Take Comfort in "The Name"

     Scripture teaches us a powerful truth in 2 Peter 1:3:  "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence.."  Did you catch it?  God, by His divine power, has not only called us to salvation, but He has also given us full provision to live a life that glorifies Him in godly living.  We cannot earn salvation nor do we have the power to change our lifestyle.  However, as we humbly come before God in sincere repentance, He gives us a new heart.  Yet, His provision for us is not at an end.
     This past Sunday in our Sunday School class, we discussed how to "adore" God as taught in the Lord's Prayer.  Most of us in the class had never considered the phrase "Hallowed be thy name" and what it really means to believers.  There is so much more revealed about God's character in the names He is known by.  In fact, we learned that the Jewish people so revered God's name that they refused to use the name or write it on their documents or buildings.  Even today, many Jewish people write God as G-d to show their respect for His holiness.
     When we look at the names for God, we begin to see how the Lord provides all we need for life and godliness.  The book "Studies on the Sermon on the Mount" by Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones includes these descriptions:  "El means His 'strength'; Elohim means 'His power'; Jehovah means 'the self-existent One', 'I Am that I Am';  Jehovah Jireh 'the Lord will provide'; Jehovah Rapha, 'the Lord that healeth'; Jehovah-nissi, 'the Lord our banner'; Jehovah Shalom, 'the Lord our peace'; Jehovah-ra-ah, 'the Lord our Shepherd'; Jehovah-tsidkenu, 'the Lord our righteousness'; Jehovah-shammah, 'the Lord is present' (Studies on the Sermon on the Mount, pg 334).  Do we understand that God here presents Himself as the fulfillment of all we need?  In Him, we are complete.  Without Him, we stumble in the darkness.
     When I think that God first sought us when we as yet did not seek Him, and then, sent His only Son to die for our sins, I am amazed.  Then, as if salvation were not enough, God places within us His Holy Spirit to guide and teach us all truth.
     His provision is total and in this, we should take comfort.  Whatever weighs us down is no match for the power of His Name...the Name above all Names.  Today, let us be encouraged to think on the names of God, His holiness, His righteousness, and remember that we are His children through the blood of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, He will care for us as a tender shepherd.  No matter what the burdens He will provide all we need for life and godliness "through the knowledge of Him"  Selah!

An "Ah Ha" Moment

     A couple of weeks ago, my dear husband and I traveled to see our son and daughter-in-law for the weekend.  We attended church with them on Sunday morning and our daughter-in-law read a passage of Scripture that was eye opening to me.  I had heard it many times before and read it myself but on this particular day, it really spoke to me.  That is one reason why I love Scripture reading so much.  The Bible is truly alive and active in our lives if we will take time to sit in the presence of God through the pages of His Word.

     Her Scripture reading came from Romans 5:1-11:  “Therefore since we have been  justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  For while we were still weak, at just the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die – but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Since therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved to him from the wrath of God.  For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.  More than that, we also rejoice to God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

     What a passage of Scripture this is!  Throughout this section, there are words of encouragement to be found in a day and age when encouragement is in scarce supply.  Consider some of these points that the Apostle Paul makes.   First, we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  While there may be war in this world or conflict between our neighbors, we can live in and experience complete peace with God.  Our broken relationship with Him has been mended and made new again.  Secondly, we not only experience peace, but our relationship with Christ has given us access to God.  We can go to Him day and night with all our requests, needs, hurts and praise.  No longer is there is barrier or chasm that separates us.

 

     Another blessing of our relationship with Christ is found in the ability to face suffering.  We now have hope.  While our trials are not necessarily pleasant, we know that God will use what the enemy means for evil and He will use it to build endurance in our lives.  This endurance will, in turn, produce character which leads to hope.  It is a winning situation.  Without Christ, our trials did not produce hope.  In fact, they often led to despair. Now, however, the reverse is true.  How great and mighty our God is!

     A fourth aspect of this passage of God’s Word deals with the Holy Spirit which is given to every believer at the time they accept Jesus Christ as Savior.  Having the Spirit live within us brings about change.  We are filled with God’s love and able to see things from His perspective where we could not before.  The Holy Spirit guides, teaches, comforts and leads us to know our heavenly Father and understand His Word.  There is no one like Him and God has placed Him in our hearts!

     For me, verse 6 really jumped out.  It reads:  “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”  I take comfort in these words which point to the perfection of God’s timing.  Christ came at just the right time!  God is Sovereign and has a plan both in terms of salvation and specifically a plan to use our lives to His glory.  Isn’t that exciting?  It is to me!  We do not need to give up if something doesn’t come to pass according to our timetable.  It will be done if the Lord wants it to be completed.  So, we can rest in that and trust in Him.

     A final blessing comes in the knowledge that we are reconciled with God.  We were separated from our Creator by sin in our life but through the death of His Son Jesus Christ, we are now reconciled to God.  This healing of relationship also leads to more stable relationships with those around us.  When we can love like God does, we can build healthy friendships, marriages and parenting skills.  This is where it all begins…with that reconciliation. 

     When I listened to this passage read, it really was an “Ah Ha” moment for me.  It really summarizes all that God has done for us and should give us encouragement each day.  Ponder this passage and meditate on it.  I guarantee that it will bring you an “A Ha” moment as well.   Selah!

PS  To all my readers, my husband and I will be shortly heading off for our 40th wedding anniversary on a wonderful trip abroad.  I am planning to take my trusty IPAD so I can post on my blog and send photos from the places we travel.  This is a very special celebration for us.  Hard to believe it has been 40 years!  So...bear with me....for the next few weeks, my format will be a little different than usual.  However, I hope you enjoy looking through my eyes at the things we will discover.

I welcome your thoughts and insights here.  Please feel free to leave a comment.