Sunday’s Blessing – 06/29/2025 – Knowing God

Sunday’s Blessing – 06/29/2025

The worship pastor at the church I attend shared a new song (to me anyway) last Sunday called, “That’s My King.” Prior to sharing the song, he spoke of finding more ways to express our love and adoration in our worship, which exactly what the author of “That’s My King” did. This is one of the main reasons I started writing.

While on a prayer retreat with a group of ministers, one of who was Will McFarlane, I was challenged to find new ways to express how I feel about the Lord. Will gave an example of how a husband communicates with his wife. Let’s say her name was Jane. If the only word he ever used in speaking to her was “Jane”, the level of intimacy would never progress. Can you imagine Jane being thrilled to hear her husband say, “Hi Jane. What’s for dinner, Jane. What would you like to watch on tv, Jane. Jane, you look nice. Jane, would you bring me a drink. I really love you, Jane.”

Most couples develop a whole vocabulary for speaking to their spouse. “Sweetie, honey, sugar, precious, darling, love, etc.” It lets them know they are more than just “Jane”, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but communicates at an emotional level instead of topical.

I left the retreat with a determination to learn new language to use in worship. Read the Psalms, Song of Solomon, Job, Proverbs, etc., and observe how the authors say more than “God, Jesus, Lord, etc.” I then challenged my praise team at the time to look for other “names” for God found in scripture. Together we came up with over 300. I then spent almost a year writing about each of these names. So far I’ve only covered about 247, but have also added about 200 more names to the original list. I published a book with the first 201 names called, The Names of God, available on Amazon. I hope to publish a sequel at some point with 164 more, making the list 365 names; one for each day of the year.

Daniel wrote these words in his Old Testament book called by his name: “… but the people who do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” Daniel 11:32

Let’s get to know God more intimately and see what He can do through us.

Now for today’s blessing:

May you be like Moses with whom God shared His deepest secrets

By showing himself faithful to steward all he had been given

To the point of being used to deliver God’s chosen people to a Promised Land

Just so He could show them how to rest

May you be like Abraham who took God at His word

Because he believed God to be trustworthy

And through Abraham, God brought about a people of His own

Through whom the Messiah came to make a way for all to be redeemed

May you be like Paul, who admittedly was not perfect

But determined to accomplish God’s purpose in his life at any cost

Who wrote the majority of the New Testament

And brought the message of Christ to an entire race of people estranged from God

The Names of God - The Propitiation for Our Sins (Jesus)

The Propitiation for Our Sins (Jesus)

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.  

1 John 2:2 (ESV)

There are a few words in scripture that really capture my attention, mainly because they are not part of everyday language, yet have such deep meaning. Propitiation is one of these words. It literally is the crux of the matter when it comes to our salvation. Without it, we would still be lost.

When God met with Moses on the mountain and laid out the plan to redeem Israel and seal them as His chosen people, the plans for the tabernacle were given, along with everything which would happen in it. 

They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” Hebrews 8:5 (ESV)

There is so much here it would take a few volumes to explain it all. Let’s just look at this one piece called the propitiation.

Every year the high priest would enter the Holy Place to offer atonement for the people. Time was spent preparing the lamb for sacrifice. Additional time was spent preparing the priest for his ministry in the Holy Place.

When the time came, the “spotless lamb” was sacrificed on the altar. Some of the blood was saved and used in the purification process of the high priest. Then the high priest would take the blood into the Holy Place were God’s presence met him between the cherubim of the Ark of the Covenant. Once there the high priest would place the blood on the Mercy Seat. It was in this moment the blood became the propitiation, the one thing which God declared would stay His wrath from the people. Sin had to be dealt with, but the propitiation became the payment to cover the sins of mankind.

In Hebrews, the writer (whom I believe to be Paul) described the New Testament version of the tabernacle; not the replica which Moses built, but the real one in Heaven. Everything Israel did in the Tabernacle of Moses in the wilderness was just a picture of what God planned to do in the real tabernacle in Heaven. For THE Propitiation (the blood of Jesus) to cancel sins of all mankind “once for all” there would have to be a “spotless lamb” and a High Priest qualified to enter THE Holy Place in Heaven to offer the blood sacrifice on the REAL Mercy Seat.

He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. Hebrews 7:27 (ESV)

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 1 Peter 1:17–19 (ESV)

This is why Jesus commanded those who saw Him immediately after the resurrection not to touch Him.

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” John 20:17 (ESV)

He had not yet been to the Holy Place in Heaven to offer the “once for all” propitiation to pay the debt created by sin. Later He instructed His followers to “touch me.”

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” John 20:27 (ESV)

The difference between seeing Mary and seeing Thomas was the visit to the Holy Place. He also imparted the Holy Spirit to them because He had been to see His Father.

There is so much more here than can be addressed in this format. I hope you will dig into this for yourself. It is the difference between life and death, spiritually speaking. Because Jesus offered Himself, His own blood, as THE Propitiation, we can be saved!

The Names of God - The Justifier of Him Which Believeth in Jesus

The Justifier of Him Which Believeth in Jesus

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Romans 3:26

The practice of using what is known in the preaching circles of “proof texts” has sometimes lulled us to sleep to the point that we miss the surrounding verses. This is the practice of taking one verse, usually out of context, in order to prove a particular part of one’s theology. One example of this is 1 Corinthians 2:9:

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9 (KJV)

This verse appears on greeting cards and is used liberally around milestone events in the lives of loved ones, such as graduation, etc. It sounds poetic, full of wonder and speculation as to what the future holds. However, God would never leave His children without direction, without a sense of purpose and plan. It wasn’t until I finally read the next verse that my angst was removed. Some of you may have never read it, so here it is:

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 1 Corinthians 2:10 (KJV)

But!! How could this conjunction be ignored by anyone studying scripture? God has left us in the dark regarding His plans for us. He gave us His Spirit to abide in us, to lead us, direct our steps, and help us find His plans, purposes, and pursuits.

That is not the topic of this Names of God installment but is necessary to illustrate what we are about to see regarding God being the Justifier of Him Which Believeth in Jesus. 

Growing up in an evangelical church, I learned the Roman’s Road, a series of verses from the book of Romans which can be used to lead someone to Christ. The first of these verses is Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Those words are in the Bible, and they are true. However, they do not accurately express what Paul is trying to communicate to the Roman Church in this passage of scripture. Let’s take a closer look. First of all, read the verse in context with what comes before and after.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. 

For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:21–26. (ESV)

Honestly, today was the first time in sixty-four years of living that I ever knew the context of this verse. The evangelical church was so sin-conscious that they totally missed the point Paul was trying to express. The Law says, “All have sinned.” Righteousness has been restored through Jesus Christ. Notice the conjunction, “and.” It’s the same as the passage in 1 Corinthians where two opposing statements are joined together to make a much stronger truth. Romans 3:23 is not even a complete sentence. Paul declares, 

“There is no distinction between what the Law did to bring us to repentance and what faith in Jesus Christ did to bring us into righteousness.” 

We have all sinned AND we have all been justified through our identification with Christ. This is much better “Good News” than just learning we are “dirty rotten sinners.” So much more! Once you see this truth in Romans 3:23-24, verses 25-26 makes so much more sense:

This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 

God has always wanted to redeem man. It was His plan in the Garden. It was His plan when He made covenant Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was His plan when He made covenant with Israel. Even the giving of the Law to demonstrate the sinfulness of man was part of the plan of redemption. This is what Paul is trying to communicate here. All have sinned AND we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

Do not allow the truth of the gospel to be lost in proof texts. Find out the fullness of the promises made in the “new” covenant we have with our Creator, the Justifier of Him Which Believeth in Jesus.

The Names of God - Messenger of the Covenant

Messenger of the Covenant

Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:1

You cannot separate Jesus from The Covenant. As a matter of fact, The Covenant doesn’t even make sense without Jesus. John 1 tells us how “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Jesus has been from the beginning. In creation, He was The Word. The original covenant made with mankind came through The Word. When God spoke to Abraham, it was The Word who brought the covenant which made Abraham into a great nation. When God spoke to Moses at the bush and on the mountain, it was The Word who spelled out the covenant made with Israel.

Jesus changed time when He “became flesh”. Time used to be described by B.C. and A.D., which stood for “before Christ” and “Anno Domini”, meaning 'in the year of the Lord' (later changed to B.C.E. and C.E.). No other person affected the world like Jesus.

The reason for His coming was clear – to make a new covenant with mankind. And who was better qualified to do this but Jesus? No one, because He was the Messenger of the Covenant! There was a forerunner so we would know when the “messenger” arrived. John the Baptist came declaring the coming of “One whose shoelaces I am unworthy to untie.” 

Then, through a virgin named Mary, by a “word” given through the angel, Gabriel, The Word became flesh; Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The Messenger of the Covenant had returned to earth, but this time in the body of a man. The Second Adam was now here to begin the completion of what the Old Covenant had started. The “schoolmaster”, as the Old Covenant was called (Galatians 3:24) brought us to a place of realizing the need for a Savior. Blood sacrifices on a brazen alter could only cover sins. There was a need for a Spotless Lamb who could place the blood (the propitiation) on the heavenly mercy seat to once and for all remove sin from mankind.

This was the Good News (gospel) Jesus brought. He made righteousness available to mankind, which could bring us back into fellowship with our Creator, so we could once again “come boldly to the throne of grace.” What a welcoming place that is; to have Father God lift our head so we can gaze into His eyes of compassion and be consumed by His love, restoring everything in us – spirit, soul, and body. That is the New Covenant! This is why Jesus came as the Messenger of the Covenant one last time. All He accomplished made a way, once and for all, back to the Father. All we have to do is choose to walk in it. How can we not?

The Names of God - The Sword of Thy Excellency

The Names of God - The Sword of Thy Excellency

The Sword of Thy Excellency

Happy art thou, O Israel: Who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, The shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! And thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; And thou shalt tread upon their high places. 

Deuteronomy 33:29 (KJV)

Because of disobedience, Moses was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land with Israel. In Deuteronomy 33, the Final Blessing which Moses gave Israel is recorded. In the words which Moses spoke over Asher, we have two name for God given in verse 29: The Shield of Thy Help and The Sword of Thy Excellency.

The name Asher means “to be happy.” Moses declared the reason for their happiness. The Lord will be to them like a shield of help. I couldn’t help but see the Holy Spirit in that name. First of all, Jesus said of the Holy Spirit of Promise, that He would be a Help to the Christian (follower of Christ). Then Moses declares this name: The Sword of Thy Excellency. There are many places where a sword is used as a type, or picture, of the Word of God, which we learn from the Gospel of John, is Jesus; He is the Word made flesh and dwelled among us.

So, here we have Moses speaking a blessing over the last tribe of Israel, prophesying the other two parts of the Godhead coming into play, for the purpose of bring “happiness” to the people. Israel had just spent the last 40 years getting reacquainted with God the Father, learning again how to hear His voice and fellowship with Him through sacrificial worship implemented in the Tabernacle of Moses. Now, Moses tells them of the Lord, who will be their Shield of Help, and the Lord, who will be their Sword of Excellency, or as the ESV calls it, the Sword of Triumph. When the full expression of the Godhead in the life of human on earth is experienced, the result will be happiness.

The Hebrew word for “excellency” can also be stated as “majesty”. This speaks of the King and His Kingdom. Royalty is often referred to as “His/Her Excellency”. The pomp and circumstance practice in the presence of the King is call majestic. While the King is on the throne the Kingdom is in a state of triumph. They are at peace because the King reigns.

For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17 (KJV)

Like Israel in the Promised Land, Christians now reign in their life through Jesus Christ, the Sword of Thy Excellency (or majesty). We need to learn the fullness to live as citizens of The Kingdom, serving The King. We do this in the power of Holy Spirit, The Shield of Help. With our Father seeing to our happiness, we have the Son, The Sword of His Excellency, interceding for us night and day, and the power of the Holy Spirit, The Shield of Help, guiding our every step. The Word and the Spirit in concert with the Father; how can we not be happy?

The Names of God - Sanctuary

Sanctuary 

And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  Isaiah 8:14 (ESV)

Until this writing, I had come to despise the word sanctuary when used in conjunction with God or the Church. So many have come to believe that the room in which congregations assemble, referred to as The Sanctuary, is where God actually abides. This could not be further from the truth. But yet, we do not allow children to be boisterous or condone slouchy dress because it is “God’s House.”

I love this passage in Isaiah where God says, “I will become a sanctuary,” not live in one. I heard Grady Nutt speak when I was a freshman at Samford University. He made the statement, referring to Jesus in the tomb, “People have been trying to put God in a box, but the problem is He won’t stay there.” It’s convenient to “know” where God is, in reference to The Sanctuary. We can go see Him when WE want to. We also are not bothered by Him when WE want to do our thing. The truth is, He IS the sanctuary. He allows us to abide IN Him, where we have fellowship as friend with friend. We are always in Him and He is always with us.

When The Church decided it needed a building, they took the model of temples built to worship Greek gods, like Apollo and Athena. These places of worship to pagan gods were referred to as “sanctuaries.” The reason for this is the “god” was a statue. It actually did “live” inside the building used to worship it. I’ve been to the model of the Parthenon in Nashville, TN. In it is a replica of the statue of Athena. Why would we want to copy ways of worship given to pagan idol? We have a living God, worthy of our fervent worship; a God not bound by walls; One who desires a life-giving relationship.

It's time for The Church to return to its roots. Focus on being the Body of Christ in the earth, taking Jesus to our community, our world, by sharing the love given to us by our Creator. We cannot do this by locking God up in a “sanctuary,” but instead allow Him to live through us, His “lively stones.”

That brings us to the other part of Isaiah 8:14. In addition to being our Sanctuary, He also declared He would be a “stone of offense and a rock of stumbling.” Look at how Peter described this as it relates to The Church:

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:4 – 5 (ESV)

As we, the Body of Christ, present the Gospel in living, breathing fashion, we become the “spiritual house” (a type or picture of the temple) where God’s word causes people to see their need for a savior. They become “offended” to the point of repentance; they “stumble” at the sight of their own futile attempts to reach God by their effort. The Church is not the “sanctuary” of God. God is the ”sanctuary” for The Church. “In Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28 ESV) In Him we “are to grow up in every way into Him who is the Head, into Christ…” (Ephesians 4:15 ESV)

We do not “visit” God at church on Sundays and other special occasions. Instead, we are to abide “in Him” every moment of every day; totally consumed by the awareness of His presence and the reality of His will being formed in us. Let’s work on getting our mind adjusted to exactly who is in the sanctuary. We are the ones in The Sanctuary, not God living in our building.

The Names of God - The Portion of Jacob

The Portion of Jacob 

Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the LORD of hosts is his name. Jeremiah 10:16 (ESV)

Many consider Abraham to be Jewish. He was not. He was Hebrew, but not a Jew. Israel, and consequently the Jewish people, came into existence when God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. 

The name, Portion of Jacob, speaks of the value of God. The Hebrew word “kheleq” refers to land lots given as an inheritance or share. Those portions of land were probably the most important and valuable possession a Jew could have. They were a source of life and sustenance. It was their part of the Promised Land given to them by God. In the case of the Levites, God was the one who provided for them, and they had no need to own land. 

When Israel were slaves in Egypt, they had nothing of their own. God delivered them from captivity, brought them into a land “flowing with milk and honey,” and gave every family a piece of ground they could call their own. This not only provided for their needs, but also gave them a sense of worth and wellbeing.

When Jacob was younger he swindled his twin brother’s “first born” inheritance. For reasons only God knows, Jacob was chosen over Esau to be God’s “chosen” people. That’s when God made covenant with Jacob, changing his name to Israel. They were blessed. They lived in abundance. When famine came to the region, God had already placed Joseph in a position of authority in Egypt and was able to provide for Israel and his family to survive, and even to thrive in a foreign land.

When the tide turned against them in Egypt, Israel became captives and forced into slavery. God kept his promise to Jacob/Israel because of the covenant made between God and Jacob. The Portion of Jacob never went back on His promise. He sent a deliverer to bring them out of slavery and carry them to a “promised” land, The Portion of Jacob, called Canaan.

Even though Jacob had gained an inheritance by deceit, God legitimized the true inheritance of Israel and showing the world that The Portion of Jacob is always faithful.

This is all a precursor to what God did for you and me. Our inheritance was lost by Adam. We had no hope, no future, no means of providing for our needs, our sense of worth, and wellbeing. In the Garden, the very day Adam lost our birthright, God made a promise that was eventually fulfilled by Jesus becoming our freedom from captivity. He carried us to a place of fellowship with our Creator, and introduced us to The Portion of Jacob, whose name is now The Portion of Dudley (place your name here). He leads us now by the Holy Spirit to places flowing with milk and honey and gives us back our freedom in exchange for fellowship with Him.

God chose you over everything else, including His own Son, so you could have abundant life. Take it! Live it! There is still more ahead of you than behind you. Take hold of The Portion of Jacob as your very own … and live.

The Names of God - He That Formed You In the Womb

 

He That Formed You In the Womb

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)

I’ve spent a lot of time contemplating the word conception. We use this word to describe the moment which bring the egg and sperm together to begin the human life cycle. Why is this the word chosen? For those who believe in a higher power, it becomes apparent. If you attribute all life to be from God, then your beginning came from a “thought” in His mind.

When the mind is working to create, we conceive a thought which launches the creative process. We are “conceived” in the mind of God the moment the biological elements meet to form your DNA, something which has never existed before, and will never exist again.

Continuing with this thought, an inventor sees in their mind’s eye the creation before it is ever realized. Elon Musk “saw” the Tesla before the first one was ever driven. He “conceived” the electric car long before the production line began building them. In this same way I believe God conceived you. He saw you. There is purpose in you. There is great value in every double helix which makes up your very being.

The psalmist must have had one of these moments of contemplation when they penned these words:

For you created my inmost being;

    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

    when I was made in the secret place,

    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed body;

    all the days ordained for me were written in your book

    before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, God!

    How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,

    they would outnumber the grains of sand—

    when I awake, I am still with you.

Psalm 139:13-18 (NIV)

Fearfully and wonderfully made. What a freeing thought to realize you were created instead of just some random happenstance of nature. This eliminates the possibility of “accidents”, speaking of unplanned pregnancies. You are no accident. God intentionally “thought” you into existence in order to bring your gifts, your passion, your influence, your genuine care and concern, into humanity in order to bless them.

I say this often (I’m very sarcastic by nature), “We are all unique – in exactly the same way.” However, there is much truth in this statement. The things that make you unique are the same for everyone, your appearance, personality, capabilities, etc. There is only one you. He That Formed You In the Womb doesn’t cast you away once you are conceived. He then remains with you all the days of your life, to help, to guide, to heal, to console, to encourage, to celebrate, to bless.

Allow the Creator to continue His work in you by taking time to get to know Him the way He knows you. You may be surprised by how much He loves you.

The Names of God - Saving Strength of His Anointed

 Saving Strength of His Anointed

The LORD is their strength, And he is the saving strength of his anointed. Psalm 28:8 (KJV)

What does it mean to be God’s anointed? If you take the definition of the word, it would imply those on whom God has poured or rubbed oil. Since this is not the case, where God literally rubbed or poured oil, there has to be another explanation. Acts 2:17 says, “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, …” The Holy Spirit is referred to as oil many times in scripture. Using this understanding, God’s anointed would be every person.

This makes sense if you read the whole psalm of David. He starts out talking about “they” in several different ways. “Them that go down into the pit” (vs. 1), “workers of iniquity” (vs. 3), and “they regard not the works of the Lord” (vs. 5). Then, in verse 6, David turns inward. “He heard by supplications” (vs. 6) and “my strength … my heart … my song” (vs. 7).

Then, David makes the statement used for today’s name for God: The Lord is their strength, and He is the saving strength of His anointed. To whom is David referring? It has to be those he mentioned earlier. I believe what David is trying to communicate is that God is the hope of every person. Each of us are alive because God gave us breath, just as He did Adam when He “breathed into him (Adam) the breath of life” in the Garden. From Adam until now, God has been the Saving Strength of His Anointed. 

Each of us is the anointed of God. The life you have in you is the Spirit of God. He is the force which animates these clay suits we call a body. We are not our body, but instead the spirit who lived inside. Our spirit is the part which connects with the Spirit of God. It’s the part of us which is recreated (2 Corinthians 5:17) when we are born again. This is the moment God becomes The Saving Strength of His Anointed. If you have never experienced this aspect of God, today is the day. Call out to Him. He has not changed, and will never change. He stands ready to act on your behalf to save you from whatever you may be facing. There is no pit too deep for His reach. There is no distant land to which you may have fled that God cannot find you. There is no offense too great which He cannot forgive. There is no wall you can construct which He cannot pull down.

If you need a rescue, God is waiting. All you have to do is ask.

The Names of God - I am the LORD Your God Who Leads You by the Way That You Should Go

 I am the LORD Your God Who Leads You by the Way That You Should Go

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17 (NKJV)

From the time of man’s original sin in the Garden of Eden, God made a plan to redeem His creation and bring mankind back into an intimate relationship with Himself. We were created to “walk with Him in the cool of the day.” This was God’s plan at the start. Due to disobedience, man became disconnected with God, unable to fellowship with Him as “friend with friend.”

In spite of this “fall”, God set into motion a plan to undo the mistake of Adam by sending another “Adam” to gain forgiveness and pay the price for sin, which is death. When you read the Bible to see the measures taken by God to accomplish all which was needed to restore us back into right relationship, you see a majestic, orchestrated plan which spanned millennia.

One of the key pieces to this master plan was the nation of Israel, God’s Chosen People. Through Israel, God would bring a Savior, a Messiah, which would be the hope of Israel, and the rest of mankind.

While speaking through the prophet, Isaiah, God revealed another view of His nature and character by referring to Himself as “The Lord Your God Who Leads You by the Way That You Should Go.” For me, this demonstrates just how long-suffering and gracious God is to us. He has the ability to force us into a mold of His creation, and make us do exactly as He requires. He chose not to dictate our future and, instead, gives us a choice.

He promised He would “lead” us by the way we should go, but we would have to choose to take that path. He leads us by revealing the place of peace which, if we remain in it, will result in a life of fellowship with God, and the fulfillment of our God-given dreams. There is no better place.

There are some who believe in the strict interpretation of the word “predestined” found in scripture. These folks would have you think that every action you take, good or bad, is part of the “path” which you were born to fulfill. You have no choice in the matter.

I do believe we are predestined, but not to this degree. The word predestined simply means, “pre-horizoned,” which implies a beginning, but not necessarily an ending. Each of us are born into a specific time, location, and familial setting. Each one factors into the person we are, and the choices afforded us as we begin life. It does not, however, determine how we will live our life. That is dependent on our choices.

God’s “destiny” for every person born is to become conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus. However, that path is different for each one of us because we all start from different places. A female born into an Islamic family has a vastly different path than a male born into an affluent family. Race, ethnicity, economics, culture, and religion all play important roles in how we discover the truth about who God is, and the redemption available to us through Jesus Christ.

This is the path which will lead us to God, and He leads us down this path. We must choose to follow that leading. He accomplishes this by using people like you and me to share the Good News that God loves us, cares for us, and wants the best for each one of us. It is critical that we have a right understanding of who God is so that we can correctly and effectively communicate the abundant grace and mercy being extended to us, so others will be drawn to Him instead of repelled away from Him.

Take time to learn of the nature and character of God so you can enjoy the relationship available in Him, and so you can share this with others. Both of you will be better because of it.

The Names of God - God, Which Hath Not Turned Away My Prayer

 God, Which Hath Not Turned Away My Prayer

Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, Nor his mercy from me. 

Psalm 66:20 (KJV)

It has been said that God does not hear any prayer from a sinner except the prayer of repentance. This would go against everything that I have come to know about our Creator. How could He not hear? If He knows when a sparrow falls to the ground, or when a deer is born in the wilderness, He hears the prayer of a “sinner”.

This argument is disingenuous to me. Many Christians I’ve known over the years still refer to themselves as “sinners”, yet they profess to be saved. These same people also claim that God hears their prayers. You can’t have it both ways, in my opinion. Either God hears every prayer, or He hears none at all.

This line from Psalm 66 was written by someone who had experienced grace long before the new birth experience was ever provided through Jesus and His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of the Father. The psalmist received answers to the cries made to God, and knew it was only by God’s mercy that he was still alive.

By uniting answered prayer and mercy in the same statement shows true humility. The false humility demonstrated by many professing Christians is actually rooted in pride. This psalmist realized it was God who chose to hear and chose to show mercy. I believe if more of us would approach prayer with this attitude we would see more accomplished by our prayers.

I realize in this format of brief comments on such topics which have been the subject of doctoral theses and countless volumes of books like prayer, you cannot fully cover every nuance. However, if you can get the first premise established in your mind, the rest might come a little easier. God is good, and His mercy endures forever! He will always hear our cries. Give Him a chance to hear yours. I think you’ll be surprised by the outcome. He is truly the God Which Hath Not Turned Away My Prayer. For that, I am eternally grateful

The Names of God - God Who Has Fed Me All My Life Long To This Day

 God Who Has Fed Me All My Life Long To This Day

And he blessed Joseph, and said: “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” Genesis 48:15-16 (NKJV)

It is very difficult to offer someone a drink of water when your canteen is empty. You may want to help quench the thirst of another, but unless you have water to give, your deep yearning to help will be moot. The verse cited above is part of the record when Jacob (Israel) blessed his sons. Joseph came in and brought his sons with him.

Before Israel began the blessing, he stated the basis, or reservoir he is drawing from to bless his family. First, he declares the Godly heritage he received from his forefathers, Abraham and Isaac. He then testified to the faithfulness of God in his life, where Jacob mentioned one of the names he uses for God: The God who has fed me all my life long to this day. What a powerful reality to know God has been with you your whole life.

Looking back on the life of Jacob, there were certainly times where it would seem God was nowhere nearby. But in the eyes of Jacob, whom God renamed as Israel, God was the one feeding him every day of his life. Israel had something to give when it came time to bless. He was not attempting to pour water from a dry canteen. Israel had an abundant supply which had sustained him every day of his life.

This is God’s desire for each of us. We are not orphans, left to try and find a way to survive. We are sons and daughters with an eternal heritage from which to draw; one born of grace and mercy, created out of a bottomless ocean of love. From this beginning, we can move forward through our life knowing we have unlimited supply to give away and never risk running low.

Israel could boldly declare a blessing over his son and grandsons because he had complete faith in his God because he knew first-hand the blessings and care he had received “all my life long to this day.” This same confidence is available to everyone. It starts with a correct view of who God is, and a correct understanding of His character.

If the god you serve doesn’t give you the confidence to bless others, please look again. Once you encounter “The God Who Has Fed Me All My Life Long To This Day” your life become a tree yielding fruit to nurture others, shelter from storms, and a blessing to others. This God wants to make sure you not only survive, but that you thrive to the point of helping others find their path into a life of being blessed, and being a blessing.

The Names of God - The Builder of All Things

 The Builder of All Things

Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

Hebrews 3:1-6 (ESV)

Outside of The Church itself, the most important thing built on the earth is the human soul. Many places in scripture refer to people as houses to be built. The first exposure man had to “God’s House” was the tabernacle which Moses was instructed to build for the nation of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness, getting reacquainted with a God who loved them and chose them as His own. He had plans which involved them, but they had become distant from the very God who loved them so.

In an attempt to woo them back to Himself, God gave Moses The Law to show Israel how they should live in order to be in fellowship with the Creator. God also gave the design for a “house” in which He would come and fellowship with mankind via the high priest.

The New Testament describes The Law as a schoolmaster, given to show us the need for grace. Once Israel saw the standard God required, and their inability to keep The Law, they had to cry out for mercy. God met them there.

Once God showed His plan to reestablish the fellowship lost in The Garden, He continued working to establish a “house” which would remain forever. This was accomplished when Jesus came to earth; the Son of God became the Son of Man, the supreme sacrifice. “The Builder of All Things” was busy constructing a “house,” The Church, which was founded on Christ and His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seating at the right hand of the Father. This foundation is unshakable and will remain forever.

All of this “building” was done so that each one of us could be built into the image of Jesus. That is God’s desire for each and every person who has ever lived. So much so that God has predestined each of us to be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus. He is the Master Builder, able to take any willing person exactly right where they are, exactly as they are, and from the first moment of turning toward God, they begin the journey of restoration into the fullness of why they were created. This is the essence of grace.

When you come to accept the offer God has made to everyone, one of taking what we have so He can give us all He has, we have started the journey of restoration, healing, being established, and becoming the “house” of God’s creation. God is the master at “flipping houses.” Let him work His plan in your life by simply turning over the deed to your soul so He can build you into a magnificent structure which will become a haven for others to find peace, rest, and hope for a new future.

The Names of God - The Glory of Their Strength

The Glory of Their Strength

Psalm 89:15-17 (ESV)

Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted. For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted.

Everything presented to our senses is filtered through our experiences. Our brains are programmed to view our world (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell) a certain way from data we have collected during our life. You know when you see a small black animal with a white stripe down its back that you need to run the opposite way. The scar on the tip of the finger is a reminder not to touch a hot skillet or glowing ember. These are static experiences that will always be true. The ones that cause us the most grief are the encounters with other people because the responses are so varied based on the experiences of the other person.

We call this pre-programmed response to people “prejudice,” which usually has a negative connotation because it means, “to prejudge.” Your senses give you a narrative of what another person is like before you even hear a single word from their mouth or observe a single action. We do this out of reflex based our previous experience.

Others do the same thing with us. We know who we are and totally understand our motives, but others do not. Occasionally, my wife and I will go to a place (store, restaurant, recreation area, etc.) and are amazed that it is crowded. We exclaim, “We know why we are here, but why are all of these other people here?” The truth is, each of us do this every time we encounter another human. “I know what I'm doing, but what are they doing?”

As children we are taught to fear the stranger. We are instructed to “be careful” when attempting even the most menial task. As we grow we encounter “bullies” or “mean girls” that wreak havoc on our self-esteems and cause us to begin digging the foundation for the walls we will construct over a lifetime of experiences. However, there is a different way!

The psalmist that penned Psalm 89 knew something about the character of mankind and found a remedy for the dreadful predisposition toward pre-judged actions based on experience. It requires conscious effort, but the rewards are worth every bit of energy expended. Look at his words again:

Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted. For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted.

God created you to have interaction with those around you in a good way. When we know the “festal shout,” or as the King James Version says, “joyful sound,” it becomes a new point of reference for us. The affect of God's love and forgiveness in our life allows us to erase many of the life experiences that cause us pain and allows us to see others with a fresh perspective. We can see them as God created them, not what their life-choices has created.

When we “walk in the light of Your (the Lord's) face” we can trust in the “glory of their (those who know the festal shout) strength,” which is the Spirit of God abiding in us. God's Spirit is the great “neutralizer” when it comes to human encounters. Through Him we can love the unlovable, enjoy peace with warmongers, and live a life of freedom because of the righteousness given to us through salvation in Christ. This is not a panacea. It is the reality of the life reconciled to God.

If Christians- those transformed from darkness to light, from death to life, from hopelessness to faith - do not reflect this “glory of their strength” then the world we touch will be unaffected by the sacrifice of Jesus. We must allow the reverberation of the “festal shout” that changed us to be heard by everyone we have opportunity to engage. Let us be intentional in our transparency so the “light from His face” will be seen instead of our own prejudice or fear.

We do this by remaining in the posture of those who “exult in Your (the Lord's) name all the day.” It's a choice we must make. As we do, God will meet us there with grace.

First-Begotten of the Dead, Firstborn Among Many Brothers

First-Begotten of the Dead, Firstborn Among Many Brothers

Revelation 1:4-5 (ESV)

John to the seven churches that are in Asia: and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

There are two primary things that separate Jesus Christ from all others who claim to be a savior: the virgin birth and the resurrection from the dead. Without these two essential attributes He would just be another prophet.

This is why we celebrate the two major holy days on the liturgical calendar, Christmas and Easter. It’s not important that Jesus was born, or that He died. It does matter HOW He was born, and that He AROSE from the tomb.

The title of First-Begotten of the Dead, used to describe Jesus when John wrote down the Revelation given to him, comes from the fact that He was the first one to be fully resurrected from the dead. Lazarus came back to life, as did the little girl Jesus spoke to, but they both died again. They were not fully resurrected. Jesus was in essence born again from the dead, showing us what would be available for us through the New Covenant He established with the Father on our behalf.

Now, through faith, we can be identified with Christ through His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seating at the right hand of the Father, and in so doing enter into the New Covenant with Christ. We are then re-born spiritually. Though our body will eventually die, our spirit will live on forever with Christ. That is the Good News that Jesus came to bring us.

If you are a Christian you no longer have to fear death because you have already died, spiritually, when you were baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit. This is the new birth. This “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17) will never die. We are now “born of the dead” just like Jesus. He was the first; He showed us the way, and provided the means through His own resurrection.

So celebrate Christmas but, in so doing, acknowledge the virgin-birth of our Lord. Celebrate Easter when Christ was born-again so that we can now live!

This new life given to us through the New Covenant comes with is a calling; one calling. It is so simple yet so overlooked by many. Jesus became the First-Begotten from the Dead to show us the way to really live. Paul put it like this.

Romans 8:29-30 (ESV)

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Another Name of God is closely related to First-Begotten from the Dead. It is given in this passage: Firstborn Among Many Brothers. We are born again as children of the Most High God, just like Jesus. We become His brothers (and sisters). It would have been pointless for Jesus to do all that He did just so He could remain the only begotten of God. He did all He did so we, too, could become children of God! Our calling is simple: to be conformed to the image of Christ. Every human born has the same calling. I discuss this in much more detail in my book, The Call to Worship.

Worship is the simple way to describe our relationship with our Father, God.

There is one other related Name of God that I would like to include here. Paul also shared this about Jesus.

Colossians 1:15-17 (ESV)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

We are called to be conformed to the image of Christ because He is the image of God Himself. Jesus is the Firstborn of Every Creature. He was present at creation as The Word of God, and spoke everything into being. As we become conformed to Jesus through our re-birth by the New Covenant, we then begin to re-create our world by speaking God’s words into it. As we are conformed to the image of Christ by renewing our minds to think like the Father and act like Jesus, all through the power of the Holy Spirit that abides in us, we join Jesus as a joint-heir of the Kingdom of Heaven.

We love the King and we abide in His Kingdom; all through the New Covenant provided by the First-Begotten from the Dead, Jesus Christ.