God's Name

God’s Name
Monday, April 02, 2007

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have everything I need." Psalm 23:1

“You want to know who God really is?” David asks. “Then read this.” And he writes the name Yahweh. “Yahweh is my shepherd.”

Though foreign to us, the name was rich to David. So rich, in fact, that David chose Yahweh over El Shaddai (God Almighty), El Elyon (God Most High), and El Olam (God the Everlasting). These and many other titles for God were at David’s disposal. But when he considered all the options, David chose Yahweh.

Why Yahweh? Because Yahweh is God’s name. You can call me preacher or writer or half-baked golfer- these are accurate descriptions, but these aren’t my names. I might call you dad, mom, doctor, or student, and those terms may describe you, but they aren’t your name. If you want to call me by my name, say Max. If I call you by your name, I say it. And if you want to call God by his name, say Yahweh.

1 of 365 devotionals in Grace for the Moment, Volume 2
Originally printed in Traveling Light

Countdown to Easter Celebrations!

Easter

Romans 5:10

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Jesus’ resurrection means that He’s alive here today to live through you!

Usually when we talk about the life of Jesus, we mean His life on earth, which revealed to us what God was like in all His purity, power, grace and love. And we think of His teaching, which amazed the crowds with its simple, clear, unavoidable truth. Or we talk about the death of Christ, by which “we were reconciled to God”.

But what God’s saying to us here is that the resurrection life of Jesus will revolutionise our lives. Our soul is saved by Jesus’ death, but our life is saved by His life! That is, Jesus is ready, willing and able to live through you today.

Are you frustrated by your inability to live the way you ought to, need to, and want to? Don’t you know that it is impossible for us to live the victorious Christian life in our own strength? Only Jesus Christ has ever been able to live God’s way in total victory. Today Jesus wants to live that victorious life in you. Think about what you’ve been struggling with, and say to the Lord, “I can’t, but You can, and You are in me. I invite You to live Your life through me today.”

Written by John North of Ambassadors For Christ. You can hear John Weekday mornings at 6.05am on FM103.2 and in our Audio Lounge.

Jesus is Fa Rizzle...

Team PresBaps!

I think its time we stepped up to the plate and did something about some sort of 'Team Uniform'... now, im not into becoming all utilitarian (or communist, despite my country of origin! Ha!) However...

Who is in on wearing one of these?


I've been 'encouraging' our favourite Pastor this side of the SHB (Sydney Harbour Bridge)...
Of course being G.A. (The man himself, Graham Agnew)...

He made a reference to wearing the shirt if we were to raise a certain amount for the church 'coffers'...

now... since we all know God's provision on this one... GA has actually been avoiding me on the subject...

So.... in order to get him on to this (and wear it to church or something.... something...)

I think we need to seriously consider if our Team PresBaps are willing to all purchase a t-shirt EACH... and chip in to buy G.A. one himself?!!

What are your thoughts? Any consensus?

We shall discuss at our next Presbaps (connection group) meeting!!

Cheers :D

xo Van

Cheesy Lucado... When God signed on...

“You Are Mine”

Saturday, March 31, 2007

“Our lives are in the True One and in his Son, Jesus Christ.” I John 5:20

God knows your entire story, from first word to final breath, and with clear assessment declares, “You are mine.”

My publisher made a similar decision with this book. Before agreeing to publish it, they read it—every single word. Multiple sets of editorial eyes scoured the manuscript, moaning at my bad jokes, grading my word crafting, suggesting a tune-up here and a tone-down there. We volleyed pages back and forth, writer to editor to writer, until finally we all agreed—this is it. It’s time to publish or pass. The publisher could pass, mind you. Sometimes they do. But in this case, obviously they didn’t. With perfect knowledge of this imperfect product, they signed on. What you read may surprise you, but not them.

What you do may stun you, but not God. With perfect knowledge of your imperfect life, God signed on.

1 of 365 devotionals in Grace for the Moment, Volume 2
Originally printed in Come Thirsty

Loved by God

Loved by God
Friday, March 30, 2007

“The LORD loves you.”
Deuteronomy 7:8 NLT

God loves you simply because he has chosen to do so.

He loves you when you don’t feel lovely.

He loves you when no one else loves you. Others may abandon you, divorce you, and ignore you, but God will love you. Always. No matter what.

This is his sentiment: “I’ll call the nobodies and make them somebodies; I’ll call the unloved and make them beloved” (Rom. 9:25 MSG).

This is his promise: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself” (Jer. 31:3 NLT).

Do you know what else that means? You have a deep aquifer of love from which to draw. When you find it hard to love, then you need a drink! Drink deeply! Drink daily!

1 of 365 devotionals in Grace for the Moment, Volume 2
Originally printed in A Love Worth Giving

God's infinite love

FM 103.2

God's Love For You

Ephesians 3:17-19

".So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God."

There are two different kinds of knowledge mentioned in the last lines of this passage. If we write those two different meanings into the translation it would go like this: ".to know-by-experience the love of Christ which surpasses intellectual-knowledge."!

When you think about all the amazing things God does for us and you ask, "Why would God do that for me?", so often the answer is simply, "Because He loves you!"

But when you go back one step further and ask, "But why does He love me?", our minds are left groping for an answer. King David put it this way in Psalm 139 - "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it."

God has revealed so much of Himself to us in His Word. But He is infinite in all His ways, and there is so much beauty in what goes on in the mind and heart of God that we have not seen yet.

Take a moment to respond to the immeasurable love of God today.

Written by John North of Ambassadors For Christ. You can hear John Weekday mornings at 6.05am on FM103.2 and in our Audio Lounge.

God's Love is dependable!

FM 103.2 Devotional

God's Love For You

Romans 8:35-39

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? …I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God’s love is dependable!

If you have begun a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then you have an anchor for your soul that will hold you steady no matter what you face in life.

No matter what person on earth rejects you, there is One who will “never leave you, nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). No matter what things crumble away beneath your feet, you will find that “underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27). No matter how many of the things you once found security in suddenly disappear into clouds and darkness, the lighthouse of God’s Word will always shine this message into your heart— “I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you” (John 14:18).

Even if you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, He will be with you every step of the way. This makes you different from every person who does not have Jesus Christ.

The love of God. You can depend on it.

Written by John North of Ambassadors For Christ. You can hear John Weekday mornings at 6.05am on FM103.2 and in our Audio Lounge.