Tag: Thanksgiving

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Worship

Thankful

Let’s be honest. Do we like being around someone who is always an ungrateful grump? Who never sees anything good in anyone or anything?

A true worshiper is thankful. It will be very difficult to worship God if one is not grateful.

We read in Psalm 50:14 (NLT) “Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God.” I love how Spurgeon describes this Scripture as “thankful adoration before the Lord.”

Oh, to simply and purely adore Him, to stand in awe of Him.

Recently, we held an anointed and powerful worship and prayer night at a place that we had never imagined possible. The next morning, as I was sitting at my desk, I was literally overcome with gratitude and amazement of who our Lord is and what He had just accomplished. I stopped typing, stood up from my desk, lifted my hands and my face towards heaven, and with tears streaming down, I cried out to Him, “I simply stand in awe of You, Lord God!”

Psalm 48:9 (NLT) says, “O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your temple.” It is interesting to note that both thankfulness in Psalm 50:14 and worship in Psalm 48:9 is the same Hebrew word: todah. which means “an extension of the hand, adoration, confession, praise, thanks (thanksgiving offering).”

And Psalm 147:7 instructs us to “Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving [todah].” Let us commit to doing this.

As we are filled to overflowing with gratitude to our incredible, faithful God, it becomes a delight, an absolute joy, to worship Him with thanksgiving and cheerful, gratified hearts!

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Worship

Front and Center

May we pause and ask ourselves truthfully what is front and center in our life.

Our house? Our fancy vehicle? Our garage full of expensive toys? Our hobby? Our job? Ourselves? Our image? Our spouse? Our children? Politics? Television and/or electronic devices? Finances? Can we honestly ask ourselves what we focus on most of the time throughout the day?

We are told in Mark 12:30 to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Doesn’t that sound like total commitment, being intentionally focused on the Lord our God?

Search us, oh God!

Worship is loving God, and worship puts God front and center.

David set his heart and soul to seek the Lord as we see in Psalm 27:8; 105:4; and 119:2, 10.

In 1 Chronicles 16:11, David admonishes us to “Seek the Lord . . . seek His face evermore!”

He so knew the great importance of this, that when he was old and appointing his son Solomon to be king over Israel, David specifically instructed Solomon: “Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God” (1 Chron. 22:19).

How can we do this without putting God front and center, with our mind, heart, and soul solely focused on Him, and only Him? We must fully grasp that He alone is worthy of all our attention, all our affection, and all our adoration.

These are not simply words—they are reverential acts of an awestruck bride absolutely overwhelmed with the awesome wonder of the splendor and glory of our majestic King.

Oh, Jesus, forgive me for making so many other people, things and events in my life more important than You. May I purposefully and passionately set my heart and soul to seek You, Lord, and make You number one in my life! I can give so much more to my spouse, my children, my job, my church, my city and my state and country when I have spent intimate time beholding Your face every day in sweet communion with my Best Friend, the Lover of my soul.  

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Worship

A Worshiper of God

In John 9, we read about a man born blind who met Jesus and was healed. The challenge to the Pharisees was that it happened on the Sabbath. So, they called the man in for interrogation and informed him that the man who healed him could not be a Godly person, because he healed someone on the Sabbath, which was against their rules.

To that, the healed blind man declared “…if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him” (John 9:31). Strong’s Greek Dictionary reflects the Greek word used here for “worshiper of God” is theosebes, and means “reverent of God, pious, worshiper of God.”

What an encouraging and inspiring word for us! His Word informs us that if we are a “worshiper of God” and do His will – God hears us! Yes, Jesus hears our cries for help, our pleas for intervention, our quiet moans for friendship, our prayers and supplications, our pleading of intercession for others, and yes, our exuberant shouts of praise and adoration to the Lover our of souls. He does gladly hear us!

Thank you, Father, for Your Word that instructs and enlightens us that You gladly and intently hear a worshiper of God who does Your will. Oh, may we diligently and earnestly seek to be passionate, heart-felt worshipers who are joyful and faithful in doing Your will.

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Worship

Why Worship?

My wife and I had a pastor many years ago who would say he thought of worship as “worth-ship,” that God was worth our worship, that He alone is worthy of all our worship. 

David knew God is worthy of our worship. He wrote, “I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised” (Ps. 18:3). In Psalm 29:2, he cries out: “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord.”

Philippians 2:9 tells us, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.” 

If God highly exalted Jesus, should we not highly exalt Him with our worship? 

We also worship God because “He is Holy,” as written in Psalm 99:3, 5, 9, and 22:3 “You are holy.” And just in case there is any doubt, God Almighty Himself declares “I am the Lord, your Holy One” in Isaiah 43:1 (see also Isa. 57:15; Ex.15:11).

We are actually instructed to worship Him “because He is your Lord, worship Him” (Ps. 45:11b). Psalm 95:6 admonishes us with, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down”, and also “Oh, worship the Lord” in Psalm 96:9.

We read the desire of His heart for you and me in Psalm 22:27: “And all the families of the nations shall worship before Him.” Also, “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, and shall glorify Your name” (Ps. 86:9). 

Our Father knows what is best for His children. He knows what keeps our heart in love with His heart. He really does want us to exalt Him and worship Him, for He alone is worthy, He alone is holy.

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Worship

The Unexpected Worshipper

We read a very interesting and enlightening account of an unexpected worshiper in Luke 17:11-19. As Jesus entered a Samaritan village on this way to Jerusalem, ten lepers called out to Him to be healed. As they obeyed Jesus’ command, they noticed they were healed.

We read verse 15 where, “one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.”

Oh Jesus, may we glorify You and worship You as this humbled and radically touched stranger did. May we glorify You with a loud voice; fall down on our face; at Your feet; and with an overflowing grateful heart; offer our unashamed, unbridled worship to You.

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Worship

To Worship the Only One Worthy

When you open your eyes during a worship service to look up toward the screen to catch the words, do you ever see people looking around, holding a cup of coffee in their hand with a look of, When will this be over? It’s gone on for over fifteen minutes!? 

Does this break your heart? Do you weep, knowing they are missing out on experiencing the inexpressible joy of worshipping the only One who is worthy, the One we radically love with all our hearts, our Creator, our dearest friend Jesus, the One who calls us His beloved, His delight? 

Oh Jesus, You so desire us to be worshipers, to bask in Your presence with indescribable joy—a joy unspeakable that comes from being near You; loving You; worshiping You. We anxiously, yet humbly ask You to give us a pure heart to worship You unashamedly and without reservation like King David did. Amen

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Worship

A Lifestyle of Worship and Obedience

“But if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.” (John 9:31).

Oh Jesus, You break it down to the simple basics for us. You call us to be dedicated, passionate, worshipers that do Your will. And, Your part is –
You promise to hear us. How beautiful, how simple, how awesome. Oh, how You love Your children. May be commit to choosing a lifestyle of worship and obedience to the only One worthy. Amen

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Worship

What is Worship?

What do you think of when you hear the word worship, or are asked “Where do you worship?” What comes to your mind? Do you think of a church service with three songs before a preacher’s message? Or does the thought, What a waste of time or boring come to mind?  

Or do you get all excited about the opportunity to lift up your voice singing songs of praise and adoration to our great and awesome King? Do you think of being consumed with bowing down in worshiping our Savior, our Deliverer, our Healer, the Lover of our soul? Of being captured and embraced by His never-ending love? Do you hope and pray the worship time will last for hours so you can go even deeper in experiencing more of His presence with awestruck wonder?

Lord, we do not want to miss out on experiencing more of You—and experiencing the indescribable, overwhelming joy of expressing our deep love to You through worship. Oh, how we love You! So we ask You,  Jesus, to draw us nearer to You and give us a heart to passionately worship You. Amen

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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. 

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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.