Learning To Pray Effectively

Learning to Pray: It’s Not All About Me, It’s About God

It seems many do not know how to pray in a righteous, God honoring manner. Prayer has turned often into a wish list of what I want from God and when I want it. As a response to help people come to better understand a Biblical approach to prayer we are exploring Biblical examples of righteous prayer in our extra Friday articles. These are additional to our daily devotions. Sometimes we are highlighting examples of righteous prayer from Solomon or David or Daniel and, of course, Jesus Christ. Today we explore Psalm 4.

Psalm 4

Evening Prayer of Trust in God.

For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

      1Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

      2O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach?
How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception?

Selah.

      3But know that the LORD has set apart the godly man for Himself;
The LORD hears when I call to Him.

      4Tremble, and do not sin;
Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.

Selah.

      5Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,
And trust in the LORD.

      6Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?”
Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD!

      7You have put gladness in my heart,
More than when their grain and new wine abound.

      8In peace I will both lie down and sleep,
For You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety.

David provides much helpful insight into prayer throughout Psalms. In Psalm 4, we see some important elements to prayer.

  • Believe that God will answer.
  • Acknowledge that God is righteous rather than man. Any righteousness we can claim originates from God who has set the standard that defines righteousness.
  • Acknowledge God helps us in our distress.
  • Recognize we rely on God’s grace to answer our prayers. It is beyond what we deserve in relationship with our Creator.
  • We can call on God to help us deal with the unrighteousness of men, who come against us because of our honor in submitting to God.
  • God hears the prayers of the righteous and godly, not just prayers of people who call out to Him, but do not submit to Him.
  • We should not treat our submission to God lightly. “Tremble, and do not sin;” We should hold God in some amount of respect, fear, and reverence. We should deeply consider our tendency to sin and turn from it. Bringing this issue before God for His help is worthy of our time in prayer.
  • “Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the Lord.” Living righteously according to God’s instruction will have a cost. People will come against us. Sometimes we will make choices that do not benefit us personally but further the kingdom of God. Trust in God and be willing to offer our lives as living sacrifices to God, according to His righteousness.
  • Call out to God to help us when others will not.
  • Praise God for the gladness He brings in our lives.
  • Praise and thank God for the peace He brings to us in our lives.

Stepping back from the many detailed elements… you do not find a shallow, selfish list of wants from David in Psalm 4. You find real issues, focus on and reverence for God, and praise and thanks to God. Take some time to thoughtfully compare this to your prayer life. Challenge yourself to put more focus on praising and thanking God and asking His help for you to live righteously according to His instruction, even when it is hard.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Protector / Deliverer, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Stop Defining God By How You Would Do Things

I hear many things said today by people who reject Jehovah and even by those who claim to follow Him that reflect a poor understanding of Him. Yes, even many who claim to follow Jehovah through Jesus Christ still do not understand the God they worship. They try to define God based on how they feel comfortable or what the world tells them is right rather than understand God as He has revealed Himself through the Bible.

“I don’t want to believe in a God that would allow pain and suffering in the world.”

“The God I know would not hurt anyone.”

“God is a God of love so that behavior cannot really be sin or why would he make people that way?”

“God would not hurt animals.”

“God would not use the wicked or suffering to bring about His plan.”

The above are all examples of wildly false statements that people use when they do not understand God. If we constantly try to view God through a man made box in which we constrain artificially how we are willing to accept that He interacts with this world, we will continue to drift farther and farther from Him. If we seek Him as revealed through the Bible and through prayer, accepting Him even when we disagree or do not understand, we will draw near to Him and He to us.

Exodus 11

The Last Plague

      1Now the LORD said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely. 2“Speak now in the hearing of the people that each man ask from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold.” 3The LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Furthermore, the man Moses himself was greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

      4Moses said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘About midnight I am going out into the midst of Egypt, 5and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of the Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the millstones; all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6‘Moreover, there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt, such as there has not been before and such as shall never be again. 7‘But against any of the sons of Israel a dog will not even bark, whether against man or beast, that you may understand how the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ 8“All these your servants will come down to me and bow themselves before me, saying, ‘Go out, you and all the people who follow you,’ and after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.

      9Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.” 10Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.

Yes, God not only allowed, but caused the firstborn of all the Egyptians to die. He did not only do this for the ruling Pharoah or the rich and powerful but explicitly even to the lowest slave and the cattle as well. Oh, and He hardened Pharaoh’s heart to get to this point without releasing the Hebrew people so that He could demonstrate signs and wonders. Yes, that was God. No, He was not wrong to do it. His ways are above our ways. Just because we don’t understand it does not mean it is wrong. We must break away from always assuming we are wise and understand the big picture… we do not. God does.

I could spend a lot of time debating why God worked this way and how I process it, but instead, let’s go back to what God said about it.

      9Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that My wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

God wanted to demonstrate an amazing series of wonders so that the Egyptians and the Hebrew people would know that He is God. This establishes a strong and memorable foundation to help His people as they go on their journey out of Egypt and into the wilderness and eventually into the promised land. These wonders are still talked about today as an example of God’s power and deliverance for His people. They also serve as warning to watch how quickly some of His people forget Him and fall away from faith as the times get tough, despite amazing wonders done in His name.

If we are to draw near to God, we must try to understand Him through studying the Bible and not through surface opinions of our own or the world that try to say what He should or should not do. His followers seek Him to understand Him and we follow Him even when we do not understand Him. We do not redefine who we think He should be to make us more comfortable.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Speaking, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Do Not Negotiate With God, But Rather Obey

Be careful in your life that when Jehovah speaks clearly to you, you do not negotiate with Him but rather obey. He is our Lord and all powerful Creator of everything. His wisdom and His plans are beyond our understanding. We have not position or power or wisdom with which to negotiate with Him. We either obey or disobey, and then receive the consequences of our choice.

By the time we read the history through to Exodus 10, Pharaoh has been through a lot. He started by trusting in his magicians to replicate the signs and wonders God provided. This helped him rationalize that God is not very powerful or special and thus could be ignored or dismissed. Then, when his magicians could no longer replicate the signs, Pharaoh would relent under pressure and agree to let the Israelites go, but then change his mind as soon as the threat was no longer in front of him. It was as if he was rationalizing that it never happened or could not be repeated once it had passed. Now in Exodus 10, Pharaoh first tries to negotiate or compromise with God by allowing only the men to go worship, when God demanded all the people and their livestock to go. It must have been difficult for Pharaoh, a mighty king, to submit humbly to Jehovah. Pharaoh had already decided the people must return, so was trying to keep the children and now, in Exodus 10:21-29, the livestock from going away with the people.

Pharaoh’s hard hearted attempts to bargain or negotiate with God fail. God has already stated His demands and will not change His mind for the likes of Pharaoh.

Exodus 10:20-29

 20But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.

Darkness over the Land

      21Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt.” 22So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 23They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings. 24Then Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, “Go, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be detained. Even your little ones may go with you.” 25But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice them to the LORD our God. 26“Therefore, our livestock too shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we shall take some of them to serve the LORD our God. And until we arrive there, we ourselves do not know with what we shall serve the LORD.” 27But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. 28Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Beware, do not see my face again, for in the day you see my face you shall die!” 29Moses said, “You are right; I shall never see your face again!”

Be careful that you do not dismiss Pharaoh to easily. We can all be vulnerable to similar patterns of behavior and rationalization. What God tells us to do, we should do and not debate or negotiate. This can apply to His specific will for our lives that He may choose to reveal to us each through prayer or scripture or through other means. It can also apply to His general will, documented so clearly in the Bible. God gave us many instructions to follow to help us know right from wrong and to be set apart from the world clearly to be His people. How many of us though, grow up with a compromised version of which of His rules we are taught we should obey and which we are wrongly taught no longer apply.

Who are we to choose what commandments or instructions we will follow and which we will not? How often I notice that people who claim to follow Him may agree they should not use the Lord’s name in vain, they should honor their parents, not kill, not commit adultery, not steal, not lie, and not covet… but they ignore the Sabbath day, include statues (idols) even in their church and worship, and place many things in priority in their life before God. These things may range from money, lust, sports, job, power, or accepting other false beliefs associated with make believe gods.

God is not pleased when we choose to obey some of what He tells us any more than human parents are pleased when their children obey some of the instructions they are given, but disobey many more. Is a business owner pleased when employees obey half the rules he gives them? Doubtful… he will probably fire those employees. Why then do we expect that we can please God by negotiating or compromising with Him?

Prayerfully examine your own life and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any areas where you are not fully submitted to God. Also, as you study scripture make note of the instructions God gives His people and test whether or not it still applies and you should be following it today. Pay special attention to the Old Testament passages as many churches today teach wrongly that most of the instruction God gave His people in that time are now obsolete, despite Jesus clearly stating and showing by His life that God’s instruction in the Old Testament is still valid.

To learn more, read Understanding the Law – What Does It Mean For Us Today?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Father / Yahweh, Grace / Forgiveness, Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Sin

We Are By Nature Children Of Wrath

Contrary to what many today want to believe, we are not born holy and righteous. Human nature draws us toward sin and disobedience to Jehovah rather than submission to Him. Left on our own, we are dead in sin and will be held accountable as such by God on the day of judgment. Yes, there really is a heaven and a hell.

While this makes many uncomfortable, it is important to understand in order to have a clear picture of God’s love, grace and mercy. He displays all of it by providing a way to save us from our sin, to bridge the gap between our selfish and rebellious nature and His holiness.

God demonstrates mercy in that He is willing to withhold from us the punishment we deserve based on the gap between our behavior and attitudes and His holy standard. Further He shows grace by providing us forgiveness we do not deserve and a way to be reconciled with Him. He demonstrated love by coming to live among us and die on our behalf to pay the penalty for our sins and rebellion. He did this in the person of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:1-10

     1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

It is important to remember that we are not inherently good. We do not deserve forgiveness. We can not earn forgiveness. We can never achieve God’s standard through our own works. We are saved by God’s grace, through our faith in Jesus Christ. It is a gift we do not deserve, but still we must choose to accept it. Once we accept this gift, God does indeed expect us to walk in good works as evidence of our submission to Him.

Trying to bridge the gap between us and God without accepting Jesus Christ as Lord is akin to trying to climb down into the Grand Canyon using a step ladder. We do not even come close on our own. Let us remember and remind others that God shows His great love, great mercy and great grace by the offer of reconciliation and salvation He offers in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We should praise Him and glorify Him and never take it for granted as something we do not need or something we deserve based on our own works.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Money / Finances / Wealth

Give To Jehovah What Is His

Consider you are an owner of a business. Do you care how your employees spend the company’s money? Do you want them to spend in a way that is consistent with your instructions when you gave them access to the money or just spend however they feel best, even if completely selfish and not furthering the business? Is it any different if we consider a family situation in similar fashion?

Of course we care! Whether we are running a company or leading a family, we have limited resources and it is important to use them wisely and consistent with our guiding values and purpose. Anyone who does not see this… just let someone have access to your checkbook and tell them to spend your money however they want… and you will quickly understand the point. You appreciate those who use the resources appropriately and correct those who do not.

Would it matter if they only wasted half of your money? What about 25%? We care about how they use all or any of the money. We gave instructions with the money and we want them followed, or next time we give the money to someone else.

So why do so many people have a problem with understanding that God (Jehovah in Hebrew) cares how we spend the money and other resources He provides to us?  Typically we struggle with this concept because we don’t want to submit to Him in regards to finances. We prefer to do things our own way. We may even be “generous” and set aside 10% of what He gave us and then tell Him we will manage the rest our way. This is not honoring God, but rather honoring ourselves.

Give to Jehovah what is His. It all belongs to Him, so manage all your resources, time… talent… money, to further the kingdom of God.

Luke 20:21-25

 21They questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You speak and teach correctly, and You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. 22“Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 23But He detected their trickery and said to them, 24“Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25And He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Proverbs 3:9-10

       9Honor the LORD from your wealth
And from the first of all your produce;

      10So your barns will be filled with plenty
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Malachi 3:10

   8“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9“You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 11“Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the LORD of hosts. 12“All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the LORD of hosts.

Have you submitted all your finances to be stewarded on behalf of God or are you holding some back for your own purposes? This does not mean writing a big check to give all your money to a church. Not at all. It means stewarding wisely all that you have and spending in such a way as to be responsible and further the kingdom of God. Obey His general commands regarding money as we find them in the Bible. Take time to learn to pray effectively and seek God’s specific instructions for you, if any, regarding money. Remind yourself it all belongs to Him and you are only the servant who is asked to take care of it and manage it on His behalf.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Learning To Pray Effectively

Prayer Request: What Do You Pray For?

This week’s prayer challenge is to consider how you pray for yourself and your family. Take a few moments to consider what you ask God for in your life and why. Write down three personal prayers.

Now let us consider the prayer of one whom God answered in a mighty way, Solomon.

2 Chronicles 1:7-13

     7In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”

Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom

      8Solomon said to God, “You have dealt with my father David with great lovingkindness, and have made me king in his place. 9“Now, O LORD God, Your promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10“Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?” 11God said to Solomon, “Because you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king, 12wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed nor those who will come after you.” 13So Solomon went from the high place which was at Gibeon, from the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem, and he reigned over Israel.

What a tremendous attitude Solomon had as he responded to God’s inquiry! Solomon did not pray for himself or something selfish, but rather he prayed for wisdom to rule wisely over God’s people… thus wisdom to serve God. Take note of the approach Solomon takes in responding to God as well. He does not simply lay out his personal list of wants, but rather starts by acknowledging who God is and what He has already done… with thanks. This is not a complicated prayer, but a simple and genuine request of God for the gift needed to rule wisely.

Take another look at  your personal prayer list. Are you praying for selfish things that benefit only yourself? or are you praying, like Solomon, for God to increase in you the gifts He wants you to use to serve Him and advance the kingdom of God on earth? It is ok to pray for personal needs or wants, but how much better to pray for God to help you accomplish what He has already called you to do. Consider humbly adjusting your prayer life to ask God for His help to give and develop in you the talents and abilities you need to do what He is calling you to do.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Help / Serve Others, Humility, Share the Good News

Humility and Unity Enable The Body Of Christ

It is wonderful to see the body of Christ work together toward the common goal of glorifying God. The brethren of Jerusalem received Paul gladly upon his return. Paul met with the elders and told them all about his missionary journey… but note Paul’s humility as he gives glory to God for what occurred instead of pointing toward himself. The elders hear him and also begin to glorify God. Notice that there is no trace of jealousy among them for the wonderful works accomplished through Paul. They are all on the same team! They are aligned only toward the agenda of sharing the gospel of Christ with the world.

So too the elders give advice to Paul on how to dispel the rumors that he does not care for the law. There is no hypocrisy or deceit here. Paul consistently obeys the law throughout scripture. He is sometimes misunderstood. As he taught the Gentiles he focused them on a few important things to get started so they would not be overwhelmed by all of the law at once. Some took that to mean Paul rejected the law. It was always Paul’s pattern to continue teaching those who followed Jesus more about what God commands as they continue to study with him. Paul again demonstrates humility in accepting this advice as an effective communication tool to the Jews in Jerusalem. Paul participates in the ending of a Nazarite vow by others. Paul is not just making a show of it or compromising on his beliefs. In fact, Paul completed what is likely a Nazarite vow himself in Acts 18:18.

The brethren were truly working together toward the common goal of sharing the gospel of Christ. They gave and received advice to one another. They glorified God in the work as it was accomplished. They thoughtfully considered how they could be most effective in reaching their audience (e.g. Jews vs. Gentiles). They proclaimed truth.

Acts 21:15-26

Paul at Jerusalem

      15After these days we got ready and started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to lodge.

      17After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; 21and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. 22“What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23“Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. 25“But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.” 26Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

Humility and working together toward a common goal of sharing the gospel of Christ united the brethren of Jerusalem and Paul in a strong bond. How would it have worked out if the elders were jealous of the success Paul witnessed and began infighting? What about if Paul reacted with pride instead of humility, taking glory for himself and rejecting the advice of others?

Think about personal examples in your own life in which you may need to make some adjustments. Are there areas where you react more with pride than humility? Are you jealous of the success of others in sharing the gospel? Pray that God would help lead and guide you to take on a humble spirit, united with all brothers and sisters in Christ toward the common goal of proclaiming the gospel of Christ. We are not in competition with one another, but rather we are on the same team.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Eternal

What’s In A Name?

What’s in a name? A name can at times carry a great deal of significance. When we, as followers of Christ, call upon “God” or praise “God”, even a Muslim or Hindu can agree and praise god, but who are we praising? who are we asking for help?

As followers of Christ we certainly know the name of Jesus Christ and if we have studied the Bible we see much power and significance in the name of Jesus. However as we come to know our Father in heaven and relate to Him throughout our lives, why not call Him by name? Yes, His name is holy and should not be used in vain. But calling to our Father by name is not using His name in vain. Praising our Father by name is not using His name in vain.

So what is His name? There is some degree of debate on whether His name is Jehovah (pronounced “Yehova”) or Yahweh. We can welcome this civil debate and study as brothers and sisters in Christ. We need not divide over this, but it does matter. How many of us want to be called by the wrong name? We may not get angry at our children if they call us the wrong name, but we certainly appreciate those that take the time and effort to learn it properly as they get more mature.

As an introduction for you to the matter, I have included some discussion from an article at HopeOfIsrael.net. Click through the link to read the whole article.

Therefore “Jehovah” is the english equilvant of “Yehovah”. This pronunication has been verified by ancient manuscripts predating the New-testament. The other way we know that “JeHoVah”is correct because it is broken into three syllables “Je” from “yehi” meaning “He will be” (translated one time in the KJB as “JAH”); next is “Ho” from “hove” meaning “Being”; lastly “Vah” from “hahyah” meaning “He was” . Therefore the meaning of “Jehovah” is the ETERNAL ONE. That is what the Lord Jesus was saying about Himself, that he was Himself Jehovah – defining it in Rev 1:4, 8; 4:8; 11:17. That  Jesus therefore has validated the correct pronunciation by defining the three syllables of JE-HO-VAH.

What’s in a name? A lot. Jehovah carries the significance of God’s eternal nature and is used in scripture to demonstrate further that Jesus is one with the Father. When we address our Father, why not start calling Him by name, Jehovah, as we do when we refer to Jesus?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Jesus Christ / Yeshua

If Only I Could Help Them Understand

Awhile ago, my family adopted several cats in an attempt to make them family pets. We rescued them, two from a shelter and one from the streets. When we took them in we did so with the intent to care for them and love them and in return we hoped to be loved by them. One of them in particular was shy and required a lot of care to approach. He did not trust us… it appears he was hurt in the past and still dealing with it in lack of trust for people. Over time, he gradually grew to trust us a bit more.

After awhile two of them were showing signs of sickness, including the cat that was easily scared. We took them to the vet and received the bad news that we should give them certain pills, twice a day… by mouth. Anyone who has a cat probably already realizes that feeding a cat medicine by mouth is not pleasant for owner or cat. In our best efforts to help the cats, one of them lost all sense of trust for us and would no longer allow us to approach closely or pick it up. He did not understand that we were showing love for him… that we wanted only to care for him… that we had his best interest at heart.  He moved next door and would not let us approach him anymore.

I thought to myself often… if I could only explain it to him… if I could only communicate clearly with him… then he would understand and we could be reconciled. He could still be saved from a life on his own on the street and find provision and love with our family. But alas, I could not communicate with him.

Have you ever considered that God feels the same way toward us? He loves us and wants to bless us and care for us. He wants us to show Him love in return. He wants us to choose Him. Often times, however, people do not understand and they turn away from God and choose instead to make it on their own… like my cat.  They do not understand that this is to their own peril, but it is. If only God could think of a way to communicate with us in a way we could understand… that we could see Him and touch Him and hear Him…

He did. God became man and walked among us in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus was not just a good teacher or prophet or good person. Jesus is God. He has existed since the beginning and chose to become flesh and dwell among us.

John 1:1-5

The Deity of Jesus Christ

      1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John 1:14-18

The Word Made Flesh

      14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” 16For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Prayerfully consider how the words of scripture in the gospel of John should affect how you think about Jesus. God became flesh and dwelt among us out of love for us. He revealed Himself to us in a way we could not otherwise understand. He reached out to show us His love for us in a way we should not be able to misunderstand… He died for us and rose again so that we could know the love of God for us and that we could have a way to be reconciled to God.

How else should we respond to this act of love except with love in return? Ask yourself, “Does my life demonstrate my love for God? What changes should I make? What am I waiting for?”

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Evidence in Scripture, Humility

How Would You Write About Yourself?

Have you ever accomplished a task that you felt was significant and then decided to write about it? Perhaps it was in a personal journal, but some end up writing about their accomplishments in books or public records that will survive long after they are gone.

How would you write about your task? Would you focus on glorifying yourself or in glorifying God?

Many would be tempted to overlook documenting some of the less flattering parts of their journey, such as when them made mistakes or felt scared. They may even embellish the accomplishments or their courage and talent in achieving it.

What if an author actually recorded over and over again their own mistakes? What if they consistently wrote down the record as to show their personal struggles rather than just making it look easy and themselves look good? Would you then be more likely to believe that what they wrote about was real and true? Of course you would.

Let us consider Moses. He was the author of Exodus, and yet over and over again records his personal lack of confidence in the scripture. He does so twice in Exodus 6 alone! What tremendous credibility the Bible has. The authors record accurately even their own faults and struggles. If we can trust them to do that , then we can trust that the rest of what they wrote was accurate as well. Those who would manipulate a record with falsehood for personal gain would do so by first making themselves look good.

Consider also that those who came after Moses and considered him to be a great patriarch of their people also kept the record accurate. They also did not change the record to make him look better than he was. This gives us insight into just how important the people of God believe the accuracy of the scriptures to be. True followers of God will not change it, but preserve it as God revealed it to the original authors.

Exodus 6:10-13

      10Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 11“Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.” 12But Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?” 13Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

Exodus 6:28-30

 28Now it came about on the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29that the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the LORD; speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you.” 30But Moses said before the LORD, “Behold, I am unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?”

Many will cast doubts on the truth and accuracy of the Bible. They are quick to challenge its truth and historical accuracy, but slow to offer any better alternative. Consider as you read Exodus 6 (just one example) and throughout scripture how often the “heroes” of the faith are shown in their own error and mistakes across the entirety of scripture. This is clearly not a book written with intent to manipulate the message but rather an historical document preserved by the grace of God through thousands of years. It is quite simply the reliable and trustworthy historical record of God’s relationship with His people from beginning to end.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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