Sydney Danielle Lough 3/11/07

Sydney Danielle Lough  3/11/07
My Inspiration

Thursday, April 9, 2009

An Introduction to Elohim

I recently came across the Exemplify Blog where they have the "Kettle Club" that challenges you to make a commitment to have some quiet time or devotional time before you sit down to blog...either read blogs or write on your own. This challenge really spoke to me because my time is so scarce right now and I have not been getting my quiet time in since having Austin. However, I have still managed to check out blogs and publish an occasional post on my blog. Something is wrong with this picture! So, I decided to take the challenge.

With the exception of one day, I have met this challenge. Now, that does not mean that I got my quiet time in every day, but on the days that I did not, I did not even check my email much less blog. (Except for one day...oops!)

This has really been a blessing for me! I have started back on my daily scripture memorization and went back to start going over the study that our Ladies' Bible Study has been going through this quarter. I had gotten the book, but had not done the lessons due to time issues when Austin was first born. Then, I just felt like I got behind. The study is called God, Pass By Me: Seeing God's Glory through His Names, Titles, and Descriptions, by Casandra Martin.

The first section is on the name Elohim which means "God" or "deity." It is the name used in Genesis 1 when God is creating the earth and everything on it. It establishes God's role as creator right off the bat. Here are some of the things I learned or what stood out from this study this week:

  • God created everything for my benefit! Creation was made for me to enjoy or to sustain me! He thought everything out in order to provide for me.
  • Elohim is plural, indicating three or more. This introduces the concept of the Trinity right away, also. It indicates that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit were all involved in the creation. This is especially apparent in Genesis 1:26 where God says, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness..." God is all three, and yet He is the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit individually as well. This is still a confusing concept, but I understand better after this study.
  • God took special care in creating me. He only spoke and everything else was created, but he molded man with his hands and breathed life into him with his own Spirit! We were made in His image to try to be more like Him. This convicted me that I am not doing enough to strive to be more like Him.
  • The study also looked at the potter and clay analogy found in Jeremiah 18. I had always heard about God being the potter and us the clay, but what was different in this verse than what I had heard is that the clay was not turning out the way it was originally intended, so the potter decided to mold it into something else. It really struck me that if I am not turning out the way I should, God can mold me into something else. He won't just discard me!
I realized anew that God created me for a purpose and any time that is spent not working towards that purpose is wasted! I need to recommit daily to strive towards God's will for my life. It has also made me examine how I spend my time. Is that television show really worth watching? Should I really read that book? Is that how I should spend my money...on things that will distract me from God? I am not saying I am going to go overboard, but it has really made me start re-examining how I utilize my time and energy.

Create in me a pure heart, O God (Elohim), and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalms 51:10

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