If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
Galatians 5:25
Hi there! I’m Nate, and this space is essentially my open catalog for scripture studies and day-to-day snippets from my life as I learn to live by the Spirit of God. If you find anything here to be at all edifying, praise God! I try to post 1-2 times per week and update the Highlights section often, so check back regularly to stay up-to-date. I hope you enjoy our time together.
What And Who Is This For?
As someone who grew up in a Christian and then sort of Hebrew Roots and then sort of Messianic Jewish household, I had a lot of confusion and frustration towards faith when I was younger. As a teenager and younger adult, I was very rebellious and hypocritical in my professed faith. I had a very incomplete understanding of and appreciation for the Gospel and the God who gave it to us. The things I share on this blog are my attempt to clear up those areas of confusion, make up for lost time, and help others who may be in a similar place with some of the same issues.
Some things you can expect to see here will be my own studies on certain topics, music that I find to be conducive to worship, some of the resources that I like use for research, and whatever else I happen to come across as I move forward and grow in faith. If you have any study suggestions, please feel free to send me a message through the contact page.
Highlights
This section is for videos (songs, studies, episodes, etc.) that I find edifying. Think of it as a revolving door of highlighted content and media that I hope will bless you.
Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs
Good morning! Or afternoon. Or evening. Whenever you see this, hi! This week, I wanted to share two songs with you that have been on my heart for a little while: the first one, “Romans 8- Abba,” by Project of Love, is about our adoption into the family of God through the love and blood of Christ, and it’s one of my favorite songs to sing while I work. The bridge is simple but beautiful, pulling from Galatians 4:7 and Romans 8:15:
“Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. You received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
It sparks joy in me every time I hear it, and I hope it does the same for you! The second song I have shared is a rendition of the Shema by Michael Ben David, and my Messianic friends will know its words well. For my Christian or secular friends, the words (in English) are:
“Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD
is One, and His Name is One,
And you shall love the LORD your God with all of your heart,
and with all of your soul, and with all your resources”
It is an imperative given to Israel in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 as Moses walks through the law of God with them just before they enter into the Promised Land. It is echoed by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-40. It is a daily struggle for the most devout of believers to adhere to this commandment, and yet it is the bedrock of all other commandments, a constant reminder of the high calling given to all of us and our deep need for our Savior who never once stumbled or failed to keep it. It is both humbling and encouraging; the greatest of aspirations. I hope you’ll take some time this week- if you don’t already- to hear this scripture, say it, meditate on it, and strive to live it out.
Words of Life
This section is for sermons/drashes, podcast episodes, teachings, testimonies, and other edifying words that I have come across and wanted to share with you all. I will do my best to make sure that what I share is always doctrinally sound, but I of course encourage you to pick up your Bible and inspect everything for yourself.
This week I am sharing a sermon delivered by Paul Washer, a reformed Baptist preacher and evangelist, in 2002. It was shared with me by a friend recently, and the strength and prescience of it even 24 years later resonated with me deeply. If you are at all familiar with Paul Washer, then you know that he does not mince words; he has no issue telling Church goers that they are weak, barely Christian, and in desperate need of grace and repentance if it is necessary to do so, and I thank him heartily for it. In this sermon, given to a group of youth, he addresses- among other things- the issue of a false, unsubstantiated confession of faith. Too often are people- just like me- allowed to call themselves Christian or Messianic without living a life that is beholden to the holy and righteous standard of Jesus Christ. Too often do we willingly submit to the ways of the world and in so doing damn ourselves and others to an eternity apart from the Living God because we could not be bothered to live out the words we preach.
If you have some time this week, give this a listen; you may, like me, find it to be very encouraging- and/or convicting- but, whichever the case, I hope it will prompt you to take some time and assess yourself like I have been doing recently. We can never make our confession too sure, and it is a great hazard of modern Christianity to become complacent and lazy in our struggle against sin and our growth in sanctification.