Lord, Reign in Me
It is Well
Wonderful Maker
Emmanuel (choir special)
Friday, November 27, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Top 10 Songs for Thanksgiving...
Thanksgiving is the time of the year that we join together with family and friends and give thanks for our blessings. This is a list of 10 of the best songs that either give thanks or remind us of God's many blessings ... plenty of reasons to be thankful and praise our Savior.
- Everybody Praise the Lord, Lincoln Brewster
- Life of Praise, Casting Crowns
- Nothing Compares, Third Day
- I Love to Praise, Natalie Grant
- Indescribable, Chris Tomlin
- Cannot Say Enough, MercyMe
- The Throne, Michael W. Smith
- Wonderful, Merciful Savior, Selah
- Hosanna, Kirk Franklin
- In His Presence, Jeremy Camp
Monday, November 23, 2009
created for His praise...
Last week we discovered that worship is a lifestyle. Everything in our lives -- driving a car, mowing grass, doing schoolwork, even eating a cheeseburger -- can qualify as pleasing acts of worship. But have you stopped to think why God is interested in even our most menial tasks?
Do you remember what God said when he finished creating man & woman on the 6th day? He said it was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Think about that. They had not even had the chance to do anything, yet he was pleased with them. He enjoyed their company as he walked in the cool of the day with them. They were made in his image; they were a reflection of him. They brought him glory. As God’s children, we bring him glory, too. Like Adam & Eve, we are created to praise him with our lives.
In Ephesians 1:3-14, Paul keeps repeating this awesome theme: “to the praise of his glory”. Paul wanted us to see the purpose for our being created. All God has done for us and in us is “to the praise of his glorious grace.” Amazing as it may sound, because he loves us he has raised us up and seated us with Christ in heavenly realms so we can one day be trophies of his grace.
H.A. Ironside believed that one of these days we are going to have a part in a great exhibition. From every part of the earth there will be gathered together all who have been redeemed. As Dr. Ironside explains it, the Lord will then show “to all created intelligences how it has been the delight of His heart to show great grace to great sinners. That is our future -- a future that does not depend on our faithfulness but on His, who saved us by grace in order that we might show His glories forevermore.”
Consider what Romans 12:1 says: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your spiritual act of worship.” In view of God’s mercy, Paul tells us that our spiritual act of worship is to lay ourselves down on an altar of surrender. God wants our hearts yielded to him, pure and simple. That’s that’s what is acceptable to God: giving up control and allowing him to do whatever he wants to do in us and through us. The King James version calls presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to him a “reasonable service.” As we lay our lives down for him to fill and to use, we become expressions of praise to him. And, considering we were designed to bring him glory, such an act is very “reasonable.”
[taken from Pure Praise: A Heart-Focused Bible Study on Worship, Dwayne Moore, 14-16.]
...Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession -- to the praise of his glory.
--Ephesians 3:13-14
Friday, November 20, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
worship is a way of life...
2 Chronicles 20 tells a story about hundreds of thousands of people who all had their “light bulb” moment of praise & worship at the same time. You know that moment where you feel as though you’re standing in the very throne room of God telling him how awesome he is? This was their moment. Three large armies were marching against Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. Jehoshaphat’s response was to call everyone in Judah to a giant prayer meeting.
I’m quite certain I wouldn’t have responded the way the people of Judah did when they learned of their imminent danger. Simply put, they made the choice to worship.
What we have in this chapter of 2 Chronicles is an incredible worship service. In the midst of naturally frightening circumstances, they had a supernatural encounter with almighty God. They saw him as he is and therefore worshipped him as they should. In fact, they fell down and worshipped him. According to Strong’s Concordance, the word worship here means “to bow down, prostrate oneself, before a superior in homage, before God in worship.” God is our superior; he is our Lord. Submitting to him as our master is the essence of worship.
We are to love the Lord, our God, with everything we are: heart, soul, mind and body (Deut. 6:4-5). When we do this, we are paying homage to him as our superior. Just as the people of Judah bowed in surrender, we must surrender to him as our Lord. Anything less is not biblical worship.
People have asked me, “Isn’t the Christian life really just a bunch of ‘Thou shalt nots’?” To which I reply, “No, the Christian life is actually one big ‘Thou shalt’...love God.” It’s really that simple: Worship him completely.
Worship is not just something we do on Sundays at church. And it’s certainly more than singing or attending a service, although those are included. Worship is a lifestyle. It involves everything we do and think and are. It means loving God with every breath we take and every move we make.
In 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul wrote, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Paul chose the examples of eating and drinking to illustrate how our most common and everyday activities can and should bring glory and honor to Christ.
So what does this kind of worship look like in everyday life? Is it really possible to worship God when you’re at home or school or work? How can even your simplest and most common tasks bring honor and worship to God?
[taken from Pure Praise: A Heart-Focused Bible Study on Worship, Dwayne Moore, 12-13.]
Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
--Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Friday, November 13, 2009
fighting the war in the stars...
Being a huge Star Wars fan, I remember going to the first movie to come out in theaters. It was weaving the story of Luke finding his place in fighting the good fight to make sure the good won out. He had a mentor named OB1 Kenobi, who in appearances, seemed wise but not much of a fighter. Luke and his companions had gone to the enemy’s ship to free Princess Leia and in doing so encountered Darth Vader. In a powerful scene, OB1 Kenobi ended up fighting Darth Vader face to face. Good versus evil. Luke and his companions saw the fight from a distance and after OB1 had assured enough time for the group to escape, he did a very strange thing. He lowered his light sabre and Darth Vader seemingly struck him down. Luke was mortified as he saw his mentor, his friend die before his very eyes. He did not know that OB1 had to die to make it possible for Luke and those of the force to rise up in more powerful numbers and defeat evil once and for all. After that OB1 was a constant help as a spirit that would step in and continue to lead and enable those fighting the good fight. Evil was defeated and peace and good reigned from there on.
That mirrors the fight we as believers continue to fight through the strength of the one who died for us, Jesus. It has always been a struggle as we continue to fight the good fight and present the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. Each of us are important to God’s plan and His great power comes alive in all who know Him and call him Savior. That plan takes many different directions as He guides us in His perfect will to accomplish, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, the Great Commission. Jesus died and left the Holy Spirit to empower us to do His work. HIS work!
I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do
what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these,
because I am going to the Father.
--John 14:12
As we have served together over the past three years we have seen God do some incredible things. We have experienced those things together and those experiences have knit our hearts together for eternity. Even though I won’t be here, we are still actually all still together….in our love for Jesus, in our heart for worshipping our Lord, in our obedience to His call. The call remains the same, just different connections with different people.
My challenge is this: don’t back away or back off. Continue to fan the flame and see just what God can continue to do through each of you. His plan is still the best. His love is still contagious. He is still worthy of all our praise. He is the great I AM. Serving miles apart we will continue to be of one heart and mind as we serve Him in our mission fields. Our time with you has blessed our hearts and made us better servants. Thank you for encouraging us and loving us, and challenging us to greatness. Hopefully, we have done the same and the lasting effect of our crossing paths will continue to impact a world desperately in need of a Savior.
Until we meet again,
David Warren
Ephesians 5:16
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