EYES OF MY BELOVED
By Raphael ben Levi
Page 1 of 1 The Hebrew word for work and worship is the same – ‘Avodah.” When does work become
worship? When it is done with the appropriate ‘Kavanah’ (intent) and “Shiflut (humility). Avodah reflects the view of the Early Church, that work is simply one more form of worship in daily life. Clearly to the Jewish mind, work and worship are closely connected. Every act, however menial, is worship according to our ‘Kavanah’ and ‘Shiflut.’ When we correctly
understand this point, it becomes transformational!’ Worship is the living expression of who we are, which becomes downgraded to hard abour immediately our focus is diverted away from God. An extreme example is illustrated with the description of Lucifer’s downfall through rebellion described in_ Isai.14 and Ezek.28. Lucifer, (Light Bearer) the lead cherub and worship leader in Heaven who communed in the very presence of God, made a badly flawed choice, blinded by pride, that led to irrevocable and unimaginable consequences. For aeons and aeons, he had served God faithfully, but his downfall occurred the instant he took his eyes off God and placed them upon himself. At that moment, the seed of corruption was ignited which paved the way to his ultimate and eternal doom. This is a salutary lesson for each one of us. We can so easily fall into pride and rebellion even in the midst of our ministry and service of
God should we ever take our eyes away from Him and place them instead upon ourselves. We may speak the right words, and smile the right smiles, yet deep inside of us we can
still crave for recognition and praise from the lips of others above the approval of God.
Then, our lives will yield wood hay and stubble because it is based on the wrong kind of ‘Avodah.’ God takes the risk of exposing our motives because His love is so magnificent,
He cannot bear to see our lives degenerating into mediocrity.
The sixth Hebrew month of Elul which follows the current month of Aviv is one of deep introspection. So let us ask ourselves the question: ‘What are our lives characterised by – true worship or hard labour? True worship is governed by the infinite; hard labour by the finite. I may strive to acquire a fortune of material wealth, but it will never fulfil my longings: that is work. Yet, when I fix my eyes upon Yeshua, the “Author and Finisher” of my faith, He enfolds me in His arms of love, and my life is irrevocably transformed. That moment of worship becomes an infinite memory.
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