What's In A Name?

“What’s in a name?  That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo & Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2

More so in ancient or in Eastern cultures, names mean a lot.  Names sometimes signify a characteristic, either physically or in personality, in other cases, an occupation.  I first lighted upon the idea of looking at names while working through Beth Moore’s study on Esther.  A couple of summers ago, Pastor Denise, at Maple Avenue Ministries, encouraged me to look at the meanings of names in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament.  This concept was further cemented by Beth Moore, in her study “The Patriarchs”. 

I’d like to look at some of the names in Genesis 29 that I find interesting:

Jacob:                   he deceives

Leah:                    tired, weary

Rachel:                 to whisper, an embalmer, sheep, innocence of a lamb

Zilpah:                  distillation (purification) from the mouth

Bilhah:                  old, confused

Laban:                  white, shining, gentle, brittle

For anyone not familiar with the story, Jacob traveled to Laban, his uncle, to find a wife.  Laban deceived the deceiver in giving him Leah as his wife, instead of Rachel.  Jacob did get to marry Rachel as well.  Leah, whose name means weary or tired, is described in Genesis 29:17 as having “weak eyes”, meaning she had no sparkle.  Gordon J. Wenham, in the Word Biblical Commentary, Page 235, points out that having a sparkle in the eyes is a prized quality in Eastern civilizations.  Keeping in mind that Laban’s (Leah’s father) name means “shining” and Rachel’s (Leah’s sister) name can mean “to whisper”, I’d like to offer a little speculation.  Please keep in mind that this is merely speculation on my part, but I think I’m onto something.  Having siblings of my own, I can see this happening.  Maybe Rachel did a lot of whispering.  Maybe she whispered even to Leah that she (Leah) was not Laban’s daughter.  After all, she didn’t have her daddy’s sparkling, shining eyes.  Haven’t any of us with siblings said and told hurtful, hateful things like that?  If I may be so bold as to borrow a line from REO Speedwagon, don’t those tales get taller on down the line?  Scripture tells us Leah was unloved in her marriage.  I think perhaps Leah never felt like she was loved anyway.  Her own father had to trick someone into marrying her.  Leah’s story breaks my heart.  Proverbs 30:21-23 states that the earth trembles and cannot bear up under “an unloved woman who is married.”  I personally know this is true.  Names mean something.  Words mean something.  In our words, we have the power to bless or curse, to heal or add more wounds, to affirm or tear down.  We are wise when we not only watch our words, but make sure they line up with our actions.  In order to be true, authentic followers of Jesus, we must not “love with words or tongue, but in actions and in truth.”  1^st John 3:18

 I believe God holds the power to redeem and redefine our names.  I have a niece named Leah, who is anything but weak eyed.  She is strong, a survivor, and one of my heroes.  I also have a dear friend named Rachel, who is anything but a whisperer.  She is true and lovely.  She embodies the “innocence of lambs” her name also means.  I feel particularly sorry for those individuals whose names have no real meaning, which may have been made up, or are nonsensical.  We may tend to think that our names mean nothing.  The meaning of my own name has special meaning.  Deanna, which is derivative of the Roman “Diana” means divine.  I am a child of the King, which makes me divine.  I am called Dee, which means in Hebrew, “speaks kind words”.  That is definitely a meaning I can hang on to and embrace.  I’d much rather be known as someone who is kind and speaks kindly.  However, my earthly name may not be the one by which my heavenly Father calls me.  God created me and knows me.  Psalm 139: 13-16 He alone knows my true name, for He is the one who reveal it to me someday.  I love the words spoken by God in Isaiah 62:1-5.  They hold much meaning and purpose to me.  “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.  The nations will see your righteousness and all the kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.  You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.  No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate.  But you will be called Hephzibah (my delight is in her), and your land Beulah (married); for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married.  As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry your; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.”  I once had no friends, was isolated from my family.  These verses have so much meaning.  The LORD has delivered me and given me such a good life.  I love that He takes delight in me and rejoices over me, that He has removed desolation from me.  Someday, I will know the name my Papa God has given me.  Until then, I will embrace the name given me. ..The Divine child of the King who speaks kind words.  If your name has no meaning, hang onto the fact that God knows you by a different name, one that will mean everything to you.

Revelation 2:17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna.  I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.”

So, what’s your name? 

God's Clothing

Sometimes I don’t know where to go with what You reveal to me, Lord.  Thank you for the blog, for giving me an outlet of writing, more so than just in my journals.  This didn’t make it on our blog, yet.  At least now, I know in part, why You held me off.  I praise You, Lord.  May this bring You glory.  I give you my fingers, hands, mind, will, understanding, mouth, Lord.  You write & speak as You see fit.  I pray, Lord, that You will be seen & heard, not me.  This is for You, Lord.  I love You!!!

From Beth Moore’s “Believing God” Page 26, in reference to Judges 6:34.  “’Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon”.  The Hebrew for ‘come upon’ is labesh, which means to wrap around, to put on a garment or clothe.  The interlinear Bible reads, ‘and the Spirit of Jehovah clothed Gideon with Himself.’ God Himself became both the covering for Gideon’s guild and the armor for Gideon’s victory.”  What an awesome truth!  In Colossians 3:9, Paul tells us “you have taken off your old self with its practices” and verse 12 states to “clothe yourself”.  It’s really that simple.  Here I try & try because I want to please God.  Yet, why am I trying so hard?  Not that I shouldn’t, but I should let God more often, if you know what I mean.  Any attempt on my own to earn my way to God or of my own righteousness, God views as filthy (Isaiah 64:6). The good news is, God has already providing the clothing.  Not only that, He is the clothing!  He took off my old self when I accepted His grace through faith in Christ.  He has literally wrapped Himself around me.  When I feel tempted to take back my old self, I need only remember to depend on God’s strength & let Him clothe me once again.  I need to give up my own strength & rely more deeply on Him who saved me.  Forgive me, Lord, when I look to myself for what I need. 

Here are some characteristics God clothes us in:

He clothes us in His Spirit:  1^st Chronicles 12:18 “Then the Spirit came upon Amasai” 2nd Chronicles 24:20 “Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest.”

He clothes us with salvation:  2^nd Chronicles 6:41 “May your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation.”  Psalm 132:16 “I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will ever sing for joy.”

He clothes us with righteousness:  Job 29:14 “I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and turban.” 

Isaiah 59:17 “He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.”

Isaiah 61:10 “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God.  For he has clothed me with garments of salvation, and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest , and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

The Greek word for “put on” also means to “invest with clothing”.  We are to put on God’s armor.  Isaiah 59:17 is partially where Paul gets this from.  But notice, in Isaiah, its God putting the armor on.  We are also to put on Christ’s characteristic.  In Colossians 3:12, Paul tells us to “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Christ tells us that He will clothe us “with power from on high.”  Luke 24:49  Again, Paul tells us, in 2^nd Corinthians 12:9, that Christ’s power will “rest” on us, when we depend on God for His strength.

Though God reminds me often, though I pray for God to clothe me every day, I fail.  Yet God is patient with me & gives me gentle reminders.  When I think I can accomplish any of this on my own, I am woefully wrong.  The good news is that while I may fail, God never does.  Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  Zephaniah 3:5 is great reminder, “The LORD within her is righteous; he does no wrong.  Morning by morning he dispenses his justice and every new day he does not fail; yet the unrighteous know no shame.” 

I no longer want to be clothed in shame.  I want to be clothed in God’s righteousness.  Only through humble surrender can this be done.  Seems like it should be so easy.  There again, God reminds me, in Romans 12:2, “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” and again in 2^nd Corinthians 10:5 “we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.”  Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus”.  I pray you believe when I tell you I am the farthest thing from good at this.  All I know is walking by faith is the hardest, more rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life.  I thank God every day just for putting up with me.  I don’t think about “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable” Philippians 4:8  A good portion of the time, it’s God bringing my thoughts back to Him, not other way around.  Truth is, I can try and try and try.  All my efforts will be of no use.  It’s only Christ in me, the hope of glory, that I am clothed in righteousness, that I stand before God innocent.  It really is amazing grace, my loves.  Titus 3:4 “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

I praise you, Papa God!  You love us too much to leave us in the same condition we came to you.  Apart from You, we are nothing and can do nothing.  It is only through You and in You that we can do all things.  It is when we allow You to clothe us with Your power from on high that we can do Your kingdom work that You have already planned for us.  Thank You for revealing that this comes through prayer, constant communication and a humble posture of sweet surrender, because we want to, when we get to that glorious place of saying, “Lord, I can’t, but You can”.  Oh my sweet Lord Jesus, that Your heavenly power will flow from Your throne of grace and rest upon us.  Forgive our ignorance and obstinance.  Deepen our need for You.  Open our eyes, ears, hearts, souls, minds, will to Yours.  You are the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Thank You, Lord, for forgiving us.  Thank You, Lord, for changing us.  Thank You, Lord, for loving us first and always.  We love You too!  In Jesus holy and precious name, I ask and pray.

God & Yard Work

Yard work….I won’t lie….I’m not good at it.  I don’t like it at all.  I’m allergic to the outdoors in general, which at the very least makes yard work even more difficult for me.  This spring I knew I was going to have to dig up some dead trees and shrubs, and make an effort to get a great amount done.   I began the endeavor in May.  I knew I was going to have to draw on the strength of the LORD and pray a lot during the process.  I’m kicking myself for not taking “before” pictures.  You see, this is a whole tale of redemption and restoration.  We have new management in the community I live in.  The manager provided me with a list of things around the yard that needed to be done.  I knew some of it, obviously, the dead stuff.  I also had a lot of split rail fencing, which needed to either be painted or taken out.  There were also some raised bed gardens that the wood making the raised beds needed to be pulled up.  Raised gardens are now frowned upon.  This list was overwhelming, but not unreasonable.  I was given a deadline to get it all done.  I decided to take out the fencing because I didn’t want to paint it year after year, and I wanted to make mowing easier.  I’ve totally stressed out my weed whip trying to trim around all the fencing.  And so the yard work journey began.  It was extremely hard.  I’m not the strongest person.  My ex-husband planted up the yard with bushes and trees.  He was the one who planted the gardens, mowed the lawn, and took care of the trees and flowers.  Bear in mind, it is beautiful, but I am not capable of taking care of it, nor do I have any interest.  I am not a very good steward of God’s earth.  Part of how and why my ex planted everything was to isolate.  I was abused both physically and emotionally.  If the isolation one feels in that situation isn’t bad enough, we were also closed off from our neighbors, like the beauty outside would somehow mask the ugliness inside.  After many years of abuse, I cried out to the LORD, who rescued me and my son.  He gave me a plan and with the help of family, we got my ex out of the house, and we were divorced.  For the past few summers, I just got by with the yard work.  This year, I knew would be different, not only because of the list management gave me, but this land of mine needed to be purged and healed.  I spent quite a lot of time praying about it.  I felt I was being selfish in my prayers, not focusing on others, but only myself.  I didn’t feel like I was making progress fast enough.  Plus, the weather was a great hindrance.  It rained every time I planned to do some work.  I also had this feeling I was being prideful by not asking for or accepting help.  I sought the LORD and here is what I wrote in my journal along with God’s response:  May 25, 2013 “Yard work.  Boo!!  Took out six trees, five grasses, some shrubs, weed whipped, mowed, tons of yard waste removed and wood burning.  Von (my boyfriend) asked me if I wanted help.  I feel this is a reckoning of sorts and declined.  After working four hours today, the LORD spoke to me, ‘You’ve got to be the one to do this.  You’re almost there.   You have to tear down what he (my ex) built up, tear down his high places, his idols.  He tried to make beautiful what is really ugly.  You’ve got to unveil what he covered, expose what he wanted to keep isolated, remove the unwanted things he valued, dig up the dead so growth can continue, so that the dead may rise.  You will grow through this.  The dead in you will be gone.  New growth can start, more healing, fruit and life.  I’ve called you to live transparent.  The view of your life must not be blocked or hindered by dead grasses and trees.  You can’t love your neighbors with an obstructed view.  You can do this.  I will give you My strength.  I will hold you up and hold you by the hand.  You’re almost there.  I am proud of you.  Soon the destruction will be done.  I will rebuild and make beautiful all that he destroyed and made ugly.’”  Oh how my Daddy God encourages me!  A few weeks later, still battling rain, I asked the girls in my Bible study group to pray that God would hold off the rain so the yard work could be completed.  I had a deadline and needed to get it done.  A bit of a side story, but it does go along with this.  The man who lives across the street from me spent the winter telling anyone who would listen wild stories about me and my son, spreading rumors, which he told to my mom.  She was worried sick about what he was telling her about us.  I kept telling her not to listen to him, maybe not even talk to him.  None of it was true.  I prayed about that too, giving it to the LORD and letting Him fight that battle for me.  I wanted to go knock on his door and tell him off.  Thankfully, God kept me from doing that.  Back to yard work….with the deadline approaching, I spent many hours in my yard digging and digging and digging.  One of my neighbors, Anthony, helped me haul the dead trees away, I reconnected with my neighbors Dawn and Dean, and I met Bill and Vickie, and their two dogs, Bella and Sage.  And, glory of all glories, the guy across the street came over.  He let me borrow an axe to take down some bushes I didn’t want anymore.  Larry is his name.  His wife is Sharon.  He came over and apologized for talking about me and spreading rumors.  Wow!  Thank You, LORD, for fighting for me!  I couldn’t believe it.  I did have a bit of a melt down on a Thursday, when it all seemed like too much and I felt like I was still getting nowhere.  There was so much wood, from the fencing and flower beds.  I didn’t know what to do with it.  I called a few garbage companies to see about renting a dumpster, but they were all too expensive.  Plus, I would have had to do a lot of lifting over my head.  I was not blessed with height either and I hurt my elbow.  At the suggestion of my boyfriend, I looked up refuge people on Craigslist.  God brought me to Proper Disposal.  They mention God in their mission statement.  They also recycle all the items they pick up.  Best part….they take wood.  YEA!!!  I called.  Kelly came out, gave me a quote and the wood removal began.  God finally allowed me to accept help after my great meltdown.  My boyfriend, son and I worked for a few hours on a Saturday to finish getting all the wood out of the ground and stacked.  I will forever be grateful for their help.  Due to rain and a truck break down, it took a few extra days for the wood to be removed.  Proper Disposal was fair in price and got the job done well.  Kelly was great to deal with.  I enjoyed talking with him while we loaded wood in this truck and trailer.  Seriously, call them if you need stuff taken away.  Proper Disposal LLC  www.proper-disposal.com  616-218-6401  The hard stuff is done.  I literally felt God take the burden off me and free me from any tie to the past.  Now I only have to mow my lawn.  Part of me was still hanging onto regret, from my former marriage and bad decisions.  Even in that, God drew me near to Him.  In my Bible study homework, Beth Moore writes:  “We would know if something is worthy of cherishing out of those forgotten years only by the harvest that came from them!  Some of you have experienced tragic endings to marriages and other close relationships.  You may have had some wonderful years and good times in that relationship, but the hardship and resulting rift spoiled every good memory you had.  God may want to bring a measure of healing to some memories that you still have the right to cherish.  May I gently ask this question:  Did any lasting “grain” come out of it?  Any harvest?  Physically?  Tangibly?  Spiritually?  Did beloved children come of it?  Did God introduce Himself to you through it?  Did He show you His faithfulness in the midst of it?  Did it produce any lasting transformation?”  (The Patriarchs, Page 193)  While I really don’t have good memories of my marriage, and thankfully no children resulted (my son is not his), but God did reveal Himself to me.  That is something I can hang on to, something I can cherish.  Through those ugly years, God was with me and protected me.  He delivered me, rescued me, healed me, adopted me and set me free.  Hallelujah!  I gave all my regrets over to the LORD, my Daddy God.  Without going through all those dark years, I wouldn’t have God.  I wouldn’t have a great boyfriend, who truly loves me.  I wouldn’t have experienced the overwhelming forgiveness my son granted me in all the mistakes I made.  I wouldn’t have been reconciled to my family.  I wouldn’t have an incredible church home, sisters in Christ, or even know God.  The yard work is done.  The healing has begun.  God has done a great healing through it, just like He said He would.  The true heroes of this story are:  God, Von, Aubrey, my Bible study girls, Anthony, Larry, Bill and Vickie, and Kelly at Proper Disposal.  Without any of them, I would not have gotten it done.  God is not too busy for us.  He loves us and wants to heal us.  He wants us to be whole and holy.  He wants a relationship with us.  Without God, I am nothing.  I, once again, stand hand in hand with St. Paul, and will boast all the more about my weaknesses.  It is only through God’s strength that I do anything.  I shall close with Paul’s words, from 2^nd Corinthians 12:9-10, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  (NIV84)

Dead Pine Trees

Dead Beach Grasses

Aubrey taking out overgrown bushes

Overgrown bushes gone 

The wood pile begins

The completed wood pile

Almost gone

The wood is gone!!

All cleaned up  :)

Jeremiah - Part 1

Jeremiah was appointed by God to be a prophet.  He wrote his prophesies, prayers & discussions with God, all between 626 B.C. & 586 B.C., after the time of Isaiah, which are recorded in the Bible Book bearing his name.  Jeremiah, his name means “exaltation of the Lord”.  Ironically, Jeremiah didn’t have much to exalt the Lord about.  His prophesies were dark, about the fall of Israel, God’s wrath, the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and the exile to Babylon.  Jeremiah knew he was chosen by God to deliver this message.  He did speak the word of the Lord even though he had threats on his life and would frequently be beaten for the message.  After one such beating, by a priest no less, Jeremiah poured out his heart to God in one of the most beautiful, gut wrenching prayers, I’ve ever read. 

Jeremiah 20: 7-18  “O LORD, you deceived (persuaded) me, and I was deceived (persuaded); you overpowered me and prevailed.  I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me.  Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction.  So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long.  But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.  I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.  I hear many whispering, ‘Terror on every side!  Report him!  Let’s report him!’  All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, ‘Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him.’  But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.  They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten.  O LORD Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.  Sing to the LORD!  Give praise to the LORD!  He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked.  Cursed be the day I was born!  May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!  Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, who made him very glad, saying, ‘A child is born to you – a son!’  May that man be like the towns the LORD overthrew without pity.  May he hear wailing in the morning, a battle cry at noon.  For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged forever.  Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?”

I am struck that Jeremiah could pour out his heart like that; praise God, yet wish himself dead.  Isn’t that like many of us?  The Bible has example after example of people, just like us, who struggle and don’t understand all that God is up to.  In Chapter 15, Jeremiah refers to a wound that God would not heal.  God is so tender in His response to Jeremiah:  “’for I am with you to rescue and save you,’ declares the LORD.  ‘I will save you from the hands of the wicked and redeem you from the grasp of the cruel.’”  (Jeremiah 16:20b-21)  Paul, if you recall, also had a wound, “a thorn in the flesh”.  Paul also asked God to take it away.  Both cases, God didn’t.  He only reassured.  Both Jeremiah and Paul held onto the reassurance. 

2^nd Corinthians 12:7-10    “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Lamentations 3:19-26      “I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.  I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.  Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:  Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’  The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”

While spending time with the Lord in study over last weekend, I asked God what Jeremiah’s wound was:  was it physical, was it depression?  I really would like to know, but God said I didn’t need to know everything.  Ouch…I digress.  All I need to know is how God took the wounds, took the pain, brought it to Himself and nailed it to the cross of Christ.  In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter.  Jeremiah was just like us.  He had hurts, his heart broke, he was wounded, depressed, hated his life, yet he held on to God with all he had.  God took care of Jeremiah no matter his circumstances, just as He does us.  Jeremiah was obedient even during times of great distress.  He chose to seek God and rejoice in Him.  “For in him we live and move and have our being.”  (Acts 17:28a)  Isn’t that really what this crazy life is about, our relationship with God?  I think obedience comes as we get to know God.  Once we are in right relationship with God, we will want to be obedient, we will want to listen to Him, seek Him, and find ourselves secure in Him.  He alone is the only One who can heal our hurts, our wounds, and our broken hearts.  (Isaiah 60:1-3)  It first starts with responding to His love.  He poured out His life for us at Calvary.  It amazes me that God loves me so much, He gave up His own Son (John 3:16).  I can tell you first hand, I didn’t deserve it at all.  In turn, all God wants from me is to love Him back.  It’s astounding, really.  Someone told me not that long ago that she viewed my life as boring.  Let me tell you it is anything but boring.  God has filled my life with love, laughter, beauty, sweetness, tenderness, learning, knowledge, and truth, just to name a few.  My life with God is much better than when I tried to live it on my own.  I find that the closer I get to God, the more I want to know Him.  The more I want to know Him, the more He teaches me.  The more He teaches me, the more I want to understand.  The more understanding He gives me, the more I want to know Him.  The more I know Him, the more I love Him.  I don’t think I will ever understand all that God is up to, but I don’t need to.  All I need is God.  All I know is that the more God I have, the more God I want.  I can never have too much God.  This is truth.  This is the word of Christ dwelling in me richly (Colossians 3:16a).  This is knowing the truth and allowing Christ to set me free (John 8:32). This is Christ in me, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27b).  God makes my life interesting.  He is my heart’s desire.  I can honestly stand with Jeremiah, hand in hand, and say, “The LORD is my portion forever; therefore I will wait for him.”  There is nothing on earth better than God.    While all the study and reading are great for my head and helps increase my faith, it’s no substitute for spending time with my Savior.  Oh, how I love Him.

Love So Amazing....

Isaiah 40:10     “See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him.  See, his reward is with him and his recompense accompanies him.”                   NIV84

Definition of “Recompense” from Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary & Dictionary.com:  Reward; repayment; requital as favors and gifts;  restitution; to give something by way of compensation; to return in kind; an equivalent or a return of something done, suffered or given; to pay for.

I got to thinking about this definition and this verse.  Research took me to Jeremiah 51:56.   In the NIV84 version, this verse uses the word “retribution.”  The same Hebrew word translates recompense or retribution.  Here’s what strikes me:  I understand retribution all day long.  I understand God paying me back for exactly what I deserve.  But this is not what these verses mean.  God pays us back for what we don’t deserve.  He’s giving compensation, to the good, for all the bad I’ve done.  He’s going to exact retribution against my (former) captor, not against me.  This is grace, my loves.  God is absolutely amazing.  His grace is absolutely amazing.  My words won’t do justice to the elation I feel.  I won’t lie.  I do not understand it at all.  Why does a holy God even want anything to do with a sinner like me?  Isaiah 40:3 says, “Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor?”  How can I even begin to understand the mind of the Lord?  His ways are not my ways, not His thought my thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).  This holy God of mine “gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were” (Romans 4:17b).  I don’t deserve an ounce of His grace, nor even one small reward.  Yet, God says I do.  God calls me His own daughter.  He choose me before the earth was founded (Ephesians 1:4).  It stuns me that God loves me, that he thinks of me, that He takes great delight in me (Psalm 139:17 & Zephaniah 3:17).  It stuns me that He sent His own Son to die for me, to take on my sin and shame.  It stuns me that Jesus would bear my punishment. It stuns me that Jesus found me worth dying for.  Then, God raised His Son back to life to give me a full life.  The icing, He also sent His Spirit to live in me, to teach me & guide me.  One of my biggest prayers is that I do not take my salvation for granted or forget what the LORD, my covenant God, has done for me.  I certainly don’t deserve to be rewarded or paid back for anything.  God paid my debt.  He paid the ransom and set me free.  If that’s not more than enough already, He rewards me too!!??  Wow!!!  I can never pay Him back.  I also didn’t do anything to earn this.  God’s grace is free.  It’s a gift, so precious and pure.  Oh, how I love my Daddy God!!!  “’Because he loves me,’ says the LORD, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.’”  Psalm 91:14-15