September 24, 2023
Dear Friend,
Today is going to be a great day! I am so excited about today’s insight, so let’s dive right into our verse.
2 Chronicles 7:14: "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
Consider this magnificent thought:
The Speaker is God
This is the God who created the Universe by speaking. The God of Wonders, whose breath parts the seas and whose word raises the dead, is speaking to us! He is answering our questions:
Who? “My people.”
What? “Will humble themselves and pray” according to God’s will.
To whom? To the Only LORD God who gives life abundantly.
In between those phrases is one of the most crucial questions we need to answer:
Which people are God’s people?
The phrase “called by My name” means God already decided on this because our understanding is limited.
- We cannot see past a surface impression (I Samuel 16:7).
- Without sight, we will judge others (Matthew 7:1-3).
- Judging others exposes how we think (Proverbs 23:7).
History: Errors in Human Judgment.
That evidence is also how we become judged or stereotyped. “Those people will always be like that.”
The word stereotype comes from an old printing term –typecasting – which created a raised image in molten metal for repeated printing. Each raised letter was melted into place.
Why do historical typecasts matter? First, they are permanent until “melted.” Second, how we treat others directly displays our view of God Himself.
A Stereotype of Who God is Not.
Read that again.
In Biblical terminology, a “raised image” was an idol – what men thought God looked like and assumed He wanted. All ancient idol worship centered around child sacrifice and other terrible rituals to appease God, not please God.
What did God do? He befriended a man from an idol-worshiping, child-sacrificing nation and asked him to sacrifice his only son and heir. Abraham showed what He truly believed about God by preparing for that sacrifice. God stopped him and provided a ram to cast down that false image of a blood-thirsty deity.
Knowing God’s Name.
We can only identify the false images raised in God’s Name by knowing His name. This brings us to the most important takeaway today. Please read carefully.
God revealed His name to Moses as “I AM THAT I AM” or Yahweh in Hebrew.
- The long form, Yehovah, means “I Am The Existing One Who Causes All Things To Exist.”
- The abbreviated YHWH means “LORD.” It is first used in Genesis 2 when the LORD God created man.
- Yehovah and YHWY come from the Hebrew root word ahava – LOVE.
- Ahava comes from the root ahav (the first house of life), meaning “to love.”
My Friend, God’s name is LOVE, and the first visible evidence of Him was the Creation of life. Love and life cannot be separated. That’s how God raises the dead! He loves them.
Who is Called By His Name?
John 3:16 gives us the answer:
- For God (Love).
- So loved (wanted to love/give life to) the world.
- That He gave His own Son (The Word by whom all things exist from the beginning).
- That whoever believes (accepts that Jesus is from God and from the beginning).
- Will not perish (be separated from God’s love, which is life).
- But have everlasting life (be eternally loved).
Jesus shattered every ancient image of God by becoming the sacrifice instead of demanding one. That means every stereotype created in His name has no foundation.
There is no more male vs. female, Jew vs. Gentile, or slave vs. master(Galatians 3:28). By loving others as ourselves, we show our gratitude and love for what God has done and who He is.
Take a moment to read these verses about the reward of loving Godin obedience to His true image.
I am praying for you, my friend. I would love to hear your thoughts and insights as you read.
We are in this together!
Believing Him,
Monisha.
