Tag: Religion

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Worship

Immanuel (Part II)

      His Word also promises us in Hebrews 13:5 that He will never leave us nor forsake us (see also Deut. 31:6 and Josh. 1:5). Joshua 21:45 assures us that not one of His promises have ever failed to happen (see also 1 Kings 8:56 and Josh. 23:14). Romans 4:21 tells us what God has promised, He is able (faithful) to perform. 

   We are immensely encouraged in Isaiah 30:21 where we are told we can hear His voice instructing us to turn right or left. He is always with us to comfort us, reassure us, teach us. He is closer than a brother.

   But, hold on, it gets better. If we have surrendered ourselves to Christ and asked Him to be our Lord and Savior, then Christ is in us (Rom. 8:10). And Galatians 2:20 says Christ lives in you and me.

   Oh, that we would realize deep in our soul that Jesus Christ is in us (2 Cor. 13:5). Our hope of glory lives in you and me (Col. 1:27).

   And finally, one of my favorite Scriptures that always incites me to stop reading, lift my face to heaven, and enter into unbridled worship: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16).  

Lord Jesus, give us a fresh revelation that we belong to You and that You happily reside in us. May this revelation settle deep down in our souls, quicken our hearts to enter into raw, abandoned, unrestrained worship of You. May our love of You only increase as we daily move into a deeper relationship with the Lover of our souls as we intently, passionately, move into a lifestyle of continual worship. Oh, how we love you, Jesus. 

Categories
Worship

Immanuel

   Have you ever had a moment when you were perplexed, stumped, confused? Did you wish you had someone right then and there who had the answers, and who could step up and help you?

   Have you ever felt so lonely, so isolated, so left out that you longed for a dear friend, a close confidant to share your heart and feelings with?

   We read in Proverbs 18:24 there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. We have such a friend. His name is Jesus. We are told Jesus calls us His friend in John 15:15.

   I don’t know about you, but that causes my heart to leap with excitement and wonder. Jesus, Creator of Heaven and Earth, Son of God, King of kings, Savior of all mankind, calls you and me His friends!

   We are thrilled to learn of a prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 that the Lord would give us a sign; a virgin would bear a Son and His name would be Immanuel. And true to the declaration that God cannot lie (Num. 23:19), we joyfully read of it coming to fruition in Matthew 1:23, as an angel of the Lord told Joseph that Mary, a virgin, would have a child, and His name would be Immanuel.

   There is great comfort and assurance in the name Immanuel as it means “God with us.” Jesus promises us “I am with you always” in Matthew 28:20. And He means it.

How can we ever thank You enough? You never leave us nor forsake us, for You are God with us! Our Immanuel, Whom we have the honor and privilege to bow down and worship.

Categories
Worship

Rejoice

  Praise and worship preceded the birth of our Savior. We read in Luke 1:26–28 how God sent the angel Gabriel to a virgin named Mary. The very first word from Gabriel was “Rejoice,” which is the Greek word chairo and means: cheer, happy, hail, joy, and rejoice.

   Luke 1:31–33, where Gabriel addressed Mary, fills me with joy and amazement: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom, there will be no end.”

   Is not the One who reigns forever and ever worthy of this kind of praise and worship?

   Do you feel this kind of praise and worship tugging on your heart to lay all hesitancy down, to say “No more” to apathy and complacency, to absolutely give your all to the only One who is worthy of our passionate and persistent praise and worship?

Rejoice! What a fun-filled, expressive word that causes smiles on our faces. May we allow the joy of Jesus to fill us to overflowing so we cannot help but spread His joy to all with whom we come in contact.