Personal

Have you ever considered God to be as distant as the stars he created? Have you ever felt God to be a stern disciplinarian ready to punish you when you say something you shouldn’t say or do something you shouldn’t do? If you believe God is out of reach, then reconsider the Person named Jesus.

In the first chapter of the Bible, Elohim, the powerful and sovereign God, created the heavens and the earth. In Genesis 2, God became personal. Along with the name that describes his power, God added his personal name—Yahweh. The LORD God (Yahweh Elohim) stooped down and breathed into Adam the breath of life, making him a living being.

Prayer is a personal conversation with our Father. It should not be filled with clever Christian clichés or worn-out prayer phrases. It is fresh, real, and uninhibited—like any meaningful conversation in our lives. Using the Lord’s Prayer to learn how we are to pray, we see the principles of revering the person of God not only in quiet prayer time but also in the car on a backed-up road when we are in a hurry and in the interactions with our children at the end of the day when we are tired. We have considered our need to submit to the Father’s will. Now, we will focus on dependence.

Is there a demonstration that you are connected to the Life-Giving Vine? Put another way, if you were on trial as a follower of Jesus, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

God is not only our King; he alone is supreme, the “blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Today, believers proclaim that Jesus is their personal Lord. He is the One we love and follow. He is our master, the One in charge of our lives. The true believer proclaims: Jesus is Lord!

It means we finally live fulfilled with a whole heart…filled with the One who always provides exactly what we need.

The Son of the Most High took on the highest assignment. He came to rescue us from our sin and bring eternal life to all who trust in him as their personal Savior.

Jesus is a friend of sinners. He laid down his life for us on the cross. When you trust in Jesus as the One who paid for your sin on the cross, you become his friend…forever.