Z is for Zealous

st Writes is participating in the 2013 April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

This year our theme is "Attributes of God from A to Z".

Join us each day as we explore

the characteristics of our awesome God!

Photo by WinterSixFour on Morguefile.com

"The zeal of the Lord...will do this.'" (2 Kings 19:31)

King Hezekiah had received a letter full of bad news, threats vowing to destroy Judah, his kingdom. Hezekiah wasted no time; he "spread [the letter] out before the Lord."

As a result, God, the Divine Protector comes on the scene dressed as a warrior, clad in zeal, armed with holy fervor—and brings destruction to Judah's enemies. A holy accomplishment done, [God said] "Because you (Hezekiah)...prayed..."

In 2 Samuel 26, David describes God's zealous response to his cries. When his pleas "entered [God's] ears", God came riding the winds, the earth shook, the heavens thundered—the results of one man's prayer!

Maybe you have received some not-so-good-news, or threats. Do as Hezekiah did; spread your concerns out before God and pray. Then listen for the thunder.

©2013 Virginia Jelinek

Y is for Yoke

1st Writes is participating in the 2013 April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

This year our theme is "Attributes of God from A to Z".

Join us each day as we explore

the characteristics of our awesome God!

Photo by J Durham at MorgueFile.com

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me... (Matthew 11:29)

Imagine yourself wearing an oxen's yoke. Better yet, picture yourself as the ox wearing that yoke. Your neck is locked into a U-shaped  piece of iron. A crossbow extends from it across to a second U-shape, made for another neck—but it's empty. Before your eyes lies your work—to plow the farmer's acres. If you're an oxen with reasoning powers, you'd protest, "I can't do this job alone!"

I've said that many times. I "imagine" that God has yoked me into a job/mission that encompasses more than I can possibly handle—and left me to do the work by myself!

Nothing is farther from the truth. God's Word assures me that I am co-yoked with Christ. He works right alongside me, making any impossible task—possible!

©2013 Virginia Jelinek

W is for Wise

1st Writes is participating in the 2013 April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

This year our theme is "Attributes of God from A to Z".

Join us each day as we explore

the characteristics of our awesome God!

Revelation Song, posted by GatewayWorship

lyrics: "Glory and power be to You the only wise king."

"...to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen." Romans 16:27 NIV

Who do you go to for advice? Who is the wise one in your life?

I often go to my husband. He calms me when I get overexcited. He tells me when I need to let go. He is my sounding board here on earth. But, he is not my main "wise" man. My main man is God.

Wisdom comes from God, so I go to the source. His council is always available (OPEN 24/7), day or night. His council is like a rock, build on a solid foundation, it does not falter. If we go to the place where wisdom comes from, we will never be led astray. 

Pray for wisdom for yourself, for your friends and family, and for your leaders.

©2013 Dawn M. Hamsher

V is for Victorious

1st Writes is participating in the 2013 April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

This year our theme is "Attributes of God from A to Z".

Join us each day as we explore

the characteristics of our awesome God!

Photo Credit - Microsoft Clip Art

He is righteous and victorious. Zechariah 9:9  

"What does 'victorious' mean?" I asked my daughter Makayla because I wanted my contributions to the 1st Writes A-Z Blogging Challenge to stay within a theme.

"When you run a race you are victorious," she answered.

"And who is always victorious?" I countered, figuring she would say mommy.

I was surprised when she said, "Well, he's bigger than the boogie man."

"Who is bigger than the boogie man?" I wondered, unsure that this was going anywhere.

"God! God is bigger than everything."

"You are so right, honey," I ruffled her hair.

"There's a song," she told me and started to sing, "God is bigger than the boogie man..."

"How does the rest of it go?" I asked, wanting to hear more.

"Mrs. Burkholder teached me but I forgot the rest because it's long."

"Maybe, she will sing it for you next time you go to school."

"Maybe. Can I have snack now?"

©2013 Brianna Renshaw

T is for Trustworthy

1st Writes is participating in the 2013 April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

This year our theme is "Attributes of God from A to Z".

Join us each day as we explore
the characteristics of our awesome God!

           

“Almighty LORD, you are God, and your words are trustworthy.”

2 Samuel 7:28

Photo by Midiman on Flickr

Words are powerful. Thus I want to speak words of life, encouragement, and praise, not criticism, doubt, fear and discouragement. So how can I accomplish this?

By constantly monitoring my speech? But that seems like an insurmountable task. Oh, perhaps for a few minutes, or even several hours I could watch what I say but before long my attention would wander and out of my mouth would come complaining, worry, or criticism.

Luke 6:45 says that “out of the abundance of his heart, man speaks.” Once again I am reminded to partake of God's Word, to fill my heart and my mind with His Truth, bringing life to my soul and blessing, not cursing, to my lips. I will speak life, love, health, peace, and encouragement as I speak what God says. HIS words are trustworthy and true. 

©2013 Sandy James

S is for Sovereign

1st Writes is participating in the 2013 April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

This year our theme is "Attributes of God from A to Z".

Join us each day as we explore

the characteristics of our awesome God!

Wien - Schatzkammer - Crown Jewels Photo by thisisbossi

Proclaim this message from the Sovereign LORD....

Ezekiel 6:3

The word sovereign means lord, master or owner. A sovereign ruler has authority that trumps the power of courts,  parliaments or popular opinion.  Our God is sovereign, but He always rules with love.

Not so long ago, I was concerned about an upcoming decision I had to make and I was pleading with Father God for direction. A still, small voice whispered to my thoughts: "So, you want Me to tell you what I think so that you can decide what you're going to do?"

Oops!If God's word, written in the Bible or spoken to our hearts, is not the end of the discussion for us, then He is not sovereign. And if He is not sovereign, He is not really Lord, is He?

Who would not want such a wonderful Sovereign?

           

©2013 Joan Disbrow

R is for Righteousness

1st Writes is participating in the 2013 April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

This year our theme is "Attributes of God from A to Z".

Join us each day as we explore

the characteristics of our awesome God!

Photo by xandert on Morguefile.com

The word righteous speaks of being in a right standing with God. The scriptures tell us that there is none righteous. No one can be in a right standing before God on his or her own. God's word tells us plainly that we all have sinned and come short of God's glory. But our God is righteous and through his Son, that righteousness—that right standing—is passed on to us.

So many times we find ourselves struggling with guilt, sin, and failure...But our God reminds us in His word in 1 John 1:9 that as we confess our sin, he will forgive and cleanse us from that unrighteousness that we abhor and make us righteous in his sight. Jesus sacrifice on the cross puts us in right standing with the Father once again. We have been made righteous through Christ, the Righteous One.

©2013 Carol Isbister

N is for Near

1st Writes is participating in the 2013 April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

This year our theme is "Attributes of God from A to Z".

Join us each day as we explore

the characteristics of our amazing God!

Song "Come, Draw Near to God"

No other nation, no matter how great, has a god who is so near when they need him as the Lord our God is to us. He answers us whenever we call for help. (Deuteronomy 4:7 GNB)

It has been awhile (the whole winter season) since I felt near to God. It's my own fault. Lack of prayer and Bible reading has lead to DSS (Dry Soul Syndrome). My time with the Lord had been limited to 5 minute prayers before bedtime, like when I was a child.

"Hi Lord, it's me, Dawn. Amen."

Last month, I volunteered at a teen retreat and that was just what I needed to get right with God. Our youth pastor encouraged all of us to commit to reading the Bible. He handed out scrolls for us to write down our commitment (ex. daily for 10 minutes) and then we gave them up to God by placing them in the offering plate. As I began to pray daily, I began to feel God's presence again.

God is always near to us. It is us who stray. So, as the song says, "Come, draw near to God, he will draw near to you." It's true. Won't you draw near to him?


  ©2013 Dawn M. Hamsher

M is for Merciful

1st Writes is participating in the 2013 April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

This year our theme is "Attributes of God from A to Z".

Join us each day as we explore

the characteristics of our awesome God!

Photo courtesy of wikimedia.org

The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving,

even though we have rebelled against him."

Daniel 9:9

We know that our God is merciful and extends grace to all even though we don't deserve it. At times the grace and mercy of God is beyond our human comprehension. When we tell the Lord we are truly sorry, He immediately extends mercy to us - so much so that it sometimes takes our breath away. Other times we find it difficult to accept. Are we able to extend mercy to others as He does to us? We can only do so through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

It is the mercy of God that melts and transforms our lives. God's mercy takes a hardened sinner and turns him or her into a Christ-like saint of God. That is each one of us. As we examine our lives, we find that we are hopelessly lost and cannot help ourselves or others...but the mercy of God steps in and we are changed from glory to glory. Thank God for His mercy extended to us through our wonderful savior.

©2013 Carol Isbister

J is for Just

1st Writes is participating in the 2013 April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

This year our theme is "Attributes of God from A to Z".

Join us each day as we explore

the characteristics of our awesome God!

Photo by Kittisak

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

1 John 1:9 (NIV)

"It's not fair!" echoes through millions of homes every day.

"You never make him (or her)...."

Parents know that fairness and justice are not the same things, but the difference is difficult for youngsters to grasp. Fairness implies a comparison, a measuring of one against another. Justice is absolute.

That is why it is just of our Father God to forgive everyone who acknowledges his guilt and receives what was purchased by Jesus on the cross. It is not at all fair that He received the consequences of our misdeeds. But justice says that the debt for that has already been paid and we no longer owe it.

How grateful we can be that God is not fair, but just.

©2013 Joan Disbrow

H is for Holy

First Writes is participating in the 2013 April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

This year our theme is "Attributes of God from A to Z".

Join us each day as we explore

the characteristics of our awesome God!

Photo courtesy of Alice Popkorn

H is for Holy

“And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him,

and a voice came from heaven which said,

“You are my beloved son, in you I am well pleased”.  Luke 2:32

Our God is holy, as in the Holy Spirit. God’s Holy Spirit directs us in how to live our days as God’s holy people. The Holy Spirit is always with us no matter where we go.

The Holy Spirit also guides us in our prayers. When we don’t know what to pray, or when our prayers seem “un-holy”, the Holy Spirit speaks to us and for us.

When I think about the Holy Spirit I always think of John baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River, and the Holy Spirit appearing as a dove. With the Holy Spirit’s help, I try my best to live a holy life. My prayer is that God will be well pleased.

©2013 Paula Bridegam

F is for Faithfulness

1st Writes is participating in the 2013 April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

This year our theme is "Attributes of God from A to Z".

Join us each day as we explore

the infinite characteristics of our awesome God!

Photo by Pam Williams

The old hymn of the church, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" declares the faithfulness of God in song. The verses speak of the changing of the seasons, the dawning of each morning and the awareness of God's steadfastness.

He is a God who doesn't change, whose character and holiness never waiver. Most importantly, we are blessed by His unchanging love, poured out to us on a daily basis.

The knowledge of God's faithfulness has carried my family through the joy and the heartbreaks, through the feast and the famines of life.  Whatever we face, God is always present.

The long-cherished song of the church makes a grateful child of God want to shout it to the housetops--GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!

He is a faithful God.

©2013 Carol Isbister

E is for Encourager

1st Writes is participating in the 2013 April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

This year our theme is "Attributes of God from A to Z".

Join us each day as we explore

the characteristics of our awesome God!

Photo by Saad Akhtar

“David said, ‘You are the lifter of my head.’’

Psalm 3:3

Over 300 cards with words of encouragement have come to us during the past 2 years of my husbands’ illness!

So often in life, just like David, I get tired of the day to day trials. I need to be encouraged! God has an encouraging heart and He reminds me how much He loves me. He gives me the strength to get through each moment when I ask for His help.

His encouragement comes in many forms. It may be in a quiet whisper to my heart or it may arrive in the words of those cards sent by others who have responded to His gentle urging.

He encourages me by reminding me that I am not alone. I only need to listen for His words of hope and eternal encouragement.

Like David, I must know where to turn when I am discouraged! God will provide a ray of encouragement on the cloudy days and He will lift my head and fill my heart with hope in the most difficult of circumstances.

©2013 Cheryl Andreus

C is for Comfort

1st Writes is participating in the 2013 April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

This year our theme is "Attributes of God from A to Z".

Join us each day as we explore

the infinite characteristics of our awesome God!

Photo courtesy of Morguefile.com

“The God of all comfort who comforts us in all of our afflictions…”

2 Corinthians 1:3

Although he tried to hide it, I had never seen my husband so anxious. The next morning he was to be transported from our local hospital to another, further away, for heart surgery. I couldn’t go with him but would meet him there.  

He had never experienced anything like this. I prayed that God would be a real presence inside that ambulance! I also needed to feel God’s comfort because I was anxious myself!

When I knew they were on the road, I left to pick up our daughter who lived in another town. Due to heavy traffic, I was concerned that we would be unable to arrive in time to meet the ambulance.  Praying as I drove, I pulled back onto the highway. Much to our amazement and relief I was directly behind the ambulance carrying my husband! He was able to see us following along!

I had asked for comfort and God, Our Comforter, responded out of His love and awareness of our anxieties to comfort all of us! In the midst of our trials we can always call on Him and know that He will answer!

©2013 Cheryl Andreus

A is for Awesome

To Arlee: This challenge is a blessing year after year. Thank you for sharing your brainchild with all of us. Our prayer is that God will bless you as you continue to serve Him.

1st Writes is participating in the 2013 April A to Z Blogging Challenge.

This year our theme is "Attributes of God from A to Z".

Join us each day as we explore

the characteristics of our amazing God!

Photo by Pam Williams

For the Lord your God is God of gods...the great God, mighty and awesome... (Deuteronomy 10:17 NKJV)

"Awesome!"  That's the word my grandson uses to describe anything he considers exceptionally good, from pizza to his college professors.

According to Webster, the original meaning of 'awesome' was "expressive of awe...inspiring awe." Nowadays, the word is often drained of its esteem, reduced to a flippant expression, meaning, in today's vernacular, "cool, sweet, or terrific."

Seeing God as "cool" is one thing, but sharpening our spiritual vision to behold the beauty and magnitude of God brings awe: an awesomeness that takes away our breath, puts us on our knees, similar to what Job experienced when he confessed at the end of his troubles, "My ears have heard of you but now my eyes have seen you." (Job 42:5)

Hearing about God is good. Seeing His awesome glory is life-giving--changing a mediocre friendship with God into a vibrant relationship that can best  be described as "awesome!"

©2013 Virginia Jelinek

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PSSST...DID YOU KNOW IT IS ARLEE BIRD'S BIRTHDAY? 

A LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME!

Stop by Arlee's blog today and wish him a good one and thank him for founding the 

A to Z Challenge!

Photo by Dawn M. Hamsher, 2011