Holy God

During our mid-week Bible Study at church, we have been discussing the Names of God.  Last week I shared about a lesson I taught at church on El Kanna, Jealous God.  Today I wanted to share my husband's lesson on El Hakkodosh, Holy God.  Below are his notes from class.

Isaiah 5:16 But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.

El – strength, mighty, almighty; God

Hakkadosh - sacred (ceremonially or morally); (as noun) God (by eminence), an angel, a saint, a sanctuary: - holy (One), saint.

The idea of the holy (kadosh) implies differentiation: the realm of the holy is entirely set apart from the common, the habitual, or the profane. The holy is singular, awe-inspiring, even “terrible” or dreadful.

• Nehemiah 1:5 And I said: "I pray, LORD God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments,

• Psalms 68:35 O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God!

The concept is that God is so awesome that He is terrible. He is so holy (other) that it is overwhelming.

The Holy God is utterly unique, distinct, sacred, and set apart as the only one of its kind. The Holy One. The one set apart as utterly perfect and unique, utterly transcending the realm of the finite, the fallen, and the imperfect.

Other forms of El Hakkadosh

1. Holy One

• Isaiah 40:24 Scarcely shall they be planted, Scarcely shall they be sown, Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth, When He will also blow on them, And they will wither, And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.

2. Holy LORD God

• 1 Samuel 6:19 Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.

3. The Holy One of Israel

• Psalms 71:22 Also with the lute I will praise You-- And Your faithfulness, O my God! To You I will sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel.

4. LORD my God, my Holy One

• Habakkuk 1:12 Are You not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, You have appointed them for judgment; O Rock, You have marked them for correction.

Other familiar verses declaring the Holiness of God

• Exodus 3:5 Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground."


• Joshua 5:15 Then the Commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.

• Isaiah 6:3 And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!"

• Revelation 4:8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!"

• Leviticus 11:44 For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

Understand or seeing the God who is Holy will induce worship:

Psalms 99:1-9 The LORD reigns; Let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; Let the earth be moved! (2) The LORD is great in Zion, And He is high above all the peoples. (3) Let them praise Your great and awesome name-- He is holy. (4) The King's strength also loves justice; You have established equity; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. (5) Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His footstool-- He is holy. (6) Moses and Aaron were among His priests, And Samuel was among those who called upon His name; They called upon the LORD, and He answered them. (7) He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar; They kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them. (8) You answered them, O LORD our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, Though You took vengeance on their deeds. (9) Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the LORD our God is holy.

Let's pray.  El-Hakkadosh You are so unlike anything that I know. You are holy, separate, other than I am. Your ways are higher than mine. My thoughts can not compare to Yours. You transcend anything that I know. Because You are HOLY, I bow before You and worship You. Declaring Your power, might, and holiness. I am overwhelmed by who You are.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Blessings,

Where Did September Go?

September has come and gone.  It has been a very busy month for my family.  Each day has been filled with work for me and my husband and school for the kids.  Each night has been filled with practices, games and church.  Saturdays are football games for Stephen.  Sundays are church all day.  I blinked and September has passed and it is now October.

Here are some pictures of the kids' games. 

Sarah is serving during her volleyball game.  Sorry the picture is kind of blurry.

Sarah is playing front row and getting ready for the serve.  She has had some mean spikes and has played so good.  In fact, the coach told her she was "on fire"!  Go Sarah!

I had Sarah quickly take a picture of Stephen on the sidelines after we called out to him to look.

Stephen had his debut as starting quarterback last Saturday.  This picture is far away but you can pick out the quarterback - Stephen!  Needless to say I was nervous for him, but he did a great job and did not seem uncertain.  Actually, we got points on the board for the first time and it was our first win!  Go Stephen!

We took a quick picture of Stephen as he walked by.  He is so cute!

I love my kids so much!  I am so thankful for them!

In addition to all the sport activities, we had a lot going on with church.  It's all good and I wouldn't trade a minute of these crazy-filled days.

Hope you all have had a great September.  Now on to October.  I wonder what it will hold for us.

Blessings,

Fruit of the Spirit-Introduction

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Galations 5:22-23a NLT

My ladies and I started a new book study this month. We are reading “A Woman’s Walk with God” by Elizabeth George. It is a study of the Fruit of the Spirit. Earlier this year, my ladies and I read another book by Elizabeth George titled “Quiet Confidences for a Woman’s Heart.” It was a study of Psalm 23. You can read my thoughts on this book by clicking on Psalm 23 in the sidebar.

In chapter one of “A Woman’s Walk with God,” Elizabeth George introduces the study and gives an understanding of the Fruit of the Spirit. She gives an illustration of a string of Christmas lights to help us understand how the Fruit works in our lives. She says “…if one bulb goes out, the entire string goes out. That’s how God’s fruit is borne in our lives. No one of them can be missing, and all must be evident to be God’s fruit.” She goes on to say “And as a whole, these characteristics are all produced in the same way. Everything that is said of one characteristic is true of the other eight. They are one and the same fruit, interwoven and related to one another, produced as we look to God.”

Those words spoke to me. Sometimes you hear how a person might have some of the Fruit of the Spirit, but not all. The author’s statements tell us otherwise. If we have the Fruit, then we have all of the nine fruit, not just some of them.

In our walk with God, we need to realize that there may be “stumbling stones” along the path. The first stumbling stone is legalism. The author defines legalism as “the careful keeping of a set of rules which exceeds what is written in Scripture.” The second stumbling stone we may encounter is the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit. This conflict begins the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior. Galatians 5:17 tells us that the fleshly pursuits result in deeds of the flesh. In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul lists the sins and vices of deeds of the flesh. We need to ask God to help us recognize these stumbling stones and then confess anything that He reveals to us “and submit once again to the transforming power of His Spirit. That’s what walking by the Spirit is all about!”

“Right after the ugly list of sins, Paul moves on to the Fruit of the Spirit” found in Galatians 5:22. “Walking by the Spirit means living each moment in submission to God. Walking by the Spirit means seeking to please Him with the thoughts we choose to think, the words we choose to say, and the actions we choose to take. And walking by the Spirit means letting Him guide us each step of the way. It’s letting Him work within us so that we can bring glory to God.”

In order to bear fruit, we must abide in Jesus (John 15:2-5). “Abiding has been defined as ‘continued fellowship with the Lord,’ ‘dwelling in His fellowship and being submissive to His will,’ and keeping ‘contact with Jesus…a constant contact.”

Elizabeth George gives us ways we can enjoy a closer walk with Jesus:


1. Spending time in God’s Word-we must be diligent in spending time in God’s Word.

2. Spending time in prayer-an act of worship to help us commune with and abide in Christ.

3. Obeying God’s commands-make choices that honor Him and His Word.

4. Renewing our commitment to Christ-ask ourselves if we are alive spiritually.

Here is a thought provoking question the author asks at the end of chapter one:

1. Read John 15:1-8. Make a plan of action for how you will abide in Christ this week. Be specific about when and/or how you will do each of the following:

• Spend time studying God’s Word

• Spend time praying

• Live in greater obedience

• Renew your commitment to Christ

Let’s pray. Father, I thank You that You call us to abide in You. Help us to actively cultivate the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives in order to reflect Your Glory. I pray for each person reading this. May we all draw closer to You in our walk. May we spend more time in Your Word and more time in communion and worship to You. May we make choices to honor You and may we be alive spiritually. Thank You Father. We give You all Glory and Honor for there is no one like You! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Join me next week as we discuss love.

Blessings,

Martha

Today's devotion was written by Mary Davis, a Godly woman in my church who has served my family faithfully during the five years we have been at the church.  Last week she made my daughter a cherry pie (her favorite) and my son chocolate chip oatmeal cookes.  Both were delicious and we gobbled them up quickly.

"And there they made Him a supper; and Martha served."  Matthew 12:2a

"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entered angels unawares."  Hebrews 13:2

Hospitality, a generous and friendly way of treating people. 

Hospitality...Martha's gift.  Perhaps she didnt' always have her priorities in order.  But who does?

Did you notice that Hebrews uses the word strangers?  Too many times we entertain friends or family...nothing wrong with that, but what about the stranger?  That person you know, but don't know, if you know what I mean.  You might say, "well, that's not my gift."  It doesn't have to be your gift.  Hebrews 13:2 is applicable for all.  Strangers need entertainment too, especially the less fortunate ones.

October is a festive month, a beautiful month full of brilliant color.  Perhaps during this month you would be willing to decorate your table accordingly and invite someone to sit down and share a meal with you...someone you bearly know, but are not afraid to welcome into your home, or maybe someone in the church who is standoffish...someone who just needs to sit at your table and sup with you.

Let's pray.  Heavenly Father, sometimes we fail to venture out of our comfort zone to make new friends.  Your Word says "He that has friends must show himself friendly."  Father, as we come to the end of 2010 help us to endeavor to break all barriers that tend to limit us from venturing out.  Thank you Father, Amen.

Blessings,

Jealous God

The last several weeks at church, we have discussed several different names of God.  Last week I was asked to teach on El Kanna, Jealous God.  Now this was not a name (El Kanna) that I was familiar with.  I knew God was a jealous God, but had not made the connection with that characteristic being a part of God's name.  I am very familiar with Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Shalom, Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah Rapha, Adonai, El Elyon and many others.  Thus, if the names and more that I just listed is a part of who God is, then El Kanna is as much a part of who God is as those names. 

Let's take a deeper look at El Kanna.  I have also seen it as El Kanno.

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary describes "jealous" as: 
1 a : intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness b : disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness
2 : hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage
3 : vigilant in guarding a possession

The Bible Dictionary describes "jealous" as:
When jealousy is attributed to God, the word is used in a good sense. The language is, of course, anthropomorphic (: described or thought of as having a human form or human attributes) ; and it is based upon the feeling in a husband of exclusive right in his wife. God is conceived as having wedded Israel to Himself, and as claiming, therefore, exclusive devotion. Disloyalty on the part of Israel is represented as adultery, and as provoking God to jealousy.

El Kanno, Hebrew for The Jealous God, suggests that God watches us lovingly and closely, like a faithful and passionate bridegroom watches over his bethrothed.  Kanno suggests a marriage relationship between Yaweh and ourselves.  God is a jealous God, wanting all our praise for Himself and no one else.

El Kanna is first used six times in the Old Testament and is first used in Exodus 20:5 NIV
"You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,..."


God’s jealousy is active.  Kanna communicates a sense of being committed to a course of action.  It is sometimes translated as zealous.

In my research of El Kanna, I found the following points:
The Lord is jealous of your love. Did He choose you? Then He cannot bear that you would choose another. Did He buy you with His own blood? Then He cannot endure that you would think you are your own or that you belong to this world. He loved you with such a love that He would sooner die than you should perish. He cannot endure anything standing between Him and your heart’s love.I also came across these points:


He is jealous of your trust. He will not permit you to trust in this world. When we lean on Him, He is glad. But when we transfer our dependence to another, when we rely on our own wisdom or that of a friend, or worst of all, when we trust in any works of our own, then He is displeased, and He will chasten us to bring us back to Him.

He is also jealous of our company. There should be no one with whom we converse so much as with Jesus. To abide in Him alone is true love. To fellowship with the world, to search for comfort in the world, causes our Lord to grieve. He wants us to abide in Him and enjoy His constant fellowship. Many of the trials He sends are to wean our hearts from the world and fix them more closely on Him.

I also found:
 God is jealous because his people, whom He loves, are not in relationship with him as he would prefer.


 God’s jealousy is on the same level as his qualities that we typically associate with sovereignty – qualities like might and omnipresence.

 God is jealous because He is sovereign and his people behave like he is not. God created us and sustains us. He is the only one worthy to be praised and worshipped. He does not settle for being one of many. He is the one, there is no other. When we fall short of this command, God is jealous. And rightfully so.

 God’s jealousy indicates his commitment. He cannot be jealous if he does not care.

 God’s jealousy indicates his involvement. He cannot be jealous if he created a world that is on fatalistic auto-pilot.


Divine jealousy is Jehovah God’s justifiable intolerance to any and every rival.  Jealousy is God’s rightful demand for our exclusive affection and loyalty.  God’s kind of jealousy is appropriate and good.  He is defending His word and His high honor.  He makes a strong and exclusive demand on those who are His beloved.  Because of that, we must treat only the Lord, as God, to the exclusion of all other people and things.
 

God desires our well being.  He is jealous for our completeness in Him.  He knows that to be in relationship with him is the only thing that will ever truly fulfill us.  God is jealous when we don’t follow Him.  He is jealous for us.  He is jealous when our loyalties are divided.  God wants us to be the people that he intended us to be.

Human jealousy is usually a bad thing.  It is self-centered and covetous.  We want something that is not ours.  We selfishly desire someone who does not rightfully belong to us.  In relationships, human jealousy is interested in self gratification and not the well being of the other. 
The jealousy of God is genuine. Jealousy is an intrinsic part of God’s character. God’s jealousy occurs because he created people for genuine relationship with him, and those people have rejected him instead.


Is there anything in your life that you are placing ahead of God, anything or anyone who has a more prominent place in your heart, in your thoughts, than God? If so, immediately take steps to cast them down, and give Him the high and lofty place that only He deserves. He alone is worthy of all Glory and Honor and Praise!

Remember today that the God we serve is El Kanna, Jealous God!  Let's put Him first in our lives.

Blessings,

Rahab

Today's devotion was written by Mary Davis, a woman in my church.  God has used her to "stand in the gap" for her family, our church and complete strangers.

“Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” Ephesians 3:20


“And I sought for a woman among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me.” Ezekiel 22:30

A gutsy harlot is what she was, but it’s what she became that counts. Of course better words for “gutsy” might be courageous, fearless, intrepid, and determined. Rahab may have started out as a harlot, but she was determined not to end up as one. She valued her life and made the decision that the God the Israelites served just might cover her with His grace if she helped His people. This courageous act merited her exactly that…God’s grace and mercy.

The heart of Rahab is seen in her actions and proven in the testimony recorded in both the books of Hebrews and James. “By faith the harlot Rahab was not killed with them that didn’t believe, when she received the spies with peace.” (Hebrews 11:13) “Likewise also Rahab was justified by works, when she received the messengers, and sent them out another way.” (James 2:25)

Fearlessly, Rahab, the former harlot stood in the gap and won the heart of God.

One woman plus God can do wonders with the power that came with the Holy Spirit. That woman could be you.

Heavenly Father, how loving and kind You are to use a woman of ill repute to stand in the gap. Not only is Your love seen in how You used and protected Rahab, for the safety of Your people, but Your great love for Your chosen…the Jewish nation. Beyond that You had a greater plan. You chose Rahab to mother Boaz, the lineage from which Your Son would come into the world as a ransom for all…the greatest act of love ever. Perhaps you will use me, us to “stand in the gap”. Thank You Father, Amen.

Blessings,

First Games

This past week has been first games for my children.

Sarah has had two volleyball games last week and has a game tonight.  Her team has won both games.  She made some good plays.  A girl on the other team told her after the game that she had a mean spike.  Of course this thrilled Sarah.  This is her third year playing volleyball and she has really enjoyed learning the game.  Her goal is to play three sports all four years of high school to receive a tri-athlete award.

Stephen is playing football for our rec league.  (He is the one looking at the camera.  It was hard to get a picture of him on the field.)  This is his sixth year playing football.  He loves everything about football and knows a lot about college football and the Washington Redskins.  He is the youngest on his team (12-14 year olds) and is one of the tallest.  He made some good plays on Saturday.

Fall sports are in full swing for us. Every night is either practice, game or church.  But it is all good.  The kids have a lot of fun and we are enjoying this time with them.  You know it goes by all too quickly.

I am thankful for the ability and desire they have to play sports. 

Blessings,