'God's Holy Name!' from the He Art cookbook

       God’s Name is Holy, which means set apart or devoted, and God’s Name is also like saying His Character.^ta As was common practice in the Old Testament times, to name someone was to tell their relation to God; their character in Him. And all over the Bible, we can see that God’s Character is: Holy and Righteous, Awesome and Beautiful, Admirable, Strong, the Best! This is why I say to “remember” God’s Name, because it really could mean to think of Him, and how good He is (and He alone is good: Matthew 19:17). More specifically though, God’s Name is given to Moses in Exodus 3:13-14. It is recorded, “Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your father has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?’ God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.’” This can also be translated to, “I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE” and actually, “The Hebrew for LORD sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for I AM.”^tb God is telling Moses many things in His Name, but one idea that we get from it is that it is definitely Holy, Everlasting, Over all, Exalted, Final, Strong, and Full! In Exodus 3:15, it is also recorded that, “God also said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.’” God was sharing that He was the same God the previous generations had known. God is always here for us, desiring us to recognize Him, and yearning for us to be with Him! (Plus, the reason people capitalize His Name is to show His Holiness in text; to give Him credit because He deserves it! That is why I capitalize His Name in all the places I can.) Praise Him!
       God also sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, who is fully God and fully human (Jesus means the LORD saves)!^tc His Name is given by God, revealed through an angel sent by God to Joseph, Mary’s husband (as recorded in Matthew 1:20-21). Jesus is the Christ, or Messiah, which means the Anointed One.^td Many people were awaiting a Messiah to come in the form of a military leader to save them from Rome, and Jesus came and offered salvation, but was different than what they had expected. He is a gentle leader who fought against spiritual evils, instead of against people. He came to save His people. The birth of Jesus fulfilled this specific prophecy (the prediction about a Savior) completely, though. The prophecy said, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ - which means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23). So Jesus, or God, is also called Immanuel. (Isn’t that cool too how Jesus’ birth was predicted!) Plus, many other ‘nick-names’ are given to Jesus, such as: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Alpha and Omega, Everlasting Father, Heavenly Father and Savior. All of these point again to how He loves and is Awesome in Character. Jesus continues in Revelation, “I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13), and, “I Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16). Jesus teaches us it is important to remember His Name and know Him, for evil people will impersonate Him, but there is only One Jesus. Jesus warns, “‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ, and will deceive many’” (Matthew 24:4-5)^t. See, He kindly warns us ahead of time!
       Additionally, the Holy Spirit is a part of God. Jesus said that He would leave for a while, but send the Holy Spirit. He said, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you must also testify, for you have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:26). Jesus rose to the Father, and now the Holy Spirit can be with all of us. Thus, we can be with God all the time and anywhere! This is such an overlooked gift! God gives us direct access to Him, His Holy Spirit, and we can pray - which essentially means talk - with Him always. And, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26). God is directly available to us! Let’s talk, and more importantly, listen to Him! It’s a two way conversation.
       The Name for God includes: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. God exists in this Holy Trinity, which means that He is One God, yet has three separate parts at the same time. There is really no way to explain this other than that God is Awesome and above us. It is not a concept made up by theologians, though.^te Jesus Himself said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus referred to the Name as singular. There is One God, as defined many times in the Bible (for example, see also Luke 3:21-22; John 1:29-34, and Genesis 1:26), and Jesus says that this Name is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: Three-In-One. There is no way to sit down and explain the Trinity, but I’m also glad that God is above my understanding because then I know He is above me!
       God’s Name essentially shows that He is God!

♥       For more Biblical references to the God's Holy Trinity, besides Luke 3:21-22; John 1:29-34, and Genesis 1:26, see also: Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19; John 15:26; 1 Corinthians 12:4-13; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 2:18; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-5; 1 Peter 1:2; and John 1. 

       And to read more about the Trinity, see also, 'Three-In-One; the Three Parts of He Art.'

^t    There is more to Jesus’ message on the end times, right before heaven. Look at least to Mt 24:1-25:46; Da 9:27, 11:31 and 12:11; Lk 21:7-38; 2Th 2:1-17; 1Jn, and Rev to start. Reading these is really important and shows that He is coming! This is awesome, but will also bring a lot of pain for those who want to reject Him. Jesus teaches many things about the end times such as how all of His followers - or people who love Him - will not be deceived, but that the others will be. We can recognize when Jesus comes back, though, because it will be extremely evident. And He is telling us about it; no one will need to tell us. Thus the phrases, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather” (Luke 17:37), and, “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:27). Jesus is just being honest about all of this. He plainly explains, “See, I have told you ahead of time” (Matthew 24:25). Jesus wants to tell us these warnings and give us opportunity to be with Him and receive His love! It is also mentioned in Daniel, which you should read, that there will be an end to the daily sacrifice and an evil ruler will come to set up his own image to be worshiped instead. However, after this brief time, Jesus is victorious forever! From that point, the abolishing of the daily sacrifice and setting up the abomination that causes desolation, there will be 1290 days. In Daniel it says, “Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1335 days” (Daniel 12:12). Jesus and His return will be unmistakable for those who know Him, and for those He knows (Matthew 7:21-29). Let’s be with Jesus!

^ta See the ‘Holiness’ explanation in the Introduction to Leviticus, pg. 169
^tb See footnotes f and g, respectively, pg. 109
^tc See footnote c, pg. 1641
^td See footnote b, pg. 1640
^te See footnote n, pg. 1721, and the notes on the bottom of the page for verses 18, 18-20, 19, 19, 20 and 20, pg. 1721

Life Application Bible: New International Version. Wheaton And Grand Rapids: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. and Zondervan, 1991. 169, 109, 1641, 1640 and 1721, respectively. Print.

God Bless you! He loves you so much!