Tag Archive | Christian

Worship In Holy Array

Jul27

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him; Worship the Lord in holy array. — 1 Chronicles 16:29/Psalm 29:2

What do you bring to the Lord on Sunday (or your day of congregational worship)? Is your offering of worship an offering of praise? A fruitful offering?

God wants us to worship in holy array. Is “holy array” your physical appearance or is it a heart ready to worship in spirit and truth? Is your offering a fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?*

God does not see as man sees for God looks at the heart, a heart that has been circumcised. You can come to church all dressed up and looking good but what does your heart look like? Put aside the flesh and worship as you have never worshiped before. Worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus. Totally surrender to the Spirit of truth with a heart full of the fruit of the Spirit.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

 

But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. — Leviticus 19:24

*Galatians 5:22-23

for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, — Philippians 3:3

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” — 1 Samuel 16:7

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” — John 4:24

Seek, Wait, Hope

Jul26

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. — Lamentations 3:24-25

“The Lord is my portion.” He is my inheritance. He is all I need. He is everything I could ever want or need in this life and especially in the next. For without Him I would never experience eternal life with Him. Because He is all I will ever need I hope in Him. My soul is confident to say, “I have hope in Him”.

God’s eye is on those who hope for His lovingkindness, on those who fear Him. (Ps. 33:18) To have God’s eye on you holds so many promises and peace. To revere His holiness and purity. To revel in His love and blessings. To have peace in His protection and care. Those are for those who hope in Him.

God is good to those who wait on Him. As in yesterday’s devotion, we hear from Him when we take the time to wait on the Lord. He is good to us when we wait on Him. He wants to give us blessings, guide us in our day, help us on our journey of life to fulfill His purpose for us. All those are good things. He is good to those who wait for Him. Wait for His triumphant return. Hope.

While we wait we can seek His face. Longing for the Lord my soul diligently seeks Him. This too is good. Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face continually (Ps. 105:4). Wait on Him. Hope in Him.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

At night my soul longs for You, Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently; For when the earth experiences Your judgments The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. Isaiah 26:9

WAIT!!!!!!!!?

Jul25

I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. — Psalm 130:5-6

Wait. . . Wait . . . Wait . . .

That is a four letter word to us today. No one likes to wait. We look for the shortest line in the grocery store. When we ring the bell for service we want someone to answer that bell right away. When we sit in the doctor’s office waiting room we keep looking at our watches, or cell phones, to see how much they are running behind. We just don’t like to wait. It is an inconvenience. We are always in a hurry. To go where???

In our hurried lifestyle today we miss out on a lot. We don’t take the time to really listen and notice our children. They are just an added burden to the hurried lifestyle. We can’t seem to find a smile to share with someone as they hurriedly pass us by. We don’t notice God’s awesome creation — new life in the Spring, the beautiful blue sky and green grass of Summer, the colors of Fall and the pure white of Winter snow or the bare trees awaiting Spring. There is that “wait” again. The trees waiting for the blooms of Spring to dress them again. We tend to half listen to conversations we have with others and then wonder why communication is the biggest problem in relationships.

The biggest communication problem today is the lack of hearing the voice of God. We are too much in a hurry to spend time waiting on the Lord. Yet when we do wait upon the Lord we can hear His still small voice of direction, encouragement, love. My hope for the future is found in the waiting room of the Lord. He is my hope. He is my direction into the future. He guides my steps and my ways. Without Him I am merely walking blindly into the future with no direction or encouragement.

Take time to wait on the Lord. He is so worth it. Hope for the future and peace for the present.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Hope For The Future

Jul24

“There is hope for your future,” declares the Lord, “And your children will return to their own territory. — Jeremiah 31:17

I believe there is no greater joy than when you see the years of prayer you put in for your children begin to be answered.

My husband and I have often discussed how we were not the best parents but did the best we could — most of the time. We both believe it is by grace that our children managed to survive our rearing of them. I thank God that He is perfect and loves my children more than I could ever love them.

All our children have reached adulthood, despite their parents, and have not always followed our advice and counsel nor that of the Lord. They have wandered out into the world and made mistakes — but haven’t we all. In my 21 months away from my family I focused a lot on praying for my husband and kids, many times on my knees crying out on their behalf. My children were introduced to Jesus, all making a profession of faith, and then wandered into the world without Christ. It has just been recently that I see the miracle transformation taking place in all of them and I am ecstatic.

Rebellion from attending church has been turned into faithful consistent attendance. Never seeing them open the Word of God to asking where their Bible is, and seeing them reading it. Finding one in prayer and meditation with an open Bible. Alienation from church and Christians to a desire to fellowship.

The point of this is that my ever faithful God, in His perfect timing is answering my prayers and my tears are now tears of joy. Thank You Lord God for listening and for answering. Thank You for what You are doing in the lives of my children. May You continue to be glorified in their transformation. There is hope for my future and theirs.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

God Gave Light

Jul23

thFor God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. 17 Here’s the point. God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He is here to rescue a world headed toward certain destruction.

18 No one who believes in Him has to fear condemnation, yet condemnation is already the reality for everyone who refuses to believe because they reject the name of the only Son of God. 19 Why does God allow for judgment and condemnation? Because the Light, sent from God, pierced through the world’s darkness to expose ill motives, hatred, gossip, greed, violence, and the like. Still some people preferred the darkness over the light because their actions were dark. 20 Some of humankind hated the light. They scampered hurriedly back into the darkness where vices thrive and wickedness flourishes. 21 Those who abandon deceit and embrace what is true, they will enter into the light where it will be clear that all their deeds come from God. — John 3:16-21 (The Voice)

God gave us the Light. Come to the Light. Bow before Jesus in prayer. Know the Light. Read God’s wonderful story of Jesus in the Bible. Seek the Light and worship the Light. Jesus is the light of the world.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Mustard Seed

Jul22

And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. — Luke 17:6

My faith does not determine what God can do. With God all things are possible. God’s plan will be fulfilled despite my level of faith. The size of my faith is not the issue. The object of my faith is.

I have heard — praise God, not for a long time — someone say that the reason a prayer was not answered was because you didn’t have enough faith. My response to this, “When did God determine how He would answer prayers by how much faith I had?” God is God and does not need counsel from me. “I only need enough faith to see what God can do and once I see that, a mustard seed of faith is all He needs to do the impossible.”*

Ask God to use your mustard seed of faith to do the impossible in your life for His glory.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

 

*Grandpa Pearson p.9, 50 Days of Unleashing Hope Daily Devotionals, Ray Johnston

Accurate Handling

Jul21

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. — 2 Timothy 2:15

How can we accurately handle the Word of truth if we don’t know it?

So many have come to the altar seeking forgiveness from sin, asking Jesus into their heart and then walking out the door to live a life unchanged. What makes the difference? The Word of God. It is God’s love letter to His children where He tells us everything we need to know to live a life for Him. To live a life that will bring Him glory. To live a life unashamed. To live a life approved by God.

An approved workman tells others that Jesus is alive! He has risen from the dead and desires to walk daily with them. He wants the best for us so He guides us by His Word. When we tell others of Jesus, we need to be sure we are representing Him in truth. How can we know that we are speaking the truth of God? Open the Bible and study it. Read it everyday. Meditate on it. Memorize it. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

We have the hope of being an adequate workman for God when we study the Word of God, accurately handling the word of truth so that we are fully equipped to fulfill God’s plan for us all.

Are you equipped? Are you ready? Diligently seek Christ through the Word of God.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Fountain of Living Water

Jul20

O Lord, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the Lord. — Jeremiah 17:13
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the Lord his God, — Psalm 146:5

Hope in the Lord does not bring about shame. He is a trustworthy God who will not forsake His own. Turn to the Lord, the living water, from whom we are quenched. God loves us and desires us to do His will for the benefit of our souls and for His glory. He will not let us down. He will not forsake us so do not forsake Him. Turn to Jesus for the help to face each day, to know the freedom from sin only He can give, and to experience peace in a world of chaos. He so longs to show you all the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge that is Jesus Christ Himself.

Seek out the Lord Jesus Christ — by reading His Word, talking to a friend who knows Jesus, going to a church that proclaims the Good News of Jesus Christ and/or talking to Jesus by prayer. He is listening. Open your heart to receive all He has planned for you. He is your hope!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Hope in the Living God

Jul19

I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. — Psalm 130:5
Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope. — Psalm 119:116
So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. — Hebrews 6:18

My hope is in the living God. By His Word I am sustained so that I may live in hope. In trusting God and His promises I will not be ashamed of my hope because my God speaks the truth in His Holy Word. It is impossible for Him to lie so I can put my complete trust in Him, find refuge in Him and in Him I have great confidence to hold to the hope of a future. A future designed by God for His purpose. I shall live and not be ashamed of my hope because I know my Lord and I am confident that He has my future in hand. He is my hope, and His Word is my stay. I shall trust in Him. I shall hope in Him.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Blessed Are We!

Jul18

So David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly; and David said, “Blessed are You, O Lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. 12 Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. 13 Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name. — 1 Chronicles 29:10-13

Wow!!! Hallelujah!!!! Praise God!!!!!

Our Father forever and ever
He is greatness and power
He is glory and victory
He is majesty
He is the ruler over His creation
He has dominion over all
He is the giver of riches and honor
His hand holds power and might
It is by His power to make great and strengthen everyone
O Glorious Lord
Thank You
Praise You

Blessed are You, O Lord. Blessed are we, O Lord!
Know Him.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon