God's Names and Attributes -- L

by Hallie Gipson

We have reached the last month of 2018 and it seems to be slipping away quickly! According to the retail industry, Christmas was in full swing before Halloween –- or at least they wanted us to feel that way so we would rush about and make purchases that would certainly make us ‘merry and bright’! 

But as believers, our joy runs deeper than any shiny bauble we can purchase, or the warm glow we get when surrounded by family and friends.

God has showered His blessings of love, Life, and Light on those of us who deserve His wrath. He has accomplished all of that through His precious Son, Jesus Christ --- the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah. God began weaving His tapestry of Salvation before time began.

LOVE

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Romans 5:8

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

1 John 3:1

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God, and such we are.”

1 John 4:16

“We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love, abides in God, and God abides in Him.”

In the Old Testament, the prophet Micah extols God as the source of salvation to His people.

Micah 7:18

“Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in unchanging love.”

LIFE

John 14:6

“Jesus said to him (Thomas), ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”

John 11:25-26

“Jesus said to her (Martha), ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’”

LIGHT

Psalm 27:1

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  . . .”

John 8:12

“Then Jesus spoke to them saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life.’”

LORD

Genesis 2:7

“Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10a

“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us . . .”

LAMB OF GOD

John 1:29

“The next day he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’”

Revelation 5:11-13

“Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

          “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches

          and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,

          “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and

          honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

Revelation 12:10-11a

“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb . . .”

LION of JUDAH

Revelation 5:5

“And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered . . .”

Where does your joy come from this Holy Season? May we never forget that our joy is rooted in the risen Lord who, in obedience to the Father, came to earth as a baby; lived a sinless life; died an excruciating death on the cross; and rose to give us eternal life.

 May our hearts echo the song recorded in Exodus 15:1-2

“Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and said,

          “I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; . . .

          The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation;

          This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him.”

Merry Christmas and may the God of all grace and glory fill you with His presence this season!

         

God's Names and Attributes -- 'K'

All of my efforts to speak of God’s names and attributes seem feeble at best. I can never reach the bottom of His endless, perfect Being! Whatever He possesses is possessed to the uttermost and whatever He does is done from His holiness and perfection and sovereignty!

He IS the King, King of Kings, Keeper, and Kind above all our deserving!

KING

“The Lord is King forever and ever.”  Psalm 10:16

“Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.”  Psalm 24:8

Isaiah recording The Lord’s words:

“I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.”  Isaiah 43:15

KING OF KINGS

“The Lord sat as King at the flood; Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.”  Psalm 29:10

“--- He (Jesus Christ) who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”     1 Timothy 6:15b-16

“And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS’.”  Revelation 19:16

KEEPER

“The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand.”  Psalm 121:5

KIND (adj.) – of a forbearing nature; arising from or characterized by sympathy or forbearance.

Of all God’s attributes, ‘kind’ is among those I cherish the most. Why? Because if God’s intentions toward those of us who deserve His wrath had not been kind, then we would have indeed perished! But instead, through the grace of Jesus Christ, we are given mercy, predestined, adopted, loved, and saved for all eternity!

“The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds.”  Psalm 145:17

“He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.”  Ephesians 1:5-6

“He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him.”  Ephesians 1:9

“But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit . . . ”  Titus 3:4-5

“. . . like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”  1 Peter 2:2-3

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”  Romans 11:33-36

THE ONE GOOD THING

By:  Shirley Wiggins                                                        

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He Who promised is faithful.”  Hebrews 10:23

Will any good thing  ever come of my daily doings?   Those things I do every single day without even thinking about whether or not I will do any one of them today, I just do them!

My daily Bible studies, journal writings, research, collections of papers of  encouraging words for now, exciting words for tomorrow, and enthusiastic truths for eternity.

I cannot stop reaching, first thing every morning, for my

                                     -Bible,

-paper, pen and pencil,

                                     -devotionals, and,

                           my first cup of coffee.

  And,  yet, sometimes I do wonder, am I wasting:

·      time,

·      resources,

·      money,

·      my life??

I honestly do not know if anything I do will ever make any eternal difference for anyone else.   And, yet, I cannot quit any one of these morning practices.  This is my chosen way to start each day, and it is my routine, my reason for rising in the early morning.  These things feed my faith and nourish my soul and my spirit.

The one good thing I do know comes of, by, and from my routine of morning habits is that I bask all day long in the warmth of fellowship with my Father.

Fellowship with my Father… the delight of my otherwise seemingly dull life.

I am never disappointed with Him:  He is the icing on my cake of life.  He is the cream in my coffee and tea.

He gives to me – and my life – purpose and joy.  He is the Bright Light on the Horizon of my Future:  HOPE.

Because He is, I am… He is the “I AM” Who enables me to be, period.

The Initiator of Life, He is the Impetus in life:  the Incentive for living in the day-to-day (the “nasty now-and-now”), no matter how “dull” my lackluster life appears, at any point in time, to others.

The Lord of Life is the inherent luster of life – He is the Glow of His own Glory:  the Holy Spirit Who indwells His people.

From tiny sparkles and twinkles, His iridescence is “a glow of light from within” – LUMINOSITY:  illuminating every dark corner of life---- He gives spiritual and intellectual enlightenment.  His wisdom gives clarifying explanation to all the questions of life’s obscurity.

He demystifies the mystifications of the obfuscations – of the cloudy confusions created by the artistic deceptions of modern day cultures.

The greatest threat to the world today, in my thinking, is the lawless suppression of truth.

Jesus Christ said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  John 14:6.

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled  to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He Who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  Hebrews 10:19-23 (NIV.)

God said, … “Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God….(the way to salvation) … 1 Corinthians 1:24.

Those who seek to omit God and Jesus have fallen into Satan’s snare and are deceived into thinking (believing) that they are “wise” (know-it-all), but instead they are deceived:  see 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.

They are foolish in their deceived state, but convince themselves that they are “wise” and “intelligent.”  God’s plan of salvation seems to them foolish, and those who are saved by God’s method are,  in the eyes of the deceived, the “foolish” ones.

Ironic, but tragic.

For those who continue to embrace the lie by rejecting God’s truth condemn themselves to continuing deception.                                          See  2 Thessalonians 2:1-12.

Salvation and truth are inextricably linked:  See 2 Thessalonians 2:13-16, 17; 1 Timothy 2:4.

It is God’s desire that all people would repent of their sin, believe in His Son Jesus Christ,  and be saved in accordance with God’s Way and Truth  in order to gain eternal life.

“I urge you,  first of all, to pray for all people.  Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.  Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceable and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.  This is good and pleases God, our Savior, Who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.  For, ‘There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity – the Man Christ Jesus.  He gave His life to purchase freedom for everyone.  This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.”    1 Timothy 2:1-6 (NLT.)

“Now while they were on their way, Jesus entered a village [called Bethany], and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.  She had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and continually listening to His teaching.  But Martha was very busy and distracted with all of her serving responsibilities; and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, is it of no concern to You that my sister has left me to do the serving alone?  Tell her to help me and do her part.’  But the Lord replied to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered and anxious about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part [that which is to her advantage], which will not be taken away from her.’”   Luke 10:38-42 (Amplified Bible.)

Today we have a choice – choose the good part, the one thing necessary.

Let us not become so busy we are distracted from the blessed privilege of sitting down and listening to hear Jesus’s words and thoughts toward us, individually.

The Things We Give to God

By Shirley Wiggins

Thoughts,  like lightning bolts,  can run in and out of our minds seeming sometimes like a million –a – minute.  Some flash into our minds and lodge in our hearts and we continue to recall them days later.

That’s what happened to me some years ago as I sat in the Beth Moore video Bible study entitled, Mercy Triumphs.

Beth was “painting” some beautiful, large strokes with the Scripture “brush,” and I was furiously taking notes because she was talking about how joy can be “birthed” from anguish and through anguish and the two can co-exist, being specifically referenced to childbirth in the Scriptures.

She mentioned her grandchildren and their obvious desire and delight in spending time with her.  As she said this, my mind had its own rush of memories related to my precious grandchildren (two at that time, and now there are three!).

I promptly fell in love with each of mine and began daydreaming about them long before they were born!    I have no doubt this love will continue to bring joy until the day, somewhere in the future, when my physical life gives way to my heavenly life in eternity.  And, there only God knows  how  we will love then forever.

As Beth shared that day, this thought came to me and I wrote it in my notes:

“What does our joy in and toward God make Him feel?  Consider the process of falling in love with my grandbabies; consider my own story.”

My own story is that I have had so much fun with my grandbabies from day one!  I have a million stories to tell of the cute things they did and said, not to mention the utterly profound things they’ve said as children that was almost too deep for an adult much less children!

The Scripture says, “out of the mouths of babes…”

The delight they gave to me in the forms of a freshly picked flower, a pretty rock, a hug, and so on and on, no matter what they gave me, I treasured it and loved them with all my heart.

One of the things they have each  given to me – all three of them – is the opportunity to grab my Bible to read Bible stories and talk and laugh together.  My oldest grandson and my granddaughter’s favorite spot was the outdoor swing and they had a deep interest in the stories of Jesus and the people in the Bible.  So does the youngest one today who is only four years old.

 What joy!

Do you ever think about what you give to God and how that makes Him feel?

God is love and He loves each one of us, so nothing we can give Him will make Him love us more;  but I would love to think that I could bring joy to my heavenly Father!

So what could I “give” to God as I start each day?  

The joy of seeing me reach for His Word with absolute delight and eager anticipation of what He will say to me today?

The joy of hearing my prayers of praise for the greatness and the grandness of Who He is and the forgiveness of all my sins and the resulting salvation He has given?

The joy of seeing me pause throughout my day, while in a particularly difficult set of circumstances, to remind Him (and mysel) that I am depending upon His goodness and kindness and faithfulness to see me through each one?

The joy of seeing me in attendance in His house of worship and prayer each and every Sunday, wearing a full faced smile as I greet His other children?

The joy of seeing me return good for evil to others who’ve hurt me or offended me or behaved irresponsibly (in my own personal opinion!)?

The joy of seeing me embrace His Son as my Savior who saved me once and forgives me daily as I ask?

The joy of seeing me listen attentively to His Holy Spirit as my Comforter, Counselor, constant Companion, and Guide into all truth?

The joy of seeing me study His Word, the Holy Bible, really studying it and not just giving it a quick and brief reading, or neglecting to open it all day for days on end?

How do I spend my time, my energy, my money?  I use the word “my” very loosely for there is nothing I can give to God that He didn’t first give to me and all I can do is return a good investment on what He has so abundantly provided to and for me.

I turn from my examination to what I give to God to the question of what I give to Him that I can stop giving to Him.

I can stop complaining and grumbling about every little thing.  I can stop giving Him disrespect and stop wasting all the good gifts He has given to me.

I can daily show Him my love and respect and appreciation and worship of Him through my actions and behavior in my personal quiet alone time, my actions toward my family, my friends, my neighbors, and those whom I meet in the daily routine of life.

I can behave as the ambassador of Christ that I truly am because I have repented of my sin, received God’s forgiveness through His Son and my Savior, and daily surrender control of my life to God through Jesus by the help of His Holy Spirit, and live to point others to God in Jesus Christ.

How about you?  What do you consistently give to God?

 In God’s Word, Jesus said:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Already you are clean because of the Word that I have spoken to you.

Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me.

I am the vine; you are the branches.  Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

If anyone does not abide in Me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples.  As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you.  Abide in My love.  If you keep My  commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.  These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

This is My commandment that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down His life for His friends.  You are My friends if you do what I command you.  No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you.  These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”

                                                                                     John 15:1-17 (ESV)

 O Father,

You give joy!  Help us to give You  joy because our hearts truly delight in You!

Thank You so much for all of the great and good gifts that You bestow on us.

We give you praise!  In Jesus’ name,

 Amen.

 

Edited Repost from June 30, 2012