Jesus.

God.

Bread from Heaven.

Light of the World.

The Way. The Truth. The Light.

Alpha and Omega.

The Lamb of God.

Immanuel.

I could go on.

I remember once being asked to write a paper and make a list of all the names of God I could think of. I didn't have to think too hard: we had a poster in the classroom filled with the names of God.

God has given us so many differnet names to call him. Why?

To answer that question we have to ponder the immensity of God. God's proper name is "Yahweh" which is probably related to the Hebrew word that means "to be." So God's name is "to be" or "I am." In fact, in our NIV Bibles when God is speaking to Moses at the burning bush that's exactly how they translate it, "Tell them 'I AM' has sent you."

That name, Yahweh, communicates the immensity of God. Before time began, he was there. When this world has spun its last revolution, he will still be there. He is everywhere all at once, filling the heavens and the earth. And yet, he is present with all his attention when you pray to him. He IS. He is not manipulated. He is not tricked. He is not unaware. He knows all, perceives all, understands all. Yahweh. He is.

And when you stop and think at what an immense God there is, it's no wonder he has given us so many names. Each of those names communicates a different aspect of God. Take, for instance, the name of God the Son, Jesus. Jesus means "Yahweh saves." It's what God the Son came to do. It's why he took on human flesh (Immanuel: God with us) so that he could take our place and pay for our sins (Redeemer: one who pays the ransom price for another). He has rescued us (Savior) from sin, death and hell so that we could be with him for all eternity. He began our salvation and he completed our salvation (Jesus called himself the Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet).

All of those names (Immanuel, Redeemer, Savior, Alpha and Omega) communicate the richness of God's love for you. His love for you is as boundless as the universe, and as big as his name. His love for you just "is" and always will be. Yahweh - one of God's most beautiful names. So get to know God better. Read his word and discover what all of those beautiful names mean.