·

Jesus, Name Above All Names!

God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”
God called the space “sky.”
God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.”
God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.”
             God named all things He spoke into being in six days. After He rested on the seventh day, Genesis 2:7: Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. Adam made in God’s image, is the Hebrew word for man.
         When I worship God, I am worshiping the Being who gave His Breath to Adam, and now His breath sustains my life. How awesome is this Eternal One? He is bigger and greater than the total of the Universe He created.
         Amos 5:8 tells us: It is the Lord who created the stars, the Pleiades and Orion. He turns darkness into morning and day into night. He draws up water from the oceans and pours it down as rain on the land. The Lord is his name! 
         What is our God’s Name, this One who creates the lights in the Heavens? The second time Moses climbed Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, our Father God tells His Name. Moses chiseled out two tablets of stone like the first ones. Early in the morning, he climbed Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him, and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and He called out his own name, Yahweh. The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.  I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty.  I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected, even children in the third and fourth generations.”  Exodus 34:4-7.
         Every time I see the vast array of stars in the night sky, I worship Yahweh (The Eternal One) Who knows all, including our hearts.  Why does God care for us? He chose us and He has a purpose for each of us.
         His Name is Truth.  Without God, there is no truth.  There is no freedom.  There is no love. And there is no hope. God’s name is often used carelessly in a casual way. One day, my sixth-grade class lined up at the door to go to lunch. As we prepared to leave, one boy said God’s Name.  I told him, “Go ahead!”  He looked puzzled, and I repeated, “Go ahead, you called for God’s attention, what did you want to say to Him?”   That is the last time I heard him take God’s Name in vain.
         When Moses went to the Children of Israel, being held captive by the Egyptians, Moses asked, Who shall I say sent me? God replied to Moses, “I am who I am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.”   Exodus 3:14
         It is our Father in Heaven who sent Jesus to earth to represent God and show us the Way to living on for an eternity with Him.  Jesus is without sin on this earth. Just as God said His Name is I Am, Jesus clarifies the I Am meaning with His teaching in the Gospel of John.
         John 6:35. Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again.” 
         John 8:12. Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”
         John 10:7. He explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.”
         John 10:11. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.”
         John 11:25. Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name.”
         John 14:6. Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
         John 15:5. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” 
While on this earth we have an important choice to make. Who or What will we represent with our lives? How we choose to live, the words we use, the attitudes we project, and the actions we take, reveal our hearts to our Lord God who knows all.  
         Jesus came to bring us to God. My prayer is from Psalm 19:14, May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.
         The Praise Song, What a Beautiful Name, contains these lyrics: 
            How sweet is your name, Lord, how good You are
            Love to sing in the name of the Lord, love to sing for you all?
            Death could not hold You, the veil tore before You
           You silenced the boast, of sin and grave
            The heavens are roaring, the praise of Your glory
            For You are raised to life again.
           What a powerful Name it is. The Name of Jesus!

 (Ligertwood/Fielding – Capitol Christian Music Group).

Comments? eacombs@att.net