There are times in Scripture where God helps us out, highlighting His word for us. The highlighter used most often is 'behold'.

 

 

I don't typically use that word in my everyday conversation, and except for Phineas and Ferb, I don't even hear it on a regular basis. In Scripture, when God uses it, He's drawing special attention to what He's saying or doing and that deserves a closer look.

 

In Luke 2:10, the angel says, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people." Behold. Get this. Pay attention. The shepherds probably needed a little focus after the whole miraculous, angelic appearance thing. (Just guessing, but I figure they were a little freaked out.)

 

In Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and will call His name Immanuel."

 

Psalm 33:18 "Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy." Behold. You can count on this. I'm telling you…

 

As you study, watch for the 'prehighlighted' verses, slow down and catch what God has for you in them.

 

 

 

(This is a repost for NaNoWriMo. New study tips return next week.)

 

 

Something I've noticed in the course of reading and studying Scripture is how often God goes to extremes. By that I mean, when God says or does something, it is "all" or "none" or the "most" or the "least". Paying attention to those little words are tremendous food for the soul.

 

Try it on familiar verses like Isaiah 53:6 – "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

All of us are sinners. I cannot justify or excuse what I think or do. I am part of that 'all'. All of us have rebelled and God laid the guilt, the consequences and the judgment on Jesus Christ. Not some, or even most. Every last one of us. No one is beyond the reach of Christ's blood.

 

Psalm 23:4 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

No evil. None. Not even the most terrifying, threatening, stomach-churning, heart-pounding evil. I will not fear it. That's mighty big faith… but He's a mighty big God who is there with rod and staff to comfort.

 

And one of my personal favorites- Philippians 4:6 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;"

(Middle of a sentence, I know, but I'm trying to stay focused here.) Worry about NOTHING. Pray about EVERYTHING. There are no exclusions. Worry and anxiety is a sign that we don't believe God is in control. Of everything. Nothing has escaped His notice, and everything is part of His plan. But, none of our concerns are too small to bring Him. He is always ready and willing to hear our hearts.

 

So as you study and read, watch for extremes- all, nothing, everything, nothing, none, every…  and be assured that God never does anything halfway.

 

 

One of the things we miss out on in our English Bibles is the variety of names for God used in the original Hebrew. Each one points to an intensely personal encounter with Him. The English doesn't leave the names out, exactly. You just have to learn to recognize them. I'll touch on four of the most used names.

 

God - This is Elohim, the most common used name. The 'im' ending means it's plural, but it takes a singular verb, indicating the three-in-one God. It's the word used in Genesis 1:1. The first part of the word "El" is used in other names for God like El Elyon, the most high God, and El Shaddai, Almighty God. (Interesting side note: When Jesus cries out from the cross, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" He uses a singular form.)  "El" appears in proper names too, like Daniel- God is my judge, Ezekiel – God will strengthen, and Samuel – name of God.

 

LORD or GOD - (Usually appears in all caps or small caps) This is Jehovah, the covenant name God gave to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:14. He called Himself the I AM, highlighting His eternal, self-existent nature. He is the covenant-maker, and the promise-keeper. This name is used in proper names too, and shows up as "jah" or "iah" at the end of a name, like Isaiah – Jehovah has saved. It also appears at the beginning of names as "Jo" like in Jonathan- Jehovah has given or "Je" like the Old Testament kings Jehoshaphat- Jehovah is judge or Jehoiakim- Jehovah raises up.

 

Lord - This is Adonai. It's used when the writer is focused on God's personal rule over him. David uses it in Psalm 51 as he confesses and asks forgiveness. The Hebrews used this name rather than take a chance on misusing God's covenant name, Jehovah.

 

LORD of hosts – This is a special one, translating the Hebrew name Jehovah Sabbaoth. That word looks a lot like sabbath, but it's the word for army. This is the vision Isaiah sees in chapter 6, Jehovah the Warrior King.

 

There are many others including El Roi: God Who Sees (Genesis 16:12), Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord Will Provide (Genesis 22:13-14), and Jehovah-Rohi: The Lord My Shepherd (Psalm 23:1).

 

As you read, notice which names are used in the verses that stand out to you. 

 

 

 

I attend a really small church, like fewer than 50 in Sunday school (yes, we still call it Sunday school). In the last month, we've had two funerals and will have a third tomorrow. These three dear folks honored God in their daily lives and were always faithful. Each faced unique challenges, but they all held on to Jesus Christ for hope and strength. 

 

I can't begin to imagine the impact of the losses on our little church, or even our small town. These folks – a gentleman in his sixties and ladies in their seventies and eighties – represented a  generation that didn't question the whys and wherefores of serving Jesus. They didn't stop and figure out the cost to benefits ratio, they just did it. They didn't have to have all the answers or have a plan for every contingency before they took up their crosses. They just lived lives that reflected Christ before their families, in their business dealings, and in their contacts with others.

 

I can't help pondering what mark my generation is making on this world. I wonder, twenty, thirty or forty years down the road, when my generation moves on… what will our legacy be? What trails have we blazed in faith for our kids and their kids? 

 

But I have hope. You see, in the midst of these losses, we had VBS. Nine children – nine, out of the 42 who attended – accepted Jesus Christ. God is not finished. Not by a long shot.

 

Isaiah 43:19

 

 

 

Last fall I did a series of posts on things I'd learned from running. The lessons keep coming so I thought I'd share them. 

 

The last time we were in Ohio, I actually packed my running gear and made plans to run. Jon always packs his, too and instead of doing his 13 mile torture circuit, he consented to run with me just for fun. I am not a great runner by any means. Jon runs much faster and much farther than I do, but he's twitterpated (still!) so off we went. My gear includes a watch with a countdown timer and a cheap pedometer. My husband, the more serious runner, was given one of those high-tech, chest-strap, GPS, heart-rate, instantaneous speed, NASA, Olympic watches. It's the type of thing he would never spend money on, but he kind of likes it. 

 

My goal for the day was to run 18 minutes then walk a bit, then run two 10 minutes cycles and hopefully that would be 3.5 miles or so. At the end of the 18 minutes, I pulled my pedometer off and it registered 1.9 miles. Not bad. Last year it was September before I could run 2 miles straight. This was May. And my pace was right around 9.5 minutes a mile. Then Jon announced "That's 1.6 miles." What? "Yeah, 1.6 miles." Hmmm… That's an 11.25 mile pace. I wasn't running nearly as fast or as far as I thought. My pedometer was off. Even though I much preferred my results, they were measured against a false standard. 

 

It's easy to measure our walk, our lives against the false standard of the world around us. Compared to "those" people, we're doing well. However, when we hold our lives up against the standards God reveals in His word, the results are quite different. When Isaiah was shown a vision of God's holiness, the ultimate standard, his reaction was "It's all over! I am doomed!" (NLT)

 

 

 

I forget promises I've made.

 

I forget appointments.

 

I forget my medications.

 

God doesn't.

 

When He promises… it doesn't slip.

He never fails. He never forgets.

 

Except one thing.

 

My sins. My failures.

 

It's not that He can't remember them. He won't.

 

He chooses to forget those.

 

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins." Isaiah 43:25