7 Words that describe God- ‘J’:

Jealous
Jewel
Journey
Joy
Jubilee
Judge
Just

You are jealous for me. You tolerate no other to get between us. When I was young, You taught me, in my youth, you instructed me. Nothing can be shared in the flame but You. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego knew. The three became four only by Your presence. May I hold tightly to You. May my eyes only look to You, for everything else fades here. It all burns.  Deuteronomy 6:4-9

You are my jewel oh Lord, greater than any priceless stone. I can’t put a value on You. Knowing You is the greatest thing I will ever have and do. All the treasures of this world added together can not even hope to match Your worth. They can’t. It is impossible. I now know why You, my Lord, didn’t bow Your knee and worship the fallen one. You would have gained everything this place has to offer. It would not have matched even a drop of God’s presence. What have I need of these treasures? With You, I can see beyond the veil.  Luke 4:6-8

Getting to know You is my greatest honor, my Lord. The journey You take me on blesses me as it prunes me. There is so much I’d rather avoid but You guide me through. You protect me as I submit myself to You. I walk in Your light and am exposed, my weaknesses for all to see. I wait for the mocking, the ridicule, to begin, but the only voice I hear from You is that of love. You claim me as Your child. This journey of vulnerability does the opposite of what I expect. You make me stronger.  Proverbs 3:5-6

You are my joy. You give me more than happiness or emotions based on favorable conditions, for like the weather, all can change in a moment. The joy I find in You is beyond this place. It is of stronger stuff. There is a weakness here based on lesser things. Selfishness raises its head and makes fleeting desires equal to Your will. Why do we think such things will stand? We don’t really even want them, for the ‘joy’ we think we’ll receive fades before it is found. It is madness to pursue the sand after it has fallen, and folly to attempt to slow the clock. May we awaken to Your joy and find the things which are eternal.  1 Peter 1:8-9

You are my Jubilee, oh Lord! The era of destructive thinking has ended. You have brought new life to me. Wayward thoughts that seek to make me less have failed. I celebrate Your freedom and rejoice in Your resurrection by marking this as my year of Jubilee. More than wishful thinking, this is a determination. I have seen the fruits of my enslavement and their decay reveals a fading resilience to convince me of my hopeless state. I stand upon You, my Lord. You, who do not rot. You, who do not fade. You, who ever shine!  Isaiah 61:1-3

Thank You for being the Judge, mighty One. You, who alone knows every thought before we do. You, who alone knows our story completely. You, who after all is said and done, are merciful, gracious and kind. I submit all I am to You, oh wise Judge. Your rulings over me are always perfect and lead me to life everlasting because I believe in Your Son. My own judgment towards myself fails for I am not a fair judge. I condemn myself with wayward thoughts. You, however, cannot be bribed.  James 4:11-12
 
You are just and right in all You do. I am not. You deliver me even from myself. You lift me beyond my own limited and shallow perspective, and You teach me there. I do things that benefit me but then they fade. If I do them Your way, they bless me and all in my house. So I know to turn to You.  Psalm 25:8

7 Words that Describe God- ‘I’:

Immanent
Important
Impressive
Incarnate
Infinite
Intimate
Intricate

You are not far from me. Even in times of silence, Your immanence astounds me. You are active and present in all things. How can we comprehend it? There is so much death and loss here, it steals the breath. We celebrate things in this fading world as if it’s our right when we should not, killing our future, our hope, in order to keep our vanity secure even as we fade. It is madness, Lord. Almost every sin is tied to it- our desperation to exist in our time of strength. How can You be active in our weakness? We do terrible things and embrace in bitterness the only ‘power’ we think we have, the power of failure and destruction, but You have not left us alone here. Your unchanging presence gives us hope.  Psalm 8

The importance of who You are and what You have done, are doing, will do, can never be diminished. It will never fade as things do here. You are the Ultimate One. You are the standard by which all things, which can’t even set foot on Your mountain, are beneath. My thoughts, will, and emotions, bow and submit to You. Thank You that I am important to You.  Matthew 4:4

You impress me. Your thoughts impress me. Your words impress me. Your actions impress me. Anything and everything about You impresses me. The fact that You, God on high, consider me, impresses me. Your thoughts about me lift me up and make me more. Your words about me strengthen me and encourage me. Your actions saved me and gave me life. You impress me, my Lord. You make me clap my hands.  Psalm 47

You are the Incarnate One. You answer mysteries with an even greater one. You came here and took the form of a man. You, who knew no sin, were baptized and lived among us. You were sentenced to die the death of a criminal. You were buried in a tomb. 3 days later, You were raised from the dead. You are now seated at God’s right hand, bringing salvation to all who believe. Thank You for Your all-sufficient sacrifice, oh Lord.  Philippians 2:6-11

There are no limits with You, oh Lord. You are infinite, Your knowledge and wisdom are unfathomable. Your love and goodness are inconceivable. You are God. You are beyond us and within us. You are beyond the reach of time, beyond what constrains us. Yet you are ever with us, ever near. Your Holy Spirit teaches and guides us and helps us through our days. You set the planets on their course. You give the stars their place to shine, and You care about my wife’s new dress and our car’s flat tire. You amaze me. There are no limits with You, oh Lord.  Psalm 147:5

You allow me to explore in Your house. Your love allows me to be free. I don’t have to walk on eggshells around You. You know my thoughts before I do. You know things about me that I may never know. What we do know about ourselves only reveals how much we don’t measure up to any standard of character and strength. Yet You allow me to walk in Your house with my muddy shoes on, sitting on Your priceless-uncovered couch when my clothes are a mess. You clothe me in robes finer than can ever be found here. You give me a crown, though we both know I’m no king. You bring me to a higher place than I could ever go. Because of Your intimacy, I can dance among the stars. It is through Your intimacy that I learned the price of the mud, and that being muddy is not Your Way.  Psalm 139:1-6

Your design for life is so intricate it baffles the mind. People devote their entire lives to delving into its vast mysteries. From the alignment of the planets to the blinking of an eye, Your plans astound us. The beating heart, the thinking brain, the feeling fingers, the twinkling toes, our bodies never cease to amaze. As we look around at the beauty around us and within, we know Your hands have made it all. Only You could have done this. Only You, our eternally intricate God.  Job 12:7-10

7 Words that Describe God- ‘G’:

Gain
Gallant
Generous
Glorious
Goal
Good
Gracious

Only after we’ve lost everything do we realize what ‘gain’ we have in You. This life here is antithetical to You. Its opposition to eternity is felt in the pain of loss. To focus on it harbors madness. To find safer shores is comfort. To focus and find You is the only gain that there is. Without You there is no gain, only loss. With You there is gain, my only sure reward.  Philippians 3:7-11

You save and deliver us, oh Lord! You ride upon a steed of righteousness and lift us from the pit. You placed Yourself in danger. You willingly went to the cross for us, to provide a way where there was no way. You place us where we could never go, to a place we do not belong. At the throne of God we bow, we worship, we dance. We are the mouthpiece of Your creation. May the words we say give You glory, oh gallant One. Deuteronomy 31:6

You are kind to me, oh Lord. You know where and how I need help before I do. You know my fears as I learn to trust in You. Your generosity blesses my life more than meeting my needs would allow. It guides me on the paths of faith, making me strong where I am weak.  2 Corinthians 9:10-11

Your splendor outshines the sun; Your glory to the ends of the earth! You display knowledge and wisdom beyond compare! The slightest word from Your mouth changes everything. Your favor is life! Oh that my ears would strain for it, that I may hear Your call! May I be found under Your gaze, may You consider me. May Your eyes look upon me and reveal any false way in me. May Your glory shine away all darkness and reveal the way for me to let go of everything and anything that doesn’t radiate You. You, the glorious One.  1 Timothy 6:15

You are my goal, oh Lord; to please You is my only aim. I have nothing without You. It is worse than nothing, for what I have here rots the bones. If You are my goal then whatever I do have is turned into seeds- seeds for vision, seeds for change. To have ‘pleasing You’ as my goal, You keep me safe amidst the waves- waves that drown, waves that destroy. May Your waves cleanse me, may they drown and destroy all that would mislead me from You, my only goal.  Psalm 33:11

You are the source of all that is good in my life and in this world. Without You, we would be lost. Left to make our own way through this life alone when we don’t even live very long or have a lasting effect on anything, would be our pointless lot. Grab as much as you can as quick as you can, only to give it all away in the end, makes me shake my head. This is the fading world. Thank You for opening the Way that doesn’t fade or end. We are but sparks here, we glow for a moment then are gone. But You, oh Lord, last forever and You are good.  Mark 10:18

Your grace enables me to be a new creation. I can now do things unattainable by human hands! I can outpace the grip of this life, escaping its pain and bitterness. I can even fly free from those who would do me harm. Though they seek to bring me low and cripple me with oppression, I can dance on the heights because You are gracious to me. You empower me to forgive, and it is a power none can defeat. I can walk on water! I can escape the flames and the lion! I can defeat the giant! Better than a stone, Your grace changes us by putting to death our old self and raising us up to be with You! You are gracious to me. Help me to walk this path with You. Psalm 116:5