Who He Is

For me, discovering Who God is was a pivotal point in my walk with Him.  Years ago I did a Kay Arthur study about the names of God and was strengthened in my faith because of it.  As the years have progressed, I find that I need to be reminded of just Who this God is that I love and have surrendered my life to.  Each time I am reminded of Who He is I fall more and more deeply in love with and committed to Him forever.  Every time I am more in awe of Him and humbled into greater submission to Him and His will.  He is truly more than I can ever think or imagine Him to be.  No wonder humans cannot see His face and live.  We don’t yet have our immortal bodies that are able to witness Him and all of His glory.  We would just melt before Him.  

Just a few reminders of Who He is....

Creator (Gen. 1:1)

He is the maker of EVERYTHING.  Before He spoke it all into existence, there was absolutely nothing.  Who do you know that can do that?  Certainly no human.  Only the One and Only God of all the earth can do that.  The best part, though, comes in Genesis 1:27- “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them.”  You and I were created by God Himself to be just like Him.  Wow... what a Creator we have!!!

Shepherd (Psalm 23)

God is the One Who shows us the way to go (if we will only listen and obey).  He leads us into the places and circumstances that will make us more like Him.  I’m amazed at He lovingly leads me into the valleys, cares for me, guides me and brings me out the other side.  It’s then that I realize how much He has changed me in the process.  I look a little more like my Father afterwards.  He loves us so much that He leads us into the valleys and onto the mountain tops to make us more like Himself.  Such a loving God we serve. 

Healer (Exodus 15:26, Isaiah 61:1-3)

He is the One Who heals all our diseases, our broken hearts, and our wounds. Ever since the fall of man in Genesis 3 humanity has been broken.  Even though we may go to the world’s methods of healing, only God and God alone can do the actual healing.  HE is the Healer and He has purpose for each kind of healing.  Some healings come here on earth, some come when we leave these mortal bodies and go to Heaven, and some healings are in the grace to accept what the Lord has allowed into our lives for His eternal purposes.  The Bible calls these last ones “light and momentary afflictions” (II Corinthians 4:17)  When I realize that, no matter what pain comes into my life, God can heal it all.  Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!!!  

Dwelling Place, Refuge, Shield, Fortress, Strong Tower (Psalm 91)

God is our place of protection and security.  No matter what is going on around us, HE is faithful, true and always there.  He is Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:22-23), God With Us.  He never leaves us nor forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5).  He is our Safe Place.  In His arms we can rest, catch our breath, and be comforted by His peace.  Where else can you find perfect peace?  No where...

Perfect Provider (Genesis 22:13-14)

No matter what your need is, God can and will provide it.  Just as He provided the ram in the bush for Abraham, He will provide just what you need when you need it.  My problem (and it may be yours) is that His timing is perfect and mine is not.  Although I’m getting better about that, I have much to learn in this area.  The Truth is that He will meet ALL your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ. (Philippians 4:19).  You can depend on Him for that... ALWAYS!

Lord and King (Psalm 16:2, Revelation 17:14, Revelation 19:16)

He is Almighty God and Lord of all.  This says it all to me...”They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings-- and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.”  No one wins against the Lord of lords and King of kings... no one!  

Abba Father (Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6)

I love this Name.  When I use this Name I feel most intimate with my Lord because this Name means “Daddy”.  Christ cried out to His Abba Father in the Garden of Gethsemane when He was in agony.  I’m so thankful that we don’t have to wait until we are in crisis to use this Name.  As you seek Him earnestly and intimately, this Name will become “normal” for you to use as you call on Him.  When I think of my Abba Father, I visualize myself crawling up into His lap and feeling His comforting arms around me.  True peace.

Savior (John 3:16, Matthew 1:21)

Christians know this Name best of all.  Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son, is the One Who came from the glory of Heaven to a fallen world on Earth to give His life as a sacrifice for our sins.  The most selfless and loving act of all.  Apart from His sacrifice, we have no hope.  Thank You, Lord, for redeeming us through your Son’s sacrifice. 

Yes, these are just a few of the wonderful Names of our God.  There are SO many others... Truth, Way, Life, Bread of Life, Door, Light, the God Who sees, Resurrection, Peace, Alpha and Omega, Warrior, The Lord My Banner, Rock, Judge, God Most High, Master, God Almighty, Friend and the list goes on...

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and goodness.” (II Peter 1:3)

Grace

As I began considering what my next blog would be about, I realized that I myself needed a better, more defined understanding of the meaning of God’s grace.  I’ve used the terms for many years, but somehow never really fully understood what I was talking about.  So now I decided to find a meaning of the word “grace” that I could more fully understand.  This is what I found.  

As I searched through a Bible dictionary and Nave’s Topical Bible (love my Nave’s), I discovered a simple definition for grace that make sense to me.  Grace is God’s undeserved kindness to man.  That I could understand better.  As I read further I came to understand that His grace comes to us in two different ways... first, in our salvation through Jesus Christ and second, in His enabling us to live the Christian life after we have become a new creation in Christ.  Check out these verses that confirm these. 

  “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even

          when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)

 

  “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the

          riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” 

          (Ephesians 1:7-8)

  “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I 

          worked harder than all of them — yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” 

          (I Corinthians 15:10) 

As I continued to think about God’s grace, it dawned on me that God certainly does not HAVE to extend His grace to us.  God doesn’t HAVE to do anything for His creations.  However, out of His great and magnificent love for us, He does just that.  He extends His hand of kindness, mercy, faithfulness, and love to every one of His creations.  (Oooo, that’s another topic for another day)  Frankly, I’m so thankful that He does.  I’d certainly never be able to get along without Him, His Word, and His moment by moment grace.  Despite the fact that God is our Judge, is holy, and is perfect, God pours out His unconditional love for fallen humanity.  Indeed, what an awesome God He is!  This is just how awesome He is...

 

  “The LORD reigns forever; He has established His throne for judgment.  He will judge the world in

           righteousness; He will govern the peoples with justice.” (Psalm 9:7-8)

  “Our Redeemer — the LORD Almighty is His name — is the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 47:4)

  “Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under

          his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who 

          was, and is, and is to come.” (Revelation 4:8)

  “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take 

          refuge in Him.“  (II Samuel 22:31)

Then I couldn’t help but think about how depraved this humanity is that God loves so much.  

  “As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10) 

  “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)

In light of His perfection and holiness, His salvation is even more amazing and miraculous to me.  I am humbled to be His child, saved by His grace through belief in the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ for me.  I would not want anyone to face a Christ-less eternity, so I offer this plea to any person who has not yet accepted God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.  It’s a simple decision of your heart in which you realize your sinfulness, turn from your rebellious ways against the Lord, and ask the Lord to save you.  This says it so much better than I...

  “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised

          Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified,

          and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10) 

  “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)

  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 

          (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Thank You, Lord, for new life in You.  

Yes, God’s grace is truly amazing.  It not only saves us... it enables us to grow in Him.  Amazing... just amazing.

A Beginning

Except for God Himself, everything has a beginning.  This is my beginning in the world of blogging.  I am eager to see how this beginning will blossom into whatever the Lord wants this to be.  I can’t wait to see what that will be.    

As for God, He has no beginning and no end.  He has always been and will always be.  He IS the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega.  As I try to wrap my mind about that, it is more than I can conceive.  God has always been and no one “created” Him.  He just is.  

“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 3:11

“‘I tell you the truth, Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’”  John 8:58

How humbling that is as I ponder these scriptures.  The God of everything that is will forever be.  At no time has He not existed.  Never... ever.  He is so much bigger and so much more than this mere human can understand or imagine.  How absolutely unimaginable and how unbelievably comforting that is at the same time.  He is God and He IS for all of time and eternity.  Awesome!  Praise be to the Almighty God Who was and is and ever will be!