Every month that has 5 Sundays in it we like to use the fifth Sunday as an opportunity to allow the Youth group to lead in serving opportunities. So, I get the pleasure of leading the Youth band this week at Eagleville Bible Church as they seek to lead the congregation in song! This group of musicians has been a real joy and blessing for me to work with on a weekly basis (for about 10 months out of the year) because each one of them has such a humble heart for the Lord and passion for the ministry of music. Here are the songs we will be singing this week (May 30th 2021):
- Lion and the Lamb,
- Rev 5:5-14,
- 1 Thess 4:16-17,
- Phil 2-9-11,
- Luke 4:18-19,
- Open the Eyes of Our Heart,
- Eph 1:17-19,
- Isa 6:3,
- Rev 4:8,
- Phil 2:9,
- Isa 52:13,
- 1 Tim 6:16,
- Whole Heart (Hold Me Now),
- Ps 40:1-5,
- John 10:28-30,
- Gen 1:1,
- Rom 5:15, 20,
- Ps 142:1,
- Phil 4:23,
- Heb 2:14-16,
- 10,000 Reasons,
- Ps 103:1-2,
- Ps 103:8,
- Exod 34:6,
- Jonah 1:9,
- Acts 24:14,
- Everlasting God,
- Heb 13:8,
- Gen 21:33,
- Isa 40:28-31,
- Duet 33:27,
Devotional Thought
I believe one of the most unfortunate things that I witness as a believer of Jesus Christ is the lack of appreciation and gratitude we have towards our Great Father for all of the many blessings that He pours out towards us each and every day! The Scriptures are clear to say that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father (James 1:17), and then Jesus says that the Father is the One who loves to give gifts to those who ask Him (Matt 7:11)!
Our Father God wants us to not only acknowledge our blessings through praise, He also wants us to walk in them each day. 2 Peter tells us that we have been given everything necessary for life and godliness through the promises that He has bestowed upon us, what a great blessing! Acts 17:28 tells us that in Him we live, move, and have our being! Again, Jesus tells us in John 10:10 that He came so that we could have life and life to the fullest! So, these verses tell me that God is really intentional about communicating to us that He created us to live a life of abundance and blessing in Him! We do this as we follow Him in all of our ways and choose to be holy as He is holy, namely to fear Him in all our ways!
Ephesians 1:3 tells us that we have every Spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus! Just take a minute and think about the ramifications of that statement……. We have; salvation, hope, peace, knowledge, the gospel, healing, grace, etc… All found in the wonderful name of Jesus our risen Savior!
So, how do we see all those blessings? I believe it is as we press in to our Savior that He reveals Himself and all His mighty deeds become more evident to us! Ephesians 1 tells us that as our “heart eyes” become enlightened we will receive the blessing of revelation and Spiritual wisdom as He reveals His calling upon our lives, our glorious inheritance in Christ Jesus, and the incomparable greatness of His power toward all of us who believe in His wonderful Name! Oh, that is such great news, and it fills my heart with joy each time I am reminded of my King’s heart toward me and you!
The other blessing that I believe gets overlooked far too often is this, the Holy Spirit! Jesus told His followers that when He goes to the Father that He will send us a Helper that will lead us into all truth! The Holy Spirit has His dwelling within each believers heart the moment that person places faith into Jesus for salvation, our bodies are His temple (1 Cor 6:19)! No, no, you read that and dismissed it far too quickly. Let me say it again and then please take a moment and reflect upon what is being communicated: God, the Holy Spirit, has taken up residence in you- believer!….. That may be the greatest blessing from the Father we have – save salvation. We have a personal coach, helper, assistant, guide, counselor, friend, etc, that God has deposited into us as a seal until the day of redemption (see Eph 1:13-14)!
This is such great news, and I hope that you will join me in praying for God to enlighten the eyes of our heart so we can see the many blessings that He has bestowed upon us, and then return back to Him the praise and adoration that only He deserves! I will leave you with this passage of Scripture to mediate and reflect upon:
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Psalm 103:1–22 (NET):
With all that is within me, praise his holy name!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Do not forget all his kind deeds!
He is the one who forgives all your sins,
who heals all your diseases,
who delivers your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion,
who satisfies your life with good things,
so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.
The Lord does what is fair,
and executes justice for all the oppressed.
The Lord revealed his faithful acts to Moses,
his deeds to the Israelites.
The Lord is compassionate and merciful;
he is patient and demonstrates great loyal love.
He does not always accuse,
and does not stay angry.
He does not deal with us as our sins deserve;
he does not repay us as our misdeeds deserve.
For as the skies are high above the earth,
so his loyal love towers over his faithful followers.
As far as the eastern horizon is from the west,
so he removes the guilt of our rebellious actions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers.
For he knows what we are made of;
he realizes we are made of clay.
A person’s life is like grass.
Like a flower in the field it flourishes,
but when the hot wind blows by, it disappears,
and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew. But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers,
and is faithful to their descendants,
to those who keep his covenant,
who are careful to obey his commands.
The Lord has established his throne in heaven;
his kingdom extends over everything.
Praise the Lord, you angels of his,
you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees
and obey his orders!
Praise the Lord, all you warriors of his,
you servants of his who carry out his desires!
Praise the Lord, all that he has made,
in all the regions of his kingdom!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
God bless you!