Tag Archive | worship

Worship and Praise

Sep14

“All the earth will worship You, And will sing praises to You; They will sing praises to Your name.” Selah. — Psalm 66:4

Do you ever think on Sunday morning, as you are worshiping the Lord in hymns, about others gathered together worshiping the Lord God?

I imagine all the churches of the world gathered in one accord giving praises to Almighty God. I know with time zones that this image is not reality but I so look forward to that day when it will be reality — all nations bowed in worship to the Sovereign One.

I wonder what God sees on Sunday mornings as the sun moves from east to west and people are getting ready to go to a gathering place for worship. Does He see a continual 24 hour worship? Is He pleased by what He sees and hears on His Sabbath day? Does He see an eagerness amongst His people to bring offerings of praise and worship to His house? I wonder.

How will your worship be different and will it be pleasing to the Lord today? Draw near to Him and give yourself in worship today.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Return to Worship

Aug3

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

What A Day That Will Be

Jul28

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. — 1 John 3:2

I’m out visiting a friend and her Pastor husband in Illinois this weekend and had the privilege to worship with them yesterday morning and evening. In the morning service Pastor Alan asked the congregation, “Who wants to go to heaven?” Surprisingly, at least to me, was how abnormally quiet it was. Finally someone yelled out “I do, but not yet”. Alan spoke my sentiments when he said that he was ready even if it was today.

I can only imagine what a glorious day that will be when we see Jesus just as He is. I’m anticipating it to be spectacular, wonderful, surpassing all I could possibly imagine. We sang the following hymn also:

What A Day That Will Be

There is coming a day when no heartaches shall come
No more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye
All is peace forevermore on that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Chorus:
What a day that will be
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

There’ll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no pain, no more parting over there;
And forever I will be with the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Chorus:
What a day that will be
When my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Are you secure in your everlasting destination? Are you anticipating seeing Jesus face to face? Seek Him while He may be found so you may know what a day that will be!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

The lyrics and music to the Gospel song, “What A Day That Will Be” is by Jim Hill.

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

Praise the Lord!!!!

Jul13

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord while I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. — Psalm 146:1-2

So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name. — Psalm 63:4

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. — Psalm 104:33

Whenever or however you spend your time in worship I pray that at least once a week it is spent with church family. I hope that you worship our King in spirit and in truth. Praise Him with all your being as you lift up your voice in songful praise and your hands to the name above all names. Worship and praise Him with all your being as long as you live. He is worthy.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Prophesy

Jul12

But if everyone is proclaiming God’s message when some unbelievers or ordinary people come in, they will be convinced of their sin by what they hear. They will be judged by all they hear,  their secret thoughts will be brought into the open, and they will bow down and worship God, confessing, “Truly God is here among you!”— 1 Corinthians 14:24-25 (GNT)

Proclaiming God’s message is a gift that one should earnestly desire. (14:1). The message is the Word of God. It is the gospel. It is Jesus Christ promised and fulfilled.

The power of the Word of God is miraculous. It brings unbelievers and ordinary people to their knees in repentance and worship of God. The Word of God has the power to convict, to bring to mind the deep secrets of the soul that darken a life. It has the power to bring knowledge of the One True God causing us to worship the King of kings and the Lord of lords. It has the power to draw us to the throne of God for mercy, grace and redemption.

When the Word of God is proclaimed in the church by everyone, not just the Pastor, then unbelievers will confess that “Truly God is among you!” Proclaim the Word of God in your everyday life. If you are walking closely with Him and studying His awesome Word then you will want to speak of His glory. You will see His glory in everyday happenings in your life. In those you have opportunities to share testimonies of God’s Word. As you do you will see unfold before you the power of God’s Word as it touches the lives of those who need Jesus Christ.

So. Will you earnestly desire the gift of proclaiming God’s Word? Pray asking for God’s gift to prophesy His truth and then seek Him in His Word so you may be equipped to proclaim the Good News!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Lovingkindness

Jul4

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
4 To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
5 To Him who made the heavens with skill,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
6 To Him who spread out the earth above the waters,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
7 To Him who made the great lights,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting:
8 The sun to rule by day,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
9 The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Psalm 136:1-9, 26

Today was an absolute day of blessing after blessing from my wonderful Lord. He knows my heart and blesses it. He knows my needs and meets them with blessing. I could ask for nothing better than my wonderful Lord for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Praise and glory to the only true God worthy of worship and praise!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Cloudy With a Chance of Glory

Jul1

These are some of my favorite verses regarding the glory of God:

It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud. — 1 Kings 8:10-12

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. — Exodus 40:34-35

in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised the Lord saying, “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God. — 2 Chronicles 5:13-14

Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house. The priests could not enter into the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house. All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of the Lord upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to the Lord, saying, “Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.” — 2 Chronicles 7:1-3

The cloud came down and filled the place with God’s glory. What was the reaction of the people? The priests could not stand, Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle, all the sons of Israel bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground. The effect was to worship and praise the Lord.

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to actually see the glory of God in it’s full array? What would be your response? When you worship the Lord, like on Sunday, do you bow down in worship and praise to the Lord – at least in your heart? What is the state of your heart in the presence of the Lord? Truly His lovingkindness is everlasting and He is worthy, oh so worthy, of our praise to His glory!

And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. — Revelation 15:8

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Love One Another

Jun1

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” — John 13:35

Does love draw you? The love of God for His creation draws us to Him through the love of Jesus Christ. Love for our families draws us to the desire to spend time with them every chance we get. Love of a friend draws us to spend time with them.

On Sunday morning, does the love for “one another” draw you to church? Do you desire to be with others believers? Sunday morning to me is a chance to show love to other believers (just ask my family how many hugs I give out on Sunday morning) by gathering with them, rejoicing in the Lord with them, sharing their burdens in prayer with and for them, encouraging them and sharing life with them. If I can’t share love at church on Sunday mornings than chances are I am not sharing love during the week.

I often times envision that churches are so full on Sunday morning that parking overflows into the street and people in the neighborhood are so curious that they come inside to check it out. When they do they find the love of God because they see the love we have for one another.

Are you gathering with the saints? I hope so. God bless your Sunday worship and fellowship.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

O Lord, Our Hope

Apr15

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

O Lord, our hope, I pray earnestly for those souls who forsake you. During this holy week may their eyes be opened to see the resurrected King. Help them to caste aside their shame and come to the living water. You Lord are the eternal fountain that flows within us so that we thirst no more.

I pray that our churches will be filled not only with the lost this Easter morning but also with Your Holy Spirit who draws all souls to You. May the call to salvation be heard clearly and the call to repentance obeyed. I hope and pray for thirsty hearts that pant for the living water. Call all to repentance dear Lord.

During this week I pray that we all come humbly to the cross and lay our sin and shame there and rise up renewed and full of rejoicing because You are risen!!!! I pray that we, Your children, come to church with gladness and rejoicing desiring to worship the risen King!

Are you looking forward to celebrating Resurrection Sunday?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon