​Friends of ours who are missionaries in Kenya had to be particular about the way they built the foundation of their home. It sits on the Rift Valley on land where the earth's tectonic plates move apart or rift. The rift is approximately 5,950 km long and runs through eastern Africa up to the Red Sea and into Western Asia. The tectonic plates are constantly in motion, shifting against each other in the fault zones. Since the foundation is the lowest part of a building, it interacts with the soil and transmits the load of the structure to the soil below. Homes built in the Rift Valley need a deep foundation that is reinforced with extra rebar. Some have expansion joints (springs that function as shock absorbers). 
 
The Bible records the words of Jesus about wise and foolish builders in Luke 6. He was talking to the crowds of people, sharing with them about how to live godly lives. He told them, "Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against the house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. (Jesus) But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently, and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great." (Verses 47-49- NKJV)
 
As Christians we must also establish a sturdy foundation to endure the shakings of our age, the attacks from the demonic realm, and the trials that come our way. We started building our foundations when we professed faith in the Lord Jesus. We must be continually adding to our faith through standing firm in our belief that God who "calls us is faithful, and He will to it." (1 Thessalonians 5:24)
 
Isaiah 28:16 and 17 have words of encouragement for us. If we embrace these verses they will help to build our faith foundations. "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line. This verse introduces the word “trust." It is our faith in the Lord that helps us to trust in Him.
 
Isaiah 33:6 ushers in another aspect of foundation building. "He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure." The fear of the Lord means we are in awe of Him and that we have a deep reverence and respect for Him. There are many benefits to having the fear of the Lord. Here are a few:  "But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love." (Psalm 33:18) "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them." (Psalm 34:7) "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..."  (Psalm 111:10) "Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to Him." (Psalm 128:1) "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..." (Proverbs 1:7) "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death." (Proverbs 14:27) "The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble." (Proverbs 19:23)
 
To add strength to our foundations we must be in The Word daily, infusing ourselves with His truth. I believe that as we walk out His Word, the quakes and shakings will not make an impact on our foundations, and we will be able to stand through trials and temptations. It would be faith-building for us to meditate on 1 Peter 1:3-7 this week. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." Let this truth be a shield and fortification for our faith foundations.

​"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." So said Martin Luther King, Jr. When I read this quote I thought about Bowman's Tower in Washington Crossing, PA. In 1929, the construction of the tower was begun on a site that may have been the lookout for George Washington before he and his troops crossed the Delaware River on Christmas eve in 1776 to march to Trenton and surprise the British army. When the tower was completed in 1931 as a commemoration of the American Revolution, it was a 125' tall stone tower with a 24-foot squared base and a spiral staircase of 124 steps. The tight spiral of the stairs requires one to keep climbing to see more stairs. The climb is arduous but certainly worth doing as there is a fourteen-mile view of the surrounding landscape and River that is breathtaking. A point of interest is that 28,300 seedlings were planted around the Tower after its completion to reforest the hill upon which it was built.
 
Taking the first step in any endeavor is the hardest part of getting started. For those who believe in the kingship of Jesus there is an element of trust involved in stepping out in obedience to what God desires. Psalm 9:10 puts everything into perspective. "Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.” Psalm 62:8 is similar. "Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge." Proverbs 16:20 gives further insight. "Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord."
 
Once trust is established, a journey begins that is accomplished one step at a time. Each step takes more courage and determination but also increases revelation. We must remember that the Lord has a path for us to walk. He does not leave us without assistance. In his discourse to his friends, Job asks a question:  "Does He not see my ways and count my every step?" (Job 31:4) Job's friend, Elihu answers this question when he declares, "His eyes are on the ways of men; He sees their every step." We are completely dependent upon the Lord to direct our steps. Proverbs 20:24 explains our journey. "It is the Lord who directs your life, for each step you take is ordained by God to bring you closer to your destiny. So much of your life, then remains a mystery!" This verse from The Passion Translation comes with a footnote. The Aramaic of the last part of this verse reads, "So what man is capable of ordering his ways?"
 
Great question!! "What man is capable of ordering his way?" We are totally dependent upon the Lord to set our course and direct our paths. One of the ways in which He helps us is through His Word. The Psalmist says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (Psalm 119:105) As we ready ourselves to take the next step toward our destinies, let us remember Proverbs 3:5, 6. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." In addition, I would encourage you to pray a daily prayer that I believe will help us take our next steps. "Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life." (Psalm 143:8)

​One of the traditions of the Jewish community during the holiday of Shavuot is to read the book of Ruth from the Bible. The story takes place during a difficult time in Israel. A famine in the land caused many families to leave their homeland in search of a place that had food. A man named Elimelech, from Bethlehem, took his family (his wife, Naomi, and sons Mahlon and Kilion) to Moab. While there Elimelech died. His sons had taken Moabite women (Ruth and Orpah) as their wives, but they too died within the tenth year of their sojourn. After these events, Naomi heard that God had come to the aid of her people, so she made plans to return to Bethlehem. She instructed her daughters-in-law to return to their families, but Ruth insisted on caring for Naomi and made her a promise:  "...Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried..." (Ruth 1:16) This was indeed a sacrificial vow!
 
When Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem, "The House of Bread," it was the beginning of barley harvest and the season of Shavuot where the Israelites would renew their commitment and dedication to God and celebrate His provision. The laws of Israel allowed widows and poor people to glean the crops missed by the reapers. It was an opportune time for Ruth to come to Bethlehem. Not only was she able to collect food for Naomi and herself, but she was in the field belonging to Boaz, a relative of Elimelech. Through the events of harvest, we see that God had a plan of restoration.
 
As Ruth faithfully cared for her mother-in-law, she was noticed by Boaz who willingly watched over her. He encouraged her with his words. "May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." (Ruth 2:12) Two Psalms remind us of what Boaz said. Psalm 57:1b, written by King David, says, "I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed." Psalm 91:4 declares, "He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge..."  
 
For Ruth, gleaning in Boaz's field was so productive that Naomi questioned Ruth about its location. It was then that she realized that Boaz was a kinsman-redeemer for her family. This man could volunteer to care for the extended family. The transaction did take place on the threshing floor where the grain or inner kernel of the crop is separated from the chaff or outer shell. The barley or wheat would be thrown into the air so that the lighter chaff was blown away in a processp called winnowing.
 
It seems to me that what was taking place at the threshing floor was also taking place in Ruth's life. She had been separated from everything she knew—her family, her homeland, and any security. In the spiritual realm, God was winnowing Ruth to prepare her for a life with God-ordained purposes. She was completely unaware that she was stepping into a family whose line would play a part in the birth of the Messiah of Israel. After Boaz arranged to marry Ruth, she conceived a son, Obed, who is David's grandfather.
 
This story of self-sacrifice and sorrow turned to joy happened because seeds of love were planted by two desperate women in an extremely difficult situation. By following the God of Israel, they were able to play a part in God's plans for redemption and restoration. Like Ruth, sometimes we feel like our lives are on the rock-hard threshing floor. It is during these times that we must remember that the Lord is lifting us up to reveal the kernel of our hearts. He removes the outer shell to expose the core gifts He placed within us so that He can bring us into an expanded inheritance where He can use us to partner with Him in the growth of His Kingdom. God still restores and redeems so that "Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them." (Psalm 126:5)

​God calls them festivals or feasts. They are explained to us in the book of Leviticus, Chapter 23. Three times a year, Jewish men were commanded to go to Jerusalem to give an offering to the Lord. Passover or Pesach, Pentecost or Shavuot, and Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot are called "Pilgrim Feasts" because of the requirement for men to present themselves before God. All three of these feasts have to do with harvests and honoring God's provision, The feasts, in Hebrew, are called Moedim, which means "Appointed Times."
 
At sunset next Tuesday, the celebration of Shavuot will take place. Beginning on the day of Firstfruits or the day Jesus was resurrected and the day the firstfruits of the barley harvest were brought to the synagogue, Jews began to count:  "Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the Lord. From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the Lord." (Leviticus 23:16, 17) We can read about the expansion and fullness of Shavuot in Acts, Chapter 2. What happened in the upper room in Jerusalem reenacted what happened on Mount Sinai.
 
Some of you may be asking why we should be celebrating Shavuot next week when the Church did so on Sunday, May 19. This is because the Church's traditional celebration of the resurrection of Jesus follows the Greek calendar instead of the Hebrew one. Their fifty-day count started much earlier than the one that started the second day of Passover. Since I grew up in a traditional church and understand the difference between the two calendars, I choose to remember both dates and believe all Christians should do likewise. On the Hebrew calendar, Shavuot falls on the sixth day of the third month of Sivan.
 
Initially, Shavuot was a celebration of the wheat harvest. Added to it was the remembrance of this time when Moses received the two tablets with the laws of God written on them. Two is a significant number during this festival. Two loaves of bread with leaven in them are waved before God as an offering and can have several meanings. They could represent the two tablets of Torah containing the ten commandments. We could also conclude that they refer to two gifts--the gift of the law and that of The Holy Spirit. (Ruach Kadosh). Others believe that the two loaves are symbols of Jew and Gentile as the one new man written about in Ephesians 2:15. This reminds us that God fulfilled His covenant with Abraham to bless all nations through him. (Genesis 12:3) Since leaven symbolizes sinful humanity, we are reminded that the Body of Christ or The Church is made up of sinners but redeemed by the Lord.
 
God selected the day when the people in Israel would be gathered to celebrate the wheat harvest to pour out HIs Spirit. Acts 2:1 says, "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place." The description of this continues in Acts 2:2-4. "Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violet wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them." This is a picture of what happened on Mount Sinai. "Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire." (Exodus 19:18)
 
When Moses came down from the mountain, he saw the Israelites worshiping a golden calf that they built. Three thousand people died on that day because of their sin. However, on the day when the Holy Spirit was released, three thousand Jews became believers in Yeshua. Redemption has always been God's plan. Shavuot has been compared to a wedding for it was on this day that the Jews became "The Bride of Messiah." The Spirit of God wrote the law on the hearts of His people as Jeremiah 31:33 prophesies. The law of love became a priority. As we remember how God empowers His people during this season of Shavuot/Pentecost, let us thank Him for the harvest, recommit ourselves to His Word, and celebrate the gift of His presence through the Holy Spirit.

Two places in the Bible talk about the leaves of fruit trees being for healing. One is Ezekiel 47:12 and the other is Revelation 22:2. I thought about these verses as I read a story by Will Dunham in the Sunday, May 5, 2024, newspaper, Bucks County Courier Times and Phillyburbs.com. He wrote a story about a male Sumatran orangutan named Rakus who lives in a protected rainforest in Indonesia. Rakus got into a fight with another male orangutan in June 2022, and sustained an injury below his right eye. What amazed the scientists is that he looked for and found a plant known for its "pain-relieving properties and for supporting wound healing due to its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and antioxidant qualities."
 
We are told that 'the orangutan chewed the plant's leaves to produce a liquid that Rakus repeatedly smeared on the wound and then applied the chewed-up plant material directly to the injury, much like a wound plaster administered by doctors...Rakus also ate the plant, an evergreen vine commonly called Akar Kuning--scientific name Fibraurea tinctoria..." An evolutionary biologist and author of the study said, "To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of active wound treatment with a plant species with medical properties by a wild animal." The report says, "His behavior appeared to be intentional. He selectively treated his facial wound on his right flange with the plant juice, and no other body parts. The behavior was repeated several times, not only plant juice but later also more-solid plant material was applied until the wound was fully covered. The entire process took a considerable amount of time." The wound closed within five days.
 
Scientists surmise that Rakus learned this behavior from other orangutans in his birth area. This plant, found in Southeast Asia, is used in traditional medicine to treat conditions such as malaria. They go on to explain that "orangutans have high cognitive abilities, in particular in the area of physical cognition. They are known to be excellent problem solvers. Wild orangutans acquire their skill sets via observational social learning, and skills get passed on from generation to generation."
 
Ezekiel 47:12 tells us, "Along the banks of the river, every kind of fruit tree will flourish. And their leaves will never wither, and abundant fruit will always be on their branches. Each month they will bear a fresh crop of fruit because this life-giving water comes from inside the sanctuary, and their fruit will be good to eat, and the leaves will bring healing." (TPT) Revelation 22:1-2 confirms this Scripture. "Then the angel showed me the river of water of life, flowing with water as clear as crystal, continuously pouring out from the throne of God and the Lamb. The river was flowing in the middle of the street of the city, and on either side of the river was the Tree of Life, with its twelve kinds of ripe fruit according to each month of the year. The leaves of the Tree of Life are for the healing of the nations." (TPT)
 
God takes care of every need that we have and has compassion for every creature He created. Isn't it amazing that this orangutan had the intelligence to find a plant that produced leaves for the healing of his wound? We too have healing tools within our grasp. When we need healing, we must claim the Word of God that says, "By His wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24) Then, be willing to wait for God's perfect timing for the manifestation of His promises."