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| artwork by Krista Hamrick |
It is so energizing and exciting to participate in #Write31days, an online writing challenge where writers pick one topic and write a post on that topic every day in the month of October. Within the #Write31days category of Inspiration & Faith, I chose to focus on the topic of the Name Above All Names every day for 31 days. You can view each of my daily posts at this landing page.
Krista Hamrick’s beautiful original art print, Name Above All Names Alphabet, has so inspired me. Each of the 26 individual Names she has identified are so special, as Krista has intricately painted, almost like stained glass windows, each one with its Scripture reference.
Krista Hamrick’s beautiful original art print, Name Above All Names Alphabet, has so inspired me. Each of the 26 individual Names she has identified are so special, as Krista has intricately painted, almost like stained glass windows, each one with its Scripture reference.
My heart has been drawn to do a word study for each of the names included in her art print. Krista and I felt led to publish our Name Above All Names Devotional: Focusing on 26 Alphabetical Names of Christ …available on Amazon at this link.
I was inspired by Stephen Curtis Chapman’s anointed hymn, Amen, while studying John 14:6 …
NASB: Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Amplified: Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Expanded: Jesus answered, “I am ·the way, and the truth, and the life [orthe one true way to have life]. ·The only way to the Father is through me [L No one comes to the Father except through me].
J. B. Phillips: “I myself am the road,” replied Jesus, “and the truth and the life. No one approaches the Father except through me.”
The Message: Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me.”
Amplified: Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Expanded: Jesus answered, “I am ·the way, and the truth, and the life [orthe one true way to have life]. ·The only way to the Father is through me [L No one comes to the Father except through me].
J. B. Phillips: “I myself am the road,” replied Jesus, “and the truth and the life. No one approaches the Father except through me.”
The Message: Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me.”
Pastor F. B. Meyer writes: "I am the Way," said our Lord. Each day, as we leave our home, we know that the prepared path lies before us, in the good works which God has prepared for us to walk in. And when we are ignorant of their direction, and are at a loss as to where to place our steps, we have only to concern ourselves with Christ, and almost unconsciously we shall find ourselves making progress in the destined way. Christ is the Way: love Christ, trust Christ, obey Christ, be concerned with Christ, and all else will be added. Christ is the Way. When the heart is wrapped up in Him, it is on the way, and it is making progress, although it never counts the rate or distance, so occupied is it with Him. To be wrapped up in the love of Christ is to make ever deeper discoveries into the heart of God. He is the Way to God: to know Him is to come to the Father. We fully know truth only as it is in Jesus. When the Spirit of Truth would lead us into all truth, He can do nothing better than take of the things of Christ, and reveal them to us, because to know Christ is to know the truth in its most complete, most convenient, and most accessible form. If you know Christ intimately and fully, even if you know nothing else, you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. If you love truth, and are a child of the truth, you will be inevitably attracted to Christ, and recognize the truth that speaks through his glorious nature. Distinguish between Christ the Truth, and truth about Him. Many true things may be said about Him; but we are not saved by truths about Him, but by Himself, the Truth. To know Him is to be at the fountain-head of all truth; and the soul which has dwelt with Him by day and night will find itself not only inspired by an undying love for the true, but able to hold fellowship with truth-lovers and truth-seekers everywhere; nay, will be able even to instruct those who have the reputation of great learning and knowledge in the schools of human thought. "I give eternal life unto my sheep," He said, "and they shall never perish." "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life." If, then, you are wanting life, and life more abundantly, you must have Christ. Do not seek it, but Him: not the stream, but the fountain; not the word, but the speaker; not the fruit, but the tree. He is the Life and Light of men. And if you have Christ, you have life. You may not be competent to define or analyze it; you may not be able to specify the place or time when it first broke into your soul; you may hardly be able to distinguish it from the workings of your own life: but if you have Christ, trust Christ, desire Christ above all, you have the Life. "I," said Jesus, "am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
Pastor John Gill writes: “Christ is not merely the way, as he goes before his people as an example; or merely as a prophet, pointing out unto them by his doctrine the way of salvation; but he is the way of salvation itself by his obedience and sacrifice; nor is there any other; he is the way of his Father's appointing, and which is entirely agreeable to the perfections of God, and suitable to the case and condition of sinners; he is the way to all the blessings of the covenant of grace; and he is the right way into a Gospel church state here; no one comes rightly into a church of Christ but by faith in him; and he is the way to heaven: he is entered into it himself by his own blood, and has opened the way to it through himself for his people: he adds, he is not only true, but truth itself: this may regard his person and character; he is the true God, and eternal life; truly and really man; as a prophet he taught the way of God in truth; as a priest, he is a faithful, as well as a merciful one, true and faithful to him that appointed him; and as a King, just and true are all his ways and administrations: he is the sum and substance of all the truths of the Gospel; they are all full of him, and center in him; and he is the truth of all the types and shadows, promises and prophecies of the Old Testament; they have all their accomplishment in him; and he is the true way, in opposition to all false ones of man's devising. Christ is the author and giver of life, natural, spiritual, and eternal.'
Pastor John Gill writes: “Christ is not merely the way, as he goes before his people as an example; or merely as a prophet, pointing out unto them by his doctrine the way of salvation; but he is the way of salvation itself by his obedience and sacrifice; nor is there any other; he is the way of his Father's appointing, and which is entirely agreeable to the perfections of God, and suitable to the case and condition of sinners; he is the way to all the blessings of the covenant of grace; and he is the right way into a Gospel church state here; no one comes rightly into a church of Christ but by faith in him; and he is the way to heaven: he is entered into it himself by his own blood, and has opened the way to it through himself for his people: he adds, he is not only true, but truth itself: this may regard his person and character; he is the true God, and eternal life; truly and really man; as a prophet he taught the way of God in truth; as a priest, he is a faithful, as well as a merciful one, true and faithful to him that appointed him; and as a King, just and true are all his ways and administrations: he is the sum and substance of all the truths of the Gospel; they are all full of him, and center in him; and he is the truth of all the types and shadows, promises and prophecies of the Old Testament; they have all their accomplishment in him; and he is the true way, in opposition to all false ones of man's devising. Christ is the author and giver of life, natural, spiritual, and eternal.'
Pastor Wil Pounds writes: “Jesus Christ is the full, final, and complete revelation of God. Jesus is the truth. “I myself am the truth.” “I and I alone, and no one else am the truth.” Jesus is the actual embodiment of the truth. He is the authoritative representative and revealer of God. He hears what the Father says and does what the Father tells Him to do (5:19; 8:29). You can paraphrase John 14:6, “I am the way that reveals the truth (about God) and gives life (to people).” Jesus Christ is the very reality of all God’s grace toward us sinners. Grace and truth could not merely be given. It actually came through the living person of Jesus Christ. The truth is found in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the truth. Truth is God’s very reality revealing itself in Jesus. Truth is knowledge of God through Jesus Christ. To have the Truth is to have eternal life (17:3). Have you humbled yourself and bowed down before Him who is the Truth—eternal Truth? The emphasis in this great statement is not just truth as opposed to a lie, reality as opposed to mere illusion, but His faithfulness, reliability, trustworthiness, sureness. Jesus Christ is the "God of truth" (Ps. 31:5; Isa. 65:16). Absolute truth is characteristic of God, and it is only as we know God that we know truth. It includes the complete reliability and the complete integrity of God. He will certainly act in accordance with the highest conceivable integrity and righteousness. The emphasis is on the fact that you can know Him so clearly that it may be said you see Him. The work of the Holy Spirit is to take the things of Christ and show them to the believer. Do you seek the truth? “Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me” (v. 11). “Believe that the Father is in Me and I in Him” (10:38). What is our response? “And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20). Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life.”
Pastor John MacArthur writes: “Jesus says , "I am the way, the truth, and the life." We don't need to know how to get to heaven; Jesus is coming to get us. We are to trust Him. He is the way. When the right time comes, He will take us by the hand and lead us right to the Father's house. If you were to go into a strange town and ask for directions, it would be better if someone told you to follow him instead of having him explain how to get to your destination. That's what Jesus is going to do. Instead of giving us directions, He will take us to the Father's house. Don't worry about what will happen at death or the Rapture. Jesus will come back for you. Do you trust Him in death? Do you trust Him? What if you die, do you trust Him? Are you ready to just die and He'll just take you? Do you believe Him for that? He says to those disciples, "Trust Me, I'll bring you. Trust Me, Jesus says, “You don't need a map, I'm the way, the truth and the life. I am the way to the Father, I am the truth whether in this world or the world to come. I am the life that is eternal. It's all in Christ. He's everything a man needs. Everything Adam lost, you regain in Jesus Christ. Trust Me, trust My presence, trust My promises, trust My person, I'm the way. No matter how bad it looks, there's comfort because you can trust Him. Jesus then finished off this statement by saying this, "And no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." You may have heard about heaven and about the comfort that comes by trusting Christ, but you will never be there, you will never go there because the only way to get there is through faith in Jesus Christ and you've never put your faith in Jesus Christ. Disaster of all disasters. “No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” Don't take another breath until you've invited Jesus Christ to come into your life to be your Savior and your escort into the presence of the Father.”
Heavenly Father, we thank You for teaching us trust. We thank You that Jesus Christ is so worthy of our trust. We want to tell You we trust You. Thank You for comforting us with these words. Thank You for saying You'd always be with us, Your presence. Thank You for the promise that You're up there getting it ready for us. Thank You for the wonderful fact of Your person, that You are the way that after we die and leave this world or are taken in the Rapture, You're our personal escort. We don't need to have a chart or a map, You're the way, You're the truth and You're the life. We thank You for that. Thank you for your wonder-working power! I once was locked in a prison of darkness to Your truth and light. Thank You for shining the light of Your truth into my heart and freeing me from sin. Please use me to share the truth about Your great power with others who need to know true freedom in Christ. In Your mighty Name Above All Names—the Way, the Truth, and the Life, we pray, amen.
Look Up—meditate on John 14:6 pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.
Look In—as you meditate on John 14:6 pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________."
Look Out—as you meditate on John 14:6 pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.
* If you liked this post you’ll love this book – Name Above All Names Devotional: Focusing on 26 Alphabetical Names of Christ
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