Tag: God the Holy Spirit

The Great I AM

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A name that God called himself is I AM (YHWH). The Israelites so revered the name of God that they used YHWH when referring to Him as it has no vowels and cannot be pronounced. They felt God’s name was so sacred that they should not utter it. God used the term I AM in reference to himself in Exodus 3:14. God was going to send Moses to confront Pharoah so the people would be released from slavery. Moses was hesitant and one of the problems he foresaw was that the people, the Israelite slaves, would not know him and not believe that he had come to be God’s instrument of release. Exodus 3:14 “God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God was proclaiming that He was the self-existent God, God Almighty, the God of their fathers.

Prior to this encounter, scripture refers calling upon the name of the Lord. The patriarchs knew God and worshipped Him and called on Him often. Genesis 4:26 “To Seth (the third son of Adam and Eve) also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.” From that time on, the believers called upon the name of the Lord. Genesis 12:8 Abraham called upon the name of the Lord, “From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.” Isaac called upon God, Genesis 26:25 “ So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.” The Israelites were familiar with the patriarchs calling upon the name of the Lord and would have recognized God’s name.

In the New Testament, Jesus uses the “I AM” to let us know facets of His character. He tells us He is the bread of life in John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” The door, John 10:9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” The connection to the Father, John 15:1 “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.” The source of God’s light to the world, John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” The direction in which you can find God, John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. The caretaker of all believers, John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” The source of resurrection power and life eternal, John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,” Lastly, Jesus himself identifies with the name I AM from His heavenly Father in John 8:58 “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, our triune God, existed before the creation of the world and are eternal. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know the great I AM personally and call upon His name in worship and prayer!

Linda

Experiencing His Majesty, Magnified

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Psalm 8 fills me with wonder and reminds me that we can see the power of God, His beauty and majesty in His creation all around us.

Sunrise over the Sea of Galilee

O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
    Your glory is higher than the heavens.
2 You have taught children and infants
    to tell of your strength,
silencing your enemies
    and all who oppose you.

3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
    the moon and the stars you set in place—
4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
    human beings that you should care for them?
5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You gave them charge of everything you made,
    putting all things under their authority—
7 the flocks and the herds
    and all the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
    and everything that swims the ocean currents.

9 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

Caves above Qumran

When was the last time you took a walk and were focused on the beauty around you or took a stroll at night and gazed up at the stars.? God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit we all present at creation. Genesis 1:1-2 speak of God and the Holy Spirit “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” John 1:1-3 speak of Jesus’ presence at creation, “In the beginning the Word already existed.     The Word was with God,   and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him,  and nothing was created except through him.” John clarifies that Jesus is the Word in 1:14 “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.” All that we see and hear we owe to the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)

Wildflowers in Israel.

Jesus came to earth, the Word, to bring mankind back into relationship with the Father. He was here on earth and experienced the winds of the desert, the storms over the Sea of Galilee, the mountains, roadways and the beauty of Jerusalem. Because Jesus came to earth, died on the cross and rose again, we experience his majesty through our faith in Jesus which magnifies His glory and creation. Our faith gives us a greater appreciation of the majesty of God and the creation that surrounds us. Thank you Jesus.

Linda