I am going to get this done first thing this week so it will not get put off.  I hope some of the information I shared yesterday helps you as we have just finished Easter week.  I know I learned a bit about how God laid out that last week of Jesus’ life.  I of course knew the Bible stories and how they connected to the days of the week, but sometimes I forget that Jesus wants those same kind of thoughts and actions we apply to holy week done every week of the year.  His command to love one another is not just for Maundy Thursday, but for every day of the year.  Our mission to show that love is our daily mandate.  So Yes, Easter is special and Good Friday and the rest but lets make every day Maundy.

The first day of spring brings with it new life in the world around us.  It can also bring new life in your heart as well when you consider the name Yahweh Mekaddesh which means the Lord who Sanctifies you.  And as he renews you and cleanses your heart, you can walk in newness and holiness.  All you need to do is ask him for his holiness to transform you and your life.  And then follow in his footsteps day by day.

I have been thinking a lot about my unrighteousness this last week.  I have fallen short many times of God’s standard.  And yet even in that unrighteousness, I point fingers at others who are “more unirighteous”.  It does not make sense.  We all will be held accountable to a righteous God (Tsidkenu), so why are we boosting in ourselves or criticizing others?  We all need to humbly come before Yahweh Tsidenu and ask for his righteousness to be superimposed upon us.  This and this alone makes us righteous and worthy of our Lord and Savior.  Ask him for his righteousness today!

David and Goliath is the classic Bible story that even non-Christians know about.  And so this message is a good one to keep “in your back pocket” for telling others about how God works in people’s lives.  Because inevitably, everyone feels like they are battling some giant in their life at one point or another.  And being able to tell them that when faced with impossible odds, this shepherd boy took down a mighty warrior is a great message to link them to the fighting God of Yahweh Tsabaoth.  You may not remember the name, but you know that it was not David alone on that battlefield.  And God is still with us on our battlefields.  Let him win our battles.

You may not know this or not but this week is Ash Wednesday.  It starts a time of preparation and reflection before the events of Holy Week starting with the triumphal entry, to the Lord’s Supper, to the cross of Calvary, and all the way to the empty tomb of Easter.  My prayer this season is that we will see God in a whole new light.  Whether that is through learning the names of God or experiencing him in another way, I hope God makes himself real to you.

Valentine’s day is this week.  How are you showing love to your significant other?  But, maybe a more important question is how are you showing love to your Lord and God?  Something to ponder this week.

God wants us to call him by his proper name.  Yes, we need to do so reverently but without fear.  but I think that not using this name that is given over 6800 times in the OT is just as much misusing this name as swearing.  Using it “in vain” is just as bad as not using it at all in my opinion.  So Yes, we need to treat it as holy and sacred but not untouchable (unspeakable).  Remember, he revealed this name to us so we can know him better.  So get to know him better through this name Yahweh.

Making God as Lord in your life is not as simple as saying a prayer.  Unlike the prayer of repentance, where God changes you instantly from a sinner to a saint, making God your ‘Adonai is a daily minute by minute prayer.  It is the struggle of taking your will and submitting it to God’s will.  It is continually putting yourself under his dependence and control.  And it takes a lifetime to perfect.  We all struggle with obedience to God and following him 100% but by doing so we find that life is more enjoyable and wonderful.  Knowing some of the other names (Almighty God, God Most High, the God who made me, the God who sees me) helps us in following our ‘Adonai.  Because we had a God who can be trusted and relied on and who is strong enough, powerful enough, and wise enough to lead us to where he wants us to go.  And that is the power of ‘Adonai.

I think that the most wonderful theological thought is best worded in a simple song we often sing.  Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.  This week God’s names introduces us to a God who is both eternal and present.  God knows and cares for even the lowest individual.  This was true in Hagar’s case and it is just as true in your life.  It does not matter how “small” you are, or unworthy you feel, God knows you and sees you.  He is a God who sees and cares for each of us.  We are special to him.  And if more people would hear and understand this message, the larger our churches would be.  So let someone in your life know that you serve a God who sees.