Catch a glimpse of God’s Glory

December 17, 2025December 12, 2025 nofearlindaLeave a comment

I can’t even imagine the brightness of the angels in the sky. Their glory would only have been a fraction of what God’s glory will be like when we see Him in heaven. This scene shows God’s excitement and joy over the birth of His Son and the long awaited arrival of the availability of peace, hope, forgiveness and salvation for all people in Jesus.

Luke 2:8-14 “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

The attribute that comes to mind when reading and visualizing this scene in my mind is Holy. God is holy and is high and lifted up. He is set apart from His creation. God is whole and perfect in goodness and righteousness. No one is like God. God sets apart His children , those who believe in Jesus, for Himself and desires, no commands us to be holy as He is holy. We cannot achieve holiness with Jesus. He is the one who washes us clean and presents us holy and acceptable before Holy God.

God’s holiness and brightness shine forth in various passages in the Old Testament. In Exodus Moses encountered God in a burning bush. Exodus 3: 2-5 “And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. ³And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” ⁴When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” ⁵Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” Even the ground around the bush where God was speaking was considered holy ground. Isaiah had a vision of God’s throne room in Isaiah 6:1-3 “ In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ²Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” This shows us that the whole of heaven is filled with his glory and holiness.

Isaiah repeatedly refers to God as the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 43:3a “For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Jesus speaks of God the Father as holy in John 17:11 “And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” Jesus prayed for all of us to be united and work as one for Him. Knowing Jesus and being indwelt by His Holy Spirit we are anointed by Him. 1 John 2:20 “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.”

How are you seeking to be holy for Him? In Leviticus God has Moses tell the people, 19:2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” God desires that we live a holy life. This is something we cannot do on our own. Through the power of the Holy Spirit within, we can seek to walk with Jesus and put aside sin. Paul explains the transformation we have through Christ to do this in Romans 6:1-4 “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ²By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Live the new life in Christ! You are a new creature, a new creation in Him according to 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Live it today and claim His promised transformation in your life!

Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Linda

Isaiah, What a book! Thank You Lord for Revealing Yourself to Me

August 31, 2023 nofearlindaLeave a comment

I have been blogging though Isaiah since February 20, two days before the beginning of Lent, until August 31. It has been an experience like no other. If I had thought to do this, I would not have attempted it, but God brought me to it and through it. I decided to go back and reread my blogs and see what impression I had of the entire book from all the pieces. Here are a few things I gleaned:

God keeps His promises about Jesus whether you are looking at his mission, purpose, places, happenings, etc. They are all true. Many were fulfilled when Jesus came but there are some remaining about His return and reign that we can be assured will be true even though they are future to us. We can trust God to fulfill them just as He promised because He has proven Himself trustworthy 100% on all He has given to us. God also included His promises to save, support, comfort, affirm or always have a remnant of believers present. Isaiah is a book filled with God’s promises. Here are a couple for you to review about Jesus. Isaiah 9:6 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and rejected by mankind,  a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Here are a couple of promises to claim today. Isaiah 40:27-30 “He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.³⁰Even youths grow tired and weary,  and young men stumble and fall; ³¹but those who hope in the Lord  will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,    they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 49:16 “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;  your walls are ever before me.”

God’s character is revealed in Isaiah as in no other book. Here is a list of attributes I found and I know I missed some. I was so encouraged by this list! God’s glory is revealed in Jesus. God is Eternal, Powerful, Ruler of Heaven and Earth, Creator, Sovereign, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Redeemer, Savior, foundation of our faith, the One and Only God, Holy, Faithful, Merciful, Defender, Just, unfailing in His Love, Restorer, Zealous, Righteous, Father, Prince of Peace, Peace loving Wonderful Counselor and He grieves over our sinfulness. God is the one and only unique God who loves and bestows compassion, mercy, justice, peace, care, help, guidance, faith, joy, hope and rest upon us. I was so amazed at how much I learned or had affirmed about God- who He is and what He does. How much He loves and cares for me and desires that I follow Him. May these words remind you of whom we worship. Isaiah 40:22-28

²⁵“To whom will you compare me?    Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
²⁶Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:    Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
    and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,    not one of them is missing. ²⁷Why do you complain, Jacob?    Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord;   my cause is disregarded by my God”?
²⁸Do you not know?    Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God,   the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary,    and his understanding no one can fathom.

Isaiah is also filled with God’s grief over the sins of His people. He points out their rebellion (and ours too) and beckons them to return to Him. He is longsuffering and desires a relationship with us. Isaiah 1:2- 4 “Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth!  This is what the Lord says: “The children I raised and cared for  have rebelled against me. ³Even an ox knows its owner,
    and a donkey recognizes its master’s care—but Israel doesn’t know its master.    My people don’t recognize my care for them.” ⁴Oh, what a sinful nation they are—    loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people,
    corrupt children who have rejected the Lord. They have despised the Holy One of Israel
    and turned their backs on him.

What can I take away from this study? God is reliable and keeps His promises. This is a great comfort to me and assures me that my present and future are secure!

God’s is unchanging and I can depend upon His character. His attributes comfort, uplift and guide me. I don’t need to doubt as He is consistent generation to generation. He is unchanging, Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” and Hebrews 6:18 “So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.”

God grieves over my sin and desires a relationship with me. Isaiah 1:18-20 “Come now, let’s settle this,”    says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet,  I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson,   I will make them as white as wool. ¹⁹If you will only obey me,
    you will have plenty to eat. ²⁰But if you turn away and refuse to listen,
    you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies.     I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Lastly, the phrase that is repeated over and over in Isaiah is God the Holy One of Israel. God’s holiness is seen in contrast to the rebellion and sinfulness of the kings and their people. The way they treated one another and had no respect or love for God is laid out before them. Isaiah does not hold anything back as God is brutally honest and truthful about their sin. We can learn from this and seek Holy God. Come to Him in humility realizing our sinfulness. Isaiah 66:2 God reminds us:

My hands have made both heaven and earth;
    they and everything in them are mine.
    I, the Lord, have spoken! “I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts,
    who tremble at my word.”

I pray you were blessed by this study.

Linda

Holy God, Thank You!

November 5, 2021 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Today’s thank-filled verse comes from Psalm 30:4

“Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.”

In Hebrew the reference is to giving thanks and worshipping God because of His holiness. Have you ever thought about why we should give thanks that God is holy? Holy means pure, blameless, set apart. Only God is without sin and perfect. I like the definition given in my Bible Study Fellowship manual for explaining God’s attribute of holiness to the children; “God is high and lifted up. He is set apart from His creation. Our English word “holy” is from the same root word as “whole.” God is whole – perfect in goodness and righteousness. No one is like God. Even God’s holy angels tremble in reverent worship before Him. God sets apart His children for Himself and commands us to be holy as He is holy. Being holy makes you whole– what God intended you to be.”

Thinking about Holy God creates in me a sense of humility and unworthiness followed by extreme thankfulness. How is it that Holy God cares for me? Repeatedly in scripture we are assured of God’s love and care. Nahum 1:7 is one of my favorite verses “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,” God has compassion upon me and seeks to draw me unto Himself. God loves me so much that He sent Jesus to die for my sins so that I can be brought into a relationship with Him. My faith in Jesus restores me and covers me in His righteousness. What a marvelous gift from our Holy God! Because of God’s love and Jesus imputing his righteousness to me, I can seek to live rightly before Him and honor Him in all I say and do. We can be ‘whole’ before Him and that is something to praise, sing and honor God for! Thank you Jesus for giving me a way to be right with God through faith in you.

Linda

Righteousness = God, what about us?

December 11, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

As you read today’s scripture taken from Luke 1:68-75 showing Zachariah’s praise song to God, be mindful of God’s Righteous character. Here is the definition of God’s righteousness-see how it fits with all God did and will do. Righteous God: God is right in all He does. He has always been right and always will be right. All of His words and actions are right. All of His plans are right. God has no sin and is positively perfect. God never lies. He is fair, just and faithful in all he does. We never need wonder if God is right, so we can trust God when we do not understand.

“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has visited and redeemed his people.
⁶⁹He has sent us a mighty Savior
    from the royal line of his servant David,
⁷⁰just as he promised
    through his holy prophets long ago.
⁷¹Now we will be saved from our enemies
    and from all who hate us.
⁷²He has been merciful to our ancestors
    by remembering his sacred covenant—
⁷³the covenant he swore with an oath
    to our ancestor Abraham.
⁷⁴We have been rescued from our enemies
    so we can serve God without fear,
⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness
    for as long as we live.

The people of Israel could count upon God to keep His promises, treat them with mercy, never leave or forsake them to their enemies and guide them in a walk that is good all the days of their lives. They knew their God was righteous in all ways.

Do you know Zachariah’s Righteous God? Through Jesus we can know God more fully and see His Holy Spirit working within us. Romans 3:10 says, ““None is righteous, no, not one;” Without Jesus we are lost and doomed to death because of our sinful nature. We cannot get ourselves clean enough for Holy God. Paul explains the solution to this dilemma in Philippians 3:8-9 “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.”

Give thanks today for our Righteous God who loves and desires the best for us. He desires we seek Him and walk each day in His ways. He desires that we grow in righteousness through faith in Jesus. Blessings as you meditate on the Righteousness of God and your own ‘rightness’ with God through your faith in Christ Jesus.

Linda

Holy is Our God! Mary knew it, do you?

December 7, 2019January 1, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. from now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me– Holy is his name.” Luke 1:46-49

This song of Mary’s is known as the Magnificat in Latin as the first word spoken is the word magnificat meaning glorifies. Mary is praising God for being chosen to be the mother of the coming Savior and all the future honor that will bring. She says her soul is rejoicing in being able to serve her God and bring glory to His name. She is reveling in His mercy and grace and calls Him Holy. Why would Mary choose the word Holy to describe God? By worldly standards, Mary is in a precarious position. She is an unwed mother to be in a time when that condition would bring shame upon herself and her family. Yet, she praises God and extols His holiness.

What do Mary’s praises tell us about who she thinks God is? Mary calls God HOLY. God is high and lifted up. He is set apart from His creation. No one is like God. God sets apart His children for Himself and commands us to be holy as He is holy. Being holy makes you whole, what God intended you to be. Mary knew she had been set apart by God for His work. She considers herself whole, complete and is thankful and filled with joy that she can be used by God.

Do you feel whole and complete when you are serving God? Does your service bring honor and glory to God’s Holy name? Do you rejoice in serving God? Paul wrote to Timothy is 1 Timothy 3:13 “Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.” Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:10-11 “Each one should use what ever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. I anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” Paul, Peter and Mary recognized that our service can and does bring honor and glory to God when done in and through our Lord Jesus Christ. Our service also brings joy to our hearts and gives greater assurance in our faith. God is Holy and desires us to be holy and honor Him in all we say and do.

Striving to serve a Holy God,

Linda

Are you up to it? A month of Thanks and Praise- join me each day…

November 1, 2019January 1, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

As we enter the month of November that has our National Day of Thanksgiving, let us give thanks this whole month long for the things, people, places, hopes and dreams we have within our lives. God is good and worthy of all our praises! Isaiah gives us a song of praise in Isaiah chapter 12. As I look at various verses of thanksgiving this month, this chapter is the key of what our hearts’ attitude must be before Almighty God.

The Lord Is My Strength and My Song

12 You will say in that day:
“I will give thanks to you, O Lord,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.

²“Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”

³With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

I am a sinner and did not deserve God’s mercy but Romans 5:8 reminds us of God’s love “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” With joy in my heart, I can draw on His mercies from the ‘well of salvation’ and know His forgiveness. Because of faith in Christ and His death and resurrection, I can know the salvation of the Lord and praise His great name. Isaiah explains when you know the ‘well of salvation’ you can: ⁴And you will say in that day:

“Give thanks to the Lord,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.

⁵“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
⁶Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

Are you ready to give thanks, to shout and proclaim His wondrous deeds? Do you want to let all the world know He is holy God, the only true God? All our joy and thanksgiving comes from God because of what He has done for us. Let us give thanks and let us utter songs of joy and praise to Him all month long. Let the spirit of thanksgiving towards God permeate your very being, dip into that well of salvation, and live out praise and thanksgiving towards God and all the people you meet.