Seeing everything in life as an opportunity to worship God!
Song of the Day “This I Believe“ by Hillsong Worship Devotional thought Philip Schaff, in his Creeds of Christendom, writes of the Apostles’ Creed, “As the Lord’s Prayer is the Prayer of prayers, the Decalogue is the Law of laws, so the Apostles’ Creed is the Creed of creeds. It contains all the fundamental articles … Read more
– Are you currently believing any lies about yourself, or God?
– Do you fear death and allow that fear to keep you in a state of spiritual paralysis?
– Will you praise the Lord right now for overcoming death forever and giving you eternal life in His name?
This is a reference to Christ’s teachings, the Gospel message, and/or the Bible as a whole. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly”, I believe this to be a call to allow the Word of God to be the most evident influence in the dish of your life! When we do allow this to influence everything about us, we will inevitably be a much more “tasty” treat for others to be around. The smell and taste of your life will begin to show forth fruits such as the ingredients that we have been discussing for the past several posts, such as; a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiving, etc. (I have been using a clothing analogy in previous points, but think of all of those virtues as ingredients to the dish of your life). This kind of a life is certainly a sweet smelling offering to the Lord and to the people around us!
This is a reference to Christ’s teachings, the Gospel message, and/or the Bible as a whole. “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly”, I believe this to be a call to allow the Word of God to be the most evident influence in the dish of your life! When we do allow this to influence everything about us, we will inevitably be a much more “tasty” treat for others to be around. The smell and taste of your life will begin to show forth fruits such as the ingredients that we have been discussing for the past several posts, such as; a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiving, etc. (I have been using a clothing analogy in previous points, but think of all of those virtues as ingredients to the dish of your life). This kind of a life is certainly a sweet smelling offering to the Lord and to the people around us!
Colossians 3:15 (NET)“Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one body to this peace), and be thankful.” Such a short and sweet verse holding in it a profound statement! Let the peace of Christ be in control of your heart. As we have been … Read more
To the issues listed above (Black Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, debt, status, politics, abortion, gender identification, marriage, legislation, masks, religion, etc.), we need to look at each of these issues through a Biblical, and eternal perspective in order to approach these issues from a transformed and informed (Biblically) mindset. When we do this, we will find it easier to resist the worldly patterns and stay strongly planted on the Biblical pattern of godliness as we make decisions. Be careful not to be driven by your feelings, always be driven by faith and facts, and it will be very difficult for you to conform yourself to anything that is worldly and ungodly. We are of God’s kingdom and our “agenda’s” in life need to reflect that truth!
There is an old term called, “True North”, and it is the internal compass that guides you successfully through life. The old timers used to use the North Star in navigating the ocean because it was stationary and didn’t move with the waves and wind, it kept them on a straight path to their destination. In much the same way, there is a “True North” in our times of worship, and that is the Word of God. The Bible is the “compass” that informs and instructs our worship. In it we find all that God has revealed about His nature, character, and covenant with us. All of the thoughts we think, the songs we sing, the prayers we pray, and the ideals we hold to be true must be rooted in the truths of God’s Word. The most powerful force to unlock freedom is truth (see John 8:31-32) . So, if we want to be free in our worship, then it must be rooted in truth!
In the Old Testament we see that worship was primarily an act of adherence to the prescribed methods and instructions of the law. It was very ritualistic and needed to be carried out with precision or else it was not accepted. The emphasis was not necessarily placed on the inward expression of worship from a changed heart and spirit that was completely submitted to God (although that was God’s intention), but was very much about the external conformity to rituals and traditions. The Jews missed the point! They were focused on the wrong things, and I believe that we can be trapped into the same things today – missing the whole point of worship.