Sunday's Blessing - 08/30/2026 - The Word (Jesus)

Sunday's Blessing - 08/30/2026 - The Word (Jesus)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

John 1:1-3 (ESV)

The Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit) is a difficult thing for humans to comprehend. We can see pictures of it in our world, like that of water; it exists as a solid (ice), a liquid (water), and a gas (steam), yet it is all water. Theologians have attempted to describe it in terms of the human form; we are a spirit, we have a soul, and we live in a body. However, the Trinity goes one step beyond either of these analogies. They are all Three God at the same time!

Prior to the blessed event in Bethlehem where Mary gave birth to a Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, and named Him Jesus, the Son already existed. He is eternal just like the Father and the Holy Spirit are eternal. Prior to taking on human form as the man, Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, was known as The Word. You find Him there in Gensis 1:

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 1:3 (ESV)

The “words” being released was that of The Word, Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Messiah, the Soon Coming King. Hebrews clarifies this for us:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but 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. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Hebrews 1:1-4 (ESV)

Everything exists (upheld) “by the word of his power.” 

Years ago, physicists discovered something they called a quark. Up to this point, the atom was basically understood as a nucleus made up of protons and neutrons, with electrons orbiting the nucleus. With advances in technology, they were able to look closer and discovered the protons, neutrons, and electrons were not the foundational elements. They, too, were made up of other things. Upon intense study, the quark was discovered. The unusual nature of this thing puzzles the physicists. A quark displays properties of both solid matter PLUS that of a sound wave. The conclusion was this: all matter that we can see is made of sound (that which does not appear).

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. Hebrews 11:3 (ESV)

In Genesis 1, God spoke through The Word (2nd Person of the Trinity) and everything came into being, and it continues to exist, being held up by those original words. Eternity had become visible!

Remember, God made us in His image (Trinity) which was mentioned earlier as humans being made up of a spirit, soul, and body. Also, as one aspect of being created “like” God, our words have creative power. Look at the encounter between Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Gabriel, who came to explain God’s plan for saving the world. In my opinion, the Holy Spirit conceived Jesus in Mary’s womb the moment she spoke the words, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Luke 1:48 (ESV)

Mary’s words, coupled with the promise from the Father, “created” an embryo in her womb which became the “Word made flesh!” The Creator has now become the Created – the quark transformed into an atom. Sound solidified into matter.

Imagine the power contained in words because of The Word, so that when you get in agreement with what He has said about you, nothing is impossible!

Sunday's Blessing - 08/23/2026 – Jehovah-Hoseenu – The Lord our Maker

Sunday's Blessing - 08/23/2026 – Jehovah-Hoseenu – The Lord our Maker

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 

Psalm 95:6 (ESV)

Have you ever known for a fact that you were in trouble? When your mom uses your full name? Or your dad uses “that voice”? Or when you see the blue lights in your rear-view mirror? Or when the boss says, “We need to talk”? In Psalm 95, the writer knew Israel was in trouble with God. He is imploring the nation to come back to God, by acknowledging Him as Jehovah-Hoseenu, the Lord, our Maker!

When you create something, you have complete authority over it. The psalmist is inviting Israel back to the feet of their Creator to acknowledge His authority over them. God chose Israel as His own, to carry out His plan of redemption for mankind by bringing the Messiah through their bloodline.

O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. Psalm 95:6-7 (ESV)

This is not a call to submit as slaves to an “angry God” as some evangelicals have framed it. This is a petition of responding to the love and grace of the One who loves us most. This should be the cry of the Church, not the “if you don’t come, God will get you” jargon that you hear so often from pulpits. Lost souls will be more likely to hear the message of Jesus and His redemption if it is framed in the context of love and acceptance. Let them encounter Jesus before trying scare the hell out of them. As C.S. Lewis stated it, “The fierceness of hell (separation from God) can only truly be understood after you learn what being with God (heaven) is all about.”

This is the message of the psalmist, imploring Israel to return to the comfort of worshiping Jehovah-Hoseenu, The Lord, Our Maker, so they do not have to experience His wrath. They can instead find joy and peace at the foot of the throne of God.

Sunday's Blessing - 08/02/2026 - The Names of God - El Gibbor - Mighty God

Sunday's Blessing - 08/02/2026 - The Names of God - El Gibbor – Mighty God

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV) 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God (El Gibbor), Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The majority of the time, when you see Jesus portrayed in film, books, and art, you see the “gentle” Jesus, one who is compassionate, long-suffering, tender-hearted, and quiet in nature. However, there is another side to this Man who came as the Messiah to save mankind. You see this in the cleansing of the temple when He chased out the money changers with a whip, or when cornered on the brow of a bluff where the crowd was about to throw Him off, He “walked through the midst of them.” In this prophetic scripture from Isaiah, he speaks of one coming who would be all of these things: Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father. But one of these names stands out as being a little more than gentle – Mighty God.

The Hebrew words used to express this name is El Gibbor, which means, “champion, chief, excel, giant, man, mighty man, one, strong man”, according to Strong’s Concordance. Yes, it could mean strength of character, implying Jesus was still the passive man portrayed in media. However, the word “gibbor” also means, “warrior or tyrant.” I picture a character more like Maximus, portrayed by Russell Crowe in the movie “Gladiator,” who only fought when he had to; but he would fight.

Perhaps when Isaiah’s words were first spoken, people scratched their heads trying to imagine one person embodying all of these characteristics: Wonderful Counselor – one who can listen intently to understand what you’re going through, then give sage advice which truly changes your life; Everlasting Father – a trusted mentor to teach how life is to be lived by showing his children daily by the way he lives; Prince of Peace – one who always seeks mediation to quell the tension and provide a win-win in every brokered agreement. But Isaiah adds a curveball in what was otherwise an at-bat with easy underhanded tosses toward the plate. This gentle giant would also wield a sword which would eventually topple the demonic kingdom that held the world captive. He would be El Gibbor, the Mighty God, who would save man from spiritual death by conquering the Serpent from Eden by crushing his head on Calvary.

This mix of temperament found in one Man became evident when Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” The responses could not be more varied. Consider these which had apparently been spoken to the disciples by those who had watched Jesus do what He did. “Some say you are John the Baptist returned from the dead.” This man, John, wore animal skin, ate locust and wild honey, and challenged the current religious and political establishments of his day. There was nothing passive about, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness; make His paths straight.”

“Others say you are Elijah.” This man, Elijah, challenged the followers of Baal to a showdown on the mountain to end the debate about whose God is more powerful. (see 1 Kings 18) After an open display of God’s power, Elijah then killed 450 prophets of Baal. That is far from soft-spoken. That is blatant domination of the evil which spoke against the Kingdom of God.

“There are also those who say you are Jeremiah.” This man, Jeremiah, was referred to as The Weeping Prophet, because of the heavy heart he carried for God’s people, Israel. Clearly there were some examples of this behavior shown by Jesus. Perhaps when He said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how I long to gather your children, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.” Matthew 23:37

You see now how this Messiah spoken of by the prophets would come to earth to represent God in human form. He would epitomize the phrase God used with Moses when asked, “Who should I tell them sent me?” God responded with, “I AM!” This phrase in Hebrew means, “I will be what I will be.” The interpretation of this tells us that God will be whatever is needed in the moment. So, when Jesus presented such varied behavior to evoke the responses shared by the disciples, He was simply being “I AM”. 

It's good to know that wherever you find yourself at any moment in your life, you have a God Who is well able to meet you where you are and take you to where you need to be. Allow Him to be El Gibbor, Mighty God, to bring you back into fellowship with the Father and live life as the king or queen you were created to be.

Sunday's Blessing - 07/05/2026 - God of Jeshurun (Upright - a Name for Israel)

Sunday's Blessing - 07/05/2026 - God of Jeshurun (Upright - a Name for Israel)

One of the first books I wrote was The Names of God. It has quite a few names (or phrases) describing God's character and and nature. Recently I started writing on this topic again. One of the most recent is God of Jeshurun. I wanted to share it here. Let me know your thoughts.

God of Jeshurun (Upright - a Name for Israel)

Deuteronomy 33:26 (ESV) 

There is none like God, O Jeshurun,

who rides through the heavens to your help,

through the skies in his majesty.

If there was ever a human who knew the character and nature of God, with the possible exception of Adam and Eve, Moses would be at the top of the list. God revealed Himself to Moses in so many ways during his lifetime: the fiery visits on Mt. Sinai, passing before him in the cleft of the rock, the face-to-face visits in the Tabernacle, and the list goes on.

The last time Moses spoke to Israel before his death, he gave a blessing to each tribe which made up the people of God, His Chosen People. While speaking to Asher (which means “happy one”), Moses said, “May Asher be the most blessed of sons; may he be the most favored among his brothers and dip his foot in oil.” Deuteronomy 33:24 (ESV). He followed that with the comment about “the God of Jeshurun” riding through the heavens to your aid.

Jeshurun is used four times in scripture to refer to Israel; three times in Deuteronomy and once in Isaiah. It means “upright one.” After all that had occurred the previous forty years in the wilderness, and the four hundred and thirty years before that in Egypt, God now refers to Israel as His “Upright One.” Shortly after this talk from Moses, Israel would finally cross the Jordan and take possession of the Promised Land. God, speaking through Moses, gave them a promise in the blessing for Asher that He would be their God and would come to their aid.

This blessing given to Asher was the last words Moses spoke. He ended the blessing with, “Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs.” Deuteronomy 33:29 (ESV)

The wonderful truth about this scripture is it applies to us, the Church, as well. We have not taken Israel’s place as the Chosen Ones, but through the blood of Jesus we have been made “Upright Ones” by redemption. The God of Jeshurun not only came to the aid of Israel, but He also comes to our aid to enforce the New Covenant which includes better promises. God no longer “rides through the skies in His majesty” to get to us because He indwells us by the Holy Spirit. He is ever-present to comfort, protect, guide, or empower – whatever is needed – in the life of His sons and daughters.

Let us live as Asher – the Happy One – as we are the most blessed because of the favor shown to us by our Lord, knowing the same God of Jeshurun is also our God. We have been “dipped” in the oil of the Holy Spirit, anointed for service of the King of kings and Lord of lords. We, too, have “the shield of your help and the sword of your triumph!” As Christians, we have the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, as described in Ephesians 6.

Seeing how God interacts with His people, Israel, and later His Church, shows so much about His character and nature. He loved Israel and would call them by different names to reflect the love He had for them then, and now us. We live from the position of knowing God considers us to be “upright” because of Jesus’ sacrifice. We have the freedom to be happy without the weight of guilt and condemnation now that we have been reconciled to the Father as His own.

Receive the blessing Moses gave to Asher as your own. The Father loves you so much!