Elo- who? Elo-HIM! Guest Blogger: Cara

I have been doing a daily Devotion book that teaches us the many names
of God. I am learning how each name teaches us about his Character,
his attributes, his nature - and his ultimate love. I have been
learning so much about my Father's limitless power and glorious name.
Lord is more than a word; it indicates a relationship. This teaches me the Lordship of God means His total possession of me and my total submission to Him as Lord and Master. Some people who don't
understand this might say this idea of a relationship to be unhealthy
- being possessed and submitted - but I can honestly say this is
truly healthy and like nothing else!
Last night I learned about 1 of Gods names - Elohim "El" means mighty or "strong" and is used for any reference to gods including Almighty God. Elohim is the primary Hebrew word translated "God" in the Old Testament. Elohim is the name for God as Creator. It is used in Genesis 1:1 and could be
translated, "In the beginning Gods created the heavens and the
earth". I wondered by reading this above - does the use of Gods mean
more than 1 God?! I later understood No it doesn't! "The Lord (meaning
Jehovah) is our God (meaning Elohim), the Lord is one" Deut 6:4. God
is the Father, God is the Son, and God the Holy Spirit - the blessed
Trinity - created the heavens and the earth. One in essence, in
character, yet three persons united as one. I understood this to be
true before (the holy trinity) but sometimes I need things broken down
in layman's terms before I truly grasp the significance of Our God the
creator of all. God is the creator of all things, he has given us life! Why are we created?! For Him! We are a unique creation of God, one of a kind, created for his glory . He "didst form my inward
parts." He didst weave me in my mothers womb....I am fearfully and
wonderfully made!

My devotion goes on to tell a short story of someone beautifully made
that is not of normal size (to our human standards), a dwarfed women
named Julie. She stood 3 feet tall, her head was of normal size, but
a dwarfed body. Julie spends all her days in a sling, much like a
babys walker. In order to move anywhere, her legs must propel the
rolling frame. Julie is radiant, a delight to all who meet her. She
knows her Elohim, and she realizes that he created her just the way
she is for a purpose. Now please don't tell me God had nothing to do
with her physical condition. If I were to believe that, I'd have to
deny His sovereignty, His Word, and His name. I loved this story of
Julie because it reminded me that God has a purpose for all of us,
short, tall, fat, skinny, blind, deaf, or ugly (per our human
standards). He created each of us in his image to fulfill his purpose!
Rememberwhen the disciples saw a man blind from birth, "and His disciples asked Him, saying Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?" (John 9:2) How did Jesus
answer? "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him" (John 9:3). God is Awesome and I praise the creator of all the universe. I
will glorify his mighty names' and trust in His power and divine will
for my life!

Thank you God for this revelation today - I will seek beauty in all
your created things!

Entitlement at Christmas... YUK! Guest Blogger: Alison

My favorite thing about Christmas is the spirit of giving that is in
the air. People's generosity never ceases to amaze me every year, and
especially this year when I know most people have a tighter budget
than usual yet they still donate their time and money to those less
fortunate. It truly is a beautiful thing.

I love to help people in need, so I'm a sucker for pretty much every
charity fundraiser that a coworker or friend asks me to donate to.
Giving is so much more rewarding than receiving, and nothing makes me
happier than to see the look of gratitude on someone's face when
you're able to help them out in their time of need.

My least favorite thing about Christmas is when those less fortunate
EXPECT to be taken care of. It's definitely a struggle for me because
I really want to help everyone, and I can clearly see that this person
could use some help. But when someone approaches me asking when I'm
going to get around to helping them, I start to resent being
generous. Yes, this person might be in a tough situation, but their
expectation of receiving a generous donation is not right.

This event reminded me of the passage in Daniel where Nebuchadnezzar
was going to throw three men into a blazing furnace for refusing to
worship his gods.

Daniel 3:17-18
"If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able
to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But
even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not
serve your gods."

God is capable of rescuing us from any tough situation we are in, but
He doesn't have to and we shouldn't expect Him to. When we start
having expectations of what we think we deserve and what God should be
providing for us, it's like we are undermining God's work. God is a
generous father and He wants to give us everything our hearts desire.
But the moment we start expecting his generosity is the moment He
turns his back to our plight.

God, I am so thankful for all of the blessings you have provided to
me. There are times when I feel like I'm not being recognized for my
achievements, that I'm not getting what I deserve, and I thank you for
helping me discern when my expectations of you begin to undermine your
plan for me.