LORD, I AM, YAHWEH, Kyrios

I started a new devotion this morning. {Thank you, Phyllis!} It was exactly what I wanted. It is a new Advent season devotional. The purpose of this amazing book is to slow you down, and recall to mind the REAL reason for this season.

I am so guilty of trying to stuff as many traditions and things as I can into these 4 short weeks between now and Christmas. How many of you are willing to admit the same thing?

I am stopping that now, though. Don't get me wrong~I am still going to do as many fun things as I can with my family, after all this is a magical time of year for them. I'm just going to go at everything ELSE at a slower pace. And I want to read to them some of what I read each day.

This book combines 2 books that Ann Spangler has written: Praying the Names of God, and Praying the Names of Jesus. Each week she writes out a name of God and Scripture in both the Old and New Testament to support that name.

This week's name is Lord~YAHWEH, which is translated into LORD in many Bibles. She goes on to write that the Greek word for this is Kyrios, which is also at times translated into YAHWEH. Earlier pronunciations and meanings of this word were lost because it was not spoken. Well, it was, but only by priests. After the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, the word was not pronounced at all.

One of the Scriptures I read this morning~Exodus 3:14~suggests that YAHWEH means "I am".

Chills just went all over me.

I have to stop and write this one out.

Exodus 3:14, 15 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you'". God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites ' The LORD {YAHWEH}, the God of your fathers~the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob~has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation."

Well. Just what does one say after reading that?

This Lord~YAHWEH, I AM~is the reason we celebrate this season. It's not about "stuff", or how pretty your house looks with all the decorations. It is about Jesus. The One who was sent to earth as a baby in a manger~the One who became like us so we could become like Him.

Phillippians 2:9~11 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I pray that I remember this, this CHRISTmas season. {I think that's how I'm going to start saying this word, with emphasis on the CHRIST, because ALL of our emphasis should be upon Him.}

I pray that I show this to my children in some way or form.

Jesus is going to be at the center of our attention this year. They are still going to get gifts, and we'll still be giving them and receiving them, so don't worry. I just want my focus and my attitude to change.

Make room for Him in your home~have you already, or have you pushed Him to the back of the shelf? Just think about that for a while today. How much of your focus is on Him? I know that mine is not on Him enough, but with His Word and this new Advent devotional, I pray that that fact changes.

Love to all of you today, in Christ.