Names of God: Closer

                The God of Christianity goes by many names. We have only just looked at some of the names. There are so many more titles that He goes by! He is our teacher, our ruler, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is our kinsman redeemer, the word, our brother, the way, the truth, and the life. God has many names, and there is always more room for us to learn about them.

                God is more than just loving, and more than just powerful. He is more than just our minds can comprehend. He is the Alpha and the Omega; He has first and last say on everything. He is our deliverer and our savior. He is the light because He casts out darkness.

                These names are great to know, but it takes true meditation on them to understand the gravity of them. What God decided to decorate the night sky with stars, making even the darkness beautiful? What God decided to become closer to us then a friend when He is far holier than we are and requires nothing of us? What God cares enough to have the first say of our lives and the final say? What God cares enough to be human kinds' only way to life, much life life abundant? It is by understanding the gravity of these titles that we begin to understand who God is.

                There are so many more names and they can all be found in the Bible. Two resources that I used were:

                http://www.smilegodlovesyou.org/names.html

                and

                http://bible.org/article/names-god

                Both of these sites will help your expansion of God and who He is, but nothing is a more solid foundation than the Bible. If you want to truly understand the context of God being the kinsman redeemer, go read it and find out the whole story and why.

                God has presented to us His names so that we may grow a closer relationship with Him in understanding who He is. If we never knew that He was Jehovah Rapha, we would not be relying on Him to heal us. If we did not know that He was El Olam, we would not understand the gravity of His eternity. It is not by knowing these names alone, but by meditating on them and allowing them to sink into our hearts that we begin to see God for who He truly is.

                                                                                                                                         -D

Names of God: Yahweh

                This is the final of the three part series that I am doing. The name Yahweh (YHWH) (Genesis 4:3, Exodus 6:3) comes from a verb which means "to be, or to exist." The name Yahweh means "I am." When God said His name, He was declaring that He was, is, and is to come all at once. He was saying that He exists in Himself. His existence is certain.

                In Exodus 6:3, God and Moses are having a conversation about what Moses shall do. Moses is worried that no one will believe that He is talking to God, so He asks God to help him become more believable. God gave Moses His name as proof. "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name Yahweh, I was not known to them."

                In the Bible, Yahweh has been commonly replaced with the word Lord, because it is such a powerful name and Lord represents such a powerful concept.

                Because God is Yahweh, He does not need us. Because God is Yahweh, he is self-existent. He does not exist on our thoughts or on our needs and hopes and dreams. Yahweh exists on His own and always has existed. He was not born or created, God is. He was not transformed into a god or given power, God is. Yahweh (I am) is God's statement of being the independent and self-existent God of revelation and redemption. He is who He is, regardless of the circumstances that we face. God is God alone.

                We must remember that these names show us more about God and who He is, from our provider and our Healer, to our shepherd and our victory. He is God alone and deserves all of the honor and praise for who He is. If it were not for God being all of these things and more, we would never be redeemed and made free in Christ. We need Him. He is worthy to be praised.


                                                                                                                                         -D

Names of God: Jehovah

                Jehovah has so many variations of the name because, from my experience, it is the one with the most titles. Jehovah means God in a sense of lordship, and adding on an attribute afterwards, such as Jehovah Yahweh (Genesis 2:4), changes it from just God to a reference of God's divine salvation. Some of you may have heard of some of these names before, but they all come in handy when needed. Again, these names are not made to spice up your prayer life. Yes, use them in prayer, but this is about learning who God is through His titles.

                Jehovah Maccaddeshem (Exodus 31:13). He is, "the Lord God of my sanctification." He is the God who sanctifies us. To sanctify something means to concentration it, set it apart and make it holy. He is the God who makes us holy. In all of His holiness and glory He is able to take a sinner and declare them holy. Just as He took Sunday, a day as ordinary as any other, and sanctified it. He can make anything holy. That is something that only He can do because only He is fully holy. He is the one that pulls you out of your sinful life and makes you holy by His blood.

                Jehovah Rohi (Psalms 23:1). He is, ":the Lord my shepherd." He is the God that looks over us, tends to us, and protects us. Thanks to Him, we shall not want. A shepherd feeds and waters his flock, and protects it from hard. We are the sheep, and He is the shepherd. Sheep have no self-protective abilities. Sheep will follow anything that is moving, even right off of a cliff. It cannot distinguish sound or danger well at all. Sheep just wonder. It is the shepherd's job to protect them; just as us sinners wonder, not knowing the danger that we are in or how defenseless we truly are, God steps in and protects us. He is our shepherd who guides us and helps defend and care for us.

                Jehovah Shammah (Ezekiel 48:38). He is, "the Lord who is present." He is always with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and He is always with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). He dwells inside of us (Ephesians 3:17, 1 Corinthians 3:16) God is always with us! He will never step away, especially when we need Him most. Sometimes we do not feel Him, but that does not mean that He is not there. He is always right beside you, even when you do not see Him or feel Him. He is with you every step of the way. He will not step away from you.

                Jehovah Rapha (Exodus 15:26). He is "the Lord our healer." He is our healer! Physically (Deuteronomy 7:15, Mark 6:56), mentally (Galatians 3:13-14), spiritually (Matthew 8:16-17), and emotionally (Isaiah 53:7) He heals us of our wounds and sicknesses. He heals us of anything that bothers us because He wants the best for us. He wants us healthy and well, but we must listen to His will before He will heal us.

                Jehovah Tsidkenu (Jeremiah 23:6). He is "the Lord our righteousness." He is the one who stands before others and declares us righteous. We are evil and sinful without Him. He is the one who makes us righteous and pure. He is the one who helps us conquer our sins and our fears. He is the one who changes us from the inside out to become something new. It is all His handwork, nothing of ours.

                Jehovah Jireh (Genesis 22:13-14). He is "the Lord will provide." He is the God of our provision. He will always meet our needs! If there is every something that you need, He already sees it and has already created a way to make your need met. He knows us personally and knows our needs, from food to money to pain and healing. He knows our needs and provides for us, because He owns everything and loves us.

                Jehovah Nissi (Exodus 17:15). He is "the Lord our banner." He goes into battle with us and He is our symbol. He is our victory in battle. Whether it is spiritual or mental, He steps into the battle field and exercises His authority and victory over our enemy. He is the one who gives us victory in combat. He is the name that we call upon and the name that we fight under. He is our leader, our power and our symbol.

                Jehovah Shalom (Judges 6:24). He is "the Lord is peace." When He spoke, "peace, be still" to the raging waters (Matthew 8:23-27) He was showing that He is the peace. He created peace and wherever He is, peace follows. He gives us peace that is not like the world's peace (John 14:27). His peace can calm and storms and withstand the raging seas of life. He is where we find our everlasting peace.

                Jehovah Sabboth (Isaiah 6:1-3). He is "the Lord of hosts." He is the one who sits upon the throne and fills Heaven with His presence. He is the one that fills us and gives us the will to do right. He is the one that fills the temples with His presence. He is the one who's presence dwelling in a place brings joy and jubilee unlike any other. His presence is longed after.

                Jehovah Gmolah (Jeremiah 51:6). He is "the God of recompense." He is the one who pays back our enemies, He is the one who brings vengeance. "Vehemence is mine," says the Lord (Romans 12:19) He is the one who will repay evil for evil, and He is the one who will curse those who curse us. He is also the one who will repay good for good, and bless those who bless us. He is the one who knows what is just to be given, and He is the only one fit for it.

                With so many titles and names, you can see why God's names can help you understand the vast amount of people that He is. With these names, we begin to understand who He is. He is God alone, and He alone does so much for us.


                                                                                                                                         -D

Names of God: Elohim

                Elohim was the first name of God used in the Bible. It was first used in Genesis 1:1, and later used in Psalms 19:1. Elohim is a reference to God's power and might, giving credit to His role as creator and judge.

                Elohim is used to reference His sovereignty, creative work and mighty work. Isaiah 40:1 uses the name Elohim. "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God." In this scripture, the word Elohim has been translated to God to be better understood in the English language. Now, in the original context it would say, "comfort, comfort my people, says Elohim." Says Elohim, the God who created all and judges all. Comfort, says the sovereign God of all. He is not just whispering comfort into the ears of His crying children; He is commanding there to be comfort with all of His sovereign power. The use of the name Elohim creates a different feel then the use of the word God.

                "I am the Lord, the God of all humankind. There is, indeed, nothing too difficult for me." (Jeremiah 32:27) In this verse, the word Elohim has been translated again. In this we see that God is the God that all humankind belongs to and worships. With Elohim at the name being used, it shows that Elohim is the God that created all humankind, judges all human kind, and is sovereign over all humankind.

                There are many other places where Elohim has been used (Genesis Genesis 6:18; Genesis 9:15; Genesis 14:18-20, 22; Genesis 17:7; Genesis 50:24; Deuteronomy 5:23; Deuteronomy 8:15; 1 Kings 8:23; Psalms 68:7; Isaiah 45:18; Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 31:3) These are all giving praise and glory to God for being who He is.

                Elohim was the name given to God in Genesis 1:1 so there was not a time when God said to humanity, "this is my name." It is a part of Him that was always with Him and that we always recognized. Many names have been given to God created from this name.

                El Shaddai, "God Almighty" (Genesis 17:1; Genesis 28:3; Genesis 35:11; Exodus 6:1; Psalms 91:1-2)

                El Elyon, "The Most High God" (Genesis 14:19; Psalms 9:2; Daniel 7:18; Daniel 22:25)

                El Olam, "The Everlasting God" (Genesis 16:3)

                El Roi, "The Strong One Who Sees" (Genesis 16:13)

                These names are all derived from the same source as Elohim and are all a testament to glorify God and place Him correctly. El Shaddai is a testament to God's strength, referring to Him standing on the mountain, which is a position of supreme power.  El Elyon is emphasizing God's supremacy, His sovereignty and power. El Olam is expressing the fact that God's strength never runs out of energy and His reign will never end.

                When you begin to see the different titles of God, you begin to see the intensity of who He truly is. Is he above us and deserves respect. He created us, reigns over us, and is all powerful. He is not a God to be played with. He is personal, though, and loving. We must remember that no matter how powerful, how sovereign, how magnificent; God still loves us and wants a personal relationship with us; so all of His power and sovereignty is used to benefit is. In his sovereign power and love, He makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him back. (Romans 8:28)


                                                                                                                                         -D

Names of God: Opener

                God of Christianity goes by many names. He is given many names in scripture and it is important to know these names; not to spice up our prayer lives, but to understand who God is.

                When you realize that God calls Himself our brother, you can realize how loves we are. When you realize that He calls Himself our rock (1 Corinthians 10:4), you realize how dependable He is and How willing to support us He is. When you realize that God calls Himself the light, you see that He is the light and not just any light in the world, but the only one worth following.

                When you realize that He is the Author of Salvation (Hebrews 5:9) then you realize that salvation was a creation of His out of love to redeem us, not something that we stumbled upon. He wrote salvation just because He loved us enough to give us what we did not righteously deserve! We see His love, His authority over the laws of nature and spiritual nature, and we see His brilliance and holiness.

                By studying His holiness, we begin to understand who He is in Himself, and who He is to us. Learning about God is good, but it is nothing if we do not use it to strengthen our relationship with Him. If we know that He is love (1 John 4:8) that is great! If we know that He is love, and that He loves us, that is beyond words.

                I am not going to be writing about these names just to give you new words to throw around in your prayer life. Of course, do not be afraid to do so. I do this. If I want to remind God that He never goes back on His word, I address Him as such. If I am in the military and eating at a local diner, if someone calls me by my name, I will respond. If someone calls me by my military title, I will get up and respond differently. I do this with God, calling Him in His specific titles according to specific needs. Yes, this is a helpful tool to use; but knowing these names should strengthen our relationship with Him, not just the length of our prayer life.

                We know His name so that we may become closer to Him. We know who He is in order to learn more about Him and begin to comprehend how deeply He loves us. His names are not toys, they are gifts of love and affection. God is personal and wants to share Himself with us. Let us take Him seriously.


                                                                                                                                         -D

Genesis 1:1

                Lately, I have been hearing that a lot of Christians are not reading the word. It is important that we do, because it is God's greatest physical gift to us that has survived through the ages. It is His word! If we sit down and read it just to say that we have read, we will miss so much! In fact, in one Bible verse alone there is so much knowledge and wisdom! I love to use Genesis 1:1 as an example for this for two reasons: 1) everyone seems to know it but never understands deeper than the phrase, and 2) because it is at the head of the Bible and shows how deep the rest of the book goes.

                If you have ever sat down and read the Bible just for the sake of saying that you have read it, you are not doing anything special. Sit down and read it with a purpose! To learn, to gain wisdom and understanding, to hear from God! Sit down with a purpose and listen to what God says. I will use Genesis 1:1 and only Genesis 1:1 to reveal many things about God.

                Genesis 1:1. "In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth." In the origional Hebrew form, it was, "Bereshith bara Elohim eth hashshamayim veeth haareths" (God in the beginning created the Heavens and the Earth).

                Now, bereshith in Hebrew means "at the head," which is another way of saying "in the beginning." The word "bara" in the Hebrew language is a very that can only be described by God's using. Only God can bara. The rest of the phrase after Elohim means "the Heavens and the Earth" which is a Hebrew phrase to mean "everything." Now, looking at it this way, "Elohim (one of God's names) created everything at the beginning."

                The name Elohim in Hebrew is hard to translate and can mean many things many ways, but it is agreed upon all that it is the title of God and gives Him importance. In the traditional Jewish view, Elohim is the name of God as the creator and judge of everything. Looking at it this way, God is the creator, and the judge, and was first recognized in the Bible as such. He exercised His role as creator by creating.

                Now I well step away from History and move more into modern translations of the Bible. We must see that creating something and making something are two different things. To create something means to make something exist that had no previous existence. When you create something, you bring something new into existence that never existed before. Making something is to form something new out of already existing objects. Let's use a cake for instance. If we make a cake, we are using ingredients, no matter what. If God creates a cake, it appears in the over out of no where. Objects do not get up and form the cake for Him. It simply appears as He intended it to. That is the difference between creating and making.

                Now, looking at it with this understanding, God created everything. He literally created everything from nothing. This shows His omnipotence and His sovereign authority. He is omnipotent because it takes power to create, and He created everything in a display of His omnipotence. This also shows His sovereign authority because nothing was made without Him. Everything was made by Him, so He is the rightful ruler over all. If something is made by you, you are rightful to rule over it. God created us and everything around us, so He has the right to rule over us.

                This also shows God's omniscience and omnipresence. He is smart enough to create everything on His own. He knows every mystery of the universe and every secret of life that we do not. He made the universe exist, gave the universe its laws to live by, and made everything perfectly able to exist with one another. He is brilliant! God has to be omnipresent, because He cannot create where He is not at. This shows us that He was at all places even at the beginning when He formed everything perfectly with His limitless power.

                Let us look at the first five words alone. "In the beginning God created." So, He created time. He was the one who dictated when time was allowed to flow by the mark of His creation. Aside from this, He also was outside of time. The Bible verse does not go, "in the beginning God was born and created all things." No. God was already present before time was even relevant. He was already omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent before there was time. He was already perfectly God before time started. He was already Elohim (creator and judge) before anything existed.

                Wait, how can He be creator and judge before anything was created? Simple, God has attributes that we do not understand yet. Angels do not praise Him for His ability to redeem. His redemption does not save them, only humanity. So what do they praise Him for? His holiness, His righteousness, and so much more. It would not be surprising that God would have attributes that we do not understand yet because we have not seen them in action in time. It is possible for God to have attributes that He did not yet use but then used. He was the creator before He created; and He was the judge before we were judged. Genesis 1;1 does not argue against God's attributes being limited to time or what we can conceive.

                In fact, Genesis 1:1 proves that God is holy! He was not touched by time. Everything that has ever existed, aside from God, is effected by time. Holy means to be set apart or wholly different. God is different from anything that has ever existed. Genesis 1:1 shows us that He is the creator and we are the creation. He is outside of time and we are inside of it. He is the giver and we are the taker. Nothing is like Him. He is holy.

                I would love to continue, but I feel that this is enough. Everyone knows Genesis 1:1. "In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth," but how many of you got all of that from that single verse? We should be sitting down to read and understand. Genesis 1:1 alone is packed with so much. It shows us that God is, was, and always will be creator and judge, it shows us that He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, it shows us why he is sovereign over all, it shows us that He is not limited to our understanding or time, it shows us that He existed before time ever began, and that He in fact began time. All of this and more is plain to see in Genesis 1:1 alone. If I were to add other verses to compliment this one, imagine how much more could be revealed to us? This is all possible because God wants us to learn and understand. We must take the Bible seriously and take reading it with paramount reverence.

                When you pick up the Bible to read it next, are you going to read to read the Bible, or are you going to sit down and read it with a purpose?


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Stepping Up Alone

                When we make a choice to follow God with all of our hearts, all of our minds, and all of our strengths, not everyone around us will be happy about it. Not everyone who sees you get saved will like it. You may have friends who will disagree with your beliefs and try to get you to step away from following Christ. You may have people who you once called friends call you names to your face or behind your back, or they may say some hurtful things such as "you've seriously changed dude. I thought I knew you."

                The first response to that should be, "yes, I have changed, for the better. Thank you for noticing." If someone is upset over you finding true joy and peace in life, are they your friend? If someone wants to ruin your personal relationship with God, is that a good friend? Much less, does the relationship even involve them? Would a true friend abandon you because you have a different interest than them?

                Sometimes, God allows people to drift out of your life, and that is alright. Sometimes certain people need to drift away. Not everyone can stay in your life forever. Sometimes people come in for a season to help get you where you need to go; and sometimes some people should not have even been allowed into your life. You have to examine your friendship. Stop thinking about how long you have been friends for, because time means nothing in the end. Figure out if they are actually your friends or if they are just sticking around hurting you.

                I am not saying drop any friend that is not a Christian. In fact, I have many friends that are not Christians and we get along fine. If I respect them and they respect me, there is no issue; but that is the key. I have had friends that are Christians that are not in my life anymore as well as non-believing friends that are not in my life either. Not everyone who is a Christian must stay. Look at who they are to you and why. You say that they are your best friend. Why? Is it because of what they have done or who they will become? If you are friends with someone because you owe them, that is not a solid friendship. That is a relationship standing on a debt. If you are friends with someone because of who or what they will become some day, that is a shallow relationship that is not worth up keeping. It all comes down to why you are keeping this person in your life and if they are worth keeping around.

                You should be friends with someone because of who they are to you. You should be friends with someone because they are your friend; not because you feel like you owe them, or because of who or what they will become, or because you feel that you owe them, or because you have known them for a long period of time. None of those things matter.

                Jesus calls us His friend (John15:15) and we have nothing to offer Him that He does not already own. He is friends with us because He wants to be; not because He owes us or because we owe Him, or because He wants to be a part of the big famous star that we will become. He loves us for us, and there are no strings attached. His love is so much greater because it is unconditional. It will not fade away or diminish. He will love us no matter what.

                Some people will try to leave you because you are a Christian. It will hurt, but remember Proverbs 18:24. "One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother." No matter how people hurt you, remember than Christ will never abandon you or hurt you. He loves you and will always be with you. So if your friends begin to walk away, remember that you have Christ on your side. Stay strong, for you have a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

                                                                                                                                         -D