Showing posts with label Knowing God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knowing God. Show all posts

Saturday, February 14, 2026

Sunday’s Blessing – 2/15/2026 – Take Another Look

Sunday’s Blessing – 2/15/2026 – Take Another Look

One of the most frequently viewed articles on my blog is True vs. Truth About God. It contains an image which illustrates how perspective can play a huge role in how we see things. In the image you see an object (cylinder) whose shadow is being projected on a surface with light from two different directions. In one image (blue) the object appears to be square. The other image (yellow) the object appears to be round. Both are “true” based on perspective, but neither view fully describes the object in question.
 

The reason for this thought was a conversation I had with a friend this week regarding critics of scripture. Some say the Bible is wrought with “errors” because of the various accounts of certain events recorded by different authors. The gospels contain descriptions of events from the writer’s perspective. However, since they are not identical, they are written off as wrong.

Ask two people to describe “red”. You will get two very different descriptions. We need to realize when we hear someone speak about any topic that there could be information being omitted; not maliciously, but simply not something they observed.

Let me try to clarify with an example of something which happened to me. I was driving north on I-65 between Cullman and Lacon when I saw a truck pulled over on the shoulder. What I didn’t see was the object in the road which caused the truck to pull over. It was a gear used to tighten straps to secure the load. When I finally spotted the object, it was too late to swerve around the object. As I straddled it, thinking I avoided contact, my rear axle hit the object, making a very loud noise. I looked in my rearview mirror and noticed both hubcaps from my rear wheels were rolling down the interstate, eventually rolling into the trees on the east side of the road. I didn’t stop at that time since I was on my way to a meeting but made note of the location so I could come back for the hubcaps.

I returned to the spot later that week and began searching for the lost items. I stood on the top of the embankment looking among the trees and underbrush for the hubcaps. There was no sign of them. I then decided to change my perspective. I walked down among the trees and looked again. Amazingly, both hubcaps were located and were not damaged at all.

When it comes to understanding God, and the scripture, we need to take a second look before forming an opinion on the meaning of what we see. It could make a huge difference in how our lives will be impacted. This very thing is what prompted my study of the Names of God so many years ago. I wanted to understand more about this One we called God. I wanted to know His character, His nature, His motivations, His ways.

What does all of this have to do with Valentine’s Day weekend? Nothing really, except for the fact that some believe love is blind. I can never agree with that. Love, in my opinion, is when you fully realize who someone is, and then love them anyway. God loves us without reserve. The only way we can fully give ourselves to Him, or anyone else, is to gain trust that they will receive us unconditionally. That is true love.

Now for today’s blessing:

I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you. Jeremiah 31:3b (ESV)

And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. Exodus 33:17-19 (ESV)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7 (ESV)

Thursday, January 1, 2026

Sunday’s Blessing – 1/4/2026 – The Year Ahead

Sunday’s Blessing – 1/4/2026 – The Year Ahead

I’m not big on numerology. Some base their life on it like a horoscope. I’m more prone to follow what I believe to be the leading of the Holy Spirit, Who always leads us toward peace. However, I do like to take a look at the meaning of numbers from the Bible, not for direction, but for confirmation. Take a look at what this year’s number means:

In the Bible, the number 26 is significant through its connection to God's sacred name, YHWH (Yahweh), whose Hebrew letters (Yod, Heh, Waw, Heh) sum to 26, symbolizing divine presence and perfection, while the biblical book of Numbers 26 details the crucial second census of the new Israelite generation ready to enter the Promised Land, signifying new beginnings, God's faithfulness to His covenant, and judgment on the rebellious former generation. 

The reason I like this so much is because it is true every year! God has promised those who are in covenant with Him that He would be present in us (via the Holy Spirit) forever, and that He would continue to work in us toward completion of perfection, the image of His Son, Jesus! Also, as I mentioned last week about the New Year, every day is a New Beginning in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Regardless of what is behind you, there is hope for a better future. As saw in the weeks of celebrating Advent, the Messiah came to bring Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love. Those things are not just for feeling around the yule log sipping cider or hot chocolate. Those same four things are God’s desire for you every single day. When the pipe bursts or the car dies or the child is sick or you are late for work or … hope is still available; joy can still be found; peace can slow your heart rate and lower your blood pressure; love is always a possible response. These are not obtained through self-will, motivational TED Talks, or crystals (nothing inherently wrong with any of that) but will be manifest when the acknowledgement of the presence of the Prince of Peace, the Hope of Heaven, the Joy of the Lord, and the Agape Love of God.

These are not trite catch-phrases learned in church. These are descriptions of the various aspects of God Himself. Just as you can know a person (friend, spouse, co-worker) in many different ways (e.g. spouse can be friend, lover, confidant, one who meets your needs, one whose needs you can meet, co-laborer in house chores/repairs, co-explorer in adventures on vacation or at the mall, etc.) God is multifaceted and is to be sought after in order to discover the many ways He impacts your life.

That is the motivation behind my fascination with the Names of God. It’s not a hobby. It’s a deep dive into learning more about the One who loves me most. The more you discover the more ways you can relate to Him and to His ways. Learn His character so when you encounter something that is not from Him you will quickly recognize it. Become aware of His presence in every aspect of your life. It’s not a New Year’s resolution, it’s a way of life.

Today’s Blessing:

Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Savior. Isaiah 45:15 ESV
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 
For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8 ESV
Because He is not hiding from you, but for you!

…but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. Daniel 11:32b ESV
Jesus said, “But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word.” John 8:55 ESV
Jesus said, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9b ESV
When you receive Christ, He will reveal the Father to you, then you can live!