"God of... mercy"

    This week, I would like you to take the time to read Psalm 59 – it’s only 17 verses long – and if you can, please read Psalm 57 (11 verses) as well. Both these psalms are among the psalms David wrote while King Saul was murderously pursuing him. It is valuable to consider those circumstances as you read these psalms, so you can better hear the earnest pleading in David’s words but also be buoyed by his confidence in God’s mercy.

    It is interesting to note that the actual term “God of mercy” (or “God of my mercy” as it is sometimes translated) is only found two times in the Bible, both in Psalm 59, yet one could readily argue that God is accurately described and depicted as a God of mercy throughout the Bible; there are hundreds of verses that speak of His mercy and lovingkindness toward men, the greatest ones being those that tell of Him sending His Son to save us from our sins – that is surely the greatest possible proof of His mercy (John 3:14-21, 1 John 4:7-10)!

“My God of mercy shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies. Do not slay them, lest my people forget; scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O LORD our shield.” (Psalm 59:10-11 NKJV)

    Why was David so confident in God’s mercy? He knew that he was upholding God’s law and abiding by it to the very best of his abilities. He states, “The mighty gather against me, not for my transgressions nor for my sin, O LORD. They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine” (Psalm 59:3b-4). At the beginning of his troubles with Saul, it says in 1 Samuel 18:14 that “David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the LORD was with him” and later, when given two opportunities to end Saul’s life, David stated on both occasions, “The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed” (1 Samuel 24:1-22; 26:1-25)

    David could be assured of God’s mercy because he had been merciful (consider Matthew 5:7) and he loved God and kept His commandments (Deuteronomy 7:9, Psalm 25:10). Time and time again David trusted in God’s mercy – consider David’s prayer for forgiveness in Psalm 51 and his choice of punishment in 2 Samuel 24:10-25 – and so we find him speaking of God’s mercy throughout his writings: “The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all his works” (Psalm 145:8-9).  

“To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, My God of mercy.” (Psalm 59:17 NKJV)

    In your troubles, can you do as David did?  Can you trust in God’s mercy enough to praise Him in the midst of the storm, fully confident that He will help? Do you consider God your defense?

    In Psalm 57:1-3 David begins his plea to the LORD: “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by. I will cry out to God Most High, to God who performs all thongs for me. He shall send from heaven and save me; He reproached the one who would swallow me up. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.” (NKJV)

    Are you assured of God’s mercy as you faithfully serve Him? He is “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort” (as we studied earlier, 2 Corinthians 1:3-7), you can trust in His mercy – it is renewed every morning; it will not run out (Lamentations 3:22-24)! Learn from David and let his trust in God lead you to trust Him more – let David’s words become your words:

“I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, “Mercy shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens”… “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face. Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!” (Psalm 89:1-2, 14-15 NKJV)

You can do it! So can I!!

 

"God of... my righteousness"

    This description of God is found only once in the Bible, it was penned by David, and found in Psalm 4:1.

“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress; have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.” (NKJV)

    As we have been learning in this study when we see the term “God of…,” we understand that God is the author and originator of whatever follows; He is the source from which we can obtain it in its completest and purest form.

    David praises God from Whom he has learned righteousness, by Whom he has been guided in the most proper way. God established what is right and has not left His creation to guess at what that is; He rose early and gave His commands and instructions, even having them written for accurate remembrance, complete with the reward and consequence that would come respectively from His followers obedience and disobedience.

    Because God has loved His people enough to provide knowledge of how to live right in His sight David could be calm and feel safe even in distresses (Psalm 4:1, 8). His adherence to God’s righteousness kept him focused on proper conduct when he was feeling angry (Psalm 4:4-5) and developed his desire for others to know of it and to follow it with him (Psalm 4:2-3, 6-7). Knowing he was doing his very best to align himself with God’s way of living, he felt assured of God’s promises to hear and to help (Psalm 34:17-19; 145:17-19, Proverbs 15:29, James 5:16).

    The psalmist who wrote the Hebrew acrostic known to us as Psalm 119 dedicated a whole section to righteousness. Verses 137 through 144 are under the title letter, TSADDE.

Side note: the Hebrew term, ‘tzadik,’ which means ‘righteous person’ is based on the Hebrew letter, TSADDE (or TSADE).

TSADDE

Righteous are You, O LORD, and upright are Your judgments.

Your testimonies, which You have commanded, are righteous and very faithful.

My zeal has consumed me, because my enemies have forgotten your words.

Your word is very pure; therefore Your servant loves it.

I am small and despised, yet I do not forget Your precepts.

Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth.

Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, yet Your commandments are my delights.

The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting; give me understanding, and I shall live.”

(New King James Version)  

    This is the conduct and attitude of a righteous person (1 John 3:7), someone who delights in the doing of God’s commands, who has learned the value of His instruction, and is continually discovering the wisdom found in His law.

    A righteous person also comes to appreciate the everlasting-ness of God’s righteousness. What God has called right and proper – and what He calls wrong and sinful - has not changed, will not change. We serve the God of righteousness just as David and the psalmist did, just as Jesus did, just as Mary, Martha, Paul, and Cornelius did!

    God gave His commands and instructions, having faithful men write them down, so that they may be preserved through the ages for us, and all future generations, as He wills.

    Is God the God of your righteousness? Do you look to Him for instruction in pure, absolute righteousness? Do you do your very best to align yourself with His instructions and commands? Are you assured of His comfort and help? Look to God for all that is right and proper, gain understanding of His way (Ephesians 5:15-17), and live with full assurance before Him!

You can do it! So can I!!

"God of... my life, my strength"

    Continuing in our study of descriptions of God found in the Bible, we are beginning to get to the terms that are found only once in the scriptures, so I may choose to combine them, as I have done this week, as this series goes on.

“God of my life”

“The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me – a prayer to the God of my life.” (Psalm 42:8 NKJV)

    Psalm 42 depicts the challenge of being patient during distresses – a portrait of longsuffering with joy. There are pains and hurts described but the overarching theme is confidence that God will help – that there will be reason to praise Him.

    Lovingkindness is a beautiful way to describe God’s mercy. God is in command of it; He will be merciful to whoever He chooses to be merciful (Romans 9:15-16, Exodus 33:19), and His mercies are new every morning – His lovingkindness will not run out – God will always be able to show mercy to whomever He desires (Lamentations 3:22-26).

    What is God’s song that will be with those in distress? I like to think of Zephaniah 3:17 that says, “The LORD you God in your midst, the Mighty One will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, and He will rejoice over you with singing.” (NKJV)  And as we studied last week, God is the “Father of mercies and God of all comfort,” providing us with such comfort in our tribulations that we are steadied and readied to comfort others in their troubles with God’s comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

    When the psalmist considers God’s enduring mercy and love, He cannot help but offer a prayer to the God of his life – the very God who “gives to all life, breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25) and by His divine power “given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:2-4). The God who does not fail (Joshua 21:45, 23:14) and the God who gives us strength to endure (Colossians 1:9-11)! God is in control and is over all – He will help, and there will never cease to be reason to praise Him and thank Him in your life and for your life!

“God of my strength”

“Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! For you are the God of my strength; why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” (Psalm 43:1-2 NKJV)

    This psalm is a seeming continuation of Psalm 42 and its opening is so pleading, dark, and desperate, but if you continue in it (please do read it), the confidence the psalmist has in the ‘God of [his] strength’ shines with such beams of comforting light, that he buoys not only his own soul, but ours as we read them now! In both Psalm 42 and Psalm 43, the closing statements are a rebuke against his own soul for doubting God’s help: “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him. The help of my countenance and my God” (v5).  

    The psalmist was in need of enduring strength and he wisely went to the only true and proper source: God. He asked the LORD to send His light and His truth to lead him, to show him the way to His presence – so that he may praise Him (vv3-4)! We have access to the very same God today – a God who provides strength so we can stand and withstand against the wicked one and endure the troubles of this life (Ephesians 6:10-18, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Colossians 1:9-14) – look to His light (John 8:12, Ephesians 5:8-10) and learn His truth (John 14:6, Ephesians 5:15-17, 1 Peter 1:22-25, Romans 2:4-11).

    God gave you life, you were born into this world to seek Him and find Him (Acts 17:26-27). Coming to the light (John 3:19-21), hearing the truth (Romans 10:17, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Ephesians 1:13-14), and baptized into Christ, He granted you newness of life (Romans 6:1-4)! This same God is also the source for all the strength we need to endure and overcome whatever we may face in this world.  

    Is He the God of your life? Is He the God of your strength? Do you acknowledge Him as the giver of life and provider of strength, do you run to Him for all that pertains to life and find strength in His light and truth?

    God has given us SO much and He has SO much more give, if we but turn to Him and rely on Him to help!

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8)

You can do it! So can I!!

"God of... comfort"

    God is the very author of comfort, it begins and exists in Him. Note that this is not a lazing or loafing comfort of do-nothing indulgence and indifference – it couldn’t be because God is none of those things – this is a comfort that encourages, consoles, and gives solace to the one standing and withstanding (Ephesians 6:10, 13) busy in doing the work (James 1:25, 1 Peter 5:6-10).

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NKJV)

    In this passage we see God described as “God of all comfort” – whatever your situation, He has all that you need. Not only does God have all the comfort you need while going through all your tribulations, He comforts us with such a comfort that we, ourselves, can get up and go on, and comfort those around us who are going through any troubles.

    Our God of comfort steadies us and readies us to encourage others in their walk!

“For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:4-6 NKJV)

    God prepared His word (having faithful men write it down) so it could be preserved and provided to future generations – why? So that we, in reading it could gain both patience and comfort while learning from it, and have hope knowing that the God they served then – the God of patience and comfort – is the same God we serve now.

    And again, beyond supplying us encouragement through the Scriptures, our God of comfort wants us to be like-minded – full of patience and comfort – toward our brethren, why? That we may with be as one, with one mind and one mouth, glorifying the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! What will eternity in heaven be but joining together as one with the saved from all ages to glorify our God of comfort?

    Our God of comfort steadies us and readies us for our eternal home!   

    Please take time to read and consider 1 Thessalonians 5:1-22 this week. Within this passage you will find comfort and encouragement for yourself and several ways to comfort and encourage your brethren!

    “Be imitators of God, as dear children” (Ephesians 5:1) and share the comfort He comforts you with! God is patient and comforting so remember to be patient and comforting toward your brethren who need help and solace just like you! Allow God’s comfort to steady you and ready you for the work that needs doing, so that you can help others stay the course and together you can look forward, with hope, to glorifying Him for eternity!!

You can do it! So can I!!

"God of... justice"

    This description of God is found only two times in the Bible, both in the Old Testament: Isaiah 30:18 and Malachi 2:17. In some translations of these texts ‘judgement’ is written in place of ‘justice.’ Let’s take a look at each of these references to see how the description is used and what we can learn from it.

“Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.” (Isaiah 30:18 NKJV)

    In the context of this Isaiah passage we see Israel putting their trust in the Egyptian leader to help them, the same nation that had brutally oppressed their people for 400 years before the exodus (Exodus 1-15). The nation of Israel rebelled against Him so much so that God referred to them as “lying children, children who will not hear the law of the LORD” (Isaiah 30:9).  They told their seers and prophets to not speak the hard truth but to speak smooth words – even deceitful words (consider 2 Timothy 4:3-4) – in the hopes that God would simply go away and leave them be. They preferred foreign oppression to following God’s word and way; they had become so much like the people around them that they were increasingly irked by God’s wholesome commands, boundaries, and standards.

    God did give them over to foreign oppression – Assyrian captivity – and yet even then, the LORD was already telling them that He longed to be gracious to them and be merciful to them and that those who also longed for Him would be blessed (Isaiah 30:18).

 “You have wearied the LORD with your words; yet you say, “In what way have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, or “Where is the God of justice?”” (Malachi 2:17 NKJV)

    Here in Malachi, the last prophecy before the 400 years of silence, we find the people of God acting like they were anything but. They have gone after pagan gods and when they, out of obligation, perform their duties before God (sacrifices) they do so half-heartedly at best (see Malachi 1:6-14). Their corruption has permeated even the priests – the ones who were to know and guide the people in God’s law (Malachi 2:7-9) – even they did not regard the holiness of God (consider Leviticus 10:3).

    The people had grown so cavalier and calloused that they disregarded God’s judgement of right and wrong (Isaiah 5:20-21) and declared that everyone is okay in God’s sight because where is God to tell them otherwise? Because a lightning bolt did not strike them for any misstep or wrongdoing they began to grow lax not only about their own service toward God but about God’s standards and rules as a whole, maybe even thinking, ‘the so-called “evil people” around us are not punished, so they must be fine in God’s eyes; what’s the harm of being with them or like them?’

    God’s justice is pure and right. He always ‘rose early’ (well beforehand, Jeremiah 7: 13; 32:33) to tell people that there would be consequences for rejecting Him and there would be reward for diligently seeking Him (Hebrews 11:6). God wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). He longs to be gracious to all people, but only those who turn to Him and long for Him will find blessing, that is why He is longsuffering and patient, hoping more will open their eyes, grope for Him, and find Him (Acts 17:26-27).

    God’s justice does not change: If you do what He says, you will be rewarded; if you do not do what He says, there will be consequences (Matthew 7:21-23). He has provided all that we need to know to be pleasing to Him (Ephesians 5:8-10, 15-17, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Romans 10:17), to become His child (Galatians 3:26-28), and to walk as Jesus walked (1 Peter 2:21-24, 1 John 2:3-6).

    God is the God of justice. His judgement stands. Don’t think that because God patiently waits for the lost to repent that He is absent – the time He grants us is salvation – it’s an opportunity for all to turn, learn, and submit to Him! He wants to you to cling to Him, waiting for Him in all circumstances, longing for the day that you can see Him face to face (1 John 3:1-3, 2 Peter 3:11-13), because He wants to gracious to you! Be assured of His promises, be wholly aware of His justice and judgement, and be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless (2 Peter 3:14-15)!

You can do it! And so can I!!

"God of... glory"

    As our study continues, we are now getting to terms that appear only one to two times in the Bible. This week we will look at the description “God of glory” mentioned once in the Old Testament and once in the New Testament.

In a psalm of David, Psalm 29:3-4, and in Stephen’s sermon, Acts 7:2-3

    ‘Glory,’ in this Psalm 29 passage, is the Hebrew word, ‘kabod’ (Strong’s #H3519), meaning abundance, honour, glory, and splendor, and in the Acts 7 verses it is the Greek word ‘doxa’ meaning a good opinion that determines value, its use in reference to God tells us of His infinite worth and value that has always been and will always be.

    Stephen had seen the fruition of God’s plan; separated from Abraham by over 2000 years, Stephen knew from the Scriptures all that God had promised AND fulfilled to Abraham, he knew the history of Israel, the people descended from Abraham (the twelve sons of his own grandson, Jacob/"Israel"). Stephen was living in the time when “all families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3) through Jesus’ coming. Stephen proclaimed Jesus as the Just One, who came to save, but whom the Jewish people rejected, betrayed, and murdered (Acts 7:51-53). Stephen was, with his good opinion of God, desperately trying to remind the Israelites of God’s unsurpassable value; that His word did not, does not fail. The promise given to their esteemed patriarch, Abraham, WAS fulfilled – they could have been blessed, they still CAN be blessed, but like they did with Jesus, they turned on him.       

    As the crowd showed anger at his words, Stephen looked up into heaven and “saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55) and even as he lay dying from the rocks hurled at him, Stephen prayed to God that He would not charge the people with this sin (Acts 7:59-60) – even in his last breaths he wanted the people to know of God’s value in their lives – that He was trustworthy, that His words are trustworthy, that they need to turn to Him and give Him the glory.

“Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the LORD is over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.” (Psalm 29:1-4 NKJV)

    David, who lived halfway between Abraham and Stephen, proclaimed God’s glory to all, not only through his psalms, but through his complete trust in God, shown by his words and conduct throughout his lifetime. He, too, had seen the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham (of a land, Canaan, and a name, Israelites), and assured of God’s abilities he looked toward the future when the promised Messiah would come (Psalms 22, 110).  

    This man of the Old Testament, David, and this man of the New Testament, Stephen, proclaimed God to be the God of glory: God, the author and personification of all that is splendourous and honourable; God, whose value and worth is beyond compare.

    Do you see Him, think of Him; speak of Him in this way? Do you value Him? His Word? More than all others, more than all other things? Be confident, like David, in the God of glory and proclaim His goodness and greatness (1 Peter 2:9). Be concerned, like Stephen, and tell others of God’s incomparable value and all that His has supplied for them to know the truth and be forgiven of their sins!

    We serve the God of glory!! Let’s give Him the glory!!

You can do it! So can I!!     

"God of... the earth"

    Used only three times, almost like fence posts placed at the beginning, middle, and end of the Bible, this term describes a consistent, unchanging God, a superior God over all, and a Sovereign God in a place of pre-eminence.

Genesis 24:3 – Isaiah 54:5 – Revelation 11:4

    God of earth means that our God is God of the entirety of earth – every earthly realm – and every inhabitant.

“The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, 
the world and those who dwell therein.” 
(Psalm 24:1 NKJV)

    The term “God of the earth” is used only three times, but statements about the earth belonging to God are sprinkled throughout the Bible:

During the ten plagues in Egypt – 

“So Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the LORD; the thunder will cease, and these will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s.” (Exodus 9:29)

When refortifying Israel’s faith and awareness of the Law – 

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good? Indeed heaven and the highest heavens, belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it.” (Deuteronomy 10:12-14)

When God answers Job – 

“Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.” (Job 41:11)

When David described “the King of glory” – 

“The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters.” (Psalm 24:1-2)

When Asaph wrote about “the Mighty One, God the LORD” – 

“If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and its fullness.” (Psalm 50:12)

When Paul was teaching the Corinthians he quoted Psalm 24:1 – 

“Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake, for “the earth is the LORD’s and its fullness”” (1 Corinthians 10:26, in some translations this quote is repeated in verse 28)

    Step outside, or look out the window, Our God – the God of earth – created all that you can see by His word! He is over and above all that we can see and hear and touch and taste and feel – it’s all His, just as you are His! Let us honour and respect Him for all He has provided to us in this earthly realm, making it possible to seek Him and find Him (Acts 17:24-28), to live and thrive as His child, and to grant us a soul within our earthly bodies that will live on with Him in eternity (1 John 3:1-3)! 

You can do it! So can I!! 

"God of...gods"

    This term describing God is found five times in four passages of the Old Testament: Deuteronomy 10:17, Joshua 22:22, Daniel 2:47, and Daniel 11:36

    Upon first seeing this description one may wonder, ‘Does this give credence to gods?’ but, we know that gods are useless figures sculpted by men’s hands (Psalm 115:3-8, 135:15-18, and Jeremiah 10); this term “God of gods,” instead, openly declares God to be Supreme God over every created thing.  

“Inasmuch as there is none like you, O LORD (You are great, and Your name is great in might), who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is Your rightful due. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like You. But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; a wooden idol is a worthless doctrine… they are all the work of skillful men, but the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King, at His wrath the earth will tremble, and the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.” (Jeremiah 10:6-8,9b-10 NKJV)

    While gods are useless, we still have the capability of setting them up in our lives: seeking after wealth, careers, status, our houses/cars, collections, hobbies, children, boyfriend/husband, even our own self. These can all be elevated in our hearts/minds to the point of coming in between us and God and our service to Him. Why devote all your time and trust in what is temporary when you can develop your trust in and allegiance to the everlasting God of gods?

    God is the Supreme God, the very Creator of the heavens and earth! He was and is and will be. He is worthy of your time and devotion! Take an honest look at your heart and realign your priorities so that there are not any obstacles between you and the God of heaven – He is worthy of our every effort and every sacrifice!!

You can do it! So can I!!   

"God of... Peace"

    The description of God we are looking at this week is one that is only used in the New Testament: God of peace.

peace is the Greek word, eirene (Strong’s #G1515), means to join together into a whole, wholeness.

‘God of peace’ means that the Lord is the author and promoter of wholeness.

    Used six times* in the N.T. this description of God may, at first glance, seem insignificant and simply a term Paul (and the Hebrew writer) liked to use, but if we take a closer look at each usage I think we will discover something of significant value.

*Romans 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Philippians 4:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 13:20-21, and “Lord of peace” found in 2 Thessalonians 3:16, which I decided to include in this study, as it is used only once.

    This is what I have learned from these verses:

When will our God of peace act?   

• When we need to withdraw from disorderly (idle, undisciplined, unruly) brethren who do not walk as the apostles gave example/instruction (context of 2 Thessalonians 3:16, Matthew 18:15-20)
• When we note those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine and need to turn away from (avoid) them (context of Romans 16:20)
• When we obey the command to “be of one mind and live in peace” and humbly hear correction, learn to acknowledge our sins, and seek God with repentant hearts (context of 2 Corinthians 13:11, 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
• When we give our anxieties to God, ask for His help, train our minds to focus on thankfulness and whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy, and follow Paul’s example and instruction (as he followed Christ, 1 Corinthians 11:1, 1 John 2:3-6, context of Philippians 4:9)
• When we need to do our part and also patiently help those who are unruly, fainthearted, and weak (context of 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Romans 12:1-2; 9-21)
• God has done, and continues to do, His part and He wants to bless us when we do our part in humble, submissive obedience (context of Hebrews 13:20, John 3:14-21)

What will our God of peace do?

• He will give you peace always and in every way (2 Thessalonians 3:16, Philippians 4:6-7)
• He will crush Satan under your feet shortly (Romans 16:20)
• He will be with you (1 Corinthians 13:11, Philippians 4:9)
• He will sanctify you completely; our whole spirit soul, and body preserved blameless at Jesus’ coming (set you apart, 1 Thessalonians 5:23)
• He will make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:20-21)

    We serve a God who is whole and wants us to be whole in Him. When we do what He asks we can be at peace with Him and in following His instructions we can, as much as depends on us, live in peace with our brethren and our neighbours. God has provided all we need to do this! Let’s be of one mind, follow His commands, and learn to live in the wholesome peace He grants us.

You can do it! So can I!! 

"God of... My Salvation"

    Continuing in our “God of…” study, I would like you to consider our God described as “God of my salvation,” although this term sometimes includes “our,” “your,” and “his” in place of “my.” This description only appears in the Old Testament and while “my salvation,” in reference to God, first appears on the Bible pages in Exodus 15:2, the first appearance of this particular description, “God of my salvation,” does not show up until Psalm 18:46 (Note: ‘God of our salvation’ is found before this, in 1 Chronicles 16:35). “God of ___ salvation” is found 11 times in the Scriptures.

    Looking at each reference we find people either declaring the glory of the God of salvation (Psalm 18:46-49, 65:5), making known the hope one has in Him (Psalm 24:5, Habakkuk 3:18), or calling out to Him for rescue from both physical troubles (1 Chronicles 16:34-35, 88:1, 27:9, Micah 7:7) and spiritual (Psalm 25:4-5, 51:14).

    Salvation in all these verses simply means physical rescue from external evils, with the benefit of then being able to continue in our service toward Him. Read and think on 2 Thessalonians 3:1-4.

    We serve the God who rescues and saves! God created us that we may seek Him and find Him (Acts 17:26-17), He redeemed us with the blood of Jesus that we may be saved from our sins (John 3:16-21, I John 4:10), and so that we would joy in the God of our salvation, telling others of His greatness (1 Peter 2:9, Psalm 34:1-3)!

    Do not be like those to whom Isaiah spoke, who had forgotten the God of their salvation, who planted foreign seeds in their gardens (took worldly wisdom/ideas into their heart and put them into practice), whose efforts came to a “heap of ruins” (Isaiah 17:10-11). Do not turn from salvation to something so unworthy and ruinous, appreciate the salvation you have from God, both physical and spiritual! Appreciate it and praise Him for it! Call Him ‘the God of your salvation’ to remind yourself of your once forlorn state and of the blessed help you received – and continue to receive – from our Creator.    

    Do you trust in God as your salvation? Do you run to Him for help and comfort in your physical troubles (mental/emotional upset, health concerns) and in your spiritual needs, confessing your sins to Him (1 John 1:8-9)? Look to Him and lean on Him! Trust Him to rescue you (1 Corinthians 10:13, 2 Peter 2:9), He is the God of our salvation!

You can do it! So can I!! 

"God of... Heaven"

    The second most used term referring to God is found 17 times in the Old Testament and only twice in the New. It’s probably the first fact we learn about God in childhood: “God lives up in heaven;” we sang songs about being careful with what we do and say because “the Father up above is looking down in love,” and that simple fact is as complicated as this term for God gets.

God (Strong’s #H430) – elohim – means divine being

heaven (Strong’s #H8064, Hebrew/O.T.) – shamayin – means the abode of God

  (Strong’s #G3772, Greek/N.T.) – ouranos – means the highest heaven, the dwelling place of God

    You may be thinking, ‘I already knew all this, what more is there to say on the subject?’ Well, I have found through my own personal studies that anytime a term/phrase is mentioned more than once in the Bible each usage is enveloped in a little bit more information so that when we look at each one we learn a bit more and end up with a rather complete picture when we are done!

Side study: Try this for yourself in studying, for example, the phrase “the fear of the LORD” (throughout the Bible) or in studying the passages that mention Joseph of Arimathea (in the New Testament gospels).

    What can we learn from the 18 references to the “God of heaven” in the Bible? Here’s what I have summarized:

We should…

          …seek Him (Daniel 2:17-18, also consider Acts 17:26-27)

…pray to Him (Ezra 6:10, Nehemiah 1:4-5; 2:4, Daniel 2:17-18, also consider 1 Thessalonians 5:17)

…obey His commands (Ezra 1:2, 7:23, also consider 1 John 2:3-6)

…offer sacrifices to Him (Ezra 6:9-10, also consider Romans 12:1-2)

…trust Him (Nehemiah 2:20, Daniel 2:44, also consider Proverbs 3:5-6, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

…give Him the glory and praise Him (Nehemiah 1:5, Daniel 2:37, Revelation 11:13, also consider Psalm 103:1-5)

…thank Him and bless Him (Psalm 136:26, Daniel 2:17-23, also consider 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Ephesians 1:3)

…confess our faith in Him (Jonah 1:9, also consider Matthew 10:32)

…do good for those who fear Him (Ezra 7:21, also consider Galatians 6:9-10)

…not be like those who blaspheme Him because of their pains and troubles and refuse to repent of their evil deeds (Revelation 16:11, also consider what we should do: trust in His help Psalm 34, be faithful to Him, Romans 12:12, and repent of our wrongdoings, 1 John 1:9, 2 Peter 3:9)

 

    From its first mention in Genesis 24:6 to its last in the book of Revelation, our study of the “God of heaven” is a good reminder to us that He is not simply ‘a being up in the sky’ – He is the very God of heaven! The One to whom we can run to at any time (Hebrews 4:16) and who we can always count on! Let’s follow the Bible examples we have taken note of in this study and seek the God of heaven, pray to Him, obey Him, offer ourselves to Him in daily service, trust Him, praise and magnify Him, give Him all the glory with hearts full of thankfulness for all He has done for us! Let us confess our faith in Him, in word and conduct, be a benefit to those who fear Him, seek His solace when we are suffering, and His forgiveness when we sin!    

You can do it! So can I!!