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Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Alphabetical Attributes of God from the book of Psalms!

One of the earliest formal teachings I received as a child was to learn English Alphabet, ABCD… in the form of A for Apple B for Ball C for Cat. Till today A is for Apple B is for Ball C is for Cat and the rest. What I’ve learned as a child has never got out of my brain nor of society. Would it not be a great education for us to reconsider ABCD in the form of how God reveals Himself to us from the Bible?!! The more we know God, the more we would trust Him, and the more we would enjoy Him! Imagine young children growing up learning God’s attribute in the form of ABCD, how would they walk with God in their adult life?!! And even for adults, like us, how much do we need to think about the attributes of God? As A.W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” If we want to increase in our faith, we must know God to trust Him, and in order to know Him, we must think through His attributes.

            So, today I've decided to list some of the repetitive attributes of God alphabetically from the book of Psalms. If you find difficult to think through some of the attributes, I would put up another list next week, which would be totally different from this post, (which by the way would be alphabetical too). Therefore, you could pick and choose from what I have done for myself! Here goes the first list (and in my estimation the best ones):

A.    Awesome (13 times, and always about God)
Ps 47:2 “For the LORD Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.”

B.     Beautiful (14 times, and always in the context of worshipping God)
Ps 27:4 “One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.”

C.    Compassionate (7 times, and always about God)
Ps 145:8 “The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.”

D.    Delightful (24 times)
Ps 37:4 “Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

E.     Excellent (9 times)
Ps 150:2 “Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!”

F.      Forgiving (9 times)
Ps 99:8 “You answered them, O LORD our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, Though You took vengeance on their deeds.”

G.    Good (78 times)
Ps 31:19 “Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!”

H.   Holy (42 times)
Ps 99:9 “Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the LORD our God is holy.”

I.       Infinite
Ps 147:5 “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.”

J.       Just (around 30 times)
Ps 7:11 “God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.”

K.    Kind (over 30 times including its derivatives)
Ps 31:21 “Blessed be the LORD, For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!”

L.     Longsuffering
Ps 86:15 “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”

M.  Merciful (130 times)
Ps 116:5 “Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is merciful.”

N.   Near (17 times)
Ps 34:18 “The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.”

O.    Omnipresent
Ps 139:7 “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?”

P.     Praiseworthy (157 times)
Ps 18:3 “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.”

Q.    Quiet
Ps 107:29 “He calms the storm, So that its waves are still.”

R.     Righteous (over 200 times including words its derivatives and similar idea)
Ps 11:7 For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright.

S.      Satisfying (17 times)
Ps 107:9 “For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.”

T.     Trustworthy (69 times)
Ps 118:9 “It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes.”

U.    Unsearchable (6 times including its derivatives)
Ps 145:3 “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.”

V.    Valiant (4 times)
Ps 118:16 “The right hand of the LORD is exalted; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.”

W.  Wrathful (28 times)
Ps 90:11 “Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.”

X.     Xenial
Ps 146:9 “The LORD watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.”

Y.     Yahweh (94 times)
Ps 7:1 “Yahweh my God, I seek refuge in You; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me” (HCSB)

Z.     Zealous (3 times)
Ps 78:58 “And make Him angry with their high places, And with their graven images make Him zealous” (YLT)

Note: All Scripture quotations are taken from NKJV unless mentioned. The numbers indicated in parentheses are also counted from NKJV.

Monday, September 23, 2019

The City

Yes, I am a traveler,
Journeying towards the city where
God is its builder and maker.

Yes, I am a tent-maker,
Laying up treasures in heaven where
Moth, rust, and thieves do not plunder.

Yes, I may and will suffer,
Bearing the afflictions of Christ for
Indeed I am His follower.

Yes, it is always ever,
Persevering like the Old saints for
The city which is much better.

Friday, September 20, 2019

What each book of the Bible tells us about God

The Bible is a special revelation given to man by God about Him. God has revealed Himself in the creation (known as general revelation), but that is insufficient for anyone who wants to know God, not only as the Creator but also as the Father. The Bible is primarily about God, and we can understand ourselves only in the light of who God is and what God has done for us. The Bible is bigger than most books we know of. It has 66 books in it, co-authored by around 40 human authors (commissioned by God) over 1500 years. Each book of the Bible has a unique revelation of God. After spending considerable time of reading and evaluation, this is what I’ve discovered what each book of the Bible says about God. While I have attempted to give a one-word summary and its representative scriptural reference for each book, and while I try to describe God as an action-doer, there are some books that I ran out of vocabulary. So, readers can suggest a better word or even a better representative scripture reference for any book they find hard to agree!

So, here it goes, God is . . . 

1.                     Creator
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2.                     Deliverer
Exodus 18:10 “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

3.                     Sanctifier
Leviticus 20:7-8 Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the LORD who sanctifies you.

4.                     Provider
Numbers 11:23 “Has the LORD’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not.”

5.                     Chooser
Deuteronomy 7:6-7 “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples;

6.                     Fighter
Joshua 10:14 And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the LORD heeded the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.

7.                     Tester
Judges 3:4 And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

8.                     Redeemer
Ruth 4:14 Then the women said to Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel!’”

9.                     Seeker
1 Samuel 13:14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”

10.                Establisher
2 Samuel 5:12 So David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted His kingdom for the sake of His people Israel

11.                Enthroner
1 Kings 2:24 Now therefore, as the LORD lives, who has confirmed me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has established a house for me, as He promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today!”

12.                Remover
2 Kings 23:27 And the LORD said, I will also remove Judah from My sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, ‘My name shall be there.’’”

13.                Incomparable
1 Chronicles 17:20 O LORD, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

14.                Available
2 Chronicles 15:2-4 “The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.

15.                Reviver
Ezra 9:9 For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

16.                Strength
Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

17.                Preserver
Esther 4:14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

18.                Vindicator
Job 19:25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;

19.                Loving-kindness
Psalm 63:3 “Because Your loving-kindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.

20.                Wiser
Proverbs 16:1 The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

21.                Purposeful
Ecclesiastes 3:14 I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.

22.                Matchmaker
Song of Songs 6:3 “I am my beloved’s, And my beloved is mine. He feeds his flock among the lilies.

23.                Salvation
Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’”

24.                Destroyer
Jeremiah 15:3 “And I will appoint over them four forms of destruction, says the LORD: the sword to slay, the dogs to drag, the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy.’”

25.                Faithful
Lamentation 3:23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

26.                Restorer
Ezekiel 39:25 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name—’”

27.                Administrator
Daniel 2:21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.

28.                Lover
Hos 3:1  Then the LORD said to me, Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the LORD for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans.’”

29.                Hearer
Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.

30.                Watcher
Amos 9:8 “Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are on the sinful kingdom, And I will destroy it from the face of the earth; Yet I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, Says the LORD.

31.                Judge
Obadiah 1:15 “For the day of the LORD upon all the nations is near; As you have done, it shall be done to you; Your reprisal shall return upon your own head.

32.                Merciful
Jonah 4:2 So he prayed to the LORD, and said, Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.’”

33.                Righteous
Micah 6:5 O My people, remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled, And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, From Acacia Grove to Gilgal, That you may know the righteousness of the LORD.”

34.                Avenger
Nahum 1:2 “God is jealous, and the LORD avenges; The LORD avenges and is furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies;

35.                In-control
Habakkuk 2:20 “But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

36.                Serious
Zephaniah 1:12 “And it shall come to pass at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And punish the men Who are settled in complacency, Who say in their heart, ‘The LORD will not do good, Nor will He do evil.’

37.                First
Haggai 1:9 “You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? says the LORD of hosts. Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house.’”

38.                Defender
Zechariah 12:8 In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them.

39.                Immutable
Malachi 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.

40.                King
Matthew 25:34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:’”

41.                Ransomer
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

42.                Fulfiller
Luke 24:44 Then He said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.

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

44.                Multiplier
Acts 6:7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. Stephen Accused of Blasphemy

45.                Justifier
Romans 8:33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

46.                Owner
1 Corinthians 10:26 for the earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness.

47.                Comforter
2 Corinthians 7:6 Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus,

48.                Timekeeper
Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

49.                Benefactor
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

50.                Producer
Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

51.                Peaceful
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

52.                Approver
1 Thessalonians 2:4 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.

53.                Retributor
2 Thessalonians 1:6 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you,

54.                Immortal
1 Timothy 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

55.                Caller
2 Timothy 1:9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,

56.                Saviour
Titus 3:4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,

57.                Providential
Philemon 1:15 For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever,

58.                Chastiser
Hebrews 12:6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.


59.                Impeccable
James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

60.                Begetter
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

61.                Longsuffering
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

62.                Light
1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

63.                Consistent
2 John 1:9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.

64.                Good
3 John 1:11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.

65.                Protector
Jude 1:24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

66.                Revealer
Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,