Christopher D. Hudson - 100 Names Of God Daily Devotional

Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, Abba, Father.

Galatians 4:6

B ecause bad dads get a lot of press these days, its difficult for many to view God as a father. In our society of fractured families, far too many grow up with weekend-only fathersor no fathers at all. Since even the best earthly dads have moments when they get impatient or preoccupied, the idea of God as Father takes a good bit of imaginationand even more faith. So it helps to remember that God is a perfect Father, a Father unaffected by human frailties. He is 100 percent love and motivated by His glory and our good 100 percent of the time.

As the One who gave the world a thirty-year show-and-tell of who and what God is (John 1:18), Jesus made it clear that our heavenly Father fanatically cares about us. He actually keeps up with the tiniest details of our lives (Matthew 10:2931). He invites our conversation (Matthew 6:9) and is always eager to hear about our needs and concerns, both mundane and significant. Unlike finite and flawed earthly fathers, our heavenly Father is never too busy, never stressed out, and never self-absorbed.

And like the best and wisest dads, He disciplines (that is, He corrects, not punishes) us when we need it. He knows what we were created for, where we need to go, and where our character flaws are. With all that in mind, He trains us in a way of living that will directly benefit us in the long run (Hebrews 12:9).

God the Father is protective. He wants to shield us from evil and keep us safe. He is tender. We can count on Him to make our hard situations better. He is strong. We can run to Him and hide in His arms, confident that everything will be all right.

Mostly, our heavenly Father wants to have an intimate relationship with His children. He wants us to know and trust His heart. He wants to celebrate the joys of life with us, and to hold us while we grieve.

If you grew up with a father who was consistently there for you, let that earthly dad point you to the Father who is beyond good.

And if you grew up without a good father, let that experience drive you to Abba , the One who perfectly meets the deepest needsand desiresof our hearts.

How do you relate to God as a father?

PRAYER

God, help me work through any daddy baggage in my heart so I may see and embrace You as my perfect and loving heavenly Father. Amen.

Read more: Matthew 7:11; Mark 14:36

But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.

Genesis 49:24

Y ou probably dont remember when the Ford Model T dominated the automobile world, crushing all rivals. Or when the release of the new Sears catalog was as big a deal as the release of a new iPhone. How about when Internet Explorer was the only web browser and nobody Googled anything?

The point is obvious: Popular products come and go. We witness the rise of mighty companies and products, and then we watch them fade into obscurity as the next generation of technology and leadership takes their place. We call these entities powerful, but they are nothing in the face of real power.

On his deathbed, the great Jewish patriarch Jacob called God Abir Jacob. Abir is an old, poetic name for God that means the Strong one. If Jacob could speak for himself here, no doubt hed tell us that God, who never ceases to be mighty, stands in sharp contrast to the worlds mighty corporations or leaders. He is an eternally dominant force, the ultimate authority forever and ever, amen.

Gods might is not tied to trends, popular opinion, or the fickleness of consumers. Fashion and culture do not in any way alter Gods power. In the day of Adam, God was mighty. In the days of Noah and Abraham, God was mighty. His mightiness remained constant in the days of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Malachi. And His mighty power remains unlimited during this era of Bill Gates, Apple, and Amazon.

Great products come and go. Powers rise and fall. Only God and His mighty power remain forever.

We can be confident in this and rest assured that when all else fades away, the Mighty One of Jacob will remain.

Where have you seen Gods mighty power at work recently?

PRAYER

God, I have my favorite brands, gadgets, and personalities. Help me draw a distinction between the compelling and powerful things of earth and Your true might. Amen.

Read more: Psalm 132:2; Isaiah 29:23

Books are team efforts; this one proved thats true. And while I fear missing someone, I want to thank those who made this book possible.

Thank you to the team at Rose Publishing for taking a chance on this book. Im humbled to become a member of the Rose family.

Thank you to Dan Balow, my agent, who transformed this book from a one-page concept into published reality. Im impressed by your work.

And I owe humble thanks to my research and editorial team, who took the time to help me research, review, and improve drafts. Without Len Woods, Karen Engle, Robin Merrill, Alice Sullivan, Andrea Newby, Melissa Peitsch and Mary Larsen, this manuscript would have fallen short.

A special thank-you belongs to my Facebook Bible study. You challenge me and inspire me to know God better.

And most importantly, thank you to Amber and the kids. You help me see God more clearly every day. Thank you for your endless love and support.

Let them praise the name of the L ord , for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

Psalm 148:13

M aybe you hear the title L ord and immediately think of some old movie about Victorian England, featuring Lord and Lady Blabbington living a privileged life with dutiful servants rushing about, tending to their every whim. As far as you can tell, being a lord means being treated like royalty and with great honor. To be fair, this picture has some elements of truthalthough the divine name L ord ( Adonai in Hebrew and Kurios in Greek) involves much more than that.