Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today let’s be clear that God alone is our Holy One!

In today’s scripture, Isaiah 43:15 (NLT), God said…
[15] I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator and King.

Consider…
Sometimes you have to let people know who you are. To ensure there’s not a case of mistaken identity, you have to assert your authority. For instance, to my children I had to establish a patriarchy to make clear that I was the earthly head and leader of our family. Outside voices and influencers were to have no authority that usurped mine. It also meant I was responsible for setting expectations by my actions and my words, as well as training them how to love, trust and serve God!

This reminds me of God saying in Exodus 20:2-3 NLT
[2] “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. [3] “You must not have any other god but me.

God was saying, and I tried to mirror, for who I am and what I have done for you, there should be no earthly authority in your life above mine.

The Holy Spirit showed me the importance of me fulfilling my God ordained role in Hebrews 12:9-11 (NLT)…
[9] Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? [10] For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. [11] No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

My job was to set the stage and expectation of what a child relationship with our Heavenly Father should look like.

This understanding was reinforced when I read Luke 11:11-13 (NLT), where Jesus said…
[11] “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? [12] Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! [13] So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Jesus’ words told me that I needed to be a good, generous and supportive earthly father, to encourage my children to trust and depend on our Good Good Heavenly Father!

Speaking of our Good Good Father, I love Chris Tomlin’s lyrically shared testimony…

Oh, I’ve heard a thousand stories of what they think You’re like
But I’ve heard the tender whisper of love in the dead of night
And You tell me that You’re pleased and that I’m never alone

You’re a good, good Father
It’s who You are, it’s who You are, it’s who You are
And I’m loved by You
It’s who I am, it’s who I am, it’s who I am

Oh, and I’ve seen many searching for answers far and wide
But I know we’re all searching for answers only You provide
‘Cause You know just what we need before we say a word

You’re a good, good Father
It’s who You are, it’s who You are, it’s who You are
And I’m loved by You
It’s who I am, it’s who I am, it’s who I am

Because You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways to us
You are perfect in all of Your ways
Oh, You’re perfect in all of Your ways
You are perfect in all of Your ways to us

Oh, it’s love so undeniable
I, I can hardly speak
Peace so unexplainable
I, I can hardly think
As You call me deeper still
As You call me deeper still
As You call me deeper still into love, love, love

You’re a good, good Father
It’s who You are, it’s who You are, it’s who You are
And I’m loved by You
It’s who I am, it’s who I am, it’s who I am

When I think of who God is, our Good Good Father is top of mind.

Thinking of who God is also makes me hum a song that I remember from my youth, but I couldn’t find the complete lyrics to. What I do remember is…

We sing Glory, be to the Father
Glory, Glory, be to the Son
Glory, Glory, Glory to the Holy Ghost
Blessed Trinity, three in one!

We serve a Triune God, meaning He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit separately and God singularly.

The Holy Spirit helped me understand the Holy Trinity by pointing out that I am…

• My mother’s son
• My children’s father
• My wife, friends and colleagues helper

…all the while just being Tony

There’s beauty in what the Holy Spirit showed me, which is God is whatever we need Him to be. This immediately reminded me of Exodus 3:14 (NLT) which says…
[14] God replied to Moses, “I AM Who I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.”

I AM is one of my favorite names for God! It’s a favorite because it establishes God is who He says He is, not who we think He should be. That’s encouraging, because as we read in 2 Timothy 2:13 (NLT)…
[13] If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.

I can imagine God saying regardless of who are with Me, I AM always who I AM for you.

As an earthly father, son, husband, friend, colleague, I have tried to follow God’s unwavering I AM example.

In today’s scripture, notice God says, “I am”…

• The Lord
• your Holy One
• Creator and King

In today’s slang, God is simply saying, ‘I’m HIM’!

So today, as we continue our focus on our Holy God, let’s make sure we distinguish Him as the only One who is our Holy One!

Today’s Song is…
Holy One

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)