Then the man bowed low and worshiped the Lord. — Genesis 24:26
With a humble countenance, grateful heart and awe.
Hope your worship of our Lord God today will be the same.
Continually seeking Him,
Sharon
Tag Archive | humble
Good News
And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten You.’ — Acts 13:32-33
Celebrate, it’s Christmas!!!! What better reason to celebrate than the fulfillment of prophesy in Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father. The promise of God to all generations that came in a humble stable.
The precious baby that would sacrifice His life for us. The good news of His resurrection all wrapped up in a beautiful gift and all for those who will believe.
The only begotten Son freely given. Will you accept the gift?
Jesus. The best gift you will receive this Christmas. Celebrate!!
Continually seeking Him,
Sharon
To Speak Or Not
And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” — Acts 4:18-20
Do you ever think about what your response would be if confronted by the law and told not to share Jesus? Has Jesus made such an impression in your life that you are willing to risk imprisonment, ridicule, your very life? Is Jesus so alive in your life that you can’t stop speaking of what you have seen and heard?
If not, what needs to change about your walk with the Lord? Are you reading His Word, seeking Him through prayer, loving Him with ALL your heart, soul, mind, and strength and heeding His words in obedience?
Today is the day to make a change. Take time during worship to come face to face with where you are spiritually and humble yourself before the mighty God confessing, repenting and let the healing begin to bring you back into a right relationship with God so that you are effective for His glory.
God bless your worship today.
Continually seeking Him,
Sharon
I Will Dwell
. . . “But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word. — Isaiah 66:2
For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite. — Isaiah 57:15
O how I long to dwell with “the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy”. O Lord revive my spirit when I come with a repenting heart. Keep me humble in all my comings and goings. I tremble at Your word because it is truth and convicts my soul. I tremble when I see Your majesty and glory and realize I am not worthy to stand before Your throne. But I rejoice because You do allow it and desire to dwell with me.
Continually seeking Him,
Sharon
Make Me A Servant
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” — Matthew 20:26-28
Jesus changed the world by His radical teachings. Jesus came to serve. This was as contrary in Biblical times as it is today with so many people looking out for number one, themselves. “It’s all about me” mentality is the norm today. Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve. . . hmmm.
If Jesus is our example how are we to be in the world today? Servants to all — to those who say thank you for your kindness and those who don’t. Those who you think deserve it and those who don’t. Those who are lovable and those who aren’t. Our deep love and gratitude to the Lord God should fill our hearts with the desire to serve.
Our servant-hood in the world can make a change in those around us — those observing how we tend to others and those to whom we attend. Serving not for attention, acknowledgement or reward but for the glory of God and the changing of hearts toward God. And no good deed goes unnoticed by our heavenly Father. For He will make you great and first, exalting you for His glory. Jesus was exalted by the Father as He humbly served to the point that He gave His life for many!!! God was glorified and Jesus as well.
Lord, make me a servant I pray
Guide my feet in your way
As I serve others today
May they see Your glory
And follow You. Amen
Continually seeking Him,
Sharon
Return to Worship
This is a devotion written September 16, 2008 (long before I had a website). Still believe it is pertinent.
2 Chronicles 29:5-6, 10-11, 15-16, 18, 29-30, 35b
5 Then he said to them, “Listen to me, O Levites. Consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry the uncleanness out from the holy place. 6 “For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done evil in the sight of the Lord our God, and have forsaken Him and turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and have turned their backs.
10 “Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that His burning anger may turn away from us. 11 “My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to be His ministers and burn incense.”
15 They assembled their brothers, consecrated themselves, and went in to cleanse the house of the Lord, according to the commandment of the king by the words of the Lord.
16 So the priests went in to the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and every unclean thing which they found in the temple of the Lord they brought out to the court of the house of the Lord…
18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed the whole house of the Lord,…
29 Now at the completion of the burnt offerings, the king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshiped. 30 Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped.
35 … Thus the service of the house of the Lord was established again.
I wanted to put the whole chapter but had to pick and choose. It spoke to me of our churches today and of our own temple. Repentance, cleansing, praises, humbleness and worship. True, pure, clean worship. I believe we are so lacking. Pray for our churches today. Pray for revival. Pray for a return to purity, cleanliness, a humbleness in worship, a true reverent worship of the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, God Almighty.
Continually seeking Him,
Sharon
From Where Do You Seek Your Praise?
How is it possible for you to believe [how can you learn to believe], you who [are content to seek and] receive praise and honor and glory from one another, and yet do not seek the praise and honor and glory which come from Him Who alone is God? — John 5:44 (AMP)
Do you seek the approval, glory, honor and praise from others? Is their praise necessary for you to live for Jesus? Is their approval necessary to serve God?
Jesus said,”I receive not glory from men [I crave no human honor, I look for no mortal fame]” in John 5:41. Jesus sought the approval, glory, honor and praise from the Father. Jesus served the Father to bring Him glory, honor and praise and in turn the Father exalted His Son. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, (Philippians 2:9)
Then if Jesus is our role model we need to seek to honor God. Jesus said that “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him” in John 12:26. Following Jesus takes belief in Him as the Son of God who died on the cross for us and was raised on the third day by God Himself. It takes following in Jesus’ footsteps. It takes seeking God’s approval rather than the approval of men. For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends. (2 Corinthians 10:18)
Let us seek Jesus so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. (John 5:23) 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. (1 Chronicles 29:12) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, (1 Peter 5:6)
Continually seeking Him,
Sharon
for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God. — John 12:43
Be Still, Cease Striving
“Cease (let go, relax) striving and know that I am God; — Psalm 46:10 NASB
“Be still, and know that I am God! — Psalm 46:10 NLT
As I enter into a new season of life, transitioning from a caretaker of my parents to being back home with my husband after 21 months, I find myself in limbo. I know that God has a plan for me but in the meantime what do I do with myself? I have always worked outside the home so do I go and look for a job? Is that what God wants me to do? Where do I even begin to look for a job? I have things that will keep me busy at home as I return my home back to a feminine touch from the bachelor pad it has become. My heart is ministry and would love to do that full time although I know that I can still work and minister. So many thoughts and ideas going through my head. Then there is the mourning of leaving behind the friendships I made over the past two years, not to mention my Mother who has been left in the hands of my brothers. Often guilt arises and questions as to whether I’ve done the right thing. Questions, confusion, lost, distress. Where do I turn? Where do I go from here?
Be still, my child. Cease striving. Relax. Let go.
Let go of the struggles, the to-do list, feelings of oppression, inadequacies, sin, failures, turmoil, trials, and others allowing God to do His work in you. “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.* This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.^
Wait patiently. That is hard to do. It has been my experience that God leads where He wants me to go. I wait on Him and divine appointments happen that open doors to employment, places to live, provisions, etc. It is not the norm for most people. They tend to believe you need to pursue, which is done without the counsel or guidance of God. I seek Him first then by the guidance of the Lord I pursue where He leads. I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry.+ Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;< My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.~>
I can relax in the presence of the Lord and be restored. Waiting in His silence I am strengthened by the hope that is found in Him. When I surrender all to Him he blesses me beyond all I can imagine, meeting my every need, directing my every step. He becomes my direction, my strength, my hope, my all. That is where I want to be. I am renewed.
“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; — Luke 2:29
Continually seeking Him,
Sharon
*Matthew 11:28-29
^Isaiah 30:15
+Psalm 40:1
~Psalm 62:5
Writer’s Block
having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. — Colossians 2:7
Sometimes scripture just jumps off the page and you have such a testimony to tell. Other times scripture just seems to sit on the page and do nothing. Let me tell you that scripture is always good and has something to say but it is the one who reads it that is closed to it. It could be that the person has not received the Holy Spirit, through salvation, to interpret the scripture. It could be that sin in the life of a person is blocking understanding. It could be that it is just a dry time in the life of a person. Today I am experiencing a dry time.
Dry times are those times when we need to rely upon the Word of God that is firmly rooted in our hearts that establish our faith. When I have a dry time I always seem to look to who God is, all the blessings He has bestowed upon me, and how He has transformed me and continues to do so. I can’t help but be filled with joy and gratitude when I focus on Him. Psalm is usually the book I look to. Today Colossians spoke to me.
I overflow with gratefulness when I examine my life and realize the work of transformation the Lord has done in me. It is not anything I have done but what He has done. When I am reminded of His great mercy, grace and love I can’t help but be grateful and write of the joy that comes from focusing on the One true God. Again He has come through with something to write about. To God be the glory!
Thank You Jesus.
Continually seeking Him,
Sharon
Our Hope Is God
Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. — Psalm 42:5
So it seems that all at once things get out of your control, you lose your grip, all your plans seem to come falling down around you. This can’t be!!! I am walking with the Lord. He knows the plans I have — I shared them with Him. How could this be happening?
Sounds like life, doesn’t it? Well, how are we to react? Anger? Tears? Retaliation? Uncontrolled tongue? Emotional reactions are okay if they do not make us sin. Let us remember that we have Someone who loves us, cares for us and wants the best for us. So doesn’t it make sense to humble ourselves and go directly to the Lord?
Our hope is God. Taking it to Jesus in prayer we are ushered into His presence. There we praise Him because we trust that He is God and believe that He is in control. In the presence of the Lord our perspective can come under review of the Holy Spirit and change our hearts to God’s will and perspective. We have no idea what God’s plan is. All we can do is draw near, trust and hope in the Almighty God of the universe who works in us for His glorification. Remember it is all about Him but also remember He loves us and wants the best for us.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.” — Lamentations 3:24
How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance. — Psalm 89:15
Continually seeking Him,
Sharon
Continually Seeking Him 