Mark's Daily Reading Journal

As I continue to gaze upon the names of God, El Shaddi is especially important to me in that it is vital to our faith that the Most High, Eternal God who sees everything has the ABSOLUTE ALMIGHTY SOVEREIGN POWER to act and move on behalf of those who love HIM.  HE has all necessary power to make good on HIS promises!  I am very guarded concerning the promises that I make to my children...if I make a promise to them I want to be able to keep it.  The reason that I have to be careful is that I am not all powerful.  God has the ability and power to make good on every promise...we see this revealed in El Shaddi.

’El Shaddai is used in the longer form seven times in the Scriptures (Gn 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; Ex 6:3; Ez 10:5). In the shorter form (Shaddai), it appears more frequently: in Job 30 times; in Psalms 19:1 and 68:14; once in Ruth (1:21), Isaiah (13:6), Ezekiel (1:24), and Joel (1:15). In these passages the combined ideas of God as the all-powerful, all-sufficient, transcendent, sovereign ruler and disposer are present...Shaddai is a composite term of sha (“the one who”) and dai (“is sufficient”).   God as ’El Shaddai is presented as the all-powerful One, totally self-sufficient, absolute ruler, and the One who can and does make final disposition. Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). Tyndale Bible dictionary. Tyndale reference library (540). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.

God revealed HIMSELF as El Shaddi to Abram when he "was ninety-nine years old and said... “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” Gen 17:1-2   It is a gross understatement to say that Abram and Sarai, who were childless, were way beyond the age for having children.  The obstacle of their age did not seem to hinder El-Shaddi, HE promised them innumerable descendants.  No doubt this was humanly impossible, but God has the power to make all things possible Gen 18:14, Luke 18:27.  In Job 42:2, Job gave us the good testimony of God's sovereign power when he said, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted."  Jeremiah proclaimed, “O Sovereign Lord! You have made the heavens and earth by Your great power. Nothing is too hard for You!” Jer. 32:17.  Again, Job instructs us well when he tells us that "We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty; but even though he is just and righteous, he does not destroy us. 24 No wonder people everywhere fear him. All who are wise show him reverence.”  Job 37:23-24 NLT.  It took several years, but God made good on HIS promise to Abram and Sarai.

Gen 48:3  Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me.

Ezek 10:5  The sound of the cherubim’s wings could be heard as far as the outer court; it was like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks.

Rev 21:22  I did not see a sanctuary in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its sanctuary.

EL-SHADDAI is among the most magnificent of God's names for me personally...again, this is because it does not matter how good and loving God is if HE does not have the power to make good on HIS promises.  The reason passages like John 10:27-31 bring great comfort, peace and blessing to God's children is because we are confident in the sovereign power of El Shaddi to do what HE says and to keep HIS promises.  When Jesus tells us that, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.” 31 Once again the people picked up stones to kill him." 

Why did they pick up stones to kill him?  Because HE made HIMSELF equal with God, Jesus and El Shaddi are one...Jesus has got the POWER!  The one who died and suffered in your place and my place holds us secure in HIS righteous right hand because HE is "the all-powerful, all-sufficient, transcendent, sovereign ruler and disposer" of ALL THINGS!

The book of Hebrews tells us that in these last days that God, El Shaddi, if you will has spoken to us by HIS Son...Jesus fully reveals the Father to us, to those who are twice born...come to Jesus and live!

Matt 11:25-30  At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. 26 Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way! 27 “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

love,

m

There have been many times in my short 48 years that I have cried out to God, thinking LORD where are you, surly if you could see my circumstances YOU would do something about it!  Pain always distorts our ability to reason and think clearly...it can be physical, emotional or spiritual pain the effects are similar...it is almost impossible to see anything else but our pain.  In his masterful work, The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis wrote, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world."  "[Pain] removes the veil; it plants the flag of truth within the fortress of a rebel soul."  We can rest in absolute confidence that our creator does not sit on HIS throne in heaven randomly inflicting pain on his creatures for sport.  As Lewis points out HE will use pain to get our attention, HE will use pain to bring us to a place of desperation to where we quit  trying to work things out in our own power and throw ourselves at the foot of the Cross.

I was reading in Matt 14 this morning and was reminded that there are many reasons that the children of God will find themselves in the storms of life...there are many reasons that we may be experiencing great pain.  In Matthew 14, when Jesus walks on the water the disciples simply do what Jesus commanded them to do and ended up in a storm...in this instance they did nothing wrong, to the contrary they obeyed and ended up in a storm.  Just look at the people around you, there are people that are in storms that have done nothing wrong, there are people that are in storms because of the horrible choices of loved ones and there are people that are in storms because of their own horrible choices.  Jonah would be a good example of one who ended up in a storm because of his own rebellion and poor choice.

For me the awesome thing to remember is that we are children (provided you are a child of the King) of the KING!  We are children of El Roi, the God who sees...we are introduced to El Roi in Genesis 16, the God who sees.  Hagar, a young Egyptian woman who is forced to sleep with a really old man have his child and then years latter is sent into the desert to die with her son because Sara is jealous and angry.  When you look at the circumstances form her perspective...if something similar happened today we would be outraged and demand justice.  But it is though these events, through these circumstances, through this storm...that Hagar and her son meet El Roi...the God who sees. 

“Hagar referred to the Lord, who had spoken to her, as ‘the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have seen the One who sees me!’ ” (Gen. 16:13).

It is both comforting and terrifying to fully understand that El Roi sees everything, everything!  God sees all our sins..."You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence, Psa 90:8.  We rejoice in knowing that HE sees the good things we do and will reward us, Mat. 6:4. We can rest in peace in knowing that, “From His throne He observes all who live on the earth” (Psa. 33:14). “Nothing in all creation can hide from Him. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes” (Heb. 4:13).

As HIS adopted child is is wonderful to know that HE will never leave me or forsake me, it is wonderful to know that regardless of how I got into the storm my Father is an ever present help in time of trouble and HE is El Roi, HE is the God who sees.  Let me encourage you to read through Psalm 139, prayerfully thinking on the magnificence of the God who sees and the God who is present with us!

Worship and adore our heavenly Father who is revealed in HIS precious Word as El Roi, the God who sees!

2 Chron 16:9 "For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.

Pursuing HIM though HIS NAMES

love,

m

The Eternal God, the Everlasting God

El Olam = (Genesis 20:13); God of eternity; KJV the everlasting God. The God without a beginning; the God who never will cease to be; the God who will never grow old; the God to whom eternity is what present time is. Describes God as He who extends beyond our greatest vision of who we think God is (no matter how great our concept of God is, He is always greater).  Smith, S., & Cornwall, J. (1998). The exhaustive dictionary of Bible names (82). North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos.

In Gen 21:33  Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and there he worshiped  the Lord, the Everlasting God. 

I don't know if this analogy will hold up or not, but as I was sitting here watching the cursor blink at me...the thought came to me that each name of God is a little like slowly turning a gloriously magnificent diamond and gazing at the diamond and watching the light dance as it hits each facet of the dazzling gem.   Each facet reveals something extraordinary about the diamond, some are more striking than the others, but each facet is beautiful in its own right!  I believe that it is a little like that with the names of God...some, like Yahweh will absolutely leave us breathless and in awe, but each one reveals something vital about our creator, something precious about our Father.

The eternal, everlasting nature of our heavenly Father is one of those beautiful facets of our creator that we tend to think about a lot when we are children, but we give up on as adults.  Every 4 or 5 year old that is presented with the information that God always was and always will be gets a puzzled look on their face and will hit you with a barrage of how's and why's. 

The answer that has always worked for me is..."God is the uncaused cause, the uncreated one...God was not created and  HE created everything that is."  It is so much fun to watch their little faces walk away with such a look of satisfaction:)  Just kidding!  The eternal nature of God is a little like trying to comprehend the omnipresence of God.  Because you and I have always been limited by time and space it is very difficult to grasp that there is one who transcends both space and time.

In the Psalms and throughout God's Word HE speaks clearly to HIS eternal nature.  In Psalm 90:2 we see that, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.  El-Olam existed before time began and HE will continue when HE brings the current age to an end.  All history is HIS story and is but a few days compared to eternity. El-Olam transcends time and history.  HE is present in time with us, but in no way is HE bound by time like we are.  In part that is what is so mind blowing about the incarnation...How can we forget Isaiah 9:6, "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." 

Jeremiah 10:10 But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation.

It is very good news that our Abba, our Everlasting Father is El-Olam, it is glorious that HE "is the everlasting King!."  Praise HIM and rejoice in knowing that “HIS kingdom will last forever, and that HIS rule and dominion will last through all generations.”  El-Olam is able to establish and keep everlasting covenants with His people as we see in Gen. 9:16.   In Deuteronomy 33:27 HE is revealed as our eternal refuge.

It is absolutely glorious that Jesus, Immanuel (God with us) will always protect HIS OWN.  El-Olam is the only one who can make good on the promise of eternal life...it is because HE is El-Olam we can trust that HIS promises will stand throughout eternity!

John 3:16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

What is eternal life?  Jesus tells us clearly in John 17:3, "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."  This brings us back to the purpose of studying the names of God...to know HIM intimately...to know HIM and make HIM known!

As we gaze and behold the beauty of El-Olam the natural response of the heart of one of HIS children should be delight, joy, worship and adoration.

Like Abraham let's worship the LORD, the everlasting God...El-Olam!  Do you hear HIS voice as you gaze?  DO you hear HIS voice as you behold HIS beauty? 

John 10:27-28  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

pursuing HIM through HIS names!

love,

m

El-Elyon is given to us early in God's Word, first appearing in Genesis 14 and then throughout the Old Testament.  It simply means God most high, but it also carries with it the sense that the Most High God is all sufficient, HE is more than able to meet all our needs.  El-Elyon's children only need to look to HIM to have ALL our needs met.  Notice I did not say all our wants:), but all our needs:)

Ps 91:1  He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

Ps 92:1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;

Psalm 91:9 Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place- the Most High, who is my refuge-

El-Elyon (The Most High God)  “The Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth” Psalm 47:2.

You may remember the story in Genesis when Sodom is in a battle and Lot is captured and Abram and his men go after Lot and the others that were taken captive.  Abram and his men are victorious and as he returns he encounters two kings.

After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh...And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20  and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ 24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me.”  Gen 14:17-24

Abram is showing his confidence in El-Elyon to meet all his needs, Abram is saying loudly to the king of Sodom that HE serves the Most High God, the upper Most God, the "Possessor of heaven and earth," and HIS confidence is in HIM and HIM alone.  The wealth offered to Abram is incredible and Abram is quick to reject the riches of this world.

It is interesting to note that the fall of Lucifer came because he desired the position and place of El-Elyon, proclaiming, “I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High” Isa. 14:14. In that passage in Isaiah we witness the 5 "I will" statements of Satan and Instead of becoming like the Most High, he was cast out of heaven.  I find it Interesting  that that was the lie that deceived Eve..."For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

El-Elyon humbled the arrogant pagan King Nebuchadnezzar by allowing him to become insane, acting like an animal who lived in fields eating grass!  After seven years God restored the humiliated king to the throne.  It was then that Nebuchadnezzar praised the Most High,  El-Elyon, as the Sovereign Ruler of all creation who has the power to do as He pleases in heaven and on earth.

Dan 4:34-37  But at the end of those days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven, and my sanity returned to me. Then I praised the Most High and honored and glorified Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. 35 All the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does what He wants  with the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can hold back His hand  or say to Him, “What have You done?”  36 At that time my sanity returned to me, and my majesty and splendor returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and my nobles sought me out, I was reestablished over my kingdom, and even more greatness came to me.  37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of heaven, because all His works are true and His ways are just.  And He is able to humble  those who walk in pride.

El-Elyon delivered Abrams enemies into his hands...“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20  and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”   El-Elyon cast Satan out of heaven like lightening for seeking to usurp HIS authority.  El-Elyon humbled a prideful king, restored him and moved him to praise, exalt and glorify El-Elyon.  Like the Psalmist, "I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose for me” Psalm 57:2  Like Abram (by HIS grace) I look to El-Elyon to meet all my needs, HE is more than sufficient.  Like the humbled Nebuchadnezzar I long to praise, exalt and glorify the King of heaven with my life.  Pursuing El-Elyon together!

love,

m

 

As I began my study of God...looking and gazing intently at the glory, majesty, power and the glorious way HE is portrayed throughout scripture and throughout HIS creation I realized that gazing upon HIM has the transforming effect on my heart to allow me to say, "let Ziba take it all."  My hope for myself, my family and my church is that as we continue in our pursuit of God we will be a people that are able to say with great love, conviction and passion "let Ziba take it all."  I believe that I made this post last year as we read through 2 Samuel. 

Any time you believe that you have been offended, that you deserve better, you deserve more...let your battle cry be..."let Ziba take it all."  My prayer is that as we continually gaze upon the beauty of our Almighty God this year that "let Ziba take it all" will become our natural (in the Spirit) response, reaction to being poked, prodded or wounded.  "Let Ziba take it all."

I confess I have a tendency to oversimplify; I am always looking for the root issue, the lowest common denominator, the “one thing” that really matters. My flesh would like to say it is a fruit of my keen intellect, or my creativity; you and I know where all true wisdom comes from…GOD!

In Psalm 27, King David asked for “one thing.” He desired to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, to seek His face. In Luke10:41-42, Jesus told Martha that only “one thing” is necessary and that Mary had chosen the “better part.” The great Apostle Paul said, in Phil. 3:13, “one thing I do.” What do these three have in common? They were oblivious of themselves and they went hard after God, they had caught a glimpse of the Almighty and they would never be the same.

There is another who has a similar heart, less known, somewhat obscure, but worth the effort. Throughout 2 Samuel we learn of Jonathan’s crippled son Mephibosheth. David learned of Mephibosheth as he sought heirs of the household of Saul so that he could “show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake.” Mephibosheth came before David bowed down and said, “What is your servant that you take an interest in a dead dog like me?” David restored Saul’s land to Mephibosheth and was invited to eat at the King’s table, as did the King’s sons.

Fast forward to 2 Samuel 19, the kingdom is being restored to David after the rebellion of Absalom. In verses, 24-30, through Mephibosheth God reveals the heart HE desires. As David returns he asks Mephibosheth why he did not go with him, Mephibosheth explains that he was deceived and then slandered by his servant Ziba. In 2 Samuel 16:1-4, Ziba meets David with supplies for his family. Ziba tells David the reason Mephibosheth stayed behind was because he thought he would receive control of the Kingdom, in response David gives Mephibosheth’s land to Ziba. David, faced with two conflicting reports, decides to divide the land between Mephibosheth and Ziba. I don’t know about you, but my first thought was…that’s not fair! The amazing thing is Mephibosheth’s heart toward David is revealed. His response is amazing and convicting! “Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home.” Mephibosheth cares nothing for his material possessions, he gladly parts with them, let Ziba “take it all.”

Here is a man who lost his father and grandfather at the age of five, at the same time he was crippled. He lives in fear for his life until he is found by David and invited to eat with the King. Now he is falsely accused and of betraying the one he loves. His life is filled with tragedy and yet you detect no bitterness, no thought of himself, only delighted to see the King safely home.

I had to ask myself, would I be so quick to let Ziba take it all? When I hesitated in my heart…I wanted to see from God’s word how Mephibosheth came to love King David so deeply? There are five powerful truths in this passage that God the Holy Spirit used and uses to enable me to say, “let him take it all.” I confess that I was cowering in my spirit as I said it…I’m not there yet… “but one thing I do.” So what are those 5 truths?

Here they are:

1. Great awe, wonder and amazement for the King… “my lord the king is like the angel of God” v. 27
2. Total and absolute surrender to the will and wisdom of the King… “do whatever you think best” v. 27b
3. Amazed at the King’s grace… our “entire family deserves death…but you set your servant among those who eat at your table” v. 28
4. Knowing that we have no rights or claims… “what further rights do I have…?” v. 28
5. Knowing that apart from Christ I am worse than a dead dog… “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?” (2 Sam. 9:8)

We are worse than dead dogs before a Holy God. There are many causes of becoming useless in the ministry, of spiritual weakness; one of the root causes of both is a lack of deep brokenness and humility. While I was rereading The Calvary Road (Hession) and Brokenness (Nancy Leigh DeMoss) I was reminded that when I feel that I deserve something better, better car, home, ministry or maybe I feel like I deserve to be treated better the effect is spiritual weakness and an erosion for my love of Jesus. 

It is amazing to me that this is demonstrated most powerfully to me while I am running!  Yes running!  I have been in the middle of a 6 or 8 mile run...feeling good, doing well, having a sweet prayer time while I run and then all of a sudden a thought will slip into my mind of how someone insulted me or how I did not receive proper recognition for some great thing that I had done:)  Do you hear all the "I's" I am using?  When I allow this thought process to take place and I give it a toe hold...my physical energy is totally sapped and I have to stop running and walk.  It was then I realized that if it is sucking the physical energy out of me what must this do to my spiritual energy?  It does the same thing, you have no spiritual power when you are filled with thoughts of self!

We are all dead dogs, we have been loved, we have been placed at the King’s table, received HIS grace and HIS tender mercies. The way to avoid spiritual weakness and the loss of love is by following Mephibosheth, fixing our eyes on Jesus in admiration, yielding to His wisdom and will, constantly amazed at His grace, having no rights and saying “Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home.”

Your fellow dead dog,

Mark

Let Ziba take it all

Psalm 5:11 talks about God's protection over those who love HIS name...as I read that I thought that I have to know HIS names to be able to love them!  To be able to love a name, any name, you have to have some sense of understanding.  For Diane and I there is deep meaning in the names of our children...we love them and we love their names...we know them and we know their names.

How well do you know HIM and have you ever gazed upon HIS magnificently glorious names?

Psalm 5:11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you.

Psalm 8 speaks to the majesty of God's name in all the earth!  Psalm 8:1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!  You have set your glory above the heavens.   One day I know that Habakkuk 2:14 will be true..."For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea."  Until that day for some amazing reason God has ordained that HIS children tell of the glory and majesty of HIM and HIS name.   Remember 1 Pet 2:9?  "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Psalm 9:10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Let the names begin!

Elohim (el lo him’)  Simply Elohim means HE is God!

The Strong, Faithful, and Only True God

“In the beginning God" (Gen. 1:1).

The almighty Creator identifies Himself as Elohim (usually translated “God”), which is a plural name signifying God’s preeminence nature. This name is used more than 2,500 times in the Old Testament. Elohim, our gives us life and breath to praise Him.  "Let everything that has breath, praise the LORD."

Frequently in the Old Testament when you see a false god, the word "god," in the Hebrew is El.  El is singular and Elohim is plural. 

His majestic power was displayed at the creation...when Elohim speaks things happen, things that were not come into being, when HE speaks the flood waters come to judge the world and various plagues to deliver the Israelites from slavery. It was Elohim who established the covenant with Abraham and his descendants and whose finger wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone.

Elohim is worthy of our worship, praise and adoration because HE is the almighty Creator who faithfully keeps all HIS promises, HE is the all sufficient God who keeps and sustains HIS creation and HIS creatures.  “The Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords...Fear the Lord your God and worship Him and cling to Him. He is your God, the one who is worthy of your praise” (Deuteronomy  10:17, 20, 21).

Father in heaven,

In the precious NAME of Jesus please grant us wisdom to press in to know YOU through YOUR names, to completely and absolutely place our trust and faith in you and to seek YOU with all our heart, soul, mind and strength...Psalm 9:10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Do this for YOUR glory and our JOY in YOU!

love,

m

If you have ever done a study of the names of God you have a sense of how rich and wonderful it can be to seek to know and understand God by gazing upon and feasting on the revelation that HE has provided of HIMSELF through HIS names.

“O Lord, our Lord, the majesty of Your name fills the earth!” Psa. 8:9.

Does your heart burn within you, like the disciples on the road to Emmaus?  Is there something within you that longs to know God more intimately?  God’s glorious names open windows of insight into His divine nature, HIS power, HIS might and burst the door open to intimate fellowship with Him.  Don't get mad at me, but in Revelation 3:20 Jesus is talking to the Church, you and I are the church, when HE says..."behold I stand at the door and knock."  Oh, let's hear HIS voice through HIS names and throw open wide the door and invite the lover of our souls in to fellowship and feast with HIM!

During the time when God gave us HIS precious Word a persons name was significant.  Certainly, it identified the person but it was descriptive of his personality.  Each name that God give us in HIS Holy Word allows us to see a different characteristic, a different manner that God relates to HIS children.  Gazing upon HIS names is of infinite value, benefit and unsearchable blessing to God's children.

Do you want to know God better? Then “glory in His holy name … Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually” Psa. 105:3,4. Each name reveals something about His character, His will, and His commitment to HIS children.

Is your heart, is my heart filled with worship, praise and adoration for the glorious things God has done for you? “Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted” Isa. 12:4. Worship God for how He has revealed Himself through His glorious names and proclaim HIS excellencies to others.  Remember 1 Peter 2:9 "you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

“From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.”  Psalm 113:3

What’s In A Name? 

The names of God provide revelation of God to us, HIS names enable us to know HIM more intimately.  Do you remember the conversation Moses had with God?  Moses said to God, Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’  Exodus 3:13-14 

You may recall a passage we looked at frequently last year when Moses had the audacity to ask God to show him HIS glory...and God did it!  Do you remember how God showed him HIS glory?  This is really cool...“Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”  Exodus 33:18-19  Did you catch that?  The way God allowed Moses to glimpse his glory was by causing HIS goodness to pass in front of Moses and proclaiming HIS name to him.  HIS glory is revealed in HIS name!

Knowing the names of God lead us to worship and adoration of God.  “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!  You have set your glory above the heavens.” Psalm 8:1  “Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.  Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.” Psalm 29:1-2

Knowing the names of God provide shelter, provide a refuge, a shield, and protection in God.  “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10  “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace.   Micah 5:4-5

Knowing the names of God reveals the presence of God’s glory among His people.  “But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling...There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.”  Deuteronomy 12:5-7  “The Lord said to him: “I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. 1 Kings 9:3

Knowing the names of God shows our identification with God.  You are the temple, I am the temple of the Holy Spirit of God.  We are the place where the name of God dwells, your life and my life bears the name of our Holy Father, we bear the name of JESUS by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”  1 Corinthians 3:16  How awesome to know that we bear His name.
“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.”  Ezekiel 36:22-23

God is the gospel and knowing the name of God is power for our salvation.  “Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might.” Psalm 54:1
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4:12

What's in a name? 

Everything...we only scratched the surface!  Over the next few weeks we will prayerfully look at many of the glorious names of our great and awesome God who has invited us to know HIM as Father!  Throw open the door, invite Jesus in to fellowship and feast with you...hear HIS voice and find unsearchable delights in HIS mighty names!

love,

m

The quick answer is yes...then the question becomes how much of God can we know?  Dr. Rogers would frequently say that you have as much of God as you want...the problem is you don't want God, we don't love God, we love our sin.  I believe that Paul confirms this in Romans 1:18-19 when he teachers that, "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them."  In creation God has revealed HIMSELF to HIS creatures, those HE created in HIS own image.  He continues in Romans 1:21, "although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened."  How were their foolish hearts darkened?  Paul tells us in Romans 1:25 "they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen."

If you continue reading Romans chapter 2 we witness something that grieves the heart.  After we learn that "they exchanged the truth about God for a lie," we see that three times it is stated that "therefore God gave them up, God gave them up, God gave them up!  Immediate judgement for sin is more sin!

Rom 1:24  Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,

Rom 1:26  For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature;

Rom 1:28  And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

So when I sin it's God's fault!  NO!  When you and I sin we are responsible and the wages of sin is death!  Remember James chapter one?

James 1:12-18  Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.  16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Can we really know God?  Absolutely, we can know God.  HE has revealed HIMSELF to us through HIS CREATION, you can see HIS finger prints all over creation...the unsearchable design in the human eye alone is astonishing...how does the eye work, is the light that is needed to see waves or particles...the answer is yes.  HIS creation is astonishing...you see unsearchable design everywhere you go. 

Consider this quote from Robert Zastro...you have to love it! 

“The details differ, but the essential elements in the astronomical and biblical accounts of Genesis are the same... This is an exceedingly strange development, unexpected by all but the theologians. They have always believed the word of the Bible. But we scientists did not expect to find evidence for an abrupt beginning because we have had, until recently, such extraordinary success in tracing the chain of cause and effect backward in time... At this moment it seems as though science will never be able to raise the curtain on the mystery of creation. For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”  —Robert Zastrow (One-time Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies)

HIS divine power and eternal nature are clearly visible for all who have eyes to see and ears to hear...taste and see that the LORD IS GOOD!

HE has spoken to us through creation, but most powerfully HE HAS SPOKEN TO US BY HIS SON!  We see this in Heb 1:2..."in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world."   In Romans 8:15 Paul teaches us that we, God's children, "did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”  Do you see it?  We received the Spirit of adoption as sons...we received the Spirit!  What do we know about the Spirit of God?  How does the Spirit of God we received impact our ability to KNOW HIM?

1 Co 1:21  For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.

1 Co 2:14  The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

2 Co 4:3-4  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

John 1:18  No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Jesus has made HIM known, the Spirit of God dwelling within us has made HIM known

Matt 11:25-30  At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Pressing on to know HIM and make HIM known!

love,

m

I did not come right out and say it yesterday, but I was still persuading you to the value of pursuing a study of God...however, please keep in my that this is not just a study about God, we are not only seeking knowledge about God, we are seeking to know HIM intimately.  The Pharisees had a lot of knowledge about God, but they did not know HIM!  Do you remember the hard words of Jesus in Matt 5:20?  "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."  This is impossible apart from the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ...imputed, is nothing more than another word for credited.  When we receive Jesus Christ by faith, when we believe on the LORD Jesus Christ HIS righteousness is credited to us...then and only then may we begin the journey of knowing and loving God! 

In Psalm 147:10-11 we learn that "His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, 11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love."   Remember fear is a reverential awe and wonder, fear is holding the proper honor and respect for the Creator of the universe...constantly holding in mind that this Creator took on human flesh and took my place and your place on the cross.  It was HIS shed blood on the cross that opens the way for us to know HIM intimately...apart from the cross this is impossible!

If Psalm  145:3 is true...and it is, then what do we do?  How do we proceed?  The Psalmist writes, "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable."  If God is unsearchable what in the world do we do?  The verse says unsearchable not unknowable!  We know from other passages God wants us to know HIM...remember Jeremiah 9:23-24 and Hosea 6:6, just to mention a few.  The simple point is this...you and I will NEVER KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT ANY ONE THING ABOUT GOD!  You will never search out and grasp all of God's love!  His love is knowable, but you will never know it exhaustively...HIS grace is knowable, but you will never search out HIS grace and know it exhaustively.  Get it...the Bible does not reveal everything there is to know about God!  The bible reveals what God wants us  to know about HIMSELF!

I have long loved and been convicted by this song of Michael Card's Know you in the now.

 

Echo of history

A light so many strain to see
The One we talk so much about
But rarely ever live it out
Could You tell me why
Was it for this You came and died
A once a week observance
When we coldly mouth Your words
Chorus
Lord I long to see
Your presence in reality
But I don't know how
Let me know You in the now
We should confess
We lose You in our busyness
We've made You in our image
So our faith's idolatry
Lord, deliver me
Break my heart so I can see
All the ways You dwell in us
That You're alive in me

 

I have to ask myself...do I long to know HIM as HE is or as I want HIM to be?  It sounds like an easy answer, it is an easy answer...difficult to live out.

Pressing, pursuing, burning to know YOU as YOU are Father!

love,

m

In 2007 I read a book by Patrick Morley called No Man Left Behind, no, it does not have anything to do with the Left Behind series.  It is interesting to  note that in his book Morley notes that, “You cannot produce worshipers by begging men to worship; you can’t produce tithers by guilting men to give; you can’t create evangelists simply by training men to share. Men will not worship a God they do not know and revere; they won’t give to a God they don’t love; and they won’t share about a God they aren’t passionate about” (No Man Left Behind 22-23).

As I consider what he said and I think about my life and your life...as I think about our church and the church...I have to ask the question are we more focused on behavior modification than we are on life transformation?  Am I more comfortable with a list of do's and don't than I am with pursuing a radical intimate relationship with the sovereign God of the universe.  I can control my list...I can't control HIM!  However, my list is nothing more than behavior modification.

Yesterday I briefly referenced Jeremiah 9:23-24...Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord. 

In Jeremiah we learn that if we are going to boast about anything, we need to boast that we understand and know God!  In Hosea 6:6 God tells us that..."I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."  God does not need our sacrifices, HE does not need our offerings...HE desires our love and HE wants us to know HIM!

Why is God after this?  Is HE lonely?  Is HE on an ego trip?  NO, NO!  Remember HE created us in HIS image and after the fall the Creator had to recreate.  We get a glimpse of what God is up to in 2 Co 3:16-18 "But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

The goal is life transformation, the goal is that we become like Jesus.  We see this further unfold in 2 Co 4:6 "For God, who said, [at creation] “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 

As we behold God the Father in the face of Jesus Christ we are transformed and conformed to HIS image.

Honestly, I am tired of trying to modify my behavior...I can't do it, at least for very long!  Oh how sweet when the Spirit of God moves on you and HE changes your affections and bends them toward HIM...it happens when HE shines the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ...beholding is becoming!

Zec 4:6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.

This past Sunday morning I was walking through one of our halls at church, as I was walking a little girl, (about 4 or 5) walked in front of me so I stopped and let her go by and then I started walking again.  Suddenly I felt a small person grab my leg, head pressed against my hip moving with me.  I stopped and looked down to see the little girl clinging to my leg.  I smiled great big and said "hi baby, are you ok?"  She looked up at me with a stunned look on her face, she quickly let go of my leg and ran to her Dad who was only a few feet away.  I smiled at her Dad and said, "she must have thought that I was you."  We exchanged smiles and good morning greetings and I moved on.

My 3 year old baby girl does this to me all the time and my boys did it when they were younger, so I am used to having someone on my leg...normally it is one of my children.  The next morning I was out for a 8 mile run...that means I have time to think and pray:)  I was thinking about what happened in the little girls mind, that moved her to grab my leg.  I know that the answer is quite simple...she had looked away for a moment and when she looked back she saw what she thought was her Daddy's leg and grabbed on.

I'm not sure how to say what I want to say next so I will just blurt it out.  I cannot tell you how many people I see that have done this and are doing this spiritually.  Put the experience I described above at the Mid-South Fair, and let the little girl grab the leg of a sexual predator and put a little more distance between her and her father...it makes you sick to think about it!  Again, I see people that I dearly love doing the same thing spiritually.  They have grabbed a hold of something that they believe is bringing them a deeper understanding of who God is, they believe this understanding is giving them what they have been missing in their relationship with God and at the end of it they find a wolf in sheep's clothing.  Remember what Paul teaches us in 2 Corinthians 11:14 "No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."

What is your point in all this Mark?  For those of you who have been on this journey with me for the past year, you know the focus, the passion, the delight of our journey has been God's awesome Word.  As I have prayed about whether or not I should continue this "out loud" journaling, I was moved, I believe by the Spirit to shift the focus to the God of the Word.

I believe that God used two main motivators to bring me to this place...possibly three.  First, was spending time praying and meditating on Jeremiah 9:23-24, “This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.”  God is infinitely worthy of devoting our lives seeking to know and understand HIM!  Not only is HE infinitely worthy, but there is an infinite supply of rich food for ours souls and we feast on our God as HE is revealed in HIS precious Word.

Secondly, I picked up my old copy of Tozer's work, Knowledge of the Holy.  Do you see why I picked it up?  It's in the title...Knowledge, knowledge of the Holy.  Tozer says that “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”  Why would he say that it is the most important thing about us...important yes, most important?  He gives us his answer. 

“Were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, ‘What comes into your mind when you think about God?’ we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man. Were we able to know exactly what our most influential religious leaders think of God today, we might be able with some precision to foretell where the Church will stand tomorrow.”
“It is not a cheerful thought that millions of us who live in a land of Bibles, who belong to churches and labor to promote the Christian religion, may yet pass our whole life on this earth without once having thought or tried to think seriously about the being of God. Few of us have let our hearts gaze in wonder at the I AM, the self-existent self back of which no creature can think. Such thoughts are too painful for us. We prefer to think where it will do more good – about how to build a better mousetrap, for instance, or how to make two blades of grass grow where one grew before. For this we are now paying a too heavy price in the secularization of our religion and the decay of our inner lives.”
“The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian Church today is to purify and elevate her concept of God until it is once more worthy of Him...”
—A.W. Tozer

The third motivator is in the first two...there is a spiritual protection that comes with knowing HIM intimately.  The little girl that grabbed my leg actually did the right thing...as soon as she heard my voice she let go!  It was not the voice of her father.  Remember Jesus words in John 10?  4 “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.  5 “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jn 10:27   “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

There is a spiritual protection, there is rich food and true satisfaction for our souls as we press into know HIM and finally Tozer points out our knowledge of HIM determines our spiritual future.

Just so you know, I will continue with the One Year Bible reading plan but my journal will focus on God.  I want to take the next year to prayerfully gaze on HIS Names, HIS attributes or characteristics...to look at things like HIS triune nature, HIS Holiness, HIS grace, mercy, love, HIS self-existence and HIS self-sufficiency.

The other passage that God used to deeply move me this past year is Exodus 33...I won't go into it now, only to say Moses consuming passion was to know God's ways, was to see God's glory and to experience God's presence...that is it!  That is  what I long for in 2009...this is where our souls will be satisfied and we will be filled with joy unspeakable full of  glory!

pursuing HIM together!

love,

m