Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today- December 22, 2013
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10
Intimacy trusts. This is the outcome of knowing God. Knowledge is best when it exercises itself against the name of God. His name is above every name. It is at the name of Jesus that every knee will bow and confess Him as Lord. It is much better and much more desirable to know His name this side of eternity. No name is close to carrying the weight, reverence, respect, devotion, and influence than that of the Lord Jesus Christ. By knowing His name, we begin to understand the attributes of the Almighty. Patience, peace, holiness, love, discipline, mercy, and grace all emanate from the name of Jehovah, our one and only God of creation. Because we know Him, we trust Him. Because we trust Him, we want to know Him deeper and more fully.
Faith is an intelligent grace. There can be knowledge without faith, but there can be no faith without knowledge. Knowledge carries the torch before faith and illuminates its path. Paul defined his faith experience when he proclaimed, “For I know whom I have believed” (2 Timothy 1:12). A blind faith is as bad as a dead faith. Our heavenly Father wants us to have an informed faith. Devout ignorance confuses and makes wrong assumptions. It misses intimacy because it is based on a caricature of Christ. Know Him, and you will trust Him. He is there for us to seek Him. By faith, you find Jehovah, Jireh, Elohim, Shaddai, Adonai and Yahweh. Intimacy trusts when it rests in Almighty God.
Intimacy trusts because there is a bond of belief that cannot be broken. When we wrap our rope of faith around the mooring of our Master, we are secure. No storm of life will cause us to drift, because we are anchored in Him. We trust Him because He is utterly and thoroughly trustworthy. His name has never been soiled by sin. Jesus is not only a good name; it is a great name. His name is wonderful. His name is beautiful. His name is to be honored and cherished because He is our God. Feel free to drop His name often to those who need encouragement or rebuke. No need to hold back the name of Jesus. Yes, mention His name with grace, but not apologetically. His is the name of whom we trust. We point people beyond ourselves to One who is much, much more capable. We name the name of Christ.
Lastly, intimacy between individuals is trusting. This is the nature of intimacy with God or man. You cannot get to know someone authentically and not be positioned to trust them. If their genuine self overwhelms you with hypocrisy, you will lose respect and trust. But when you get close to genuine followers of Jesus, you see beyond their quirks. You appreciate their uniqueness and embrace their differences. You honor them for being who they are, and you better understand each other’s worlds. You begin to honor and respect those you get to know. Not only do we love them, we respect them. You get beyond your biases toward them and you believe in them.
Intimacy trusts. The Bible says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13)
Taken from the December 22nd reading in the 365-day devotional book, “Seeking Daily the Heart of God” volume 1… http://bit.ly/Tv6y9a
Post/Tweet today: Because we know God, we trust Him. Because we trust Him, we want to know Him more deeply. #intimacytrusts
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