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“— for you shall not worship any other god,

for the Lord, whose name is Jealous,

is a jealous God.”

Exodus 34:14

NASB

The Meaning of His Name:

At first glance, this name appears fierce and negative. Jealousy is bad, right? Who wants a jealous boyfriend or a jealous mother? Atrocious damage is done by the possessive jealousy of a relationship gone bad.

But that is not God’s kind of jealous.

God pulled a broken people out of slavery and bondage.

He rescued them and led them to a rich land where they could put down roots and flourish. And as they settled into that land, He hovered over them, protecting them from both predators without and poison within.

He knew then, as He knows today, that other gods will compete for our hearts. He is fully aware of the wiles of the enemy who wants to exploit that unquenchable longing for more.

Eve had everything, yet she was willing to give it all up for the chance of grabbing more. David had more wives than he could ever possibly sleep with, but he just had to add Bathsheba to his harem.

Aren’t you just like them? I certainly am.

God’s jealousy is more about you than about Him. He never forgets that He made you for the express purpose of tight connection with Himself- and He’s not willing to make a threesome of it. What wife is willing to share her husband with another woman? What kind of husband would be okay with his wife gallivanting off on a cruise a couple of times a year with some other guy?

God is jealous for you- all of you. He wants every inch of your heart connected to His. Then He’ll fill you so full of love that you’ll be spilling it all over the people He puts in your life. Leave Him out of the picture and you’ll dry up like a pitted prune.

Is your heart divided? Are you all of His? Is He painstakingly pointing out areas of your life that you keep from Him? Are you sure you want to live that way?

He is, after all… Jealous for you.

From my heart,

Diane

Exodus 34:10-24

Hebrews 12:28,29

Song of Songs 8:6,7

Deuteronomy 4:23,24

Isaiah 33:14,15

repost 2.2011 

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repost from 2.2014

“And now the Sovereign Lord (Master) and His Spirit have sent me with this message:

The LORD (Yahweh), your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, says: I am the LORD (Yahweh) your God, who teaches you what is good and leads you along the paths you should follow. Oh, that you had listened to My commands! Then you would have had peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling like waves.”

Isaiah 48:16-18

NLT

“Our children will also serve Him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything He has done.”

Psalm 22:30-31

NLT

Meaning of His Name:

I didn’t much like my first boss. He was an ex-marine kinda guy- complete with blond crew cut and lace up boots.

He was so mean. I mean he made me clock in on time- to the minute! Didn’t he understand how far I had to drive to get to there? Then I had to find a place in the shade to park my 1972 VW Bug. Its black interior and lack of air conditioning needed a little pampering.

And he made me work. Once when he caught me next door licking the left-overs from the cotton candy shop, he even yelled at me. “Wadda ya think you’re doin? Get back to the grill and flip burgers! Can’t you see there’s a line outside?”

Gosh, give a girl a break.

Along with all the rest of the teenagers who worked at Frontier Village Amusement Park, I made faces and grumbled behind his back. We had more derogatory names for that man than I could keep track of.

My next job gave me a little perspective. This time I could shed my ridiculous uniform and wear lovely, sophisticated clothes. I parked right out front and walked into an air conditioned bank. The first time I overheard another teller getting fired for being late, I thanked my old boss for his early intimidation. As sloppy mistakes kept me at my window way past closing, I determined to put to use some of those lessons he’d taught me about exactness and details. For all his bluster, he’d trained me well, knowing that Frontier Village was just one short stop on my path to adulthood.

Jesus is Adonai, Master. We hear it said, we spout it sincerely, we even write it down. But do we get what it means? Lord, Master, the Boss of not only the entire universe, but of me as well!

As my boss, and yours, He has certain rights and responsibilities. He’s training us for the next job- something far more meaningful and impactive than we realize. He cares that we do well- even at the expense of our personal comfort. Sometimes He demands attention to detail- like when He compares calling a brother an idiot to murder.[2] At other moments, this Master requires more of us than we want to give. He even fires us from jobs we mess up on. And He can ‘cuz He’s the boss, girls!

While we love the idea of Abba, Father, and the Rock, and the One Who Heals, this idea of a boss is a little hard to swallow sometimes. Yet, like it or not, He is.

Are you honoring Him as Master of every area of your life and relationships? Are you loving Him by loving on everyone He puts in your path? Like your husband? Or your sister-who-annoys-you? Or your first boss?

Are you fully embracing your Savior for who He is?

After all, He is… Adonay- your Master.

From my heart,

Diane

Exodus 15

Genesis 18:16-33[3]

Job 28:28

Nehemiah 1:11; 4:14; 8:10; 10:29

Psalm 38:9

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[1] Frequently translated Lord in the Old Testament

[2] Matthew 5:21,22

[3] notice that Abraham addresses the LORD (Yahweh) as Lord (Adonay) or Master

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repost: 02.2011

“You are a God who sees me.”

Genesis 16:13

NASB

“…every moment You know where I am.”

Psalm 139:3

NLT

The Meaning of His Name:

Only one woman in the Bible ever called God, El Roi. No men clung to that name- ever!

Hagar was Abraham’s mistress, though she started out innocently enough as Sarah’s servant. Her days rolled by in a monotone of mindless work. No hope of getting ahead, no chance for marriage or family. She had traveled far away from home for this position and had no intention of jeopardizing her job by messing up.

But Sarah was not a nice woman. She wielded her sharp tongue with empirical power. As Sarah grew more and more frustrated with what she saw as her husband’s passive response to God’s promise, her bitter attitude spilled all over Hagar.

Go ahead and read Hagar’s story in Genesis chapter sixteen— it’s a story well worth mulling over. Ultimately, Hagar ran as far from Sarah’s meanness as she could get. With little but her shattered dignity to keep her company, she sat in the middle of the desert road and wept. All alone—no family, no friends, no children to call her own.

That’s when she saw God. Actually, that’s when Hagar realized that God saw her.

Do you really realize yet that God sees you? The one you hide from everyone else. The you under all the make up and pretty clothes and pretend piety. The you no one else sees.

That’s the you He saw hanging from the cross.

That’s the you He longs to come close to every day.

The real you.

After all, He is…the God Who Sees Me.

From my heart,

Diane

Psalm 33:13-22

Psalm 32

Luke 23:34

Matthew 5:8

Job 42:5,6