Names have lots of different meanings. All names have a purpose and a meaning. God has different names, YHWH, which means loving, El which means creator and powerful God. My personal favorite of God’s names is El. My name, Tristan means tumult or outcry. When I think of names I think of one those “hello my name is” name tag. What do I think names mean, I think that each name has a purpose and meaning, and all names are important.
Bible Theme 2 – Covenant
A covenant is like another word for a promise. There are two different types of covenants, conditional and unconditional. A conditional covenant is when both groups of people have to keep their side of the agreement. An unconditional covenant is when the more powerful group pledges to keep their side of the agreement whether or not the less powerful group remains faithful. An example of a covenant in the bible is when God promised Noah with a rainbow that he would never flood the earth again, another example is the Ten Commandments. When I think of a covenant I think of the ten commandments stones. Covenants play an important role in life and covenants helped shape what has happened in the Bible.
Bible Theme 3 – Call
God calls us to act and do good, but we might not answer the call. God calls us to be kind, helpful, generous, selfless, being a good friend, and many more. Everyone has their own call that hopefully, they should answer. If you see a friend who needs help, helps them, if you see someone who just is having a bad day, cheer them up. In the Bible, God called the prophets to speak to the people, and they answered the call. When I think of a call, I think of a telephone. So in conclusion, God is calling us to act and do good for others, and we need to pick up the phone and answer that call.
Bible Theme 4 – Savior
Jesus is our Savior. What is a savior? A savior is someone who comes to save others from danger. God sent his one and only son, Jesus to die for us and to save us from our sins. God loved us so much that he sent Jesus to die for us. We have been waiting for Jesus to come and save us from the wickedness of our world like bullying, judgment, racism, war, and there are many more wicked things about this world. Well, the point is that Jesus is our savior form our sins, and if you believe in him you shall have eternal life. When I think of a savior or Jesus I think of the cross because I know he died for us.You only live once, twice if you do it right.
Bible Theme 5 – Something is Rotten
Something is rotten. Israel worshipping other God’s is rotten. Wanting power and popularity is rotten, but you need to be yourself and be who God made you to be because every person is unique and special in their own way. Wanting what other people have is rotten, but you have to be thankful for what you have. When Israel was rotten, prophets like Elijah would speak power to them. So what is rotten in your life, Power? Popularity? Just be yourself, it is better than trying to be someone your not. Rotten, when I hear the word rotten I think of rotten tomatoes, because they’re bad, just like power, or popularity.
Bible Theme 6 – Conflict/Doubt
I think having conflict and doubt in your life is normal. When you have conflict and doubt in your life, bring it to God. It’s good to ask questions and look for answers in your life. You can share them with others and they can help you through it. Pray to God with your questions, and maybe you’ll find answers. Doubt is normal, so don’t feel like your the only one who doubts and questions things. When I think of conflict and doubt, I think of a question mark, because you have questions and are looking for answers.
Bible Theme 7 – Slavery and Salvation
Struggles become part of our story. Slavery is where we are looking for God and don’t believe in him. Salvation is when we find what we are looking for and we put our trust in him. Think of the Israelites in Egypt, they went through slavery. Everybody has struggles in their life, you can pray to God about your struggles and you have people to help you through those struggles. So what are some struggles in your life? Loss of a loved one, struggling in school, struggling in a friendship? Pray to God and talk to others about your struggles, and hopefully, you will find salvation from those struggles. When I think of slavery and salvation I think of someone in jail, because when you don’t believe in God or can’t find him in your life, salvation is you being set free.
Bible Theme 8 – Lamp
God’s presence with us is like an ever-burning lamp that never goes out. God is always with us and he will never leave us throughout our whole life. God is always with us like he was with the Israelites. God was with them when they crossed the Red Sea, God was with them when they were exiled to Assyria and Babylon, and they eventually came back to the Promised Land. So the main idea is that God will never leave us and he will be with us and guide us throughout our whole life. I think the symbol of God’s presence being with us is like a big bonfire that burns forever.