shadow

worship

Eating the Meat

Posted on: by: Comments: Leave a comment

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'” Matthew 4:4 (NIV)

God made each of us unique with different talents and tastes. And I’m very thankful for the plethora of ways we can spend time with God. But from my reading of the scriptures I believe there are aspects that we need to focus on during our regular quiet time with God. It’s not that we never do anything different; it’s just that we focus on, if you will, the “meatier” methods when spending time with God.

The first one is prayer. Pray is “tapping into a level of reality in which we have no right, but to which we have been graciously welcomed by the love of God in Christ” (David Mathis and Jonathan Parnell, How to Stay Christian in Seminary, Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014, 47). God calls for us to be still and know that He is God (Ps 46:10). He longs to communicate with His children. And that means not only taking the time to talk to God, but also taking the time to listen and hear from Him.

The second important dynamic is worship. God inhabits the praises of His people and we enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (Ps 22:3 and 100:4). Praise and thanksgiving are powerful tools for entering into the presence of the Almighty.

And finally, the last important dynamic is the Word. God’s Word is breath to our souls. It is living and active and more powerful than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). We are transformed by it into the likeness of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a lamp to our feet and without it, our path is going to be sadly dark.

I hope this encourages you today to go for some meat!

God bless!

Noree

 

 

Photo Credit: http://www.freeimages.com/photo/pig-1367786

Awaken the Worship

Posted on: by: Comments: Leave a comment

“So come, let us worship: bow before him, on your knees before God, who made us!”
Psalm 95:6 (The Message)

During my growing up years, Sunday morning worship consisted of two hymns, the offering, another hymn, the Doxology, followed by the choir or special music, and then the sermon. As a young adult, I grew tired of this “tradition” and found myself embracing the ‘Praise and Worship’ music that began to take precedence in the 1980’s. It was a welcomed change with a newness and excitement to it.

However, I distinctly remember declaring a few years later – If we’re not careful, this new praise and worship style will become a tradition just like the format of hymns, offering, and special music did during my era. In many churches that has been the case.

I’m not saying there is anything bad or wrong with “tradition”. Regardless of your preferred worship style, the real issue is what does worship look like for you? All too often we associate it with the corporate worship we experience on Sunday mornings. But what about your own personal times of worship with God? How do you revere, honor, and acknowledge Him for who He is?

Let’s explore some ideas that might prove useful in establishing or awakening your worship time.

  • Do a word study of worship and see how it is defined as well as lived out in the Bible.
  • Don’t limit worship to “singing” only; read a Psalm, a prayer book, or Scripture to the Lord as an act of worship.
  • Pay attention to the lyrics you sing to Him; as an alternative, simply read them to fully grasp what you are offering to Him.
  • Spend time in adoration of the Father, asking for nothing, focusing totally on Him.
  • Worship God in a new place and/or in a different position (i.e. bowing; kneeling; outdoors)
  • Intentionally worship God while you are involved in service/ministry to others.
  • Speak forth His praises around your family members as you are working, playing, or making memories.

As you worship the Lord this week, I pray you will ask the Holy Spirit to quicken your heart with a creative new zeal to give Him the glory due His name. After all, He alone is worthy of our praise!

[Digging deeper – 2 Chronicles 7:3; Nehemiah 9:3; Psalms 2:11, 29:2, 99:5,9; Matt. 28:9; John 4:23; Rom. 12:1]

Because of Him,

Beverly <><

 

 

Photo Credit:  Image courtesy of Art4TheGlryOfGod by Sharon, “Shout for Joy to God, All the Earth!”…at www.flickr.com

Choosing Better

Posted on: by: Comments: Leave a comment

But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:41-42 NASB

_IGP6151She is my first born by one minute and my only girl in a house full of rowdy boys. Time alone, just the two of us girls is rare, and after our hectic morning was a welcome treat. By the afternoon, my house showed all the signs of a busy morning of school and playtime. Household chores seemed to be mounting by the minute. My Type A Personality was beckoned by my to-do list. I wanted to dig in, get busy, cross some things off my list, and feel like I had “accomplished” something. After all, I only had one child at home with me and that should mean I could get even more done!

But this girl of mine, she looks at me and asks if we can just snuggle.

In that moment, looking into her blue eyes, I had a choice to make. My responsibilities certainly needed to be addressed, but so did she. In this divine moment, when the Holy Spirit pressed in and placed a stillness in my soul, I knew the right choice. The dishes would still be there and the laundry (unfortunately) would not fold itself. Those things could wait, but this moment would not. God has given me this precious child. Growing and changing faster than I could ever imagine, there will be a day when she will no longer want to snuggle with her mom. In the scope of eternity, our lives are nothing more than a vapor and can change in a moment’s time.

So I snuggled. At first, I felt restless as my mind raced to my responsibilities. But as the Lord quieted my soul, I knew I had chosen what’s better. In fact, I’d chosen the best. This moment, this God-ordained moment, was the only place that I should be.

Sadly, I get it wrong too many times. I get swept up in the current of this fast-paced life we all live, choosing service over stillness and work over worship. I want to choose what’s better and I want to choose it more often. My heart’s desire is to live with intention, being present for those whom I love the most and for the God who meets me where I am and brings me to where I need to be.

On that day, He met me knee-deep in to-do’s and brought my busy soul to a place of stillness and worship. And with a thankful heart, I snuggled my gift from above.

Choosing better,

Traci