Shepherd

Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

When I hear shepherd I automatically think of Psalm 23. “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ...”

He is our shepherd, our protector, our guide…When it seems as if we are drowning, He is there to lead us. When we feel overwhelmed, stressed, or simply low on faith, He restores our soul. As we make our way through hard times, through spiritual battles, we have no need to fear, for He is there with us. He is a shepherd that knows each of us by name.”

• 1 Peter 2:25 (ESV) “For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
• John 10:9 (ESV) “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”

John 10:15 (ESV) “just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

He, the shepherd is the overseer of our souls. He is the door to our salvation, allowing us to go through. He, our shepherd knows us, and will lay down his life for us. Listen for the shepherd, allow Him to guide you through the hard times, through the rough passages, and seek his comfort, his still waters.

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Holy

Luke 1:49 “For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”

“When the Bible calls God holy it means primarily that God is transcendentally separate. He is so far above and beyond us that He seems almost totally foreign to us. To be holy is to be ‘other,’ to be different in a special way. The same basic meaning is used when the word holy is applied to earthly things.” (Bible.org)

• 2 Timothy 3:168 ESV “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness.”
• Hebrews 4:12 ESV “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
• Matthew 4:4 ESV “But he answered, “It is written, “’Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
• 1 Samuel 2:2 ESV “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.”

God is holy. He himself is completely absent of any type of sin and He is essentially absolutely perfect. He is above all others and no one can compare to Him. So that does that mean? God’s love is holy love, His anger is holy anger, and His mercy is holy mercy. What more could we ask for?

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Hope

Romans15:13 “May the god of hope fill you will all joy and peace in believe, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

“The Bible Dictionary” by George W. Knight & Rayburn W. Ray, defines hope as “A sure and steady faith in God’s promises. The believer has hope in God’s promise of salvation.”

• 1 Thessalonians 5:8 ESV “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.”
• 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 ESV “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
• John 6:47 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”

Hope is not a feeling. The bible conveys hope as a reality. Through reading the bible we know that there is no doubt in hope because we know that God always keeps his promises.

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Faithful Witness

Revelation 1:5-6 “And from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Jesus, the faithful witness, gives us reliable testimony throughout the bible. His words are true and can be relied upon. He gives counsel to us as His followers.

• 1 Timothy 6:13 ESV “I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession.”
• Proverbs 14:5 ESV “A faithful witness will not lie”

We are saved because we believe that Jesus is the son of God, and it is through Jesus that we can get to God the father. What a sense of relieve to know that we are saved, we are forgiven, we are loved and we are never alone. As you read what Jesus tells us throughout the bible remember that he IS the Faithful Witness, and his words are true!  

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Christ the Lord

God sent his son Jesus to earth as a sin offering to mankind. He came to fulfill the prophecy in the Old Testament as the Messiah. Though he came as the Messiah just as predicted, He also came as the Lord of earth and heaven. He is Lord, ruler over everything. He is the center of our beliefs, our cornerstone.

• Ephesians 2:29: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.”
• Romans 10:9: “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

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

“He who bore all pain and loss comfortless upon the cross lives in glory now on high, pleads for us, and hears our cry…He who slumbered in the grave is exalted now to save; through the universe it rings that the Lamb is King of kings…Now he bids us tell abroad now the lost may be restored, how the penitent forgiven, how we too may enter heaven.” Christ the Lord is risen Again, Words: Michael Weist

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Immanuel

Immanuel means “God with us”. God came to earth to be with us. Let that sink in for a moment. “God revealed in the life, death, and the resurrection of Jesus a reconciling love that rescues us from separation and loneliness. We are not alone; God has come down from Heaven to tell us He loves us!” Billy Graham Hope for Each Day

Through the ups and downs, the hurts, the disappointments, the times of loneliness, God is literally with us. He loves us!

• Joshua 1:9 ESV “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
• Romans 8:38-39 ESV “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
• Psalm 139:7-10 ESV “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.”

I know there are times when it seems as if God is not there, that we are walking solo through the trials and tribulation. Yet God is there, right beside us, leading us and even carrying us when are strength is all but gone. Close your eyes, and soak in his presence. Be quiet and just listen.

Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

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Day 1

I have seen a few bloggers that I following talking about the 31 day writing challenge over at www.thenester.com . It started September 30, 2013 and one is supposed to blog every day for 31 day. Oct 1st – Oct 31st. So I figured I would give it a try with 30 days of the Attributes of God. Since we have been going through a rough patch financially, and there have been some spiritual battles, some doubts, and times of being simply low on faith, learning more about God can only be a win situation. What a great way to be a bit more focused and learn more about God, and drawing closer to Him.

The attributes of God can be described as a collection of descriptions from the Bible who tells us who God is. So as we read the 30 attributes, we need to remember these are attributes are more of a perspective on His whole being, his essence, and not simply parts of Him. The attributes I am using are by no means a “complete” list. I am using the list from the Book “Names of God Exploring God’s Character”. I will also be using the ESV version of the Bible.

My goal is to simply dig in the Bible to learn more about God and to share. Hopefully get input and thoughts from other people. I am by no means a scholar in this area, hence the reason I am taking this challenge, to draw closer to God.