Devotionals & Poems

Posts in category Relationship with God

A sheep or a goat? (Parables of Jesu...

A sheep or a goat?  (Parables of Jesus part twenty nine)

In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus talks about the time when all nations will stand before Him to be judged using the illustration of a shepherd separating sheep and goats into separate flocks. Sheep and goats have very different demeanors; the message however that Jesus is driving across is not about sheep and goats, it is about […]

My righteousness versus His righteous...

My righteousness versus His righteousness  (Parables of Jesus part twenty seven)

In Luke 18:9-14 Jesus spoke a parable to all those that trust in their ancestry or their good works for salvation. In this parable He contrasts a Pharisee and a tax collector: the Pharisee, one of the religious elite, comes to the temple to pray and begins by telling God how good he is, he […]

The sheep that went astray (Parables...

The sheep that went astray  (Parables of Jesus part eight)

Our next stop in the parables of Jesus brings us to that of the lost sheep recorded both in Matthew 18:10-14 and Luke 15:1-7; I am using Luke’s account today. In Bible symbolism sheep often represent people, for example “The Lord is my shepherd” Psalm 23:1; “All we like sheep have gone astray” Isaiah 53:1; […]

Getting to know God (Part fourteen)

Getting to know God  (Part fourteen)

Today we come to another attribute of our great “I Am” God, EL Hanneman, in Deuteronomy 7:9, “He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” And that really tells the story, He is the faithful God, the one that […]

Getting to know God (Part thirteen)

Getting to know God  (Part thirteen)

In Psalm 86:8 David, recalling before God that while there may be many gods in this world, “there is none like You, O Lord” Adonay, (we say Adoni) which is Lord or my Lord, and is used as a proper name of God only. Strong’s dictionary tells us this is an emphatic form of another […]

Getting to know God (Part twelve)

Getting to know God  (Part twelve)

In Exodus 34:6 God revealed Himself to Moses as El Rachum, or “The Lord, the Lord God merciful and gracious.” Then in Deuteronomy 4:31 Moses reveals God to Israel by the same name, El Rachum, which according to Strong’s means compassionate, and is also translated merciful. It is this characteristic of God that sets Him […]

 Getting to know God (Part eleven)

 Getting to know God  (Part eleven)

In Exodus 31:13 God spoke to the people of Israel through Moses instructing them as a Father to His child, calling on them to follow His ways, and introducing Himself as Jehovah Qadash or Mikkadesh, meaning “The Lord who sanctifies you”. To sanctify is to be, make, pronounce, or observe as being set apart or […]

Getting to know God (Part ten)

Getting to know God  (Part ten)

The book of the Prophet Ezekiel concludes with a vision of a new Temple and the layout of God’s chosen land, 48:35. While all the earth is His by reason of creation as Psalm 24:1 confirms “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein…” He has chosen […]

Getting to know God (Part seven)

Getting to know God (Part seven)

Another name we find attributed to God found in Genesis 16:13 is “El Roi” or “The God who sees”. Hagar probably felt all alone here in the wilderness, but God saw her and showed up as, “The Angel the Lord” (a term believed to often indicate an Old Testament appearance of Jesus) saying “Where have […]

Getting to know God (Part five)

Getting to know God (Part five)

As we continue our journey of getting acquainted with God through some of His names and titles that are given to us in Scripture we must visit Psalm 23:1 where we meet Him as Jehovah Raah, which is my shepherd. To a people whose life and economy was deeply involved with sheep this would be […]