of our power and strength.
Man’s ideas have all failed and will not solve any of the problems.
It is God’s government that will help us to get through the hard times ahead.
We can’t count on the government of our country to achieve anything good for us anymore.
Jumping through the hoops of 2021 is going to require strong faith in God and a very deep realization that He is our ONLY hope, and our surest strength for our nation’s survival.
We will need to hold on to the strength of God to get through.
OUR FOCUS MUST REMAIN ON GOD AS OUR SOURCE
I am thinking of Daniel during the times that Israel was entering into the years of captivity from Babylon. Daniel prayed three times a day without fail. He fasted and he did everything he could do to keep himself clean and fit for service to God’s Kingdom. He knew this was necessary.
Daniel knew that hard times were coming because the people had turned away from the practices of keeping God’s ways. He braced himself for the fall of his homeland and stood firmly before God night and day begging for mercy. God heard his prayers and answered them with the knowledge Daniel needed in order to survive and overcome the times of trouble.
Why would I be bringing this up today in The All My Days Calendar devotions?
Because one thing that happened on The Feast of Trumpets which occurred only a short few weeks ago, is the fact that a new civil year changed on the Hebraic calendar. On The Feast of Trumpets, with the start of the new year of 5782, we began celebrating the last year of a seventh year cycle.
Every seventh year on God’s calendar is to be kept as a Sabbatical year of rest and renewal.
It is mostly an agricultural renewal for the land; but it is also a spiritual renewal for the followers of God for those committed to The Kingdom of Heaven.
This seventh year is called a Shemita.
The year of the Shemita has already begun.
At our gatherings of The Feast of Tabernacles we came bounding into a set apart time of this new Shamita year with joy and celebration; thanking God for new beginnings.
Before that time we had been preparing our souls for transition into this year; so when the feast took place, our souls were completely ready for joy!
YEARS TO PREPARE FOR SHEMITA
It should be the same preparation method with each Shemita Year; but time and cultures have robbed our people of such thoughts.
The Christian church in America does not celebrate the concept of Shemita. It has long considered this every-seven-year’s event to be only an old Jewish ritual; and that is still true; but if your heart is circumcised – you can learn to think beyond what is happening in Jerusalem during the time of Shemita.
Your eyes will be opened to the fact that every word that proceeds from the mouth of God works anywhere, for any period of history and for any culture that has dedicated itself to following God’s best ways to live.
The fact that Christ has come and provided Salvation for us has only strengthened this necessity for the time called Shemita.
ISREAL IS THE PATTERN THAT CONTAINS ALL OF THE ANSWERS
God clearly laid out the blessings and curses found in Deuteronomy Chapter 28. Keep them and you will experience blessing. Disobey them and you will experience curses.
Israel became the great pattern that contains all of the correct answers as to how to enter God’s Kingdom life while walking through this earth. The pattern shows blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.
Wise is the nation or the people who decide to follow God’s laws from the desire of their hearts; even when the technical requirements aren’t spelled out for them to do so.
This would mean they are learning how to worship in truth and love; which is much more pleasing to God than worship because of legalities and fear.
SHEMITA AND SABBATH SIMILARITIES
Preparing to arrive at Shemita is always done during the six years that proceed it; just as preparations of the Sabbath are made in the days of the week prior to reaching it.
When the Sabbath comes; we are ready and prepared to set the time aside with God.
Each Shemita year should be following the same concept.
How I wish this could have been the case with all of the Christians of today BEFORE this year of Shemita arrived.
What if six years ago we had stepped out in faith and decided to prepare for this Shemita happening right now?
Christians could have prepared along with and beside Israel.
Perhaps we would be smiling about tomorrow instead of wondering what is going to happen to the people of our nation next.
IT IS TIME TO START PAYING ATTENTION AND PREPARING
We have to start somewhere.
Shemita is important to God, and I believe we should at least start taking steps in our current situations right now, no matter how imperfect or impossible, to make the next cycle of six years successful and doable for all of Christianity as well as the people of Judah.
This could be possible if God has mercy on all of us and allows time to continue.
We must learn to think ahead and do our part for the future.
It is too late for this present year; all we can do about that lack of effort on our part is to repent and hope God gets us through in spite of our lack of concern; but we CAN begin to plan for the future, no matter how bleak things may begin to look.
We serve a God with which NOTHING is impossible.
THE GOD OF GLORIOUS IMPOSSIBILITIES
Our nation, after having gone through so many struggles with COVID, was forced to slow down and realize how much time we have given away to the pursuit of the things of the world.
We have allowed worldly ways to take away large portions of our worship and family life. Being forced to stay home for awhile has helped us to realize this fact. Everyone and every thing on this earth needs quality down time to rest and restore. God said to do this every seven years.
BECOMING MORE AWARE OF GOD’S TIMING
Some of us are hearing that wake-up call to speed up the plan for learning to stay on God’s time from here on out. Following God’s calendar just puts us so much more in sync with God’s ways.
We can’t go back in time and correct our past mistakes.
All Christians can do at this point is to repent, turn and learn to prepare better in the future.
If God will be merciful and allow us to get through this present Shemita year, and then the next six normal years of the future; perhaps we can physically show our faith as a nation by having made plans for the Shemita year coming in 2028.
I know that sounds a long way off; but now is the time to commit to beginning the planning for it.
MOVING FORWARD TOWARD A BETTER FUTURE
Will you join in with me in beginning to think in these terms; with prayers of repentance for our neglect of it in the past, and asking for strength from God for moving ahead in the future?
I think it will surely make a difference. This one change in Christianity’s efforts could serve to show our desire to stand with God and be obedient from our hearts; whether we are legally and technically required to do so or not.
Remember how God’s heart was softened toward those who had committed the sin with the golden calf? They took off their jewelry and gave it to Moses for use in the tabernacle. This act on their part showed God that their hearts were still capable of change and that they were willing to make a transition into His ways and to forsake the plans of their own for His plans.
True love is always a gift; not a request or a command.
I think God is waiting on this to happen with the Christians of our nation. It is truly more blessed to give than to receive.
We can give God our hearts in working out new ways to keep His Shamita years in our nation too.
May God be with all of us and lead and guide us as we learn more and more on this sacred journey through life.