Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavenly expanse. And those who turn many to righteousness will be like the stars forever and ever. Daniel 12:3, TLV

The Answer Was There!   I don’t know where to begin! This chapter in Daniel is filled with prophesies of the end times and the tribulations that both the wicked and righteous will experience. The righteous will be refined. The wicked—well . . . But that’s not what I want to focus on. It’s today’s verse which has special meaning to me.

For just as we have many parts in one body—and all the parts do not have the same function—so we, who are many, are one body in Messiah and everyone parts of one another. (Romans 12:4-5, TLV)

For over twenty years, Bob and I belonged to one of America’s flagships of Messianic* synagogues in Philadelphia—Beth Yeshua (which means House of Salvation). Our rabbi, David was passionate about sharing the Good News—that we were to all be “fishers of men.” As much as I love and respect Rabbi David, those particular messages discouraged me.

There were so many in the congregation that were indeed passionate and experienced “fishermen”—alas, I wasn’t. When obvious moments came, I could present the Good News and there’s nothing like watching the birth of a new believer, but it wasn’t my lane, so to speak.

There were many hours of praying about that. Asking our Heavenly Father to change me, but the passion like others wasn’t there. Then one day, out-of-the-blue, I heard in my heart, “You’re My carpenter. You build.” Tears are present even today when I remember—although back then I wasn’t quite sure what He meant.

Several months later, Rabbi David was giving another message on the importance of being fishers. My shoulders drooped. I remember thinking, “Can’t there be carpenters, too? Yeshua was a carpenter, after all.”

Rabbi continued emphasizing the importance sharing the Good News, then he barely paused and blurted out, “Some of us are carpenters, too.” My head shot up. What?

Heart racing, pen poised over my journal, I waited. Hoping he would elaborate, so I could fully understand what being a carpenter entailed. He seemed to falter a bit, then continued with his regularly scheduled message.

Rats! No insights.

The answer was right there

It was the first of the month and I began my usual ritual of rereading Proverbs. For a few years I had been reading a chapter of Proverbs each day.

The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:
to acquire wisdom and discipline, to understand the words of insight,
to receive instruction in wise behavior, righteousness, justice, and fairness. . .
(Proverbs 1:1-3, TLV)

Huh. How about that.

Reading a chapter of Proverbs each day had changed hubby’s and my life. We were the poster children of changed lives through living Biblical wisdom. And we were passionate about helping others experience that blessing.

Carpenters help those new spiritual babies live in this world through wisdom. I wrote Proverbs devotions (over 600 of which are archived on my website) and shared how wisdom helped me, us, to live in a corrupt world.

“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavenly expanse.”

There’s a passion inside each of us that our Heavenly Father wove into our being while in our mother’s womb. Seeking the Holy Spirit will help us learn how to live that passionate life. Whether we’re fishers or carpenters or prophets or whatever He needs, we will shine like the brightness of the heavenly expanse when we live it.

What are you? A fisher? Or carpenter? Where does your passion abide?

Shabbat shalom!

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*Jewish people who believe that Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) is their Savior and Messiah.