In a recent prayer meeting at Community Life Church (Catskill, NY) an Elder spoke about how we are to exalt the Name of God. We are not worshiping for our sake but for God's sake, for the sake of his Name.
Ezekiel 39:25–28 NAS95
25 ¶ Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name.
26 “They will forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid.
27 “When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I shall be sanctified through them in the sight of the many nations.
28 “Then they will know that I am the LORD their God because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then gathered them again to their own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer.
Verse 25 reads "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD" or "the Lord Yahweh." That is God's name: Yahweh.
Verse 28 reads "Then they will know that I am the LORD their God," or "Yahweh their God."
In verse 25 God speaks through the prophet that "I will be jealous for My holy name."
When we look at the prayer outline that Jesus gave us in Matthew 6, the first thing in the list is "Hallowed be Your name." (6:9 NAS95)
It is for God's name that we live. In the Bible the word "name" means "nature, essence, identity." God's name discloses who he is, albeit rather cryptically. Moses asked God to disclose his name and "God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM'; and He said, 'Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14 NAS95
From the Application Bible:
3:13-15 The Egyptians had many gods by many different names. Moses wanted to know God’s name so the Hebrew people would know exactly who had sent him to them. God called himself I AM, a name describing his eternal power and unchangeable character. In a world where values, morals, and laws change constantly, we can find stability and security in our unchanging God. The God who appeared to Moses is the same God who can live in us today. Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus Christ is the same “yesterday, today, and forever.” Because God’s nature is stable and trustworthy, we are free to follow and enjoy him rather than spend our time trying to figure him out. God reminded Moses of his covenant promises to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 15; 17), Isaac (Genesis 26:2-5), and Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15), and used the name I AM to show his unchanging nature. What God promised to the great patriarchs hundreds of years earlier he would fulfill through Moses. His wisdom spans the ages, and his promises give meaning and direction to our lives.
We read in the Psalms the following:
23:3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
25:11 For Your name’s sake, O LORD,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
31:3 For You are my rock and my fortress;
For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.
79:9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name;
And deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake.
106:8 Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name,
That He might make His power known.
109:21 ¶ But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name’s sake;
Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me;
143:11 For the sake of Your name, O LORD, revive me.
In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble. NAS95
To be sure, God cares for us and provides for us for our sakes, but the bottom line is that God's Name must be praised and honored. Everything we do should be for the sake of God's Name. For God's nature, God's essence, which is love and grace and peace unbounded.
God delivers us for his Name's sake and we are thereby blessed.
God has been bringing grace and life to his creation ever since he created it. He will restore everything and bring it to completion.
Romans 8:22–23 NAS95
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.
23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Change
We all see things in the world that upset us and we wonder why people can't just change their attitudes and behaviors to make things better. Rodney King asked "Why can't people just get along?" Well, that would involve people's changing in radical ways.
What it boils down to, however, is the need for ME to change. "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the willingness to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." I have lived this prayer for nearly thirty years, sometimes well and sometimes no so well. How I look at and interact with the world around me begins with me.
Matthew 15:18–19 NIV11
18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.
19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
We need periodic "heart transplants." The Bible speaks of having a "new heart:"
Ezekiel 36:26 NAS95
“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Father, help us to change our hearts. Give us your grace to see where we need to change and the power to make those changes, that we might be pleasing in your sight and help bring about your Kingdom on earth. Amen.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Don't let time throw you off the Spirit
After Jesus had been with the disciples for forty days post-resurrection, he was preparing to leave. We read the following:
Acts 1:6–8 NAS95
6 ¶ So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Teilhard spoke of the "malady of space and time," by that meaning that we are bound up in both and cannot move or doing anything without the limitations of each. It takes time to go somewhere and to go there one has to traverse distances.
We are time- and space-bound earthlings, and everything we do is wrapped up in time and space. We cannot easily think other than in those terms.
Jesus said, "It is not for you to know...." He was about to do something that transcended time and space. He was about to release the Holy Spirit on the earth, in fulfillment of Joel's prophecy:
Joel 2:28–29 NAS95
28 ¶ “It will come about after this
That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
29 “Even on the male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
The disciples were thinking only in terms of time and space; Jesus was looking foward to the release of the Holy Spirit who transcends time and space and bring power to all who receive him.
Jesus said that it was not for the disciples to know the times and epochs - i.e., the historical situation. You see, the disciples were waiting, along with all of Israel, for the coming of the Messiah when the Romans would be run out of Dodge and everything would be set right.
They were looking for the Kingdom of God to be established on earth.
Jesus was looking to establish the Kingdom of God in the hearts of all who would believe. Disciples would be transformed into temples in which the Holy Spirit would dwell.
1 Corinthians 6:19 NAS95
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
Acts 1:6–8 NAS95
6 ¶ So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Teilhard spoke of the "malady of space and time," by that meaning that we are bound up in both and cannot move or doing anything without the limitations of each. It takes time to go somewhere and to go there one has to traverse distances.
We are time- and space-bound earthlings, and everything we do is wrapped up in time and space. We cannot easily think other than in those terms.
Jesus said, "It is not for you to know...." He was about to do something that transcended time and space. He was about to release the Holy Spirit on the earth, in fulfillment of Joel's prophecy:
Joel 2:28–29 NAS95
28 ¶ “It will come about after this
That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
29 “Even on the male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
The disciples were thinking only in terms of time and space; Jesus was looking foward to the release of the Holy Spirit who transcends time and space and bring power to all who receive him.
Jesus said that it was not for the disciples to know the times and epochs - i.e., the historical situation. You see, the disciples were waiting, along with all of Israel, for the coming of the Messiah when the Romans would be run out of Dodge and everything would be set right.
They were looking for the Kingdom of God to be established on earth.
Jesus was looking to establish the Kingdom of God in the hearts of all who would believe. Disciples would be transformed into temples in which the Holy Spirit would dwell.
1 Corinthians 6:19 NAS95
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
Back again!
I have not written in a little more than two years. So very much has happened in that time, including the fact that Cheryl and I have both retired - myself from the Clintondale Friends Christian Church and Cheryl from Marist College.
We are living in our Greene County home that we purchased in May, 2001. For thirteen years it served as a get-away place. We would come up here one or two times a week. We both have offices in the house so we could work here in a more quiet setting.
We left the parsonage in Clintondale June 12, 2014, so that it could be remodeled for the new pastor and his family. I commuted back to Clintondale until my last Sunday, July 27. We are now permanently located in Greene County and learning, one day at a time, what it means to be retired. More to come.
We are living in our Greene County home that we purchased in May, 2001. For thirteen years it served as a get-away place. We would come up here one or two times a week. We both have offices in the house so we could work here in a more quiet setting.
We left the parsonage in Clintondale June 12, 2014, so that it could be remodeled for the new pastor and his family. I commuted back to Clintondale until my last Sunday, July 27. We are now permanently located in Greene County and learning, one day at a time, what it means to be retired. More to come.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Back Again Just In Time For the Election
I had high ambitions about blogging but like so many things in life, more talk than action. Now there really is something to write about, the 2012 election, and I'm not sure that I have much to say nor will follow through even if I think of something.
The fact is that I don't really care for either of the candidates. President Obama is a disappointment and the Democratic platform contains support for the sins of abortion and homosexuality. Romney wants to make sure that the rich get richer and I don't believe that nrither he nor the Republican party care who suffers in the bargain.
We no longer have great statesmen who are willing to work across the aisle for the good of the country. Despite what each party says, neither is willing to compromise. There is very little discussion of principles and ideas and all too mud-slinging.
I may end up doing a write-in come November. Don't know who it might be, but I want to cast a vote with integrity. I want to feel that the one for whom I vote is a man or woman of principle and righteousness.
I am tired of voting each four years for the lesser of two evils. Maybe my write-in won't stand a snowball's chance in hell, but it will be a vote that I can live with. No one need know who I vote for but God and myself.
The fact is that I don't really care for either of the candidates. President Obama is a disappointment and the Democratic platform contains support for the sins of abortion and homosexuality. Romney wants to make sure that the rich get richer and I don't believe that nrither he nor the Republican party care who suffers in the bargain.
We no longer have great statesmen who are willing to work across the aisle for the good of the country. Despite what each party says, neither is willing to compromise. There is very little discussion of principles and ideas and all too mud-slinging.
I may end up doing a write-in come November. Don't know who it might be, but I want to cast a vote with integrity. I want to feel that the one for whom I vote is a man or woman of principle and righteousness.
I am tired of voting each four years for the lesser of two evils. Maybe my write-in won't stand a snowball's chance in hell, but it will be a vote that I can live with. No one need know who I vote for but God and myself.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Back again
I have taken off nearly two years from my last blog. So much has happened and yet so much remains the same. We are still in this miserable economic mess, made no better by either Occupy Wall Street or the Tea Party. The Republican Party offers no hope for a viable candidate and President Obama continues to waffle and provide ineffective leadership. Increasingly I turn to Jesus for strength and comfort. He is our only hope. This is not a cop-out. It is never a cop-out to turn to the truth. And the truth is Jesus Christ. Rufus Moseley said that outside Jesus everything is getting worse and worse and inside Jesus Christ everything is getting better and better. I believe that.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Too long!
I cannot believe it has been nearly two months since I last posted. But that is not unusual for me.
We are having some snow today. I can't stand snow but have learned that there is nothing I can do about it. Except remove it when it has fallen to the ground.
Of course, the big news since I last posted is the earthquake in Haiti - or should I say, the series of earthquakes. 220,000 people died and countless others were injured or displaced.
It has been an unbelievable experience watching the work that so many are doing to help Haiti.
I'll write some more soon. I promise. Just gotta run right now.
We are having some snow today. I can't stand snow but have learned that there is nothing I can do about it. Except remove it when it has fallen to the ground.
Of course, the big news since I last posted is the earthquake in Haiti - or should I say, the series of earthquakes. 220,000 people died and countless others were injured or displaced.
It has been an unbelievable experience watching the work that so many are doing to help Haiti.
I'll write some more soon. I promise. Just gotta run right now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
