On April 6 I posted Part 1 of this three part devotion. Part 1 included an introduction explaining that this devotion is all about seeking to know God better. Although we will only examine the ‘tip of the iceberg’ of God’s character and attributes, my prayer is that the scripture in this A – Z list will either enhance the desire you already have to know God, or through His Holy Spirit, ignite a hunger in you that can only be satisfied by an ongoing quest to know and love our Lord and Savior in a deeper, more personal way.
Faith is necessary in accepting knowledge that is beyond our capability to fully understand. Without faith we cannot please God. In the book of Hebrews, God promises that, if in faith, we believe He exists, He will reward us when we diligently seek after Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Last week we looked at descriptions of God that start with the letters A – I. God is Awesome, Bright, Caring, Dependable, Eternal, Forgiving, Gracious, Holy, and Incomprehensible. This week we will consider the letters J – P.
GOD IS:
Jealous – Exodus 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
- God is not jealous in the sense of being immature or insecure (He’s God). But He will not tolerate you giving the affection, praise, love and worship meant for Him to anything or anyone else.
- Idolatry is a grievous sin. Children of parents who don’t put God first will learn from what they see and often follow in their parent’s footsteps. Yet God still holds each of us individually accountable for what we believe and how we live.
King of Kings – Revelation 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.
- God is the ruler of all rulers. He reigns over everything for all time.
- God doesn’t answer to anyone. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!
Loving – Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
- God loves us with a perfect love. And he has demonstrated that love in Christ.
- You don’t have to clean up your life before you come to Christ for salvation. He meets you where you are. But once you accept Him as Lord, change will come!
Merciful – Deuteronomy 4:31 (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
- We deserve God’s wrath! But in love and patience, He made a way for His wrath to be satisfied.
- The ultimate expression of God’s mercy is Christ’s sacrificial death as a substitute for our punishment.
Near – James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
- Set aside anything in your life that comes between you and God. Get as close to Him as possible. If you do, you will experience God like never before.
Omni – (means ‘all’)
- Omnipotent – All Powerful – Jeremiah 32:17 Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee
- God made everything, controls everything, and sustains everything.
- The only thing God can’t do is to contradict His Own Nature and His Truth.
- Omnipresent – All Present (everywhere) – Psalm 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
- You can’t get away from God. Embrace His presence.
- He loves you more than you can imagine. Why would you want to get away from Him?
- Omniscient – All Knowing – Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
- You can’t teach God anything and He doesn’t make mistakes.
- He knows everything that is, was and is yet to come.
Patient – Numbers14:18 The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
- God is patient with us. He understands our weaknesses.
- He is patient with circumstance because He knows exactly what has and will happen.
- He sees the impact of a father’s sin on the generations that follow. But He patiently offers His grace and forgiveness to those who will accept it.
It is truly humbling to gaze upon His perfection! Yet we can’t understand ourselves unless we examine Him. Feed the desire in your heart to know Him better. Read His Word.
What a glorious privilege it is to contemplate the essence of our creator!
Prayer
Father, in Your presence I tremble. But You reach down and quiet my spirit with a peace that can only come from perfect love and absolute truth. I pray this devotion honors You. I pray that Your Holy Word in this devotion touches hearts and changes lives. I praise Your perfection and ask that Your Spirit continue to help me understand more about You every single day. I am in awe of You! Thank You for saving me through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I pray in His name, Amen.
