Month: August 2022

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1

Jesus was still speaking to his disciples in the upper room at their last supper together. Again, he is using imagery that would mean something to them when he is trying to teach them something. There would have been vineyards all around them, so they are no strangers to them. They would know the care it takes to grow a vineyard. They would know the way the vinedresser tends to the vines and what he does to them, even when they appear to be dead with no leaves right down to when they start bearing fruit and the way he has to support them as the grapes get heavy. They would know the imagery that if you cut the vine off from the source, there will be no fruit bearing and there will be no life to the vine. They also would know that sometimes it may appear painful as the vinedresser cuts away branches that even appear to be healthy but in doing so, there will be more fruit in the long run. They know that a branch cannot bear the fruit by itself, that it must abide in the vine. 

Abiding that is the key, not just getting up and reading a devotional, not church attendance, not listening to praise and worship music. Although those things are all good things and they help with the abiding, they point us to the abiding. Abiding is actually getting to the point that your thoughts have kingdom purpose in mind. Abiding is knowing that if something is  against God’s will for your life it is not good for you to pursue. Abiding is knowing He is with you every step you take and every breath you breathe. Abiding is knowing that you can’t take another step without Him. Abiding is living for Him, loving Him and dying to yourself and your wills and desires. There is a verse tucked in here that I have highlighted in my bible. 

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 15:7

I wonder when I highlighted that verse. Was it when I was looking to Him to do something for me? Is it because I was looking for the secret to getting Him to answer my prayers my way? That is possible. But when I look at it today. I realize the reason we can ask whatever we wish and get it, is because of the abiding. Maybe I knew that when I highlighted it. I hope so, but probably not. You see when we are abiding in Him, we aren’t going to ask for something that is against His will. It is not possible to do so. If our thoughts are to bring glory to Him, which is what abiding in Him looks like, then there is no way our selfishness should creep in. If it is creeping in, we better check the door! Are my prayers outside of God’s will, are they just for my own selfishness? Or are my prayers for the good and the glory of His kingdom? There are times that my prayer is for something that may seem selfish and I am not sure of God’s will. If I am not sure of the direction I always ask Him to change my heart on the matter if that is what needs to happen. And then I try to be open to the change! Oh how I want/need to remain connected to the vine. 

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” John 15:9

Lord I want to ABIDE in your love. I want to retain the connection to the vine. I can’t unplug it from myself and plug it back in when I want it. It would, I would wither and die if that were the case. Help me to know how to abide in You! Lord even when I feel like I am being pruned, when you are cutting away things in my life, help me to remember that it is for your good and your glory! Amen! 

Tensions were beginning to run high. This was a dinner party that had not gone quite the way the disciples had thought it would. At the beginning of dinner they were probably still riding high on the waves of adrenaline. Earlier in the week Jesus had ridden into Jerusalem on a donkey to the praise of all the people. He had been teaching in the temple. Yes, there was that day He got angry at the merchants and the religious leaders were not happy with Him, but that’s nothing new. But at dinner, the tone changed. What’s this about Him leaving? And then one of us will betray Him? Where did Judas go anyway? And now He is telling Peter that he will deny Him three times before the rooster crows? Peter of all people! I mean He gets ahead of himself at times but he loves Jesus! I’ll bet the thoughts in their head were swirling. They didn’t know what to think. Where is Jesus going and what will we do if/when He leaves? We have all left our jobs and have followed Him everywhere? Where will we go? 

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.” John 14:1

The disciples had reason to feel troubled in the midst of all that they had just heard. But Jesus was telling them not to have a troubled heart. He knew that this news would shake them up. But what He was telling them is even in the midst of trouble you can have an untroubled heart if you keep believing in Him. Jesus was telling them where to put their trust. This is sometimes so easier said than done. But it’s a word for us today too, not just for the disciples. There may be a diagnosis, a wayward child, a financial strain, family discord, natural disasters, all sorts of things and believe me when I say even when I don’t have something to be troubled about if I sit in my thoughts too long I’ll be troubled about not having anything to be troubled about and what might be coming next. But that’s not how Jesus wants us to live. Jesus wants us to live trusting Him that even when things seem to be falling apart around us they might be falling into place. 

Jesus is telling them where He was going and that He was going to prepare a place for them. The disciples still wanted to know how they would get there. Jesus told them you already know. 

“And you know the way to where I am going.” John 14:4

But how, how can we know? 

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6

Jesus is the way! He didn’t say I am going to show you the way. He is “the way”. Jesus is the way we get to heaven. But Jesus is also the way to the untroubled heart. Jesus is the way out of addiction. Jesus is the way to better relationships. Jesus is the way to hope. 

Jesus is the truth! When your thoughts are swirling, when you don’t know what to think and can’t make sense of your circumstances. When stuff is coming at you from all directions. Jesus can hold you through those circumstances. He is the truth! 

Jesus is the life! Even when your heart feels dead inside. When the heart has broken into so many pieces that you wonder sometimes how you keep waking up. When life hurts and hearts break, clinging to Jesus is the only way back to life. 

When Jesus told them, this He was telling them the way to eternal life with God. But He was also telling them how to have abundant life here on earth that will ultimately lead to the Father. Keep following Him my friends, keep your heart and your mind focused on His truth and let Him be the life to you! Here and evermore! 

Mary, Martha and Lazarus were good friends with Jesus. We see them a couple of times in scripture. We know that Martha was a doer and Mary was the one who just wanted to sit at Jesus feet and soak up all that He had to teach her. Well in this story Lazarus became ill and the sisters sent word to Jesus. They didn’t ask him to come. Possibly because they didn’t think they would need to. They were confident enough in His love that they just assumed He would. But when Jesus heard about it, He told the disciples that this would lead to the glory of God. He didn’t set to action immediately. Or so it appeared. He stayed where He was for another two days. Now two days may not seem like a long time when thinking about it. But if you have ever sat by someone’s bedside while they lay dying, and you were praying for a miracle that they would live. It can seem like an eternity. But to Jesus, the passage of time would just enhance the glory that it would bring to God. 

Finally after two long days, Jesus decides to go to Judea. The disciples did not want Him to go because He was a wanted man there. But Jesus went anyway. He knew that Lazarus had died and that it was time for the people to see the miracle. When Jesus arrived Lazarus had already been buried. In fact he had been in the tomb for four days. Now when Martha heard Jesus was coming she went out to meet Him. She immediately said to Jesus “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (v. 21) Oh I am thinking of times I have questioned Jesus for not acting in the way I thought He should have, WHEN I thought He should have. Again, Martha and Mary had sent word to Him. They didn’t think they would need to ask Him to come, they just thought He would. So there was something in their hearts that may have been a little disappointed, something that may have questioned why didn’t He come. But I love Martha’s next statement. 

“But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” John 11:22

Martha was declaring her loyalty and her belief in who Jesus was in spite of her disappointment. She wasn’t asking Jesus to raise Lazarus, we see that after He tells her that Lazarus will rise again. She declares her belief that she will see him in eternity. But her “even now” statement is her declaration that she believes in Jesus regardless of what He was doing or could do for her. What’s your “even now”? Do you believe Jesus can act in your situation even now? Do you believe that even if it doesn’t play out like you wish it would that He can carry you through it, even now?  Then…

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

Martha declares again her belief, then she goes to get Mary, who had stayed behind in her grief even though she had heard that Jesus was coming. She had stayed where she was until Jesus called for her. When she knew Jesus would meet her, she got up and went to where He was. 

“Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’” John 11:32

When Mary poured her grief out to Jesus, He wasn’t stoic, He was moved. He wept with her. The words that are used in the original language here show that Mary was wailing, in her grief. Jesus’ was a quietly weeping, but the heart of Jesus was touched with her wailing. He still knew that the glory of God was coming but He still felt her pain right along with her. 

Jesus, Mary and Martha and a crowd went to the tomb where Lazarus lay. When they got to the tomb, Jesus heart was moved again. Then He says “Take away the stone.” (v. 39) Martha argued with Him, just a bit because of the odor. She still did not realize that Jesus was going to raise Lazarus right then. 

“Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’” John 11:40

I have always in the past looked at this statement as a rebuke in some ways to Martha. But I read it a little differently today. I don’t think Jesus was rebuking her as much as He was saying “don’t miss this!” You see Jesus would have done the miracle anyway. I think He acts around us all the time. But sometimes I wonder how much do we miss, because of our own unbelief? How much glory are we missing because we aren’t looking for it? Jesus was going to raise Lazarus and He didn’t want Mary, Martha nor the Jews surrounding them to miss the glory of God. 

“So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around that they may believe that you sent me’” John 11:41-42

He said that for them, He said it for us. Don’t miss this. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He gave Lazarus His life back. Jesus is still resurrecting dead souls back to life. Don’t miss it! Jesus is rescuing, He is healing and He is giving new life to people who have made a mess out of their old life. Don’t miss this! Look for Him today, look for the glory of God. It’s happening all around you, you just have to believe you will see it if you look for it! 

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.” John 10:11

Jesus is staying with His theme that he started with the last I AM statement of shepherding sheep. The people he was speaking to would know shepherding as a profession and they would also have known scripture and that famous Psalm that referred to the Lord as shepherd. Jesus started immediately making the correlation that a hired hand would have tucked tail and run at the sign of danger to the sheep. But a good shepherd would lay down his life for his sheep. A good shepherd would not leave the sheep in danger but would face the danger even to the point of risking his own life. Jesus was also foretelling His own destiny of the cross, as He would be laying down His life for us. 

Jesus repeats this statement in verse 14. 

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15 

Every step Jesus took when He was in His earthly ministry was in preparation for the cross. Can you imagine? He knew what was coming the entire time. He knew where it would lead and what His purpose was. And He kept that purpose in mind in the lessons and parables that He taught. So when He was saying here “I sacrifice my life for the sheep”, He knew what a sacrifice He would be making. Yet He was still choosing to be our shepherd. Please let that sink in. Jesus was fully man, but He was also fully God. He knew how the story would play out. He was being real and truthful when He said He would sacrifice His life for His sheep. It was already in the plan. This plan gives us access to the Father. We have access because of the sacrifice Jesus was willingly making for us. 

Jesus is not only our door, He is our shepherd. He calls to us and He leads us. Following Him every day will never lead to danger. He will lead you and He will guide you when you follow His voice. Sometimes in my studies I find a sentence or a phrase that is just so beautiful it bears repeating. I’m not even sure in this case who to give credit to but I will leave you with it here. 

“As those he loves, we are able to hear his voice and follow his leadership, knowing he is good. We are not asked to measure up to some impossible standard or earn his approval. He simply asks us to hear and follow, but that decision is ours to make. He will not force it upon us.” 

Won’t you listen, hear and follow the Shepherd’s voice.  He is calling. 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.” John 10:7

Some translations will say gate, some say door. The picture that the people would have gotten from what Jesus was saying is that of a sheepfold, where flocks of sheep were kept when they were brought home. A sheepfold would have one way in and out. It’s my understanding that many times it may be connected to the house, or in a town there may be one sheepfold that held many sheep from many flocks. Now when I look at sheep, I would think you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all. But that is not so for the shepherd of the sheep. He would know his own, and the sheep would know their masters voice. So much so, that he could stand at the door of the sheepfold and call out for his sheep and only his sheep would follow. They could be commingled in the sheepfold with many other flocks, but when their master called they were ready to follow him. 

“To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” John 10:3-4

Also when the shepherd would lead his sheep into the sheepfold he would lead them through the gate by his voice and after his sheep were in safe and sound, he would lay down across the door of the sheepfold so as to offer protection for his sheep. No one could get past him when trying to get to the sheep and the sheep could not wander out of the door. Much the same way when we are following our shepherds voice there is a protection for us. When we are walking with the Lord, we are walking under His protection. Following His voice is protection for us. I can honestly say that the Lord has never led me wrong. When I am following His voice, even if He is calling me to do something I don’t particularly want to do, there will be a blessing at the end of the task when I follow His voice. And it’s one that I can look back and say oh I’m so glad I followed. 

You might be asking how do you know His voice. Well I can honestly say it’s with time well spent with Him. Early on in my walk, even if I felt a leading or a stirring in my soul, I would question if it was the voice of God I was hearing or was it just my own thoughts running amok. However as I have spent time with Him, I can generally discern if my thoughts are a leading of the Holy Spirit or if it is my own thoughts. But when I do have questions there are a few things I might do. 

First I will check it with scripture. If I feel a stirring that doesn’t line up with scripture, then that is my first indication that the stirring I feel is me, or worse yet it will be some other leading from the enemy. That one is always a sure thing. If it doesn’t line up with scripture, if it goes against scripture, don’t follow that voice, that is not your Shepherd. 

Second if I can’t find anything scripturally that would lead me in a definite direction, I ask Him to affirm my thoughts. The answer to this one may come in a sermon or a song that I hear, or sometimes in a conversation that I have with someone that will address what is on my heart usually without even knowing it. When I receive affirmation that it is the Shepherd leading, I’ll follow Him where He leads. I have had things that He affirms quickly and I have had things I have pondered for a few days before I feel a clear direction. 

Third, I must address that time spent with Him, will clarify His voice in your heart. I will know my spouse or my children’s voice when I hear them anytime and anywhere. Because we are familiar, we have spent years together. It’s much the same with Jesus. When you spend time with Him, you will know His voice, He will lead you through open doors and out of open doors. He will not lead you astray and He will protect you. 

Friends if you are not sure if that is your Shepherd calling you, wait, check the calling with scripture, ask Him to affirm it, then spend time with Him daily so that you can know His voice when He calls. 

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12

Jesus had been teaching in the temple when the Scribes and the Pharisees brought him a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. Now the way this reads there were actual witnesses to this act which would lend thought to the fact that she was set up. The act of adultery is not something that people would commonly be caught in the ACT of. When they brought the woman to Jesus they pointed out that she was “caught in the act”. Well first of all, if she was “caught in the act” where was the man she was caught with? Also when they want to bring up the Law of Moses which commanded she be stoned for such an act, what they are saying is there were at least 2 witnesses to the act. It is true this was a law of Moses, but it couldn’t be speculation in order to legally carry out stoning. There had to be at least the 2 witnesses of the very act. Meaning they couldn’t just see them leaving a private place together they had to actually witness it. They brought this woman to Jesus to get Him to accuse her. They were using her as a weapon to use against Jesus. Adultery is not a solitary sin. There would have had to be another offender. And with this being a set up against her, they were obviously not without sin themselves. 

Jesus, the only one in the crowd who had the right to point out everyone’s sin… the woman’s sin, He could have asked where is the man, He could have asked them how on earth they witnessed such a private sin, did nothing. He stooped down and wrote in the dirt. Now I have heard many sermons and teachings and read many lessons where people wonder what was He writing. But the point here not what He wrote, the point is He did not condemn her. 

They didn’t get it. So Jesus stood up and He told them. 

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” John 8:7

And he just bent down again and wrote in the dirt. I wonder was the man who she was caught with the first to walk away. It says in scripture, they all walked away starting with the older ones. Well isn’t that fitting, I know the older I get, the more I realize the grace that has been on my life. And I don’t want to, and I know I don’t have the right to throw a stone at anyone. My sins are no worse than anyone else’s. I have things that I realize had it not been for the grace of Jesus to lead me out of them, there is no telling what kind of person I would be now. Eventually it was just Jesus and the woman. 

“Jesus stood up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one Lord,’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and from now on sin no more.’” John 8:10-11

The next line in scripture is Jesus going right back to teaching. His teaching had been interrupted by this event and He seemingly picks up right where He left off. But after such an event, it spoke volumes. 

“Again Jesus spoke to them saying, ‘I am light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12

Jesus was again speaking to them of things they knew as He resumed his teaching. Light was an important symbol to the people. They would have known the significance of the Israelites following a pillar of fire during their years in the wilderness and they used light in their Feasts to signify this. Jesus just applied it to himself when He told them I AM LIGHT OF THE WORLD!

The Scribes and Pharisees wanted to condemn this woman’s dark sin. Jesus shone His light on her and gave her a reason to put away that sin and follow Him, the Light of the World! 

Last Friday we studied God’s name “I AM that I AM.” There are seven times that it is recorded that Jesus used the phrase I Am in the book of John. We will explore these over the next several days.

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’” John 6:35

Bread was on their mind. Jesus was talking to a crowd of people who had come to find him after witnessing and being a part of the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus had fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Afterward, He had withdrawn from the crowd because they had gotten overzealous and were about to try to make Him king. Jesus withdrew from them and went to the mountain by himself. (John 6:15)

That evening the disciples had set out in their boat to Capernaum with no Jesus with them, but Jesus had walked on water to get to them. 

The next day some of the crowd that he had fed was looking for Him and when they couldn’t find Him they got into boats and went to Capernaum themselves. When they found Him they began to question Him. Jesus knew however that the reason they were looking was they wanted a repeat performance from the day before. It wasn’t that they wanted Him as much as they wanted more bread! They wanted another miracle just like that one! 

Oh how many times have I tried to get Jesus to give me a repeat performance of something He has already done for me? How many times have I been in some worship service that I felt Him so strongly that I wanted somehow to reconstruct that service, instead of seeking Him from that service? Apart from that service? How many times have I been seeking Him to answer some prayer for me that, maybe He has done something similar in the past, so I want to dictate to Him how I want it answered in the here and now. But Jesus didn’t want to just perform miraculous signs for them. Jesus wanted them! And He wanted them to want Him, not just His signs and wonders and miracles! He wanted their hearts. And Jesus doesn’t want me to reconstruct a worship service or for me to tell Him how to answer my prayers. He wants my heart and He wants me to seek Him, not just what He can do for me. 

He was speaking to them about bread here because that was what was on their mind. They also would have been no stranger to the happenings of Moses and the Israelites who ate the manna in the wilderness. So He was able to correlate His story to Moses. God gave the Israelites the Manna from heaven. And God has given His son to be the bread of life. In answering them the way He did, he had hoped to change their thinking from the materialistic here and now to kingdom thoughts of what they would gain from seeking Him. Not just what He can do for them. 

Now let me say here, I have had Jesus answer prayers for me, but I have also had Jesus delay the answers to prayers or not to answer them in the way or the timing that I so wanted Him to. But what I have always found when I pray is Him. And the nourishment I receive from Him is far better and far outweighs any thing I can receive from Him. 

Oh Lord, may I not just seek answers to my prayers but may I seek your heart and may I find you when I seek you with all of mine.  

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” Luke 1:31

This is my most very favorite name above all names in the Bible.  God told Mary to name His son Jesus. Yes, we have been studying the names of God, but we also know that while Jesus is the son of God, Jesus is God. He is 2 parts of the trinity, the triune God. In the book of John, Jesus says: 

“I and the Father are one.” John 10:30 

Now don’t expect me to explain that, I don’t understand the trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I just accept it and what we are studying here anyway are the names. Jesus is the most precious name. 

Jesus was a common name in those days but God was setting that name apart for all eternity when He named His son Jesus and He goes on in the next verses to begin to define Jesus name for us. 

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:32-33

Jesus is great! He is perfect is nature, He is the Savior of the world, He is the unblemished Lamb that they had no concept at that time what would happen in His earthly life.

He is the son of the Most High, Jesus was not the only son of Mary, but He is the Son of God, 

He is given the throne of his father David. The Messiah was prophesied to David (2 Samuel 7:12-16) and he would have the rightful authority to rule over Israel. Mary would know that when she was told He was given the throne of his father David that it meant that He would be Messiah. She didn’t fully understand how it would play out but she knew that is what was meant by that. Her son is King and of his kingdom there will be no end.

I can’t even fathom the thoughts going through Mary’s mind at this point. But that’s not our point at this time. Yes Jesus name means all of these things and so many other things (we could extend this study for a long time going over these names). But what does Jesus name mean to me. 

Just saying Jesus name will calm my spirit. When I am feeling anxious, I can say His name and I can literally feel my heart begin to calm. Sometimes I may have to keep saying it depending on the circumstances but it’s what I do to turn my eyes to Him instead of what is upsetting me. It’s what I do to put Jesus in front of me instead of my circumstances. 

Jesus is my Savior. Not just for my salvation although that is the most important way He has saved me. Because of Him I know where my eternity lies, but also because of Him, He saves me every day, from myself and my own stupid ways sometime, from crazy thoughts and anxiety, from my fears and my doubts. Jesus sets my feet on solid ground and I am able to walk out this crazy life when life is hard and when it is good. He saves me every day. He steadies me. 

Jesus is not only the king of the world, He is the king of my world. He is the King of my heart. There is a quote that I have heard many times on a podcast that I listen to, Emily P. Freeman’s, The Next Right Thing. Emily says this is her favorite quote and it has really become one of mine as well. 

“I am one in whom Christ dwells and delights. I live in the strong and unshakable kingdom of God. The kingdom is not in trouble and neither am I.” James Bryan Smith via Emily P. Freeman

My friend because of Jesus, because He is the Son of the Most High, the Messiah, the King of this World, if you belong to Him, He dwells in you and He delights in you. We live in His strong and unshakable kingdom. And no matter how shaky our world, our country, our lives may seem to be right now the unshakable kingdom of God is not in trouble and therefore neither am I, neither are you! 

If you feel you are on shaky ground today, just speak His name, the name above all other names! Jesus! 

“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14

Studying Yahweh this week we found that this I AM statement was when God introduced himself to Moses as I AM, YHWH. This is the Holy name of God. 

In the book of John, we see Jesus use this statement too. 

“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’” John 8:58

Jesus said these words in response to the religious leaders who were trying to “trip him up” so to speak. The religious leaders of his day were always trying to find something to accuse Him of so that they could arrest Him and/or have Him killed. They were threatened by the way the people followed Jesus. They had at this time resorted to name calling, telling Jesus He had a demon and calling Him a Samaritan. (John 8:48) Jesus knew what He was doing when he told them “before Abraham was I am.” He knew that they would not like it and that they would know exactly what He was talking about. He knew they would call it blasphemous. But Jesus didn’t come to make nice with the religious leaders of that day. Jesus was telling them exactly who He is. 

“I am” was a title of deity to the Jews. They knew the stories of Abraham and Moses and the burning bush so for Jesus to use this phrase to them was bold in their opinions. They would think it was  blasphemous. This was language that would have been reserved for only God to use. The religious leaders acted exactly as Jesus would have thought they would. They picked up stones to throw at Him. They were caught up in the moment and they intended to kill Him, but Jesus hid himself and escaped them at this time. His time had not come. 

Another thing about this being the Holy name of God, please note it is present tense. God is I AM to Moses and to Abraham. Jesus is I AM to the religious leaders and Jesus is I AM to you and to me. He is I AM! Not I was or I will be. He is with me today as He was with me yesterday and as He will be tomorrow. He is always in the present with me. Whatever my circumstances, whether I am walking closely with Him, recognizing His presence or whether I am not. Because I believe and I belong to Him, He is I AM to me! 

“These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.” Genesis 2:4

This was the absolute first mention of YHWH in the Bible. In Genesis chapter 1 God was creating, therefore He would have been known as Elohim our creative God there. But in chapter 2 He is mentioned as YHWH. Don’t forget when you see LORD (all caps) in scripture this is YHWH and it is personal. In Genesis 2, when God was creating man and woman, He became personal, relational. He went from Elohim to YHWH. 

Also when you say Yahweh aloud it is like a breath. Try it, say it out loud. Tell me you can’t say it and it feel like breathing. He is the very breath in our lungs.

As we continue on with our 7 points. 

6.  Yahweh keeps His covenant with us. 

The word covenant means a coming together, a contract or agreement on promises. God is always faithful to keep His word. 

“God is not a man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken and will he not fulfill it?” Numbers 23:19

God desires relationship with us and He pursues relationship with us. I know that I have heard it said and you probably have too that if your relationship with God is not what it should be you are the one who moved away from it. Not God. We can trust Him! He is not a wish granter where we will always get everything we want but He will walk out with us whatever we are going through! He has promised not to leave nor forsake us and He won’t. 

7. Yahweh is Full of Mystery… but Worth Seeking! 

We will never come to a full complete understanding of God. We aren’t meant to. But we can know Him more and more fully than we did yesterday. One of my favorite verses in all of scripture (I know I have said that before) is found in Jeremiah. 

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

But have you read the next two verses? That’s where the secret to our future and hope lie. That’s where we come in. 

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:12-13

Yes! God does have a plan for your life, as well as a plan for mine. But the way to find out that plan and to walk in it is to come to Him, to pray to Him, to seek Him with all your heart, so that you will find Him! That’s the true plan, to find Him and then the rest will come! 

Oh LORD, Adonai, Father, YHWH may we seek you today and may we find you. Open the eyes of our hearts Lord that we may see you! 

(7 points are from an article written by Jenna Martin, a youth ministry worker and freelance writer, I expounded on the points by my own studies.)