Date: March 20, 2012 12:45 AM
Topic: +DEV+ Let Us Sing to the Lord
Let Us Sing to the Lord
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." (Colossians 3:16)
Scripture Focus: Psalm 95, Colossians 3:1-17
Often when I think of singing in worship, I think of the words I sing as primarily being my words - my response to what God has done. While there is certainly good reason to see our singing in that way, the Apostle Paul, in our reading from Colossians for today, provides a somewhat different perspective of singing in worship.
Singing, according to this passage, is one of the ways in which we "let the word of Christ dwell in (us) richly." There are a few things worth noticing here. First, it is the Word of Christ that is to dwell richly within us through our singing. Singing is one way God draws us closer to Christ and His Word. Second, the "you" in the passage quoted at the top of the page is plural. (We would say “y’all” in Missouri!) This means God has designed our singing as a way not only to let His Word dwell within us, but as a way we can help that same Word to take root in our fellow Christians. What a tremendous privilege! God's gracious and many-faceted gift of music allows us to sing out in praise and awe of Him.
Insight: What Is Your Favorite Hymn Or Spiritual Song? What Aspect Of The Work Of Christ Does It Center Upon? If You Can, Sing It Now!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
+DEV+ A Meeting with Heaven
Date: March 19, 2012 10:59 PM
Topic: +DEV+ A Meeting with Heaven
A Meeting with Heaven
"But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God." (Hebrews 12:22)
Scripture Focus: Hebrews 12:28-29
The author to the Hebrews makes an astonishing claim here about worship under the new covenant. He's writing to a congregation of Jews tempted to return to the visible, tangible worship of the old covenant. So he contrasts that kind of worship with the heavenly worship of the new covenant in order to persuade them of the superiority of Jesus. In essence, he claims that when new covenant Christians come to worship, they take part in the heavenly gathering of all God's people who have ever lived to worship the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
How might such a perspective change the way we view and experience worship in our churches? I admit that getting to church (and paying attention) is not always an easy thing on Sunday morning, especially for those with kids! But might not the truth that when we get there, we will commune with God Himself and with the whole gathering of God's people in heaven serve to motivate us to make a greater effort? May God grant us that perspective every week!
Insight: Our Worship Is Heavenly Because The Savior We Worship Now Sits In Heaven At God's Right Hand. Praise God Today For This Amazing Truth.
Topic: +DEV+ A Meeting with Heaven
A Meeting with Heaven
"But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God." (Hebrews 12:22)
Scripture Focus: Hebrews 12:28-29
The author to the Hebrews makes an astonishing claim here about worship under the new covenant. He's writing to a congregation of Jews tempted to return to the visible, tangible worship of the old covenant. So he contrasts that kind of worship with the heavenly worship of the new covenant in order to persuade them of the superiority of Jesus. In essence, he claims that when new covenant Christians come to worship, they take part in the heavenly gathering of all God's people who have ever lived to worship the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
How might such a perspective change the way we view and experience worship in our churches? I admit that getting to church (and paying attention) is not always an easy thing on Sunday morning, especially for those with kids! But might not the truth that when we get there, we will commune with God Himself and with the whole gathering of God's people in heaven serve to motivate us to make a greater effort? May God grant us that perspective every week!
Insight: Our Worship Is Heavenly Because The Savior We Worship Now Sits In Heaven At God's Right Hand. Praise God Today For This Amazing Truth.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
+DEV+ The Holy Spirit in Worship
Date: March 18, 2012 9:33 PM
Topic: +DEV+ The Holy Spirit in Worship
The Holy Spirit in Worship
"[The Spirit] will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you." (JOHN 16:14)
Scripture Focus: John 16:4-15, Philippians 3
I imagine Jesus' disciples would have slumped a bit in their seats at the news. Jesus, their companion and teacher for the past three years, would soon be leaving them. What were they to do in His absence? How would they have the courage or strength to continue the work He had charged them to do? Not only that, but how would a band of Jewish tradesmen who routinely missed the significance of Jesus' message during His earthly ministry ever become the founders of the church and authors of the New Testament?
Jesus' answer to such apprehension is the Holy Spirit. The "Helper" whom Jesus would send to His church would be the one who would "guide them into all the truth" (John 16:13), and "convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment" (16:8). In other words, the Spirit would point them to Jesus. Like flood lights on the front of a mansion whose purpose is to draw attention to the beauty of the house, the Holy Spirit illumines our Lord to us when He seems far away. Let's give praise to the Spirit today!
Insight: Does Jesus Ever Loom Small On The Horizon Of Your Life Or Worship? Ask God To Illumine You With His Spirit So You Might See More Of Jesus!
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.
Topic: +DEV+ The Holy Spirit in Worship
The Holy Spirit in Worship
"[The Spirit] will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you." (JOHN 16:14)
Scripture Focus: John 16:4-15, Philippians 3
I imagine Jesus' disciples would have slumped a bit in their seats at the news. Jesus, their companion and teacher for the past three years, would soon be leaving them. What were they to do in His absence? How would they have the courage or strength to continue the work He had charged them to do? Not only that, but how would a band of Jewish tradesmen who routinely missed the significance of Jesus' message during His earthly ministry ever become the founders of the church and authors of the New Testament?
Jesus' answer to such apprehension is the Holy Spirit. The "Helper" whom Jesus would send to His church would be the one who would "guide them into all the truth" (John 16:13), and "convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment" (16:8). In other words, the Spirit would point them to Jesus. Like flood lights on the front of a mansion whose purpose is to draw attention to the beauty of the house, the Holy Spirit illumines our Lord to us when He seems far away. Let's give praise to the Spirit today!
Insight: Does Jesus Ever Loom Small On The Horizon Of Your Life Or Worship? Ask God To Illumine You With His Spirit So You Might See More Of Jesus!
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
+DEV+ Worship the Son
Date: March 15, 2012 9:42 PM
Topic: +DEV+ Worship the Son
Worship the Son
"Then the man said, 'Lord, I believe,' and he worshiped him." (John 9:38)
Scripture Focus: Psalm 2
It certainly would have raised a stir. Since their wanderings on the plains east of Egypt, the Israelites would have known to worship the one true God and the one true God only. This would explain, of course, the outrage that ensued when a Jewish rabbi repeatedly - without hesitation or rebuke - received worship from men and women. Foreigners fell down and worshiped Him days after His birth (Matthew 2:11). His disciples worshiped Him when they saw Him command the wind and waves (Matthew 14:33). A man born blind, seeing Jesus for the first time, fell down and worshiped Him (John 9:38). Who is this Man who receives worship?
He is no mere man. He is the very Son of God who took on human flesh. He has existed from all eternity (John 1:1). He created the world (1:3), and sustains it by His power (Hebrews 1:3). He is equal to the Father (John 10:30). Yet in history, He took on a human nature only to lay it down in death and take it up again in eternal life. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!
Insight: Jesus, As Much As The Father And The Spirit, Is Worthy Of Our Worship. Let His Work For You Inspire And Encourage Your Worship This Day.
Topic: +DEV+ Worship the Son
Worship the Son
"Then the man said, 'Lord, I believe,' and he worshiped him." (John 9:38)
Scripture Focus: Psalm 2
It certainly would have raised a stir. Since their wanderings on the plains east of Egypt, the Israelites would have known to worship the one true God and the one true God only. This would explain, of course, the outrage that ensued when a Jewish rabbi repeatedly - without hesitation or rebuke - received worship from men and women. Foreigners fell down and worshiped Him days after His birth (Matthew 2:11). His disciples worshiped Him when they saw Him command the wind and waves (Matthew 14:33). A man born blind, seeing Jesus for the first time, fell down and worshiped Him (John 9:38). Who is this Man who receives worship?
He is no mere man. He is the very Son of God who took on human flesh. He has existed from all eternity (John 1:1). He created the world (1:3), and sustains it by His power (Hebrews 1:3). He is equal to the Father (John 10:30). Yet in history, He took on a human nature only to lay it down in death and take it up again in eternal life. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!
Insight: Jesus, As Much As The Father And The Spirit, Is Worthy Of Our Worship. Let His Work For You Inspire And Encourage Your Worship This Day.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
+DEV+ A Response to Grace
Date: March 14, 2012 11:21 PM
Topic: +DEV+ A Response to Grace
A Response to Grace
“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ cleanse our conscience from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" (Hebrews 9:14)
Scripture Focus: Hebrews 9:11-22
The common view of religion today suggests that worship is something humans invented and performed to get God on their side. "If I pray enough, give enough, or serve enough, then God will bless me." Yet true worship never begins with us. Rather, true worship is always a response to the initiating grace of God. For the old covenant people of God, the exodus was the event that inspired countless songs of praise and devotion (see Exodus 15; Psalm105). For generations to follow, the elderly would remind the younger that all their service to God - worship included - would not have been possible without God's redemption (Deuteronomy 6:20-25).
But now the greater exodus has come. Jesus Christ, the true Passover Lamb, has delivered us not from earthly servitude, but from the wrath of God, through the sacrifice of Himself on the cross. Far from requiring our worship to atone for our sins, God inspires our worship by atoning for them Himself through the work of Christ. Is your worship flagging? Then remember all that God has done!
Insight: Do You Ever Feel Unworthy To Worship God? Remember Today That God Has Qualified You Through Jesus.
Topic: +DEV+ A Response to Grace
A Response to Grace
“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ cleanse our conscience from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" (Hebrews 9:14)
Scripture Focus: Hebrews 9:11-22
The common view of religion today suggests that worship is something humans invented and performed to get God on their side. "If I pray enough, give enough, or serve enough, then God will bless me." Yet true worship never begins with us. Rather, true worship is always a response to the initiating grace of God. For the old covenant people of God, the exodus was the event that inspired countless songs of praise and devotion (see Exodus 15; Psalm105). For generations to follow, the elderly would remind the younger that all their service to God - worship included - would not have been possible without God's redemption (Deuteronomy 6:20-25).
But now the greater exodus has come. Jesus Christ, the true Passover Lamb, has delivered us not from earthly servitude, but from the wrath of God, through the sacrifice of Himself on the cross. Far from requiring our worship to atone for our sins, God inspires our worship by atoning for them Himself through the work of Christ. Is your worship flagging? Then remember all that God has done!
Insight: Do You Ever Feel Unworthy To Worship God? Remember Today That God Has Qualified You Through Jesus.
+DEV+ Triune Worship
Date: March 14, 2012 12:11 AM
Topic: +DEV+ Triune Worship
Triune Worship
"Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.'" (Galatians 4:6)
Scripture Focus: Galatians 4:1-7
As Christians, we have the great privilege of worshiping a God like no other. One aspect of our God that today is often acknowledged but rarely makes much practical difference in our worship is His triune nature. The God of Scripture is one (Deuteronomy 6:4), but He exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. What difference should God's triune nature make for our worship of Him? To ask such a question is to plumb the depths of Christian theology and worship.
In short, we offer praise to each member of the Trinity for His role in our salvation. And as we draw our minds and hearts to one, they will irresistibly be drawn to the other two. As we remember the Father's plan to redeem us, we can't help but think of the execution of that plan in the sending of the Son. As we remember the Son, we think of the "Spirit of his Son" sent into our hearts. And as we think of the Spirit, our hearts cry out, "Abba, Father." Give praise to our triune God!
Insight: Our Worship Will Inevitably Reflect The God That We Know. How Does Your Worship Reflect The Triune God?
Topic: +DEV+ Triune Worship
Triune Worship
"Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.'" (Galatians 4:6)
Scripture Focus: Galatians 4:1-7
As Christians, we have the great privilege of worshiping a God like no other. One aspect of our God that today is often acknowledged but rarely makes much practical difference in our worship is His triune nature. The God of Scripture is one (Deuteronomy 6:4), but He exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. What difference should God's triune nature make for our worship of Him? To ask such a question is to plumb the depths of Christian theology and worship.
In short, we offer praise to each member of the Trinity for His role in our salvation. And as we draw our minds and hearts to one, they will irresistibly be drawn to the other two. As we remember the Father's plan to redeem us, we can't help but think of the execution of that plan in the sending of the Son. As we remember the Son, we think of the "Spirit of his Son" sent into our hearts. And as we think of the Spirit, our hearts cry out, "Abba, Father." Give praise to our triune God!
Insight: Our Worship Will Inevitably Reflect The God That We Know. How Does Your Worship Reflect The Triune God?
Monday, March 12, 2012
+DEV+ God is Looking for You
Date: March 12, 2012 10:33 PM
Topic: +DEV+ God is Looking for You
God is Looking for You
"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." (John 4:23)
Scripture Focus: John 4:1-26
If anyone is on the outside, she is. This Samaritan woman's promiscuous lifestyle has led her to five different husbands during her lifetime. Her mixed Samaritan blood also keeps her outside the pure Jewish circles that surround her. So she chooses to draw water during the hottest time of the day, when she is sure to encounter no one.
But certainly to her disappointment, someone is already there. A man. A Jew. A rabbi. It could not be worse. But the news He brings her is unlike any she has heard. He offers her water that will quench an eternal thirst. Yet perhaps even more surprising than this, He tells her that God the Father is seeking people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.
What a shock this must have been for a woman used to being on the outside, to know that God Himself was looking for people like her - not to judge, not to condemn, not to punish, but for the purpose of worshiping Him. May God find what He seeks in us also!
Insight: God is still seeking worshipers today. Has He been looking for you?
Topic: +DEV+ God is Looking for You
God is Looking for You
"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." (John 4:23)
Scripture Focus: John 4:1-26
If anyone is on the outside, she is. This Samaritan woman's promiscuous lifestyle has led her to five different husbands during her lifetime. Her mixed Samaritan blood also keeps her outside the pure Jewish circles that surround her. So she chooses to draw water during the hottest time of the day, when she is sure to encounter no one.
But certainly to her disappointment, someone is already there. A man. A Jew. A rabbi. It could not be worse. But the news He brings her is unlike any she has heard. He offers her water that will quench an eternal thirst. Yet perhaps even more surprising than this, He tells her that God the Father is seeking people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.
What a shock this must have been for a woman used to being on the outside, to know that God Himself was looking for people like her - not to judge, not to condemn, not to punish, but for the purpose of worshiping Him. May God find what He seeks in us also!
Insight: God is still seeking worshipers today. Has He been looking for you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)