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3/23/2015

Jehovah-Jireh

Jehovah-Jireh
This is one of God's most common names. 
Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 
What did God Himself suffered when Jesuschrist was crucified?
Genesis 22 will give us a real illustration of what God went. Three times in the Bible is Abraham called the friend of God. There was no one else depicted with such a bond with God as the one Abraham had with Him. How great is to study this relationship and find that we have a God that is pleased when we have fellowship with Him, that He desires us to have fellowship with Him. My heart yearns to know of that intimacy between Abraham and God. 

Genesis 22:1-3 And it came to pass after these things, that God tested Abraham and said unto him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Behold, here I am.” And He said, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he cleaved the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went unto the place of which God had told him. 

Now remember that Abraham was 75 when he received the promise of a child. He had that boy until he was 100 years old. And now the test is to give Him that son for whom he waited so long. 
Can God test you? Can He test me? Is He the center of our lives? Can we say we are His friends?

John 15:14-16 Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard of My Father, I have made known unto you. Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you. 

What a tremendous possibility to have this intimacy of fellowship with God. 
Let us remember all that Abraham had left for God. He left his country, his kindred, his father house, he left Lot, he left Ishmael. But he still had Isaac. And now God was asking for Isaac too!

Genesis 22:7-8 And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” And he said, “Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” So they went both of them together. 

Look at the trust and fellowship, love and intimacy between God and Abraham. 
Again what a beautiful illustration at what must have happened at Calvary. God providing a lamb for the redemption of our sins! 

1 John 4:9-10 In this was manifested the love of God toward us: that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 

Notice also the obedience in this terrible test.
Matthew 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples that He must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 
Matthew 26:2, 37-38, 42 “Ye know that after two days is the Feast of the Passover, and the Son of Man is betrayed to be crucified.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then He said unto them, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death; tarry ye here and watch with Me.” He went away again the second time and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, unless I drink it, Thy will be done.” 

Think only Jesus Who is God can obey like that? Let us look at Abraham. But Abraham was convinced God was going to do something, even if he burned Isaac on that altar, God was going to bring him back.
In all the announcements of His death, Jesus always added that He would be raised again from the dead the third day. God is going to allow Abraham and Isaac to go through something similar that He himself would go 2000 years later.
Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide or "in the mountain it shall be seen." Can you imagine Isaac asking Abraham were is the lamb? That painful picture were Abraham knows Isaac is the offering? 

Imagine time before creation. The Father and the Son were together. 
Genesis 11:7 Come, let Us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” Down to the centuries they were together. And when our Lord was made into the flesh of men, they were together. And when they nailed Jesus to the Cross, they were together. 
And when Abraham was about to slain Isaac, God stopped him. He did not allow Abraham to go to the full extent of pain He would experience 2000 years later. 
Genesis 22:12, 14 And He said, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from Me.” And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh that is, The Lord will provide; as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.” 

He has made provision for you to be clear of sin, to be freed from judgment, from the wrath of God, from the path to hell, from the bonds of death. He has made provision for you to go to glory and have eternal life, to become a child of God, and to enjoy intimacy with you. 
Why do you think God has made provision for your salvation? 
He loved us and He wants intimacy with us.
The provision has been made and seen in the Cross. 

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit, 

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He hath made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. 

I am the one who should have been crucified, and God made the provision through His Son. Had God not given His Son no one would get into Heaven, and we would experience the condemnation our sin was due. If man could save himself, Jesus needed not to die in the Cross. But it was the only provision. God gave a lamb for the offering. It is not the work of Christ in me that saves me; it is the work of Christ for me. 









3/16/2015

El Shaddai part 2 and Jehovah

El Shaddai, the fruitful. 
In Genesis 35 and 49 you read about El Shaddai making Jacob fruitful. 
But He is also the One Who chastens His people. 
Job 5:17 “Behold, happy is the man whom El Shaddai chasteneths; therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty. 
God is called over 30 times el Shaddai in the book of Job. This is one of the reasons why it is believe Job wrote the book of Job before Moses came to being. 

Hebrews 12:6-11 for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.” If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all arepartakers, then ye are bastards and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Shall we not far rather be in subjection unto the Father of Spirits, and live? For verily they chastened us for a few days according to their own pleasure, but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto those who are exercised thereby. 

Chastening is not very nice when you go through it, but it produces something. That is how our mothers showed us true love, showed us she cared. 
Lets see the story of Ruth and Naomi. Naomi has lost her boys and is bitter. Ruth has come to known God through Naomi and wants to follow her. Naomi tells her she has no more boys to give her. 
Ruth 1:19-21 So the two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved concerning them; and they said, “Is this Naomi?” And she said unto them, “Call me not Naomi that is, Pleasant. Call me Mara that is, Bitter, for the Almighty (El Shaddai) hath dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty. Why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me and the Almighty (El Shaddai) hath afflicted me?” 

He afflicts, but He has a purpose for the affliction. He brings Naomi back were she can be blessed again and get rid of her bitterness and become sweet again. It is in love that He chastens us. He wants to produce in you and me something that parallels His character of righteousness, holiness, love, tenderness, and compassion. But sometimes we want our own way, and when we don't get our own way, we become bitter. Some Christians are bitter. 
The Lord chastens us not because He hates us but because He loves us.

Psalm 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High (El Elyon) shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (El Shaddai).
He preserves His people. He calls us from separation from evil. 

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God. As God hath said: “I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Therefore, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate,” saith the Lord. “And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters,” saith the Lord Almighty (El Shaddai).

He calls you and me from separation; but at the same time, supplies all your needs. 
Revelation 1:7-8, 17-18 Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also who pierced Him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so. Amen. “I Am Alpha And Omega, The Beginning And The Ending,” saith the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty (El Shaddai). And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, “Fear not; I am the First and the Last. I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen, and have the keys of hell and of death. 

Jesus is El Shaddai
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, “All power is given unto Me in Heaven and on earth. 

Aren't you glad that your God is El Shaddai? The One Who can meet your daily needs, Who is all sufficient, never leaves you, never forsake you, and we can sing how great Thou art! The One Who can redeem us, the One Who can bring peace into this world, the Almighty God, El Shaddai!
If you put your trust in Him, why don't you praise Him and worship Him everyday with all our lives?

Jehova
Jehova, the ever present God, the self-existent, the great I am, always was is and always will be. 
The Jewish people never use this name. To them, it is too sacred. Instead they use Adonai (Lord). 
Does this not show us to be reverent when we use any of His names? Instead I see the lack of reverence and understanding and especially ignorance when they throw around His name with no reverence or awe. We must revere Him. 

The first time this name is used is in Genesis chapter 2. This shows us how Moses could have only written the Pentatauch through revelation. In the first chapter, that concerns with creation, He is called Elohim; but in chapter two where we see more of His relationship with man He is called Jehova. The name Jehova is especially used with the people of Israel. 

In Romans 3 Paul tells us He is the God of the Jews and gentiles. 

Exodus 3:14-15 And God said unto Moses, “I Am That I Am.” And He said, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, ‘I Am hath sent me unto you.’” And God said moreover unto Moses, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath sent me unto you.’ This is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations. 

Exodus 6:2-3 And God spoke unto Moses and said unto him, “I am the Lord. And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of God Almighty (El Shaddai), but by My name Jehovah was I not known to them. 

Jehova is God's eternal name. It is the name most commonly used in connetion with the people of Israel; therefore, Israel is an eternal nation. 
 Isaiah 66:22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me,” saith the Lord, “so shall your seed and your name remain. 
The Jews have wandered all over the world, and still God has preserved them. He is Jehovah, the eternal God. 
This is the name that is also always related to redemption. He is the ever-present God.

Isaiah 44:6, 8 “Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the First, and I am the Last, and besides Me there is no God. Fear ye not, neither be afraid. Have not I told thee from that time and have declared it? Ye are even My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Yea, there is no God. I know not any.” 

Isaiah 43:3 For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior...
Isaiah 43:14-15 Thus saith the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “For your sake I have sent to Babylon and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships. I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.” 

Up until Exodus 6, Bible characters like Job, Isaac, Jacob, Abraham knew Him as El Shaddai. In Exodus, God is going to take Israel out of Egypt to a 40 year journey through a terrible wilderness, an arid desert. And He is no longer going to be know as El Shaddai, the Almighty One, but as Jehovah, the ever-present God, always there for His people, always sufficient, wherever they are. 
Whne you've felt alone and forlorn, remember the ever-sufficiente God there to meet your needs. May He be your joy and your blessing today.

3/13/2015

El Elyon and El Shaddai

By John Mitchell
El Elyon
The second name of God is in Genesis 14:18-22
In Acts 7:2 "The God of glory appeared unto Abraham when he was still in Ur of the Chaldees."
What kind of God did Abraham have? The first revelation to His friend Abraham was by the name El Elyon, the Most High God. 

God calls Abram out of Ur and he did. What made him follow?
Genesis 14:18-23 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the Most High God. And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of the Most High God, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be the Most High God, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.” And he gave him tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for thyself.” And Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the Most High God [El Elyon], the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoe strap, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say,‘I have made Abram rich’.” 
Now, the offering of the king of Sodom seems nice, but Abraham is not going to fall for its trap. He knows his God is El Elyon, possessor of everything. It is God Who has made me rich, and he was not going to rob God of that glory. 

The Most High divided the nations.
Deuteronomy 32:8 When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. 

Paul had seen that men were worshiping a god without name and explained to them who that God was,
Acts 17:26-27 And He hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation, that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might feel after Him and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us. 

God put the nations in the best place to find Him. 
History showed us that men was not satisfied with the place God gave them. Nations were not satisfied with the portion God gave them. That is why the history of mankind is plagued with war. 
When El Elyon separated the nations, He did it according to number of the people of Israel. Battling the Most High God will take you to destruction. 

Daniel 4:24-25, 32, 34-35 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: that they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen; and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen. And seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will.” “And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me. And I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored Him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His Kingdom is from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth. And none can stay His hand or say unto Him, ‘What doest Thou?’"

Nebuchadnezzar found that a decree from the Most High God can't be changed. 

Psalm 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 
What place could be safer than by El Elyon, the possessor of everything?

Now let us look at Jesus in the New Testament. 
Jesus is called the son of El Elyon.
Luke 1:32 He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David.

You find in the Gospel of Luke Jesus casting demons. You don't find this in the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John is the revelation of Christ as manifested in flesh. You find three miracles of creation, three miracles of healing, and one of raising the dead. He picks up seven signs to prove Jesus' sonship. But Luke's gospel is our Lord in the midst of men. 

Luke 4:33-34 And in the synagogue there was a man, who had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee and who Thou art — the Holy One of God!” 
Luke 8:30-31 And Jesus asked him, saying, “What is thy name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many devils had entered into him. And they besought Him that He would not command them to go out into the deep. 

Demons not only know Who Jesus is but know the power He holds over them. 
Acts 16:16-18 And it came to pass as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed by a spirit of divination met us. She had brought her masters much gain by soothsaying. The same followed Paul and us, crying out and saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who show unto us the way of salvation.” And this she did many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, “I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that same hour. 
Interesting how she was right, but Paul hushed the demons just as Jesus had because demons have no right to testify concerning the Saviour. It is not in the providence of demons to bear testimony concerning the Son. This is the believers responsibility to share the precious story of redemption. 

We find that El Elyon is the possessor of everything, the One Who separated the nations, the safest place to abide in. And we find that reflected in Jesus.

Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds

He is the heir of all things! Jesus is the owner of the universe! And to top it of, He has made us heirs with Him.
Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God; and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if so it be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. 

We have come into relationship with the One Who owns everything. My! How rich we are! And yet most of us live as paupers. Rich spiritually, not seeking treasure on Earth were the moth and thieves can ruin it but with and inheritance that is eternal, uncorruptible, held by El Elyon. What a great God Who would hold an inheritance for us in heaven, for He is the possessor of everything! 

El Shaddai
The Almighty God, the All-power One, the One Who is sufficient.
Genesis 17:1-2 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, “I am the Almighty God. Walk before Me, and be thou perfect. And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.” 
God wants to reveal Himself with different names because He wants us to know what kind of God we have. 
Is your God big enough to meet your needs? 
Yes! He is El Shaddai, the Almighty! He has power to do His will. 
But man has made his own god; he has deified himself. Man doesn't want God to interfere with him. People are becoming more and more bold against God. They don't want to hear about Him and don't want others to hear about Him. We don't want Bibles in the schools! 
And mankind sows what he reaps. They sow corruption and reap corruption. And still man hold they don't need a Saviour. 
I may not understand all that God does. How could I when He is omnipotent, omniscient, all powerful, supreme, and unlimited? We are limited in knowledge, experience, in gifts. It's a gift that He has revealed Himself, so we can know Him. One day God is going to complete His purpose for men and for Earth, whether you believe it or not. Just as sure as He is on the throne, He is going to do what He wants to do.
People ask what kind of God would allow the things that happen on Earth. The answer is simple: men are reaping what they have sowed. 
He is the only One Who can deliver you from the bondage and the penalty of sin, from the fear and power of death, and sit you in the presence of God. He can use us to reach nations for Himself. 

When God revealed Himself as El Shaddai in Genesis 17:1 to Abraham and gave him the Abrahamic covenant, He did so to show that He is the nourisher; He is able to impart Himself, impart His power, and perform His precious will. 

Genesis 13:14-16 And the Lord said unto Abram after Lot was separated from him, “Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. 
Abraham was 75 at this point and Sarah was 65.
And you come to chapter 16, and still no children. Abraham is 85 and Sarah 75 years of age. From chapter 13 to 16 God is promising Abraham descendants. It is very hard for you and me to wait God's time. We say and teach that God is always on time, but one of the hardest things is to wait for God's time. If He doesn't answer right away we assumed He didn't listened to us. Sarah couldn't wait and took her servant Agar and gave her to Abraham to procreate. Ishmael is born. And from that point you get 13 years of silence and no revelation between chapter 16 and 17. Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born. In the next chapter, he is 99 years of age. For 13 years he is out of the will of God. He was given a promise at 75 years of age and for 11 years did not receive it. At Sarah's 89 years of age there is no hope for them to conceive. But we know that Abraham kept believing. 

Romans 4:18-19 Abraham, against all hope, believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So shall thy seed be.” And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, nor yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 

But up until chapter 16 of Genesis they both know God as El Elyon, the Possessor of all. In chapter 17 He reveals Himself as El Shaddai, the Almighty One. It was at this point that Sarah also believed. 

Hebrews 11:11 Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 

We can trust the All-sufficient God is faithful. 

Jesus is El Shaddai. 
John 8:56-58 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and He saw it and was glad.” Then said the Jews unto Him, “Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?” Jesus said unto them, “Verily, verily I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am!” 

He is the One Who never fails. Abraham failed, Sarah failed. And they got 13 years out of fellowship with God. How long have you been out of fellowship with God for not being able to wait? You might judge Abraham for not waiting though he had been waiting 11 years when he failed. Do we wait God's time? How much do we know about El Shaddai? How much do we wait on the All-sufficient, the One Who when He speaks He is going to keep His word?
He is the God Who is enough for you and for me. 









3/12/2015

Dear Kaylee 11 months

My dearest Kaylee, 
I apologize for not writing more letters. Mom will definitely look into that. 
My sweet baby, I can tell from your early age that you are going to be "cariñosa." There is no satisfying translation of the word in English, so I will leave it in Spanish. You love to hug and kiss. I love how when mommy is around almost no one can take your attention from me. Mommy has never felt so important. Grandpa Rodolfo use to be that for your sister. You are such a smart girl. You gave your first steps before daddy's 27th birthday just as we had predicted you would. You were 9 months old. The curious thing was that you needed to learn to walk to master crawling, and now you prefer crawling to walking when you were so adamant in learning to walk before crawling. It took mommy to get on all fours with you to teach you to crawl. I am not going to lie, baby girl, but you had a funny crawl. There are video evidence to show you when you're older. Your first word was mommy when you were around 7 months. You later learned to say daddy after daddy constantly trying to get you say it. However, your favorite and most said word is "kiki" which means Mickey. At first I though you were imitating your big sister who had a huge Mickey Mouse phase at the time. The funny thing was when you'd wake up and point at the tv and exclaim "kiki." You definitely knew what you were saying, you smarty pants! Your funniest word is "No." It is funny because you say it in a British accent. It is probably all that Peppa Pig and Pocoyo we watch together. You do the silliest things, like try to bite mommy's belly or cheeks. You are the cutest at playing hide and seek. When mommy asks "Where is Kaylee?" , you hide and pop out exclaiming "Ahi ta!" ("There she is" in slang Spanish). It is adorable. You have been a light sleeper, mainly because mommy spolied you and lets you sleep with her too much. Poor daddy sometimes loses his patience when you won't sleep on your own. I explain to him that your high maintenance is due to teething. We blame everything on teething. You have three tooths and a half. The fourth is starting to show. Those two front teeth have taken forever to finally pop out. You gave us quite a scare a couple of weeks ago. You were waking constantly and when mommy when to check on you you had a really high fever. You had never had high fevers before. Mommy gave you a bath and medicine and nothing was working. We were about to go running to the ER when sweet Aunt Adina let us know what to do and how to help you. Mommy was glad it was a weekend and I could spend ithe day caring for you. Mommy works during the day and gets back at home at 3pm. You always brighten up when you see me. You have no idea how I wish I could spend my whole day with you. You and your sister have a love-hate relationship. You love to be together, but you fight for toys and parent's attention. You are caring of each other and that fills my heart so much. You are the perfect eater. Feeding time with you is so breezy and fun. Your sister would torture us trying to feed her. You just open wide and say "AMMMM" with every bite. You are not a picky eater and you eat so healthy. You are 11 months and mommy still manages to breastfeed you once or twice a day. You don't know how happy I am for that. Oh, my blue-grey eyed wonder, how thinking of you makes me smile! You seem more beautiful with each passing day. I love you so much. Just this morning you woke up when I was trying to sneak out of the room to go to work. Your uncles were still getting ready, so we had some alone time. I was holding you in my arms and you laid in my chest, and I was praying for your life worshiping God for how perfectly and wonderfully you were made. I love how you and your sister bring me closer to God. You have filled my life with gratitude and joy. I love you, my darling; I carry you with me. I carry you in my heart.





Joy of my life!






El Elohim

I did this Bible doctrine course available at BBN Free Bible Institute online many years ago. As I go over it again, I want to share it with you. You can take the course yourself by signing up here.
By John Mitchell

How has God revealed Himself to men?
Does He have an interest in me and you?

Job chp. 11
Can't thou by searching find God? 
Job 23:3
"Oh that I might know where to find Him?"

Does God know me?
Sin ruined man and gave him a nature that is contradictory to God's nature. 
You might say "But I am not so bad?"
Then I would ask you "Who is your standard?" When God is the standard, we see how far off we are. 
And so, we want to know Him to be more like Him, and God reveals Himself through His names. 
His name's reveal He is not through with men, even though man is ruined in sin. 
Rom.5:8 
"God loved us while we were sinners"
He loves us and has given provision for us to have fellowship with Him and know Him.

We find in the Bible that God does things for His name's sake. 1 John 2:12 we see the forgiveness of sins for His name's sake.
Psalm 138:2 "Thou hast underwritten ever word by Thy name."
We are going to connect God's Old Testament names and see how Jesus fullfills them all in the New Testament. 

Let us study His names and see what kind of God I am trusting and serving. 
While we study His names I will ask you "Is this your God? Is He big enough? Do you know without a question of a doubt that death is defeated, sin has been put away, and He is able to save you?" This is everything! You need to ask "Has He made it possible for you and me to have a relationshio with Him? Are you a fool for not knowing Him and not putting your trust in Him? How much interest does He have in you? How much interest do you have in Him?"

As I get to know Him, the more I bow to Him for His mercy, grace, and love and this produces worship, praise, and obedience. It's about time christians really know God. It is possible for us to really know God, and it is a tragedy so many of His people know so little about Him. 

Mstthew 16
Jesus asks His disciples what names people has used for Him, and the disciples said John the Baptist, Elijah, some of the prophets. He asked "What do you say?" and Peter said "You are the Son of God." Jesus said to him "Simon, you are very blessed for flesh and bones have not revealed this to you but my Father Who is in heaven."
What you and I will ever know about God will be given to us by revelation. This revelation has been given in the Word of God. How will you know Him if you don't go to His Word?

The very first name of God in His Word was given in Genesis 1:1.
"In the beginning God." 
The name God there is El Elohim. It means the mighty one, the creator. Used 2700 times in the Old Testament, connected especially with creation. 
John 1:3
"All things were made by Him and without Him was anything made that was made. In Him was life and that life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness could not comprehend it."
Heb 1:2-3
"... by Whom He also made the worlds, Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,"
This is talking about Jesus. 
Col 1:16-17
"By Him were all things created.... by Him and for Him....by Him all things are held together."
He is the creator and the upholder of all things.
Interesting that El Elohim is God's name in the old testament especially used by gentiles. He was known as the creator. He is the living God in contrast to the dead idols
Elijah stood on Mt. Carmel and had a contest with the prophets of Baal. Baal's prophets are asking for fire, even cutting themselves open with knives. Elijah took 12 stones and built an altar, put his sacrifice in the altar, and drenched it with water. He, in a quiet prayer, lifted his hands and prayed "Let is be known that You are the God of Israel." And the fire of God consumed the altar, the water, and the sacrifice. 
1 Kings 18:39
And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and they said, “The Lord, He is the God! The Lord, He is the God!” 
The translation is "He is Elohim" and the usage of this name meant that He is the living God and He must be worship. 
So the question is raised, how do you worship Him, the creator and uplifter of all things?
The disciples asked Jesus that question. How can we know the way to the Father? He said to them "I am the way to the Father" and thus He also must be worshiped. 
When you worship God you must see His holiness and His rightfulness and see your own sinfulness. When you think that a sinful man can come into the presence of a righteous God, you ought to bow down and worship Him, especially when God has made a way in which we can come into His presence. 
How wonderful that Jesus came to make a way so that we may come into the presence of God acceptable to worship. 
Exodus 3:7-10
God met Moses in the burning bush. "I have seen. I have heard. I have come to deliver my people."
Elohim also means the ever faithful one. 

Job 23:3
"Oh that I might know where to find Him?"
This is a heart that is yearning for God. How wonderful that now the Lord Jesus says to us "Come to me all who are burden, and I will give you rest"!
Paul says in Timothy that now we have a mediator before God, and He has made it possible for you to become child of God. 
The Elohim, the creator, upholder of all things, the ever faithful one has made provision for us to be with Him. He must be praised! He must be worshiped!