X is for Xenial

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!

“So now we can rejoice in our

wonderful new relationship with God –

all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ

has done for us in making us

friends of God.”

Romans 5:11

Xenial means friendly and hospitable. In friendship and hospitality, God reached out to us, even calling us “friends”. Surveys show we desire the following ten traits in a friend. Scriptures confirm that God embodies each one:

Trustworthy: ”Whatever God promises, he does;” Numbers 23:19

Honest: “God does not lie;” 1 Samuel 15:29

Attentive: “I cry aloud to God and he hears me.” Psalm 77:1

Caring: “God cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Faithful: “God is faithful and true.” Deuteronomy 32:4

Giving: “God gives generously and graciously.” James 1:5

Forgiving: “God will forgive us.” 1 John 1:9

Encouraging: “God, who encourages, encouraged us.” 2 Corinthians 7:6

Patient: “God is kind and merciful; he is patient and keeps his promise;” Joel 2:13

Accepting: “God has accepted you.” Romans 15:7

What more xenial friend could we find?

©2013 Pamela D. Williams

U is for Unique

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!

United States Department of Agriculture.

No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.   John 1:18 NLT

Many unbelievers ask how they can know a God that they have never seen?  In this verse John revels that if you want to see the mind and nature of God, if you want to see His attitudes, look at Jesus. In this one verse John gives us the key to knowing God.

If seeing Jesus is like looking at a mirror image of God then the disciples knew our unique God.  By studying their detailed journals of Christ, the New Testament becomes a road map to an intimate relationship with God. 

As with the disciples before us the more we know the closer we want to get, and the closer we get the more we want to know this unique God we serve. 

Dean Drawbaugh

©2013 Dean Drawbaugh

Q is for Quotable

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!

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds;

tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them

when you sit at home

and when you walk along the road,

when you lie down and when you get up.”

Deuteronomy 11:18-19

“It’ll get better before you’re married,” Daddy always said, whether you had suffered a skinned knee, a bruised heart, or a shattered ego.

After becoming a mother, I quoted my dad’s words to my own children. To be honest, the truth behind them has carried me through recovery from surgery, loss of a beloved pet, and disappointment in myself.

Our Heavenly Father offers us eternal wisdom and truth packed into 66 little books. God’s words will benefit anyone and everyone, and are not just worthy of remembering, but are vitally important to pass along.

Like the proven wisdom of my earthly father, God’s words withstand time and testing. Experience has taught me God’s Word is reliable, dependable, and unchanging. Without hesitation, I can say, our God is truly quotable.

©2013 Pamela D. Williams

O is for One

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 - Morguefile.com

 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one (Deuteronomy 6:4 NIV).

"Who is the daddy - God or Jesus?" My daughter Makayla asked on the way home from church.

"God is Jesus' daddy," I explained.

Two weeks later she asked the same question again. And she asked again this week. I'm not sure why, but for some reason, she struggles to understand or remember that Jesus is God's son.

However, when I asked her, "How many Gods are there?"

She responded confidently, "One! There is just one God and He made everything!"

Sometimes we may be unsure of God's plans or struggle to understand God's Word, but we can always be confident that there is only one God and we can always rely on Him.

©2013 Brianna Renshaw

I is for Invisible

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!

Stereogram courtesy of Blue Mountain Ecards. 

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 1:17

"What does God look like?" my four-year-old daughter asked.

"Well, He looks like us," I replied, thinking of how we were made in His image.

"Like a girl?" she wondered.

"Well, no. Like a human," I tried to clarify.

"I don't get it," she said.

I knew she wasn't 'getting' it, but wasn't sure how to explain. I tried my best: "Well, no one has ever seen God. He's a spirit."

"Like a ghost?"

"No! He's not like a ghost. He's...everywhere - in everyone and everything. We just can't see Him."

"Oh, you mean He's inbisible."

"Yes. That's right - He's invisible."

"Why didn't you just say so in the first place, you silly goose?"

Why indeed?

©2013 Brianna Renshaw

G is for Good

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 Kramerhawks

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Psalm 34:8

“Ummm, ummm, good! “

Remember that line from the Campbell’s jingle? The steaming bowls of savory soup they showed always made me want to heat up a bowl and sing along.

Psalm 34:8 says that the Lord is [ummm, ummm] good. All we need to do is “taste” and we will see!

How do we go about “tasting” to see for ourselves that the Lord is good?

• We can get a taste (and a whole lot more) of what God is like by reading the Bible.
• Getting together with Christian people can give us another taste of God’s character.
• Talking with God and listening for his replies is another way to “taste” the waters of God’s goodness.

Have you tasted and seen that the Lord is good? How about offering someone else a sample?

©2013 Pamela D. Williams

B is for Banner

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!

"White Flag" by Chris Tomlin

“...the Lord is my Banner...Hold high the banner of the Lord!”

Exodus 17:15

Banner - a graphic image that announces a name, identity, or product. 

 
Banners are everywhere. Pennants and clothing feature our favorite sports teams to show team spirit. Billboards sell merchandise and services. Banners on blogs give the first impression of who the author is and what the blog is about. Banners are a way to get your message out and good ones make people stop and take notice. 

In Exodus, Moses built an altar to God and named it "The Lord is my Banner." Moses then instructed the people to "hold high the banner of the Lord." What does that mean to us?


I think it means that we should treat our bodies as altars to God. The way we live, love, and share Christ is our banner. The song "White Flag" by Chris Tomlin declares complete surrender to God. Lifting the white flag high declares Christ has won and love has come. We can reflect that in all we do.

Have you accepted Christ? Do you boldly declare Him to be your Savior?  What does your banner look like?

©2013 Dawn M. Hamsher