Name of God - Di ou ta panta: My Everything
Di ou ta panta: My Everything
Daily Verse: “yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”
☆ 1 Corinthians 8:6 NKJV
Let's Talk About It: The phrase “di ou ta panta” in Greek literally means all through Him. In English, we have the present tense, and past tense, etc. but in Greek, there are cases to denote whether the words denote possession, past tense, and more. In the case of this phrase, the genitive case is used, and the genitive case always denotes possession. Often, you will find the use of the word “of” in the English translation to signify the possession. For example, we say John’s shoe, but in the Greek, they would say the shoe of John and both the shoe and John would be in the genitive case. This helped readers to understand who possessed the shoe. It is interesting to note that this name of God is in the genitive case. It could also be translated all of Him, hence why we translate this name as My Everything.
For those who walk with God and have chosen to be a disciple, the first thing we must come to grips with is that we must be willing to give our all to Him, to lay it all down in willing obedience to God. There are many who were given the opportunity to follow Christ when He walked the world in the first century, but only twelve decided to stay by His side until the end, and only one disciple remained throughout the entirety of His ministry, all the way to the cross – John the beloved.
At one point, the Bible explains how Jesus sent His disciples out in pairs and told them to take nothing when they went – seventy-two in all. When they returned, they had amazing testimonies, however when they were encountered with the idea that they would have to partake of His flesh and blood – when they were face to face with the Bread of Life – sixty of them deserted Him and only twelve remained (Luke 10 & John 6:25-70). The story of the rich man is an example of another who was given the opportunity to be a disciple but turned away sorrowful, not willing to give up what Jesus was asking Him to lay down (Matt. 19:16-22).
Many are called, but few are chosen (Matt. 22:14). Many are willing to allow Christ to be their Savior, but fewer are willing to make Him Lord, for in doing so there is great cost. It costs something to be His disciple. It is not an easy life. It is a life of laying down our own desires for God’s desires. It usually doesn’t look like we thought it would, nor does it feel like butterflies and rainbows on all occasions. Self-sacrifice is necessary (Romans 12:1).
It's ironic that this name of God would be My Everything because the truth is that’s how Christ views us. We are His everything. He gave up everything to come to earth as a man. He momentarily gave up authority over heaven, creation, and even laid aside His deity so that He could take on the sins of the world to reconcile us to God. I remember studying this in seminary and just being completely overwhelmed with the lengths that He went to in order that He may be reunited with us. Most of us won’t sacrifice much for another, but He sacrificed it all, and the truth is, He desires us to be willing to do the same. It is true that God desires obedience over sacrifices, but the truth is, in many cases, obedience takes sacrifice. It takes laying aside our own agendas for His.
When I was called, the first thing God asked me to do was quit my job. Then, He asked me to homeschool my son. Then He asked me to return to college. Now He asks me to paint and asks that I spend my time using my gift of writing to evangelize on a largely non-Christian platform – social media. For anyone who truly knows me knows that social media is not something I enjoy.
I’m a very private person. I don’t like having my business out there, so to speak. I have spent many years struggling to trust others, and until recently, grappled with fear of man. In a world where comparison is key (social media and our modern culture), I feel completely out of place. However, it is HIS will that must be done, not mine. If I had it my way, I wouldn’t log on. I wouldn’t share my private struggles. I would stay in my perfectly quiet, introverted bubble where I am free from judgment, potential condemnation, and comparison.
But my life is not my own. Christ paid a price so that I could live in freedom, and I made Him a promise that I would try to free as many others from the prison of unbelief as I possibly could. A life for a life. My life for theirs. I’m willing to lay it all down. I’m willing to allow God to be My Everything. Are you? – Crystal