War Cry - November, 2015 Page 29

The War Cry | NOVEMBER 2015

Consuming Fire

Hebrews 12:29 (NIV) calls God a "consuming
fi re." This seemingly harsh name illustrates
God's holiness. He takes sin seriously, as should I.
This fire, which will consume His enemies, will be
a refiner's fire for His children. It will burn away my
impurities until I stand before Him, whole and pure.

Holy

God is described as holy throughout the pages
of Scripture. But I am especially uncomfortable
when He says, "Be holy, because I am holy" (I Peter
1:16, NIV). Apart from Christ, I will always fall short
of God's standard of holiness. So how can I ever hope
to consistently live up to this command?

The key is Christ. When He died for me, He nulli-

fied my slavery to sin. It is by His indwelling Holy
Spirit that I have the power to say no to sin and yes
to holiness.

Omniscient

When the apostle John says, "God is greater
than our hearts, and He knows everything"
(I John 3:20, NIV), it is meant to be a comfort.
But when I first read this verse, I did not find it com-
forting. I knew what was in my thoughts and heart,
and it was ugly.

Still, despite my self-condemnation, God is merci-

ful and there is nothing I know about myself that is a
surprise to Him. He forgives every sin because I trust
Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord.

Impartial Judge

Romans 2:11 tells us God is impartial and Isa-
iah 30:18 tells us He is just. When I am wronged,
I quickly turn to God to plead for His justice, but
when I am wrong, I appeal to Him for His mercy
and compassion. The last thing I want at that mo-
ment is justice.

God is an impartial judge, but He gives us the

choice as to where our sin will be judged: at the cross

or at His throne. His impartiality guarantees
that no matter what I've done, regardless of the
depth of sin, Christ paid for it. His blood covers it
all--no exceptions.

Sacrifi ce

Paul wrote to the Roman Church, "I urge you,
brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to
offer your bodies as a living sacrifi ce" (Romans
12:1, NIV). It's the least we can do in response to
Christ's sacrifice for us.

While I am grateful for Christ's sacrifice, I confess

that making sacrifices does not come easily to me. If
anything, I often go to extreme lengths to avoid hav-
ing to make sacrifices. But when I obey this verse,
surrendering so completely to the Lord than my en-
tire life becomes a sacrifice, I understand the beauty
of Paul's appeal. The result is that nothing comes be-
tween me and my Savior.

Jealous

God calls Himself "jealous" in Exodus 34:14.
The word has negative connotations. Jealous
people can be unreasonable and petty, consumed by
wanting what they don't have.

But when God says He is jealous, He is not jealous

us, He is jealous for us. He knows what is best for

us, and when we choose our own way, chasing after
anything other than Him, He knows we will suffer.
I am blessed when I follow His choices for my life.

These are just a few of God's names and attributes

we may find difficult to understand. But they are also
part of the complete picture of God's glory. May every
name and attribute of God motivate us to praise Him.
And may the knowledge that He is not just the source
of our blessings but the ultimate blessing Himself
make us truly thankful.

Ava Pennington is the author of Daily Refl ections on the
Names of God. She also teaches a weekly Bible study fellow-
ship class. For more information, visit avawrites.com.

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