Taking a little vacation with my wife for a couple of weeks. I’ll be back with you on July 1st. Be sure to tune back in for A Little Walk with God. Thanks for listening and join me again at the beginning of July.
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Scripture
Psalms 2:2
Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,
“Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles.”
The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
He rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
“I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”
Devotional
The Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ
In Old Testament times, people were subject to anointing when they were called to the offices of prophet, priest, and king. For example, when Saul became the first king of Israel, Samuel the prophet anointed his head with oil in a ceremonial fashion (1 Sam. 10:1). This religious rite was performed to show that the king of Israel was chosen and endowed by God for the kingship. Likewise, the priests (Ex. 28:41) and prophets (1 Kings 19:16) were anointed at God’s command. In a sense, anyone in the Old Testament who was set apart and consecrated for a servant task was a messiah, for he was one who received an anointing.
But the people of Israel looked forward to that promised individual who was to be not merely a messiah but the Messiah, the One who would be supremely set apart and consecrated by God to be their Prophet, Priest, and King. So, at the time Jesus was born, there was a strong sense of anticipation among the Jews, who had been waiting for their Messiah for centuries.
In the psalm we read, the psalmist talked about an anointed king, but also talked about the coming Messiah, the One all Israel waited for to act as prophet, priest, and king. The God/Man.
Jesus fit the bill
Anointed, not with oil by a priest, but set aside and proclaimed by testimony of the Father and the prophets and the miracles He performed to the be long awaited Messiah
He didn’t fit the mold many were looking for
Political ruler
Military victor
Someone of wealth and fame
He was the One they needed
Savior
Redeemer
God, the Anointed One
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Daniel heard God called the Ancient of Days. How does that help you understand who He is today?
Scripture
Daniel 7:9
As I looked,
thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
Devotional
God, the Ancient of Days, what do you think of when you hear Him refered by that name?
White hair
Beard
Wrinkled face
White robe
Sandals
Seated on a huge throne
Looking down with wisdom on all of us
So much more than that
Ancient of days denotes eternal
Creator of all things
Creator of time itself
Before everything existed
Denotes wisdom
Knowledge
Fatherly compassion
Fatherly provision
Fatherly protection
Infinite power
Daniel’s description conjures up a picture of God for us as the Ancient of Days
Who do you see when you envision God, the Eternal One, the Ancient of Days?
Worship Him today
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
God, the faithful and true witness, the Amen.
Scripture
Revelation 3:14
To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.
Devotional
God, the Amen, the faithful and true witness.
The word amen (“So be it; truly”) is a declaration of affirmation found in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. It is found in Jewish, Christian, and some Muslim worship as a concluding word or response to prayers. Common English translations of the word amen include “verily” and “truly”. It can also be used colloquially to express strong agreement, as in, for instance, amen to that.
Go anywhere that is even slightly religious and you’ll hear the word. AMEN.
Not limited to Jews or Christians
Almost every religion around the world uses the term or something akin to it.
A declaration of affirmation of something someone has said or done
Agreement to words spoken or actions taken
God calls Himself the Amen
We see the word 30 times in the Old Testament; 52 times in the New Testament
Jesus uses the word in a way no one else does
Jesus uses amen before He speaks affirming what He is about to say, not what someone else has said
Only time it’s used this way in all of scripture. Every other time amen is used initially, it is used to affirm someone else’s words
Some translations render it, truly I say; in truth I say; verily I say
He affirms His own statements, a huge faux pas in Jewish culture unless you are God because then who can test you or fault you
He affirms His statements because He can, He is the Amen
We hear the word a lot in our churches, to end prayers, after supplications, even in what some might call the “amen corner” of the congregation
Do we then go out and live what we have just affirmed, though
When we use the word amen and affirm the words spoken and declare with the speaker, “So be it,” do we follow with our action or just mouth the words and let that suffice?
God is the Amen, the faithful and true witness
What He says, He will do
His “So be it!” means something. We can count on Him to carry out His promises
Today, you might have an occasion to speak that commonly used word, Amen. God called Himself the Amen. When you use that word, remember you in essence take a vow before Him that you will take action affirming the words just spoken. Worship the Amen today, the faithful and true witness.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Think about the name and how the earliest writers described Him and understood Him
The letter meant ox or leader, the strongest of their animals, which could plow their toughest fields, pull their heaviest loads, yet came alongside them to help them with those tasks when asked
Leader – the one who provides the resources to get tasks done. The one who provides the guidance for which tasks need to be completed in the first place. The one who protects, provides, cares for, and guides those in His charge.
First, preeminent, not just the first in a series of events or a line of objects, but first in everything
Even as the term has been co-opted in math and science, you see the power and prominence of the name, alpha radiation, the first particles released; the thermal expansion coefficient of a compound, how much energy it releases, the dominant individual in a pack.
Alpha – first in all things
The God we serve is first.
He will accept no other place in our lives
Worship Him today
Remember to keep Him as Alpha in your life
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
God is called our Advocate, not just our judge. What does that mean for you today.
Scripture
1 John 2:1
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Devotional
Our Advocate
Have you thought much about what it means to have an advocate or especially what it means for God to be your advocate?
Definition: a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy.
A person who supports others to make their voices heard, or ideally for them to speak up for themselves.
An advocate is a type of professional person in several different legal systems and it is also a commonly used honorific for remarkable lawyers, such as in “Adv. Sir Alberico Gentili“. The broad equivalent in many English law-based jurisdictions can be a barrister. However, advocate is also a word to indicate lawyers of superior classification.
Why might having God as an advocate be important to us?
Throughout the Bible we read about a final judgment based on our actions during our life
Those actions hinge on our belief in Jesus, the second person of the triune-Godhead, the Son of God. God incarnate, come to earth to die as the penalty we should pay for our sins
If we believe in God, the Son, for forgiveness of our sins, He acts as our Advocate, our lawyer, our defender in the final judgment before God, the Father
We are found “Not Guilty” before the law that establishes the judgment for our sins
Just like our courts today, we are not found innocent, because we have all sinned, but we are found “Not Guilty” because our penalty has been paid, our punishment has been served, our sentence has been satisfied
Our advocate points out the blood spilled on our behalf and the change in verdict that should be applied because of the sentence He served in our stead
Jesus, our Advocate, the perfect defender, our lawyer in the final judgment who prepares the brief and wins our pardon because of His actions 2,000 years ago
Jesus is the judge but He is also our Advocate
When we believe in Him for our salvation we do not lose our case before the judgment seat
He finds us not guilty
Just imagine
Think about God our advocate today as you worship Him
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Topic Introduction with headline.
Scripture
Romans 8:15
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
Devotional
Abba, Father.
Dad, daddy, pop, papa, what do you call your father informally?
When you climbed up in his lap as a kid and looked up into his face, what name did you use to get his attention?
That’s what Abba means.
Jesus addressed His Father, the Eternal God, the Creator of all things as Abba, Daddy
Expresses an intimate relationship between father and son
Compassion
Nurture
Me
ntoring
Protection
Sharing of values
Passing on a legacy from generation to generation
We are made in the image of God, Jesus is more than the image of God, He is God and calls the Father, Abba
He invites us into that kind of intimate relationship and come to know the Father as Abba
Know His love and compassion
Know His peace and protection
Learn of His legacy and loveliness
Let Him share His wisdom and pass on the knowledge He wants you to know
The Creator will embrace you as a loving father embraces his children
As daddy, papa, abba
With an intimacy only a perfect father can express to his children
No matter what you might be going through today, remember you have a loving Father in heaven who loves you enough to become flesh and blood to rescue you.
He loves you enough to wrap you in His strong arms and protect you from whatever you might be facing.
He wants you to know Him as Abba, daddy, papa
Worship the God of all creation today and get to know Him as Abba.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
El-Olam, the everlasting God. Can we even begin to comprehend what that means?
Scripture
Isaiah 40:28-31
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Devotional
El-Olam, the everlasting God
Here is another one of those concepts we just can’t get our heads around
Everlasting, eternal, always
We base our concept of time on our lifespan because that’s the only reference we really have
That’s what we know
We try to imagine multiple generations and may have met our great- or great-great grandparents but even that timespan is difficult for us to comprehend
When the Bible talks about the earliest of God’s creation living 900 plus years, many think it a myth and can not understand how it is possible, nor what even a couple of centuries of life would be like
Everlasting? No comprehension
Even if we could imagine centuries or millennia and think back realistically to the age of the pyramids it doesn’t begin to compare with everlasting
The history of man is insignificant in terms of everlasting
The history of the planet is insignificant in terms of everlasting
The history of everything is insignificant relative to everlasting
Divide any amount of years by everlasting and the resulting fraction is so close to zero it might as well be zero. There is no comparison
As you begin to think about everlasting, remember our God is everlasting, He has no beginning and He has no end. He is more than everlasting, He is eternal.
Now as you let the concept of everlasting begin to overwhelm you, remember than the God we worship was and is and will be forever. A concept we really cannot understand but we can try. He is the God we worship. He is the God with infinite power and knowledge and wisdom and understanding because He has always been and always will be. He alone is eternal.
Worship El-Olam today.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
He is able to nourish and satisfy the deep longings of your soul
He is able to defeat your enemies in impossible situations
He is able to bring hope when things seem hopeless
He is able to conquer your greatest fears
He is almighty, all-powerful, omnipotent, nothing can overcome Him
El-Shaddai spoke the worlds into place
He holds the power of the stars in His hands
He pushes back the oceans and releases the power of volcanoes
He makes grass grow through rock and makes the soft down on a duck’s belly
He is God Almighty, the all-sufficient one, the one mighty to nourish, satisfy, and supply your need
El-Shaddai put the mountains in place and causes them to crumble in the rain
He put the rivers in place and dries them up at his command
He heals when there seems to be no cure
He forgives and removes the burden of guilt from us
If El-Shaddai can do all those things, what are you facing that He cannot help you get through? What problem do you struggle with that He cannot help you conquer? Who is attacking you that you cannot overcome? What temptation are you facing that He cannot provide an exit for you?
The answer is simple. He is El-Shaddai, God Almighty. There is nothing beyond His capability because He is almighty, He has complete, unlimited power; omnipotent, supreme, preeminent.
He is able
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Today the name of God we consider is El-Roi, the strong one who sees.
Scripture
Genesis 16:13
She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”
Devotional
El-Roi, the strong one who sees
I expect we have all hit that point in our life at one time or another when we think no one care about us. No one sees our plight. No one would notice if we just disappeared from the face of the earth.
Drama of the Old Testament
Unlike the stories of other heroes
Points out the flaws and failures of those we should emulate
Abraham, father of the Israelite nation
Promised a son who and progeny that would be the spark of a nation that was innumerable
At 100 he had no children
Sarah gives her maidservant to Abraham in an effort to help God along
Common practice for barren women
Servant acted as surrogate and their child became the heir of the estate
Adopted into the family
Hagar became arrogant and took liberties with Sarah she should not have taken
Sarah drove Hagar and Ishmael away
Hagar, though a servant, lived in luxury and wasn’t prepared to survive in the desert
Alone
Lost
Without hope
In despair, resigned to die in the wilderness
God, in His strength and power, sees her
God does not abandon her as Abraham did
God sees her despair and hopelessness
God recognizes her need
God intervenes and provides water and food for Hagar and Ismael
Important aspect of the story
God doesn’t take Hagar out of her difficult circumstances
He tells her to go back into the situation from which she fled
God puts her back under Sarah’s thumb
Bt with a promise
Ismael will also become a great nation, and he did
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”
