Names of God (a series)

LORD GOD

This is the history of the heavens and of the earth when they were created. In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens ~ Genesis 2:4

In this text, Lord comes from the Hebrew word, Yehovah (yeh-ho-vah') or Yahweh and it means The Self-Existent. It is one of the most prominent names for God mentioned in the old testament. It appears 6,823 times!

What is the signifigance of this Name?

Well, think about it...God just Is. He does not "need" anything or anyone to keep Him going. He is SELF-EXISTENT. He just IS! That says a TON to me!

Knowing that He doesn't "need" me or anyone...yet He shows us each such profound love and mercy...the kind of love and mercy we do not even begin to bestow upon others...not even our children.

He loves us just because we are HIS. He could wipe us all out tomorrow if He so desired. However, that is not in His nature. He is filled with such warmth and compassion for us, even with all of our frailties...He just ADORES us...simply and profoundly!

So, the next time you are feeling down or depressed, remember, LORD GOD, The Self-Existent...TRULY and COMPLETELY LOVES YOU!

Let's Pray,

Daddy God, You are all I ever need. You are Lord God, The Self-Existent. I love You, Daddy. Thank You for loving me even though You do not have to love me. Thank You that I matter greatly to You. Thank You for calling me Your very Own. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,
Lara ;)

Note: All Scripture is taken from the Amplified Bible.

Names of God (a series)

OMNISCIENCE (ALL-KNOWING)

I John 3:20 says; ...For He is above and greater than our consciences (our hearts), and He knows and understands everything, nothing is hidden from Him.

Just knowing that God knows what I am going through in the deepest parts of my heart and soul makes me feel loved and special.

We cannot hide anything from Him. Not a sin or a thought. He KNOWS everything about us...even the number of hairs on our head! (Matthew 10:30)

And with that knowing comes a love and compassion that we cannot even begin to fathom. We may think, "If God really loved me, He wouldn't let me go through this..." But, in reality, it is BECAUSE He loves us that we are even able to go THROUGH our storms.

If we would just open our hearts and minds to His Truths and His Word, we would see that He has a perfect and wonderful plan for each of us. And, building our character will help us get there.

Isaiah 64:8 says; You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are the Potter, and we are all the work of Your hand. Sometimes we must go through the fire...just like a clay pot must go through the kiln before it can become a beautiful piece of pottery.

Psalm 145:8 says; The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in mercy and loving-kindness. Through it all we can rest in the assurance that our loving Father knows, understands, and cares for every trial, every pain, and every hurt that we must endure. (Ps 78:38, 111:4, Jas 5:11)

Let's Pray,

Daddy God, thank You for loving and caring for me. Thank You that You know everything about me and I do not need to wear any masks with You. Most of all, I am thankful that even knowing everything about me, You still love me! I love You, Daddy. I am honored to be one of Your precious daughters! Praise be to Your Holy and Mighty Name! You are Worthy of ALL my praise! In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

For further study read James 1:2-12

In His Love and Service,
Lara ;)

Note: All Scripture is taken from the Amplified Bible.

The Prodigal Son, part two

Luke 15:17-32

Then when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father have enough food, and, even food to spare, but I am perishing (dying) here of hunger!

I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.

I am no longer worthy to be called your son; just make me like one of your hired servants.

The key here is that he recognized that he had sinned, and came to a place of repentance.

There are many times in our lives where we will fall away in one way or another...even if it is relatively minor. The most important thing we can do when we come to our senses is to REPENT!

So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity and tenderness for him; and he ran and embraced him and kissed him fervently.

And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son [I no longer deserve to be recognized as a son of yours]!

First he repented in his heart. Now, he takes it a step further, and goes to his father and asks for forgiveness.

We need to take our sins and mistakes to the throne and ASK God to cleanse us. And when we have wronged or hurt another, we need to ASK for their forgiveness.

The key here is the ACTION of repentance.

But the father said to his bond servants, Bring quickly the best robe and put it on him; and give him a ring for his hand and sandals for his feet.

And bring out that fattened calf and kill it; and let us revel and feast and be happy and make merry,

Because this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! And they began to revel and feast and make merry.

His Daddy was HAPPY to have him back home. The fact that he messed up was NOT what he was thinking about. His beloved son had returned! He wanted to throw a party and celebrate!

It's the same for us. When we go to our Daddy God with a repentant heart, He is quick to forgive. And when we have fallen away, and find our way back to Him...He throws a party in Heaven, and ALL the angels rejoice!

But his older son was in the field; and as he returned and came near the house, he heard music and dancing.

And having called one of the servant boys to him, he began to ask what this meant.

And he said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed that fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and well.

But the elder brother was angry with deep-seated wrath and resolved not to go in. Then his father came out and began to plead with him,

But he answered his father, Look! These many years I have served you, and I have never disobeyed your command. Yet you never gave me so much as a little kid, that I might revel and feast and be happy and make merry with my friends;

But when this son of yours arrived, who has devoured your estate with immoral women, you have killed for him that fattened calf!

And the father said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

But it was fitting to make merry, to revel and feast and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and is alive again! He was lost and is found!

There will always be those that are judgemental. Those who think they are not quite as bad a sinner as you. Those who are filled with jealousy and pride.

You must shrug them off, and KNOW that Daddy loves you. And He does NOT play favorites!

Let's Pray,

Daddy God, thank You so much for Your love and forgiveness. Thank You for making a way for me to be able to come boldly before You. I love You, Lord. I love You, and I want nothing more than to be with You and know You. Thank You for loving me FIRST! In Jesus MIghty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,
Lara ;)

The Prodigal Son, part one

And He said, There was a certain man who had two sons;

And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the part of the property that falls to me. And he divided the estate between them.

And not many days after that, the younger son gathered up all that he had and journeyed into a distant country, and there he wasted his fortune in reckless and loose living.

And when he had spent all he had, a mighty famine came upon that country, and he began to fall behind and be in want.

So he went and forced (glued) himself upon one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed hogs.

And he would gladly have fed on and filled his belly with the carob pods that the hogs were eating, but they could not satisfy his hunger and nobody gave him anything better. Luke 15:11-16

Have you ever been a prodigal daughter? Have you ever backslidden? Have you ever fallen? I have. And it is not a very pleasant place to be. I really don't know how it happens...or why we would want to leave the comforts of home to live in the chaos of the world. Yet, many of us have.

I am here to tell you that if you have fallen Daddy WILL take you back! Daddy loves you, and is ALWAYS faithful to forgive a repentant heart.

One of the hardest parts of falling is picking yourself back up. You are scared, humiliated, and unsure of your legs. You want to crawl in a hole and disappear. At least that's what the enemy wants you to feel and do...

GOOD NEWS:

You don't have to!!! You NEVER have to feel unsure or scared! God ALWAYS loves you! He loves you good, bad, and EVERYTHING in between.

HE LOVES YOU!!!

Perhaps you have not fallen...but you feel that you are about to....Let me help you out...

RUN TO DADDY!!!!

Don't fall! Don't let the enemy convince you to. I promise you that the only thing you will find there is pain. RUN TO DADDY!!!

Ok...maybe you are reading this and are thinking, "This devotional is not for me. I would never turn away from God." Well, good for you...BUT...be careful...you may already have.

Let's pray,

Daddy God, I just want to come and sit in Your Lap. I need You to hold me and keep me close. Help me to never leave You, help me to run back when I need to, and help me to recognize the enemy when he whispers discontent in my ear. I love You, Daddy. And I KNOW that Daddy knows best. I know that this world has NOTHING to offer me other than pain. Help me to never forget that! In Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

In His Love and Service,
Lara ;)