Thursday, June 8, 2017

Daily Bible Reading - June 8, 2017

Today's Reading:

Romans 13

1 Samuel 25

Psalm 68

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Thoughts and Commentary on Today's Reading:

Today I was so blessed by the reminder in Psalm 68 that God is our Great I AM. No, it doesn't use those words. In Psalm 68, David lists all the wonderful ways that God provides for His people. The reason Yahweh is called the Great I AM is because He is our all-in-all. Whatever we need, that is what He is.
Psalm 68:4-6 "Sing unto God, sing praises to His Name: extol Him that rideth upon the heavens by His Name Jah (Yah), and rejoice before Him. A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in His holy habitation. God setteth the solitary in families: He bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land."
In Bible times, God revealed Himself to His people through their personal experiences with Him. As He met needs in their lives, another aspect of His Character - whether a Name or a Title - was revealed. 

Though God is infinitely far above our ability to fully understand, He tells us through the Scriptures very specific truths about Himself so that we can know what He is like, and be drawn to worship Him. The following is a list of 30 names and attributes of God. Use this guide to enrich your time set apart with God by taking one description of Him and meditating on that for one day, along with the accompanying passage. Worship God, focusing on Him and His character.

God is Jehovah. The name of the independent, self-complete being—“I AM WHO I AM”—only belongs to Jehovah God. Our proper response to Him is to fall down in fear and awe of the One who possesses all authority. 
—Exodus 3:13-15

God is Jehovah-M’Kaddesh. This name means “the God who sanctifies.” A God separate from all that is evil requires that the people who follow Him be cleansed from all evil.       
—Leviticus 20:7,8

God is infinite. God is beyond measurement—we cannot define Him by size or amount. He has no beginning, no end, and no limits. 
—Romans 11:33

God is omnipotent. This means God is all-powerful. He spoke all things into being, and all things—every cell, every breath, every thought—are sustained by Him. There is nothing too difficult for Him to do. 
—Jeremiah 32:17,18, 26,27

God is good. God is the embodiment of perfect goodness, and is kind, benevolent, and full of good will toward all creation.   
—Psalm 119:65-72

God is love. God’s love is so great that He gave His only Son to bring us into fellowship with Him. God’s love not only encompasses the world, but embraces each of us personally and intimately.    
—1 John 4:7-10

God is Jehovah-jireh. This name means “the God who provides.” Just as He provided yesterday, He will also provide today and tomorrow. He grants deliverance from sin, the oil of joy for the ashes of sorrow, and eternal citizenship in His Kingdom for all those adopted into His household. 
—Genesis 22:9-14

God is Jehovah-shalom. This name means “the God of peace.” We are meant to know the fullness of God’s perfect peace, or His “shalom.” God’s peace surpasses understanding and sustains us even through difficult times. It is the product of fully being what we were created to be.
—Judges 6:16-24

God is immutable. All that God is, He has always been. All that He has been and is, He will ever be. He is ever perfect and unchanging.
—Psalm 102:25-28

God is transcendent. We must not think of God as simply the highest in an order of beings. This would be to grant Him eminence But he is more than eminent. He is transcendent—existing beyond and above the created universe.
—Psalm 113:4,5

God is just. God is righteous and holy, fair and equitable in all things. We can trust Him to always do what is right.
—Psalm 75:1-7

God is holy. God’s holiness is not simply a better version of the best we know. God is utterly and supremely untainted. His holiness stands apart—unique and incomprehensible.
—Revelation 4:8-11

God is Jehovah-rophe. This name means “Jehovah heals.” God alone provides the remedy for mankind’s brokenness through His son, Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the physical, moral, and spiritual remedy for all people.
—Exodus 15:22-26

God is self-sufficient.  All things are God’s to give, and all that is given is given by Him. He can receive nothing that He has not already given us.
—Acts 17:24-28

God is omniscient. This means God is all-knowing. God’s knowledge encompasses every possible thing that exists, has ever existed, or will ever exist. Nothing is a mystery to Him.
—Psalm 139:1-6

God is omnipresent. God is everywhere—in and around everything, close to everyone. “‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord.”
—Psalm 139:7-12

God is merciful. God’s merciful compassion is infinite and inexhaustible. Through His provision in Christ, He took the judgment that was rightfully ours and placed it on His own shoulders. He waits and works now for all people to turn to Him and to live under His justification.
—Deuteronomy 4:29-31

God is sovereign. God presides over every event, great or small, and He is in control of our lives. To be sovereign, He must be all-knowing and all-powerful, and by His sovereignty He rules His entire creation.
—1 Chronicles 29:11-13

God is Jehovah-nissi. This name means “God our banner.” Under His banner we go from triumph to triumph and say, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).
—Exodus 17:8-15

God is wise. All God’s acts are accomplished through His infinite wisdom. He always acts for our good, which is to conform us to Christ. Our good and His glory are inextricably bound together.
—Proverbs 3:19,20

God is faithful. Out of His faithfulness God honors His covenants and fulfills His promises. Our hope for the future rests upon God’s faithfulness.
—Psalm 89:1-8

God is wrathful. Unlike human anger, God’s wrath is never capricious, self-indulgent, or irritable. It is the right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil.
— Nahum 1:2-8

God is full of grace. Grace is God’s good pleasure that moves Him to grant merit where it is undeserved and to forgive debt that cannot be repaid.
—Ephesians 1:5-8

God is our Comforter. Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “Comforter,” and the apostle Paul writes that the Lord is “the God of all comfort.”
—2 Corinthians 1:3,4

God is El-Shaddai. This name means “God Almighty,”the God who is all-sufficient and all-bountiful, the source of all blessings.
—Genesis 49:22-26

God is Father. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9), and the Spirit of God taught us to cry, “Abba, Father.,” an intimate Aramaic term similar to “Daddy.” The Creator of the universe cares for each one of us as if we were the only child He had.
—Romans 8:15-17

God is the Church’s head. God the Son, Jesus, is the head of the Church. As the head, the part of the body that sees, hears, thinks, and decides, He gives the orders that the rest of the body lives by.
—Ephesians 1:22,23

God is our intercessor. Knowing our temptations, God the Son intercedes for us. He opens the doors for us to boldly ask God the Father for mercy. Thus, God is both the initiation and conclusion of true prayer.
—Hebrews 4:14-16

God is Adonai. This name means “Master” or “Lord.”  God, our Adonai, calls all God’s people to acknowledge themselves as His servants, claiming His right to reign as Lord of our lives.
—2 Samuel 7:18-20

God is Elohim. This name means “Strength” or “Power.” He is transcendent, mighty and strong. Elohim is the great name of God, displaying His supreme power, sovereignty, and faithfulness in His covenant relationship with us.
—Genesis 17:7,8

Sources: The Knowledge of the Holy, by A.W. Tozer; Names of God, by Nathan Stone; and God of Glory, by Kenneth Landon.

So, this morning, I encourage you to think about it. Who is God to you, personally? What Names has He revealed Himself to you in your personal experience with Him? Check out the following list (from Henry Blackaby's Experiencing God workbook) and praise Him for all that He is in your life:
A faithful God (Deut.32:4)
A forgiving God (Neh. 9:17)
A fortress of salvation (Ps. 28:8)
A glorious crown (Isa. 28:5)
A jealous and avenging God (Nah. 1:2)
A Master in heaven (Col. 4:1)
A refuge for the oppressed (Ps. 9:9)
A refuge for the poor (Isa. 25:4)
A sanctuary (Isa. 8:14)
A shade from the heat (Isa. 25:4)
A shelter from the storm (Isa. 25:4)
A source of strength (Isa. 28:6)
A stronghold in times of trouble (Ps. 9:9)
An ever-present help in trouble (Ps. 46:1)
Architect and builder (Heb. 11:10)
Builder of everything (Heb. 3:4)
Commander of the army of the LORD (Josh. 5:14)
Creator of heaven and earth (Gen. 14:19)
Defender of widows (Ps. 68:5)
Eternal King (Jer. 10:10)
Father (Isa. 9:6; 63:16; Matt. 5:16)
Father of compassion (2 Cor. 1:3)
Father of our spirits (Heb. 12:9)
Father of the heavenly lights (Jas. 1:17)
God (Gen. 1:2)
God Almighty (El Shaddai; Gen. 17:1)
God and Father of Jesus Christ (I Pet. 1:3)
God Most High (Gen. 14:18-22)
God my Maker (Job 35:10)
God my Rock (Ps. 42:9)
God my Savior (Ps. 18:46; 27:9)
God my stronghold (Ps. 144:2; 2 Sam. 22:3)
God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (Ex. 3:16)
God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3)
God of all mankind (Jer. 32:27)
God of glory (Ps. 29:3)
God of gods (Deut. 10:17; Ps. 136:2)
God of grace (1 Pet. 5:10)
God of peace (1 Thess. 5:23)
God of retribution (Jer. 51:56)
God of the living (Matt. 22:32)
God of the spirits (Num. 16:22)
God of truth (Ps. 31:5)
God our Father (Col. 1:2)
God our strength (Ps. 18:2)
God over all the kingdoms (Dan. 4:17)
God the Father (Col. 3:17)
God who avenges me (Ps. 18:47; 94:1)
God who relents from sending calamity (Joel 2:13)
Great and awesome God (Deut. 7:21)
Great and powerful God (Jer. 32:18)
Great, mighty, awesome God (Deut. 10:17)
He who blots out your transgressions (Isa. 43:25)
He who comforts you (Isa. 66:13)
He who forms the hearts of all (Ps. 33:15)
He who raised Christ from the dead (Rom. 8:1)
He who reveals His thoughts to man (Amos 4:13)
Helper of the fatherless (Ps. 10:14)
Him who is able to do more than all we ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20)
Him who is able to keep you from falling (Jude 24)
Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead (2 Tim. 4:1)
Holy Father (John 17:11)
Holy One (Rev. 16:5)
Holy One among you (Hos. 11:9)
I AM WHO I AM (Ex. 3:14)
Jealous (Ex. 20:5)
Judge of all the earth (Gen. 18:25)
King of glory (Ps. 24:7-10)
King of heaven (Dan. 4:37)
Living and true God (1 Thess. 1:9)
Lord Almighty (2 Cor. 6:18)
Lord God Almighty (Rev. 4:8; 16:7; 21:22)
LORD is Peace (Judg. 6:24)
LORD Most High (Ps. 7:17)
LORD is my Banner (Ex. 17:15)
LORD my Rock (Ps. 28:1)
LORD of all the earth (Mic. 4:13; Zech. 4:14)
Lord of kings (Dan. 2:47)
LORD our God (Deut. 1:6, 10)
LORD our Maker (Ps. 95:6)
LORD who heals you (Ex. 15:26)
LORD who is there (of Jerusalem; Ezek. 48:35)
Lord who makes you holy (Heb. 2:11)
LORD who strikes the blow (Ezek. 7:9)
LORD will provide (Gen. 22:14)
Love (I John 4:8)
Maker of all things (Eccl. 11:5; Jer. 10:16)
Most High (Gen. 14:18-22)
My advocate (Job 16:19)
My Comforter in sorrow (Jer. 8:18)
My confidence (Ps. 71:5)
My helper (Ps. 118:7; Heb. 13:6
My hiding place (Ps. 32:7)
My hope (Ps. 25:5, 21)
My light (Ps. 27:1)
My might rock (Ps. 62:7)
My refuge in times of trouble (Ps. 59:16)
My song (Ex. 15:2)
My strong deliverer (Ps. 140: 7)
My support (2 Sam. 22:19)
One to be feared (1 Chron. 16:25)
Only wise God (Rom. 16:27)
Our dwelling place (Ps. 90:1)
Our help and our shield (Ps. 33:20)
Our judge (1 Sam. 24:15)
Our lawgiver (Isa. 33:22)
Our leader (2 Chron. 13:12)
Our Mighty One (Isa. 33:21)
Our Redeemer (Isa. 47:4; 63:16)
Our refuge and strength (Ps. 46:1)
Righteous Father (John 17:25)
Rock of our salvation (Ps. 95:1)
Shepherd (Ps. 23:1)
Sovereign Lord (Acts 4:24)
The Almighty God (Gen. 49:25; Ruth 1:20)
The compassionate and gracious God (Ex. 34:6)
The Eternal God (Gen. 21:33)
The consuming fire (Isa. 33:!4)
The everlasting God (Isa. 40:28)
The exalted God (Mic. 6:6)
The faithful God (Deut. 7:9)
The gardener (husbandman; John 15:1)
The glorious Father (Eph. 1:17)
The glory of Israel (Mic. 1:15)
The God who saves me (Ps. 88:1)
The God who sees me (Gen. 16:13)
The great King above all gods (Ps. 95:3)
The just and mighty One (Job 34:17)
The living Father (John 6:57)
The Majestic Glory (2 Pet. 1:17)
The Majesty in heaven (Heb. 1:3)
The one who sustains me (Ps. 54:4)
The only God (Jude 1:25)
The potter (Jer. 18:6)
The rock in whom I take refuge (Ps. 18:2)
The spring of living water (Jer. 2:13)
The strength of my heart (Ps. 73:26)
The true God (1 Thess. 1:9)
You who judge righteously and test the heart and mind (Jer. 11:20)
Your glory (Ps. 57:11)
Your praise (Isa. 38:18; Ps. 71:8; 138:1)
Your very great reward (Gen. 15:1)

What is it that you need God to be in your life today? To that, He replies - I AM.